2018 Tesla Model 3 Wheels Problems
- Complaints
- 25about this part
- Share
- 2%of 1,034 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 16,617miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the wheels of the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 2% of the 1,034 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 16,617 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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“We have a 2018 Tesla MODEL 3, purchased new in late july 2018, which currently has about 32,000 miles. We have now had 8 flat tires in the span of 26 months or on average one every 4,000 miles, all by puncture. We live and drive in the san francisco bay area. Our other vehicles have gone 10+ years without a flat tire so the Tesla flat tires are not due to the area we live in.. On our Tesla we have had to replace 7 tires, 5 with assistance from michelin at a total out of pocket cost of about $2,000. Plus much time, pain and suffering. …”
NHTSA complaint #11376323, filed 2020-11, 32,000 miles“Hello- I was trying to park my vehicle in a parking spot in santa clara, california when the car automatically accelerated and hit another car. It then immediately had a flat tire. I did not hit the wrong pedal nor was I accelerating it. It was quite dangerous. It came to a halt after hitting another car. Both the cars were damaged.prior to that we had difficulty trying to connect to the car using the app on the phone but thought it could have been due to an app error. Not sure if it was correlated. This event happened on sep 24. Tesla advised me to tow the car to the service center. …”
NHTSA complaint #11268280, filed 2019-10, 15,000 miles“The bottom front under piece composite material which is part of the under carriage spontaneously broke while driving on the freeway in the rain. There are numerous reports in the internet of the composite under pieces breaking from water or missing/loose bolts.”
NHTSA complaint #11165870, filed 2019-01, 5,400 miles“Brand new vehicle with 2 tires having side wall bubbles. No rough driving . Seems to be an inner tire problem. Maybe a defect .continental brand tires.”
NHTSA complaint #11175813, filed 2019-02, 3,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10250496Dec 28, 2023Certain 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…
- 10250495Dec 28, 2023On certain Model 3 vehicles, the rear drive unit HV header bolts and the positive contactor bolt within the High Voltage (HV) battery ancillary bay were insufficiently torqued to…
- 10250494Dec 28, 2023On certain Model 3 vehicles, the positive busbar nut under the power conversion system and additional bolts within the High Voltage (HV) battery ancillary bay were insufficiently…
- 10250493Dec 28, 2023On certain Model 3 vehicles, the one-time use bolts that attach the high voltage controller to the ancillary cover were not torqued to Tesla?s internal specification.
- 10144253Aug 9, 2018Certain Model 3 vehicles were delivered with 18 inch pinwheel caps (aero wheel covers) that have minor discoloration.
Wheels: 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 complaintsBody and structure
60 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