AI Damage2022 Tesla Model 3: common problems
Owners of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 filed 771 complaints with NHTSA, most often about forward collision avoidance and vehicle speed control. The maker issued 76 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 771
- involving a crash
- 56
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 76
What fails most often
- 1 Forward collision avoidance 69% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 22% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 5 Lane departure 6% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 5% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 3% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 2% of all complaints
- Forward collision avoidance: 534 complaints (69% of all), 16 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 171 complaints (22% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 168 complaints (22% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
- Electrical system: 60 complaints (8% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Lane departure: 44 complaints (6% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- electric
- automatic, 1-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 771 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward collision avoidance | 534 | 16 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 171 | 14 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 168 | 14 | 2 |
| Electrical system | 60 | 6 | 3 |
| Lane departure | 44 | 8 | 0 |
| Steering | 38 | 13 | 2 |
| Visibility | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 13 | 4 | 2 |
| Powertrain | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| Wheels | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 10 | 1 | 8 |
| Seats | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| Suspension | 10 | 0 | 1 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I believe the collision may indicate a safety-related problem involving FSD's intersection handling, left-turn decision-making, detection of approaching vehicles, or collision avoidance capabilities.
Submitted Under 49 CFR §552.3 Request for Defect Investigation & Safety Recall Tesla Model 3 / Model Y: Interior High-Voltage Heater Fire Hazard, Missing Firewall, and Entrapment Due to Electronic Door Failures. My 2022 Tesla Model 3 experienced an interior flash fire caused by a design defect.
During a head-on collision on [XXX] in Georgia, the electrical system in my 2022 Tesla Model 3 lost power and the electric door releases stopped functioning. The vehicle interior caught fire and I was trapped inside.
Components that failed/malfunctioned: brakes, fuel/propulsion system, speed control, automatic emergency braking, collision warning/avoidance, traffic signal detection Tesla Insurance has deemed the car a total loss.
No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The local dealer was contacted, however the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,290.
The cars forward collision warning system is far too sensitive and braked extremely hard when there was nothing to collide with. This caused the car behind me to slam their brakes and they got rear ended. This needs to be forced on Tesla to be addressed
The car surged forward and crashed into the back wall of my garage. Despite Tesla’s advertised safety features, such as Collision Avoidance Assist and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), none of these systems intervened or activated during the incident.
The navigation and collision warning systems in this rental vehicle did not in any way act or engage like my personal vehicle, and therefore I was placed in a dangerous situation causing an accident to occur.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 57 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Model 3 has 422 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 771, above average.
What to check before buying
- Forward collision avoidance. Radar and camera: calibration after bumper or windshield replacement.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- On certain Model 3 vehicles, brake lines may be corroded beyond acceptable limits, which may result in…
On certain Model 3 vehicles, brake lines may be corroded beyond acceptable limits, which may result in loss of brake fluid. Loss of brake fluid will result in a customer facing alert if the fluid reaches the…
- A firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel…
A firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. This feature detects changes in wheel alignment that may be related to incorrect tire pressures…
- Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies
Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on…
- Certain Standard Range Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that received the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) HV…
Certain 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, which provides additional protection for the…
- Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies
Instead, all available owner?s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on…
- Owner's Manual
- Owner's Manual
- On some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, the steering wheel cover material may separate from the steering…
On some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, the steering wheel cover material may separate from the steering wheel at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position (Figures 1 and 2). NOTE: The material separation of the steering…
- Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed…
Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may need a different Occupant Classification System (OCS) installed in the front passenger seat before servicing its subcomponents.
- On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid
- Some Heat Pump Model 3 vehicles were built without a hydraulic control unit (HCU) wake-up wire, and in…
Some Heat Pump Model 3 vehicles were built without a hydraulic control unit (HCU) wake-up wire, and in rare circumstances, braking and stability control related alerts may appear on the instrument cluster and…
- Certain Model 3 vehicles were equipped with a RH body controller module which might have a damaged component
Though the module is operational, should the component fail, the fresh air intake/recirculation setting of the vehicle?s climate control system is affected.
NHTSA lists 76 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: forward collision avoidance, vehicle speed control, service brakes. Total complaints: 771. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brakes on its own (phantom braking) (31%), driver assists: adaptive cruise, lane keeping (19%), warning lights, check engine (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
NHTSA lists 76 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2022 Tesla Model 3 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2022 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.