2018 Tesla Model 3 Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 90 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 9% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 9,999 miles. The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (19% of reports).
- 90vehicle speed control complaints
- 9,999median miles at failure
- 30mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 60%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 17 of 90 complaints (19%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 8 of 90 complaints (9%)
- Auto pilot: mentioned in 7 of 90 complaints (8%)
- Autopilot engaged: mentioned in 6 of 90 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 33 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 90 complaints, 30 mention a crash, 7 an injury.
Tesla Model 3 vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 2 | 7% | — |
| 2025 Model 3 | 14 | 12% | 9,840 |
| 2024 Model 3 | 20 | 9% | — |
| 2023 Model 3 | 69 | 16% | 25,737 |
| 2022 Model 3 | 171 | 22% | 2,900 |
| 2021 Model 3 | 123 | 18% | 10,650 |
| 2020 Model 3 | 69 | 15% | 1,470 |
| 2019 Model 3 | 71 | 12% | 5,300 |
| 2018 Model 3 | 90 | 9% | 9,999 |
| 2017 Model 3 | 4 | 15% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists vehicle speed control 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.
While my wife was driving, the high-voltage battery failed and the car went into reduced power/limp mode. Tesla later determined that coolant had gotten into the high-voltage battery and caused it to fail. My main concern is that we had no warning that there was a coolant leak or that coolant was…
I am reporting a major safety defect that began immediately after Tesla installed the Full Self-Driving (FSD) hardware upgrade on my vehicle. After paying $2,000 for FSD and receiving the hardware retrofit, the car now instantly veers left toward oncoming traffic whenever FSD is engaged. This began…
Repeatedly and randomly, with cruise control (not FSD) engaged, the car would brake, sometimes aggressively. The last time, it braked so hard the tires or brakes squealed and the car swerved slightly before I was able to regain control. This was on the freeway (in Colorado, if I remember correctly)…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Tesla Model 3s have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 90 owner complaints about vehicle speed control 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 vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 9,999 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2018 Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 17 of 90 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (8).
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)
- Service Brakes problems (88)
- Steering problems (80)
- Seats problems (74)
See all 2018 Tesla Model 3 problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Model 3 years.