Skip to content
Electrical systemPart report

2021 Tesla Model 3 Electrical system Problems

Complaints
80about this part
Share
12%of 673 total for the year
Median mileage
7,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 80 complaints about the electrical system of the 2021 Tesla Model 3, 12% of the 673 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 7,000 miles. 7 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 7 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.

“-body parts on car a lot were off aligned, service dept won't help or answer calls - sentry mode drains battery (sales rep said it doesn't, since the camera storage isn't stored on the car) - rear passanger door panel is not on correct - there was green tape inside the car - the window trim was hanging off. - adam told me that he would be working with the 'remarketing team' to get me a better than normal trade in quote. …”

NHTSA complaint #11413727, filed 2021-04, 5,100 miles

“The car suddenly powered off while I was driving on a city street. The car remained broken down in the middle of traffic and needed to be towed to the service center. The service report indicates that the drive unit failed.”

NHTSA complaint #11398463, filed 2021-03, 1,661 miles

“my 21 M3P 27K miles threw BMS_a079 I've never used a supercharger and rarely charge over 80% mostly charging at work on lvl 2 & occasionally at home on lvl 1 vehicle will no longer charge I've tried 2 Button reset and HV disconnect no help. 27k miles seems unreasonable for a battery malfunction on a vehicle that has been cared for meticulously.”

NHTSA complaint #11657017, filed 2025-04

“I have been very cautious on charging my Tesla Model 3 and have followed all of the manufacturer's recommendations. The HV battery recently failed at 105,050 miles. South Korea has noted a battery reliability issue for this year car and model, so I am reporting this to you so if a recall is needed, you can track this. I believe my battery is a Panasonic NCA.”

NHTSA complaint #11698493, filed 2025-11

“I'm getting a notification that says cabin climate control system requires service cabin heating/cooling limited or unavailable . As a result of this failure the defroster is not working properly. The windshield defroster will only blow cold air very slowly. This causes the windshield to fog up very quickly in cold temperatures. I cannot see out of the windshield properly.”

NHTSA complaint #11495717, filed 2022-12

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202627%
20252218%
20244621%
20235112%
2022608%
20218012%
2020429%
20199215%
201816816%
201727%

Other parts of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Forward collision avoidance
411 complaintsBrakes
126 complaintsVehicle speed control
123 complaintsOther or unknown
95 complaintsLane departure
34 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
34 complaintsSteering
28 complaintsBody and structure
17 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
17 complaintsSuspension
16 complaintsSeat belts
15 complaintsFuel system
10 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 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