2019 Tesla Model 3 Steering Problems
Owners have filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2019 Tesla Model 3, 9% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 10,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “steering rack” (17% of reports).
- 53steering complaints
- 10,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 29%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.
- Steering rack: mentioned in 9 of 53 complaints (17%)
- Control arms: mentioned in 8 of 53 complaints (15%)
- Https www: mentioned in 5 of 53 complaints (9%)
- Front suspension: mentioned in 5 of 53 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 12 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 53 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
Tesla Model 3 steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 7 | 25% | 450 |
| 2025 Model 3 | 25 | 21% | 9,137 |
| 2024 Model 3 | 37 | 17% | 13,816 |
| 2023 Model 3 | 88 | 21% | 2,430 |
| 2022 Model 3 | 37 | 5% | 16,150 |
| 2021 Model 3 | 27 | 4% | 14,649 |
| 2020 Model 3 | 46 | 10% | 2,500 |
| 2019 Model 3 | 53 | 9% | 10,000 |
| 2018 Model 3 | 80 | 8% | 11,687 |
| 2017 Model 3 | 1 | 4% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Steering:automated/adaptive steering
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation. The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution. In addition, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver's adjustment of the vehicle's speed to exceed posted speed limits.
Risk: FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.
Steering:automated/adaptive steering
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.
Risk: Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The vehicle reported an error with steering. I brought the vehicle into tesla service. Upon inspection the connector to the steering rack was heavily corroded from water intrusion and had broken clean off upon removal. Confirmed with dealer that corrosion had caused the issue. If the connector had…
Tesla recently introduced auto parking as part of its FSD technology (Software 2026.20.6.11). Whenever we set the car destination to âhomeâ, the auto parking has been able to gradually maneuver the car and self park in our garage. On 8/11, around 8:30pm, the car made a mistake during the auto…
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The steering system failed due to corrosion and water ingress affecting both the steering rack and the associated steering wiring harness. These components were replaced by Tesla and are no longer…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2019 Tesla Model 3s have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 53 owner complaints about steering for the 2019 Tesla Model 3 (9% of the 617 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 2019 Tesla Model 3 steering?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list steering. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 10,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “steering rack”, in 9 of 53 complaints, followed by “control arms” (8).
Other 2019 Tesla Model 3 problems
See all 2019 Tesla Model 3 problems or steering problems across all Model 3 years.