2025 Tesla Model 3 Problems

What owners report

For the 2025 Model 3, complaints in this sample center on driver-assistance behavior (Full Self-Driving and Autopilot) and on the steering-wheel turn-signal buttons, most often within the first several thousand miles. A separate cluster concerns sudden warnings such as "steering assist reduced" accompanied by heavy steering, and a smaller group describes the horn becoming muffled or silent after rain or washing.

1. 1
   Forward collision avoidance

   Full Self-Driving steers or brakes unexpectedly

   • 81 complaints (66%)
   • median 10,100 mi at 0.9 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle, with FSD or Autopilot engaged, veering toward another lane or off the road, taking turns late, drifting toward oncoming traffic, or entering a one-way street the wrong way. Others describe hard braking with no obstacle ahead, or slowing abruptly at lights and gates. Owners say driver intervention was needed to regain control, and several report collisions or near misses. Reported at highway and city speeds mostly in the first year, from delivery mileage up to roughly 15,000 miles in this sample.

   What to check: Ask which software version is installed and whether FSD was ever enabled on the car; test a supervised drive on roads you know and note how the system handles turns, lane choice and stopping.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had this happen twice, once on city streets going to work the car was not in auto pilot and it went from 40mph to 0mph instantly. If there was a car behind me I would have gotten slammed into. The second time, my mother was in the passenger seat and I was on the freeway going about 75 to 80mph and it was on auto steer and the car went from the speed I was going to almost 0 and I instantly took control of the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11667591, filed 2025-06

   “I am NOT the owner of this Tesla. I am the owner of the car behind it that hit the Tesla because the Tesla went into Emergency Automatic Braking and the sudden additional deceleration happened too quickly to react to it and contact occurred while I was still doing about 5-ish MPH. The Tesla driver obviously wasn't braking effectively, and the car took over for him to avoid hitting the car in front of him. But there is no consideration for the car behind. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11679887, filed 2025-08
2. 2
   Steering

   Turn signal buttons on the steering wheel fail or will not

   • 22 complaints (18%)
   • typically at 0.6 yrs old
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the flat turn-signal buttons on the steering-wheel spoke failing to activate at random, sometimes after a finger rests on them for a few seconds, and in some cases both indicators staying disabled for several seconds. Several say they must look down to find the controls mid-turn, and some report indicators cancelling or engaging in the wrong direction. Complaints describe dealers calling the behavior normal and expected rather than repairing it. Reported across the first months of ownership, with no clear mileage pattern in the sample.

   What to check: Sit in the car and try the turn signals repeatedly, including resting a finger on the button before pressing, and confirm they respond every time. Ask the seller whether any service visit addressed the buttons.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On my 2025 Tesla Model 3 Highland, the right-turn signal button on the steering wheel fails to activate approximately 25–30% of the time. The issue is random and unpredictable. This has occurred while changing lanes on the freeway and when turning into shopping centers or side streets, leaving drivers behind me unaware of my intent and creating a safety hazard. The problem is worse when lane assist is active, as the vehicle resists the maneuver when the signal doesn’t engage, interpreting it as lane departure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11695969, filed 2025-10

   “Turn signal stalk has been removed. Directional activation is now done by pressing arrows on steering wheel spoke. I have to take my eyes off the road to locate the spot that turns the directional on or off. These arrows are next to the radio controls and I inadvertently turn them on all the time. If your turning you cannot find the flat markings that activate them. I cannot safely drive this car after weeks of trying to adjust. In addition they have placed a turn signal stalk on the new model Y due to customer feedback.”

   NHTSA complaint #11642371, filed 2025-02
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Horn muffled or silent in rain or after washing

   • 10 complaints (8%)
   • typically at 1.0 yrs old
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe the horn becoming very quiet or not sounding at all after heavy rain, puddles or a car wash, returning to normal only once it dries out. Some say a service center replaced the horn but the problem returned, and others report being told the issue could not be reproduced or that no fix was available. A few tie it to an audio-system error that leaves the horn and warning sounds inoperative. Reported at various mileages, most often described in wet or snowy conditions rather than at a particular odometer reading.

