2023 Tesla Model 3 Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 5%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 22 complaints about the body and structure of the 2023 Tesla Model 3, 5% of the 428 complaints for this model year. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The roof glass is unusually susceptible to failing and cracking under minimal impact. A very small item such as a pebble impacted the roof. The glass cracked. I understand the roof glass is a structural component. I would not expect a roof to require complete replacement due to a minor pebble.”
NHTSA complaint #11739375, filed 2026-05“While driving down the highway at less than 60 mph the rear drivers side window spontaneously exploded. There was no one next to me at the time. Nothing hit the window. It exploded and most of the glass blew out of the car onto the highway. I have video of the incident but can't upload that.”
NHTSA complaint #11567734, filed 2024-01“Tesla has completely removed the rear door manual release latch in my late 2023 Model 3 Performance. This elevates the concern of the ongoing NHTSA Defect Petition DP25002 (opened December 2025), which investigates similar issues with emergency egress controls on Model 3 vehicles, citing them as hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive. Again, in my late 2023 Model 3 Performance, these are entirely absent in the design. For some reason, Tesla has doubled down on the defect issue and completely removed the manual door release mechanism.”
NHTSA complaint #11717070, filed 2026-02“Any time I get into the car and immediately start driving before the car has time to catch up with what I am doing, the NHTSA mandated safety sounds played when the car is in reverse or drive does not play until the cars computer can catch up and begin playing the sounds. Most times this can take 3 seconds or so but today I had an incident where it took over 30 seconds before it would start playing. The same issue can be detected when restarting the infotainment screen by holding down both scroll wheels on the steering wheel. …”
NHTSA complaint #11634753, filed 2025-01“On June 4th I was in a hurry to get to work, pushed open my car door and started to slide in at which point the door unexpectedly to me swung back shut, clamping my head behind my ear pressing it against the top of the door frame. Everything stuck for about 1 second and then the door released my head. I am concerned that the door shouldn’t close so forcefully and should not bounce back closed when pushed open; that perhaps this contributed to the dangerous situation? There were other factors such as my car parking pad is slightly sloped. …”
NHTSA complaint #11667905, filed 2025-06Related service bulletins
- 11001923Apr 16, 2024Certain Standard Range Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that received the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) HV Battery Retrofit did not receive the 2nd row floor reinforcement plate…
- 10243088Aug 25, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may require replacement of the front body controller module due to a faulty component.
- 10243087Aug 18, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may require replacement of the front body controller module due to a faulty component.
- 10243082Aug 2, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10240953Jun 16, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10240946Jun 8, 2023Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- 10235969Apr 27, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- 10235966Apr 17, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- 10235962Apr 5, 2023On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
Body and structure: other model years
Other parts of the 2023 Tesla Model 3
179 complaintsSteering
88 complaintsVehicle speed control
69 complaintsOther or unknown
59 complaintsBrakes
56 complaintsElectrical system
51 complaintsLane departure
28 complaintsSuspension
19 complaintsAir bags
18 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
13 complaintsSeat belts
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
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