2018 Tesla Model 3 Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 60about this part
- Share
- 6%of 1,034 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 16,338miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 60 complaints about the body and structure of the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 6% of the 1,034 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 16,338 miles. 16 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On january 10, 2020 approximately 09:30 am, when in a parking garage I stopped the car and went to put it into reverse to back into a stall when the car accelerated forward impacting a pillar when I looked down the car was in neutral and the hazard lights were on. I contacted my insurance and it was deemed 'at fault' repairs to be determined”
NHTSA complaint #11300204, filed 2020-01, 27,241 miles“Aeb system does not function at low speeds reliably. Car was traveling at 12mph and car was stopped in front of my car. Car made no alerts or no attempt to stop the vehicle from a rear end collision which ultimately resulted in damage to my front end. I never know when the system will or wont work and have no confidence in it.”
NHTSA complaint #11270464, filed 2019-10, 14,000 miles“Driving on highway 10 lake city to jacksonville fl, suddenly heavy rain caused car to skid driving in autopilot mode at 70mph , the road changed from asphalt to concrete and car could not handle that change , car went into hydroplan/skid mode with 15 snake lapses before I could bring it to rest on shoulder , we were lucky to have survived as a semi truck was just 20 seconds behind us. …”
NHTSA complaint #11300100, filed 2020-01, 18,234 miles“I was in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway about to change lanes. I was on totally manual operation. The car suddenly accelerated and hit a car and continued with my foot on the brake to hit another car. There was no collision damage warning or avoidance automatically stopping the car.”
NHTSA complaint #11403707, filed 2021-03, 55,921 miles“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 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11001923Apr 16, 2024Certain Standard Range Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that received the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) HV Battery Retrofit did not receive the 2nd row floor reinforcement plate…
- 10243082Aug 2, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10240953Jun 16, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10240946Jun 8, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10235969Apr 27, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- 10235966Apr 17, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- 10235962Apr 5, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- 10173429Mar 17, 2020On some Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles, condensation might build up inside of the B-pillar applique, potentially obscuring the B-pillar camera. This condition might cause…
- 10166054Sep 25, 2019On some Model 3 vehicles, the front and/or mid aero shield panels might be susceptible to damage when driving through standing water. This can result in damaged or missing…
- 10166053Sep 25, 2019On some Model 3 vehicles, the front and/or mid aero shield panels might be missing.
Body and structure: other model years
Other parts of the 2018 Tesla Model 3
203 complaintsSuspension
191 complaintsOther or unknown
175 complaintsElectrical system
168 complaintsAir bags
143 complaintsSeat belts
105 complaintsVehicle speed control
91 complaintsBrakes
89 complaintsSteering
82 complaintsSeats
74 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
61 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