   What to check: Test the horn before and, if possible, after a car wash or wet drive, and ask whether the horn has ever been replaced or the audio system has logged errors.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Horn sound is extremely low after driving through hard rain, since there is no real horn in the car, I suspect the speaker that mimics a horn sound becomes muffled. This is a huge risk, it can cause me to crash in the future if no one can hear my horn.”

   NHTSA complaint #11670119, filed 2025-06

   “The horn does not work properly when it gets wet. It will either not make noise at all, or it is extremely muffled. This is a major safety risk. Also, horn is required to work for Massachusetts state inspections. If I bring the car to be inspected on a rainy day, or after a car wash, it will fail because it does not work. I brought the vehicle to the dealer twice. The first time 5/28/25, the technician was able to replicate the issue and replaced the horn and claimed everything was working properly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11671587, filed 2025-07
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering assist reduced with heavy steering wheel

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • typically at 1.1 yrs old
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners report warnings such as "steering assist disabled" or "steering assist reduced" appearing on the screen, after which the wheel needs considerable force to turn. In several cases the same message set includes traction control and stability control disabled, and in one case a firm brake pedal as well. Reboots did not restore assist in some reports, and one owner was told the creaking and groaning from the front end at low speed was normal for the car. Mostly reported in the first year of ownership, from a few thousand miles up to about 12,000 miles in this sample.

   Recall 25V690000

   What to check: On a test drive, turn the wheel at low speed and listen for creaks or groans, and ask whether any steering-assist warnings have been logged in the service history. A recall covers battery pack contactors that may cause a loss of drive power, so confirm that work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car was parked in a campground for a night and several systems issues came up, including traction control disabled, steer assistant disabled, staibility control disabled, and the car was keeping accelerating even though I did not step on the accelerate pedal. The acceleration was out of control. This was happening in a remote area when we drove half way out of the campground to a city. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11684553, filed 2025-09

   “On 08/20, while driving to work, I experienced a serious safety failure with my vehicle. The brake pedal became completely firm and unresponsive, making it impossible to press. At the same time, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn, severely limiting control of the car. Multiple warning messages appeared, including: •Regenerative Braking Disabled •ABS Fault •Traction Control Fault •Limited Power I was able to carefully maneuver the vehicle into a nearby parking lot and safely exit. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11682354, filed 2025-08
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Vibration at highway speed

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • median 8,434 mi at 0.9 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners report vibration felt through the car at highway speeds, sometimes described as strong enough to be felt in the head, and in one case traced to foam inside the tire that had come loose. Complaints describe tire balancing and replacement that did not resolve the shaking, and visits to more than one service center. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 19,000 miles, typically at speeds above roughly 60 mph.

   Recall 24V935000

   What to check: Drive the car at highway speed during the test drive and note any shaking through the wheel or seat. Ask for tire balance records and check that the tire pressure monitoring system warning illuminates as expected, which a recall addresses.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On May 16th, I felt the car vibration very much on the free way. I scheduled service on May 21st. Tesla technician found it was the interior foam detached problem. He said this happened on many cars. I asked for free replacement for two defect tires since the car was only drove one and half year about 17k miles. But he refused it because Tesla only replace it for free if the wear of tire is higher than 4 thread. He said mine is 3 thread and suggested me to buy new tires and replace them. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11743815, filed 2026-06

   “We had our winter tires swapped for summer tires at the Discount Tire on 361 S Grady Way, Renton, WA. After driving on them for over a week—including high-speed highway driving—our car suddenly started feeling like it had a flat tire. However, the tire pressure was completely normal. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the rear passenger-side tire was sitting at an angle. When I removed the hubcap, I discovered that one lug nut had completely fallen off, and the remaining ones were all loose. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11654205, filed 2025-04

Buying note. Spend more time than usual on a test drive with the driver-assistance features and on the steering-wheel controls, since most complaints here concern those. Ask for the service history and confirm that open recalls have been completed before purchase.

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.