2025 Tesla Model 3 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
209 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2025 Tesla Model 3, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 16/100 on the trouble index — still early — complaints build over a vehicle's first decade on the road. Driver assistance leads the reports.
Too early to call
Where 2025 sits among all Model 3 years
What owners report
“I was using full self driving (FSD) and there was no one directly in front of me and thankfully no one behind me when it engaged its emergency brakes and came to an abrupt stop for no reason.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2025 Model 3
“The Horn does not work in the rain. I reported this. They sent a technician to replace it. The issue is not resolved. This is extremely dangerous.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2025 Model 3
“The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the turn signal button on the steering wheel was activated but was unresponsive. The contact stated that the button was stuck but then loosened up. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2025 Model 3
“Steering assist reduced, traction control disabled, stability control disabled. When trying to drive steering heavy and car coasts unless holding brake pedal, which is unusual for a Tesla at it normally auto holds. Traction control and stability control also disabled, unsafe to drive.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2025 Model 3
Recalls (3)
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y vehicles. The battery pack contactors may fail, causing a loss of drive power.
Fix: Tesla Service will replace the battery pack contactors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's…
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the…
Fix: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board…
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire…
Fix: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 15, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering…
Model years named: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled…
Model years named: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these…
Model years named: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Technical service bulletins
4 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on seats & interior and wheels & tires — are on file for the 2025 Tesla Model 3. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2025 Model 3 TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2025 Tesla Model 3 reliable?
The 2025 Tesla Model 3 drew 209 complaints in federal safety records — still early — complaints build over a vehicle's first decade on the road. Its trouble index is 16/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2025 Tesla Model 3 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2025 Tesla Model 3 are driver assistance (62 complaints), other (35), and electrical (28).
Does the 2025 Tesla Model 3 have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2025 Tesla Model 3. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.