2020 Tesla Model 3 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2020 Model 3 most often describe the car braking on its own while cruise control, Autopilot or adaptive cruise is active, and a smaller but vocal group reports unintended acceleration or unresponsive brakes at low speed. Front suspension and steering hardware also draws repeated complaints, with ball joints, lateral links and tie rods separating at relatively low mileage. Many reports were filed within the first few thousand miles.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front suspension ball joints and links coming apart

   • 72 complaints (16%)
   • median 2,500 mi at 1.2 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,178 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe a clunk, creak or snap from the front end followed by the wheel sitting at an odd angle, or the car pulling to a halt with the wheel jammed in the well. Owners report lower ball joints, lateral links or the tie rod separating, in some cases while turning slowly; some were told the lateral link fasteners had come loose. Several complaints link the sound to an unrepaired or not-covered campaign, and some describe creaking that worsened over time before anything failed. Ranges from a few thousand miles up to roughly 60,000-80,000 miles, often noticed on uneven pavement or during low-speed turns.

   Recall 21V835000

   What to check: Ask whether the front lateral link fastener campaign (21V835000) was completed, and have a shop inspect the front ball joints, tie rods and links for play or grease loss before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Friday june 26th, 6:00 p.m. Public roads. Sunny, dry. Something snapped while driving 5 MPH at the moment I started a slow left turn. The car lurched to a halt. The right front wheel was angled left at about a 35 degrees, while the left wheel pointed straight. Tesla sent a flat bed. The truck technician reported by phone that the wheel was separated from the suspension and a Tesla bolt was available for him to temporarily hold alignment for safe loading. I understand he left a note and the bolt inside the car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11337132, filed 2020-07, 3,300 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle rolled over an uneven road surface and the contact heard an abnormal creaking and squeaking sound coming from the front driver’s side wheel well. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring failure at various speeds. The contact stated that the sound had become much louder. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11545448, filed 2023-09, 59,135 miles
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Phantom braking under cruise control / Autopilot

   • 174 complaints (39%)
   • median 1,690 mi at 1.1 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the car suddenly slowing or braking hard on a clear road while cruise control, adaptive cruise or Autopilot is engaged, sometimes dropping 15-30 mph before the driver can override with the accelerator. Several owners say shadows, overpasses, adjacent lane traffic or an oncoming truck appeared to trigger it, and following drivers had to swerve or brake sharply. Most say the vehicle was not diagnosed afterwards; one owner reported the manufacturer offered a technician visit at their home. Spread across the first ~30,000 miles, with several reports under 5,000 miles, often at highway speed.

   Recall 21V846000Recall 23V838000

   What to check: Ask whether the vehicle has the forward-collision and Autosteer software updates applied, and take a highway test drive with adaptive cruise and Autopilot engaged to watch for unexpected slowing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving in a toll road to the left of the freeway lane which was backed up. I was driving approximately 70 MPH, had cruise control activated on a straight stretch of road when the car suddenly braked really hard (reduced speed instantly to about 55 MPH). There was an SUV behind me driving kind of close but thankfully it was paying attention and had to make a hard swerve out of my lane to avoid a rear end collision”

   NHTSA complaint #11394497, filed 2021-02, 30 miles

   “My wife and I live on a two-lane state route in the country. We were headed home from the farmers' market this morning around 10 a.m., headed down a hill with three cars behind us. There was an 18-wheeler headed up the hill. I had the cruise control on and traveling 55 MPH in a straight line with no curves in sight. When the 18-wheeler coming up the hill was 7 car lengths ahead of us in the opposite lane, my car automatically braked hard enough to bring our speed down to 35 MPH before I could override and accelerate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11351949, filed 2020-08, 5,665 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or unresponsive brake pedal

   • 61 complaints (14%)
   • median 1,740 mi at 0.7 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe the car surging forward or backward when maneuvering at parking-lot or driveway speeds, in some cases with the brake pedal pressed, and hitting a parked vehicle, a curb, a post or a garage door. Several say the pedal felt hard or unresponsive at the moment; a few report the car lurching again after the first impact. Some owners took the car in and were told the behavior was user error, while others report no diagnosis. Mostly at very low mileage (often under 3,000 miles) during parking, driveway or low-speed turn maneuvers.

   What to check: Test creeping and parking at low speed in an empty lot, confirm pedal feel is firm and consistent, and check the service history for any prior pedal or throttle complaints.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I shift the car into drive and use the accelerator pedal to move the car forward and it works fine. When I release the accelerator pedal, the car accelerate and requires me to brake. This occurs at low speed. I have taken the car into Tesla and they said user error. The cruise control engages when I shift into drive. This has occurred several times since I have purchased the car”

   NHTSA complaint #11306855, filed 2020-02, 1,000 miles

   “On 1/17/2010, at 12:12pm, I departed my house in norwell. After 1.65 miles, between 99 forest ave and river street (approximately 50 feet from river street), I released my foot from the friction brake, and the car accelerated on its own toward river street. I put my foot back onto the friction brake, and it stopped. The car was not in auto-pilot mode. I am not aware of cruise control being on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300110, filed 2020-01, 1,080 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal feels hard or low, poor stopping

   • 18 complaints (4%)
   • median 5,950 mi at 1.9 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners describe the brake pedal needing unusual effort or sinking toward the floor, with the car not slowing as expected; one report says the pedal felt spongy and the car only stopped after using the emergency brake. Others mention the pedal feeling difficult to press fully during normal highway braking. Some complaints were filed after a collision, and several say the vehicle was not diagnosed or the cause was not determined. Reported from near-new up to roughly 50,000 miles, sometimes after hitting a pothole or uneven pavement.

   Recall 21V3870002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the brake caliper bolt campaign (21V387000) was completed, and have brake pedal travel and fluid level checked, particularly on cars used in road-salt areas.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “So regarding the car brakes they are very hard to fully depress and I believe its because of the regenerative braking. For example when going eat highway speed and you need to press the break pedal hard it literally feels like the car is refusing to let you use the full capacity of the breaks. Its very scary it happened to me and I could not press the break pedal completely down. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300192, filed 2020-01, 5 miles

   “The complaint was filed on behalf of the contact's daughter. The contact's daughter owned a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the contact's daughter stated that the brake pedal felt spongy and unusual. The contact's daughter stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floor; however, the vehicle still did not stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11693937, filed 2025-10, 49,000 miles

Buying note. Budget for a thorough check of the driver-assistance software version and the front suspension hardware, since those two areas account for most of what owners report on this model year. Confirm which open campaigns have been completed on the specific car before agreeing on a price.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.