2022 Tesla Model 3 Brakes Problems
- Complaints
- 169about this part
- Share
- 22%of 773 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 2,650miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 169 complaints about the brakes of the 2022 Tesla Model 3, 22% of the 773 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 2,650 miles. 15 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.
“Tesla Model 3 while using the “FSD” or auto pilot mode will do what’s called “phantom breaking” with its emergency breaking system. This is very scary and has almost caused more accidents than preventing them in my experience. Tesla had not addressed or fixed this issue even with their constant software updates. How is this FSD considered legal I wonder.”
NHTSA complaint #11684673, filed 2025-09“We have not yet had an accident but have come close due to phantom breaking when using the cruise control with our Tesla. We have reported the concern to Tesla as of 7/21/22 and were told to reset the computer but they have not been able to offer any other solutions. We are very concerned for our safety as we cannot reliability use our cruise control.”
NHTSA complaint #11475191, filed 2022-07“I was driving on the highway with cruise control activated at 60mph. The vehicle randomly broke and slowed. No other car was on site and no other person or object was around us. This has happened several times. This random braking on cruise control. This is dangerous. Please help with this issue and let me know what the next steps are. Thanks.”
NHTSA complaint #11452718, filed 2022-02“Under Adaptive cruise control, the car slowed from 80mph to 55mph on the highway. There were no cars or objects in front of us. We tried to hit the gas pedal but the car would not let us override it. The car behind us came extremely close to us and flashed his lights at us. Bug report submitted to tesla. We were traveling downhill with a slight right curve.”
NHTSA complaint #11474215, filed 2022-07“Driving on a 4-lane limited access road while using adaptive cruise control (Tesla calls it Autopilot , my car suddenly reduced speed dramatically. There were no other cars nearby, nor was there any kind of obvious obstruction. I was able to turn off Autopilot and resume speed, but I worry what might have happened if there had been another vehicle behind me.”
NHTSA complaint #11456481, filed 2022-03Related service bulletins
- 11033173May 8, 2026On certain Model 3 vehicles, brake lines may be corroded beyond acceptable limits, which may result in loss of brake fluid. Loss of brake fluid will result in a customer facing…
- 11029583Feb 11, 2026On certain Model 3 vehicles, brake lines may be corroded beyond acceptable limits, which may result in loss of brake fluid. Loss of brake fluid will result in a customer facing…
Brakes: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 3% |
| 2025 | 13 | 11% |
| 2024 | 5 | 2% |
| 2023 | 56 | 13% |
| 2022 | 169 | 22% |
| 2021 | 126 | 19% |
| 2020 | 48 | 11% |
| 2019 | 63 | 10% |
| 2018 | 89 | 9% |
| 2017 | 3 | 11% |
Other parts of the 2022 Tesla Model 3
535 complaintsVehicle speed control
171 complaintsOther or unknown
94 complaintsElectrical system
60 complaintsLane departure
45 complaintsSteering
39 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
23 complaintsAir bags
13 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
13 complaintsWheels
13 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaintsSeats
10 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2022 Tesla Model 3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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