2023 Tesla Model 3 Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this 2023 Model 3 are dominated by driver-assistance behavior: owners most often describe the car slowing or braking sharply on its own with cruise control or Autopilot engaged, plus frequent false forward-collision alerts. A second large group describes the steering becoming heavy or stiff, often accompanied by a 'steering assist reduced' message, and a smaller but notable group reports sudden unintended acceleration while parking or braking. Many complaints arrive at very low mileage, consistent with a model year that is mostly still young in service.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering gets stiff or loses power assist

   • 82 complaints (19%)
   • median 3,000 mi at 0.9 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report the steering wheel suddenly becoming hard to turn, sometimes with a 'Steering Assist Reduced' or increased-effort message, and occasionally a clunk or grind when turning at low speed. Some describe the car pulling or drifting rather than tracking straight, and a few report the wheel seizing during a turn. Complaints describe restarts sometimes restoring normal feel, and service visits where alignment was found out of specification or where no cause was determined. Most often reported under about 5,000 miles, frequently at low speed, while turning, or shortly after a stop.

   Recall 25V092000

   What to check: Ask whether the electronic power steering software recall was applied, and drive at low speed in a lot to check for heavy steering, clicking or a wheel that does not return straight.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My dad was driving to work in the morning in the Tesla in the left lane of the freeway. Then the car started swerving on its own. He tried to regain control with the steering wheel but he couldn’t control it. The car wouldn’t turn when using the steering wheel and he was not using autopilot or lane assistance. He said it felt like the steering wheel and the car were not talking to each other. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11648326, filed 2025-03

   “The components that failed or malfunctioned include the braking system, steering system, and the airbag deployment mechanism. These critical systems experienced sudden and unexpected failures. Yes, the vehicle and its components are available for inspection upon request. -The sudden brake failure and steering wheel lock resulted in a complete loss of control over the vehicle. The inability to stop or steer the car properly led to it veering over the curb/grass area, posing a severe risk of collision. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11601015, filed 2024-07
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Phantom braking with cruise control or Autopilot

   • 190 complaints (44%)
   • median 6,730 mi at 1.0 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 35 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe the car braking hard or dropping speed abruptly while traffic-aware cruise control or Autopilot is active, with no vehicle or obstacle in the path. Several say the event was startling enough that they had to accelerate to avoid being hit from behind, and a few mention it happened near overpasses or in rain. Complaints describe dealers or service centers saying the cause could not be determined, suggesting a firmware or camera update, or stating there was no remedy. Reported from very low mileage up into the tens of thousands of miles, at highway speeds and mostly with cruise or Autopilot engaged.

   Recall 23V838000Recall 23V085000

   What to check: Ask the seller what software version is installed and whether any Autopilot-related recalls were completed; test the adaptive cruise on a quiet road and note any unexpected slowing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On several occasions ( 8 or 10 times) while driving at highway speeds, with little traffic, on an extended trip, the vehicle suddenly applied the brakes for no apparent reason. I have learned that this is called phantom braking . On one such occasion, I narrowly avoided being struck from behind by another vehicle following me by applying the accelerator. I have not yet reported this problem to Tesla, but intend to.”

   NHTSA complaint #11527405, filed 2023-06

   “I took deliver of the Model 3 Performance in late October 2022 and have experienced phantom braking at least a dozen times over the last few months on the highway/interstate when using cruise control and Tesla’s standard autopilot, which keeps the vehicle centered in the lane. The phantom braking has occurred both in times with just the cruise control enabled and also when both cruise and autopilot have been enabled. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11496930, filed 2022-12
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration while parking

   • 52 complaints (12%)
   • median 3,400 mi at 1.0 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 28 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe the car lurching forward or accelerating on its own while parking, pulling into a space, or just after pressing the park or brake pedal, in some cases resulting in impacts with curbs, other vehicles or buildings. A few describe a brief surge while braking for a light, or after releasing the accelerator. Complaints describe dealer inspections that could not identify a cause, with some vehicles left unrepaired. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few hundred miles to over 60,000, mostly at very low speed in parking situations.

