NHTSA lists 26 complaints for the 2026 Tesla Model 3, 9 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as TESLA MODEL 3.
At a glance
Complaints
26
With crash
9
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
48
Investigations
3
Open investigations
3
Manufacturer communications
2
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. This model year is too recent for a sales denominator.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
9
34.6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
7
26.9%
STEERING
5
19.2%
BACK OVER PREVENTION
4
15.4%
LANE DEPARTURE
4
15.4%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
7.7%
STRUCTURE
2
7.7%
SUSPENSION
2
7.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
7.7%
AIR BAGS
1
3.8%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
4
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
2
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
2
STRUCTURE
BODY
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ADAS
1
LANE DEPARTURE
WARNING
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The fasteners attaching the seat back to the seat bottom may have been improperly tightened.
Consequence: The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Tesla Service Centers will inspect and tighten or replace the seat assembly fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-13-003.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
3 investigations; 3 open.
EA26002
Opened: 2026-03-18. Closed: Not listed.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Teslaa 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 systema s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient t
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE25012
Opened: 2025-10-07. Closed: Not listed.
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The Office of Defects Investigation (a ODIa ) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute trai? c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automat
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
AQ25002
Opened: 2025-08-20. Closed: Not listed.
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
The Office of Defects Investigation (a ODIa ) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (a Teslaa ) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the a SGOa ), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
2 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
SEATS
2
11034277
Date: 2026-06-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SEATS.
On some vehicles, degraded or excessive glue under the front seat cushion(s) may cause creaking noises during cornering or when pressing on the seat cushion(s). Upon customer complaint, inspect the vehicle for symptoms related to the condition. If symptoms are present, rework the front seat cushion(
11033171
Date: 2026-05-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SEATS.
On some vehicles, insufficient lubricant at the front seat recliner tube ends may cause creaking noises during weight shifting when the seat is occupied. Upon customer complaint, inspect the vehicle for symptoms related to the condition. If symptoms are present, lubricate the front seat recliner tub
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.