2018 Tesla Model 3 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 168about this part
- Share
- 16%of 1,034 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 26,250miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 168 complaints about the electrical system of the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 16% of the 1,034 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 26,250 miles. 14 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 5 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Our car caught fire sitting in the driveway of my house. This happened around 4am in jan9, security footage from neighbors has been handed over to fd and Tesla engineering team. The last trip was 10 hours prior to parking the car. We are lucky it was not in the garage or charging, the damage could have been more than a few broken windows, as soon as we saw the fire we called the fd, they put out the fire within 15 minutes.”
NHTSA complaint #11397073, filed 2021-02, 16,675 miles“My Tesla when on autopilot on a freeway running less than 5 MPH due to traffic was right behind a big truck and the car never stopped and bumped into the truck. An attempt to brake manually was done but the autopilot wouldnt deactivate and give us back the control to stop the car. I have a video from my front cam with the incident. I was lucky my car was not driving at a higher speed if the same incdent could happen as like may others who got killed.”
NHTSA complaint #11299698, filed 2020-01, 34,000 miles“The screen freezes and reboots while driving.I have no idea how fast I'm going the entire care goes dark. This has been going on for 2 months.I have taken it in. But they tell me there is no fix. Car is not safe to drive when you have no idea how fast your going.”
NHTSA complaint #11204310, filed 2019-04, 15,000 miles“I have notified Tesla several times that my vehicle shuts off on its own. I have taken my car to the Tesla service center twice where I have been told that it is a firmware issue and will be resolved with an over the air update. However there is no timeframe on when this update will happen. This morning at 8:20am while driving my car to work on vincent street turning left on irwindale ave in the city of irwindale, ca the vehicle display completely shut off leaving me with no way to see my speed, controls, or gauges. …”
NHTSA complaint #11142601, filed 2018-10, 7,100 miles“My wife ( driver for over 40 years, no accidents, no tickets) was stopped at a traffic light on a downgrade, foot on the brake, in our brand new Tesla MODEL 3 when it suddenly began to move forward and crashed into cars stopped at the light in front of her. My wife tried desperately to stop the Tesla with the brakes and emergency brake. Ou car was stopped by the car in front. I hate to think of what could have happened had there not been car in front. We purchased the Tesla in december of 2018 and the crash occurred in february of 2019. …”
NHTSA complaint #11207877, filed 2019-05, 2,400 milesRelated recalls
- 24V153000Feb 27, 2024Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted…Covers: Tesla Model 3 2018–2022, Model S 2013, 2018–2021, Model Y 2020–2022 +1 more
- 24V051000Jan 30, 2024Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An…Covers: Tesla Model 3 2017–2023, Model S 2012–2023, Model X 2016–2024 +2 more
- 23V838000Dec 12, 2023Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of…Covers: Tesla Model 3 2017–2023, Model S 2012–2023, Model X 2016–2023 +1 more
- 22V263000Apr 18, 2022Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Model 3 Performance vehicles. The unit of speed (mph or km/h) may fail to display on the speedometer while…Covers: Tesla Model 3 2018–2022
- 22V235000Apr 12, 2022Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played…Covers: Tesla Model 3 2017–2022, Model X 2020–2022, Model S 2020–2022 +1 more
Related service bulletins
- 10247400Oct 26, 2023On some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, the Occupant Classification System (OCS) signal might be affected by electrical interference in the seat electrical harness, causing the…
- 10212800Dec 8, 2021Some Model 3 driver and front passenger seat electrical harnesses might get damaged from repeated fore and aft adjustments to the seat, which will trigger a restraint system alert.
- 10208325Dec 8, 2021Some Model 3 driver and front passenger seat electrical harnesses might get damaged from repeated fore and aft adjustments to the seat, which will trigger a restraint system alert.
- 10184229Nov 3, 2020On certain Model 3 vehicles, an open electrical circuit or short to ground near connectors X950 or X952 may display a restart alert on the touchscreen, or prevent the vehicle…
- 10182643Oct 29, 2020On certain Model 3 vehicles, an open electrical circuit or short to ground near connectors X950 or X952 may display a restart alert on the touchscreen, or prevent the vehicle…
- 10181263Sep 21, 2020On some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, the Occupant Classification System (OCS) signal might be affected by electrical interference in the seat harness, causing the airbag…
- 10178415Jul 14, 2020Certain Model 3 high voltage batteries may not have a sufficient quantity of bolts for the contactor DC link busbars, which may prevent the vehicle from charging or powering…
- 10177029Jun 9, 2020Some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles might have a charge port door that is overflush (protrudes in comparison) to the LH taillight assembly.
- 10174931Apr 28, 2020On some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, the Occupant Classification System (OCS) signal might be affected by electrical interference in the seat harness, causing the airbag…
- 10171176Jan 2, 2020When some Autopilot HW2 and HW2.5 Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles are near airport ASR-9 radar antennae, the vehicle cameras might be affected by electromagnetic…
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 7% |
| 2025 | 22 | 18% |
| 2024 | 46 | 21% |
| 2023 | 51 | 12% |
| 2022 | 60 | 8% |
| 2021 | 80 | 12% |
| 2020 | 42 | 9% |
| 2019 | 92 | 15% |
| 2018 | 168 | 16% |
| 2017 | 2 | 7% |
Other parts of the 2018 Tesla Model 3
203 complaintsSuspension
191 complaintsOther or unknown
175 complaintsAir bags
143 complaintsSeat belts
105 complaintsVehicle speed control
91 complaintsBrakes
89 complaintsSteering
82 complaintsSeats
74 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
61 complaintsBody and structure
60 complaintsLane departure
51 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2018 Tesla Model 3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology