Skip to content
SeatsPart report

2023 Tesla Model 3 Seats Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
2%of 428 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the seats of the 2023 Tesla Model 3, 2% of the 428 complaints for this model year. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“On July 5, 2023 my front passenger seat assembly was replaced due to a passenger safety restraint system fault. Two days ago I discovered two black self tapping bolts sitting behind the front passenger seat on the floor mat. The front passenger seat assembly was only connected to the car chassis by the two front mounting bolts. It was possible to tip the seat forward by pushing on the headrest. I am now able to screw these two bolts almost completely back into the chassis using fingertip pressure only. …”

NHTSA complaint #11552431, filed 2023-10

“My pant leg got caught on the plastic seat trim under the seat. Kept my leg trapped so I fell out of the car on the ground in the parking lot. Happened again the same day, but I caught myself before I fell. The incident caused a hole and rip in my clothing, but the rest of my body went to the ground leaving my knee and other leg caught until the end. Had a different outfit on today and it caught again! I did not fall this time either. The time I did fall I hyperextended my wrist and landed on my hip and leg, creating bruising and a sore pelvis, knee and back. …”

NHTSA complaint #11662611, filed 2025-05

“I just purchased this new 2023 Tesla Model 3. I am not reporting a failed or malfunctioning component but I have a safety concern. After taking delivery I noticed that there are no emergency door latch releases on the rear seats like there are on the front seats. This could make exiting the back seats very difficult or even impossible in the event of an emergency with loss of power to the vehicle. I cannot believe that this feature was omitted. I worry that people will die because they will not be able to escape a burning vehicle quickly enough. …”

NHTSA complaint #11543982, filed 2023-09

“Brand new Tesla Model 3 delivered a week ago. Passenger seat, front inside mounting bolt is not tight. Corner of the seat rail can move up/down 1/8-1/4 . Can't tell how well attached it is. Potential safety concern. Passenger side back seat cushion also exhibits up/down movement 1/8-1/4 but likely not a safety issue.”

NHTSA complaint #11511484, filed 2023-03

“On 5/28/24, while pulling up the driveway, the car suddenly accelerated and it’s so fast that we couldn’t react. The car crashed into the garage, knocked down one wall along with the main electrical panel. It stopped because it got stuck on 10 in foundation’s of garage structure. The collision mitigation feature did not get triggered and didn’t give any alert or helped to stop the car from crashing into the garage. Airbags on both driver and passenger sides did not deploy. …”

NHTSA complaint #11596070, filed 2024-06

Related service bulletins

Seats: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202522%
202421%
202392%
2022101%
202161%
2020235%
2019478%
2018747%
2017622%

Other parts of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Forward collision avoidance
179 complaints
Steering
88 complaints
Vehicle speed control
69 complaints
Other or unknown
59 complaints
Brakes
56 complaints
Electrical system
51 complaints
Lane departure
28 complaints
Body and structure
22 complaints
Suspension
19 complaints
Air bags
18 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
13 complaints
Seat belts
10 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2023 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