2022 Tesla MODEL 3

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2022 Tesla MODEL 3 has 1466 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 18.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is speed control problems (38% of all complaints), specifically: while using tacc on a 2 lane road the system mistook a vehicle approaching in the opposing lane as a threat and braked hard. this could have easily caused a collision had someone been following closely.. ⚠️ 4 fire reports filed.

4 fire reports 86 crash reports 61 injuries

1466

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

18.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

SPEED CONTROL

550 complaints

38%

• While using TACC on a 2 lane road the system mistook a vehicle approaching in the opposing lane as a threat and braked hard. This could have easily caused a collision had someone been following closely.
• On at least five occasions since purchasing this car new on 12/07/21, the car, while on Autopilot (non-FSD), has suddenly and unexpectedly braked on clear roads. On each occasion, there were no vehicles in front of me nor any objects visible on or near the roadway. On two occasions, a car following
• While driving on freeway at 75mph the car for unknown reasons applied braking and steering and brought the car down to 45mph before I could disengage the autopilot function. This has happened multiple times with just cruise control and both cruise control/steering. All instances happened for unkno

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 16 crashes

“While using TACC on a 2 lane road the system mistook a vehicle approaching in the opposing lane as a threat and braked hard. This could have easily caused a collision had someone been following closely.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

458 complaints

31%

• Forward collision avoidance system triggered 4 separate times in a 70 minute/60 mile drive on a stretch of highway and rural roads. The highway consists of 40 miles of divided and undivided highway, with up to 2 lanes per side. Occasionally, the undivided section has center turning lanes. Junctions
• Forward collision avoidance system triggered 4 separate times in a 70 minute/60 mile drive on a stretch of highway and rural roads. The highway consists of 40 miles of divided and undivided highway, with up to 2 lanes per side. Occasionally, the undivided section has center turning lanes. Junctions
• The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the vehicle would independently brake with the Forward Collision Avoidance warning chime being audible. The contact stated that the failure would occur when oncoming larg

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 28 crashes

“Forward collision avoidance system triggered 4 separate times in a 70 minute/60 mile drive on a stretch of highway and rural roads. The highway consists of 40 miles of divided and undivided highway, with up to 2 lanes per side. Occasionally, the undivided section has center turning lanes. Junctions ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

167 complaints

11%

• On at least five occasions since purchasing this car new on 12/07/21, the car, while on Autopilot (non-FSD), has suddenly and unexpectedly braked on clear roads. On each occasion, there were no vehicles in front of me nor any objects visible on or near the roadway. On two occasions, a car following
• Three incidents within 5 minutes of what Tesla owners call "phantom braking" whenever the car has cruise control on. For no predictable reason and no warning the car brakes suddenly and forcefully - could be shadows, reflected lights, oncoming traffic, who knows. It is a scary phenomenon and caused
• Driving on a two lane road with no other cars in front of or behind me the car would randomly brake at different levels and in the most recent incidence slammed on the brakes. This issue is noted by many other drives online as Phantom Braking and Tesla will not repair it as they claim it is a softwa

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 14 crashes

“On at least five occasions since purchasing this car new on 12/07/21, the car, while on Autopilot (non-FSD), has suddenly and unexpectedly braked on clear roads. On each occasion, there were no vehicles in front of me nor any objects visible on or near the roadway. On two occasions, a car following ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

88 complaints

• The heating system gave out on my 2022 TESLA Model 3 on the coldest day we've had here so far. -5F - Gave an error code on the screen VCFRONT_a447 - with message - Cabin climate control system requires service cabin heating / cooling limited or unavailable. - The problem has occurred to many people
• Last night I plugged in the car (2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range) as I normally do and, via the Tesla app, scheduled the car cabin to be heated and the battery to be pre-conditioned by a specified time. When I entered the car at that time, the cabin had not heated up - the message on the display scree
• I would like to add my voice to those complaining about the phantom braking problem in recentlly built Teslas. On more than one occasion, the car has slammed on the brakes, in broad daylight with good visibility, FOR NO GOOD REASON. At the very least, Tesla should be compelled to add plain-vanilla

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 11 crashes

“The heating system gave out on my 2022 TESLA Model 3 on the coldest day we've had here so far. -5F - Gave an error code on the screen VCFRONT_a447 - with message - Cabin climate control system requires service cabin heating / cooling limited or unavailable. - The problem has occurred to many people ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

53 complaints

• I was driving on a two lane road using auto pilot. I was going 55mph when all of a sudden my car slammed on the brakes down to 32mph as a school bus approached us. There was no reason to brake. The school bus never entered my lane. If a car had been following me closely I would have been rear ended
• On trip from Grand Island NE to Pueblo CO on Colorado state Hwy 76 when driving at highway speeds the auto steer function repeatedly (at least 8 occurrences) invoked emergency braking for no apparent reason. This occurred during daylight hours, in brilliant sunshine, on clear and dry road condition
• Power steering and full power to the vehicle failed - these failures can be seen upon requested inspection. Power steering failed during operation - meaning that while i was driving the vehicle i was not able to change the direction of travel at a high rate of speed. Then the vehicle came to a sudde

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 6 crashes

“I was driving on a two lane road using auto pilot. I was going 55mph when all of a sudden my car slammed on the brakes down to 32mph as a school bus approached us. There was no reason to brake. The school bus never entered my lane. If a car had been following me closely I would have been rear ended ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1466 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
SPEED CONTROL: While using TACC on a 2 lane road the system mistook a vehicle approaching in the opposing lane as a threat and braked hard. This could have easily caused a collision had someone been following closely.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: Forward collision avoidance system triggered 4 separate times in a 70 minute/60 mile drive on a stretch of highway and rural roads. The highway consists of 40 miles of divided and undivided highway, with up to 2 lanes per side. Occasionally, the undivided section has center turning lanes. Junctions
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: On at least five occasions since purchasing this car new on 12/07/21, the car, while on Autopilot (non-FSD), has suddenly and unexpectedly braked on clear roads. On each occasion, there were no vehicles in front of me nor any objects visible on or near the roadway. On two occasions, a car following
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: The heating system gave out on my 2022 TESLA Model 3 on the coldest day we've had here so far. -5F - Gave an error code on the screen VCFRONT_a447 - with message - Cabin climate control system requires service cabin heating / cooling limited or unavailable. - The problem has occurred to many people
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)