2018 Tesla Model 3 Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 9% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 4,750 miles. The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (22% of reports).
- 88service brakes complaints
- 4,750median miles at failure
- 19mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 62%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Cruise control: mentioned in 19 of 88 complaints (22%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 13 of 88 complaints (15%)
- Full self: mentioned in 8 of 88 complaints (9%)
- Using autopilot: mentioned in 5 of 88 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 14 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 88 complaints, 19 mention a crash, 5 an injury.
Tesla Model 3 service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 1 | 3% | 450 |
| 2025 Model 3 | 12 | 10% | — |
| 2024 Model 3 | 4 | 2% | 13,816 |
| 2023 Model 3 | 54 | 13% | 9,683 |
| 2022 Model 3 | 167 | 22% | 3,500 |
| 2021 Model 3 | 126 | 19% | 18,000 |
| 2020 Model 3 | 46 | 10% | 850 |
| 2019 Model 3 | 60 | 10% | 5,000 |
| 2018 Model 3 | 88 | 9% | 4,750 |
| 2017 Model 3 | 3 | 12% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes for the 2018 Tesla Model 3. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The break line ruptured causing loss of hydraulic pressure. The root cause was corrosion of the break line. This caused a major safety risk as I was unable to stop/slow the car down and had to coast to a stop. This is a known problem as addressed in Tesla's service bulletin SB-26-33-001. Tesla…
Description of the Safety Defect:My 2018 Tesla Model 3 AWD suffered an abrupt and catastrophic total loss of mechanical braking power while driving. The brake pedal went completely soft, and the vehicle lost hydraulic pressure.An independent mechanic inspected the undercarriage and confirmed that…
My hard brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced on a 7 year old model 3 with 70k miles on it. The cost was over $4000 as battery has to come out and it's very labor intensive. Tesla offered no help with paying for this. They tried to say the car probably was in a very corrosive environment…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Tesla Model 3s have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 88 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 (9% of the 1,031 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Tesla Model 3 service brakes?
No recall currently lists service brakes for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 4,750 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2018 Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 19 of 88 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (13).
Other 2018 Tesla Model 3 problems
- Forward Collision Avoidance problems (202)
- Suspension problems (189)
- Electrical System problems (168)
- Air Bags problems (143)
- Seat Belts problems (105)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (90)
- Steering problems (80)
- Seats problems (74)
See all 2018 Tesla Model 3 problems or service brakes problems across all Model 3 years.