   Recall 23V434000

   What to check: Ask whether any diagnosis was recorded for unintended movement, review service history for pedal or drive-unit work, and be deliberate about confirming the selected gear when parking during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Documenting a sudden unintended acceleration experience. Today while driving and trying to stop for a red light, I lightly applied pressure on my brake pedal to brake for the red light. Midway through the braking, my car lunged forward for about half a second. Went through the dash cam footage, and I noticed that the footage skipped half a second as well. Seems like something electrical that caused the car to lunge. This is a huge safety issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11664745, filed 2025-06

   “On 09/11/2023 at approx. 6AM CST, my wife went to a nearby Walmart store for groceries. As she was parking the car in the parking space, the car started to accelerate by itself and went around the parking lot in random directions. She couldn't control the steering and brake despite the continuous tries. It was such a traumatic experience, and the car went on to hit couple of other parked cars and the cart return stations in the parking lot. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11545050, filed 2023-09
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Screens, wipers and 12V electronics cutting out

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the center screen going blank, loss of power or climate control, doors and windows not responding, and wipers behaving erratically or stopping in heavy rain, often after an over-the-air update. Some describe rebooting the car to restore function, and a few report the vehicle losing motive power with a pull-over message. Complaints describe service centers unable to reproduce the fault or pointing to software. Reported from a few hundred miles to around 50,000 miles, and several owners tie the onset to a software update.

   Recall 24V554000Recall 26V283000

   What to check: Ask about the current software version and whether the hood-latch and rearview camera recalls were completed, and confirm wipers and screen respond normally during a test drive in wet weather.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ever since software release 2023.44.30, there has been a serious issue with automatic wipers and visibility during driving. It has been documented by drivers on the internet, however I simulated driving conditions in a car wash that has triggered auto wipers atleast a dozen times in the past. Today I recorded a 4 minute and 30 second video where there was zero activation of wipers at all with torrential rain simulated as well as soap fully covering the field of view. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11567124, filed 2024-01

   “Automatic wipers are very erratic. Sometimes it works like crazy. Sometimes it never cleans the windshield even though it is soaking limiting visibility. Using it in manual mode is also very difficult as all adjustments are done on the screen forcing you to take your eyes off the road. There are no levers to adjust it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11582681, filed 2024-04
5. 5
   Forward collision avoidance

   Forward collision warnings and AEB without cause

   • 26 complaints (6%)
   • median 7,729 mi at 1.1 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report frequent false forward-collision warnings and automatic emergency braking triggering when nothing is in the path, sometimes reacting to parked cars or roadside objects. A few describe the warning appearing during ordinary driving and being distracting enough to complain to the service center. Some complaints say the service center denied knowledge of the pattern or could not reproduce it. Reported at various mileages, often in city and suburban driving at moderate speeds.

   Recall 23V838000

   What to check: Check the installed software version and recall status, and note during a test drive whether the collision warning chimes repeatedly in ordinary traffic.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Since I purchased my car in July 2023, I’ve had multiple false forward collision warning resulting in my insurance premium increasing by sizeable amounts and has caused me undue stress. I’ve reported this problem to Tesla but to no avail. Today 8/9/2024, between 5:17 and 5:21 pm, while driving my cars forward collision warning was activated while no vehicle was in front of my but instead to a parked car on the pavement. This has happened multiple times and Tesla denies being aware of any issues.”

   NHTSA complaint #11607626, filed 2024-08

   “The Autopilot feature of my Tesla Model 3 was safe and effective prior to the update mandated by NHTSA. With the recent update, I now receive multiple warnings during my drive on a daily basis for checking my mirrors or adjusting the radio. These are loud and startling. This update was completely unnecessary and counterproductive to my safety. I'm sure some Tesla drivers drive recklessly, but it makes just as much sense to require ICE vehicle manufacturers to install hardware/software to prevent drivers from doing donuts. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11568651, filed 2024-01

Buying note. Much of what owners describe here is software-linked, so ask for the recall status of the car and its installed software version before buying, and test cruise control, steering feel and the screen during a longer test drive. A documented service history showing these symptoms were investigated is worth asking for.

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.