2021 Tesla Model 3 Forward Collision Avoidance Problems
Owners have filed 408 complaints with NHTSA about forward collision avoidance problems on the 2021 Tesla Model 3, 61% 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: “cruise control” (58% of reports).
- 408forward collision avoidance complaints
- 10,000median miles at failure
- 10mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 92%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 236 of 408 complaints (58%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 107 of 408 complaints (26%)
- Full self: mentioned in 28 of 408 complaints (7%)
- Using adaptive: mentioned in 24 of 408 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance problems happen?
Based on 15 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 408 complaints, 10 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 7 an injury.
Tesla Model 3 forward collision avoidance complaints by model year
| Model year | Forward Collision Avoidance complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 7 | 25% | — |
| 2025 Model 3 | 30 | 25% | — |
| 2024 Model 3 | 49 | 22% | — |
| 2023 Model 3 | 179 | 42% | 4,000 |
| 2022 Model 3 | 532 | 69% | 1,850 |
| 2021 Model 3 | 408 | 61% | 10,000 |
| 2020 Model 3 | 156 | 35% | 10,000 |
| 2019 Model 3 | 170 | 28% | 26,155 |
| 2018 Model 3 | 202 | 20% | 27,000 |
| 2017 Model 3 | 8 | 31% | 39,800 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert; electrical system:software
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking; electrical system:adas:driver monitoring:camera/sensor; lane departure: lane keep: automatic steering
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model 3 and 2021 Model Y vehicles. The fisheye and narrow camera cable terminals were incorrectly installed in the cable harness connector, resulting in swapped camera views.
Risk: Swapped camera views can prevent the vehicle's cameras from detecting crossing objects and high-curvature lane lines, impairing the Autosteer and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) performance, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla Service will correct the swapped terminals and recalibrate the cameras, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-17-007.
Electrical system:software; forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, including Summon and Smart Summon, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall supersedes recall 22V-063. Vehicles configured with Summon or Smart Summon and already remedied under 22V-063 will need to have the new remedy software installed.
Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert; electrical system:software
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V-235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.
Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: camera; forward collision avoidance:software; forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking; forward collision avoidance: warnings
Problem: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
Risk: Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Urgent Safety Concern â Uncommanded Braking During Manual Driving. On October 2, 2026, while driving my 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range manually at approximately 45 mph and slowing to make a turn at an intersection, my vehicle unexpectedly applied very strong braking for approximately 1â2…
Interior camera circuit failed in the main computer as diagnosed by Tesla, it disables most safety features of the car, no collision warning or avoidance, no automatic emergency breaking, no lane departure warning or correction, no reverse cam, no cruise control or self driving, and probably more…
Tesla replaced the windshield on my 2021 Model 3 at the Tesla Service Center in Schaumburg, IL. Days after the installation, following a light rain, a film appeared on the exterior surface of the glass. In the presence of moisture the film hazes over and substantially obscures forward visibility…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2021 Tesla Model 3s have forward collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA has 408 owner complaints about forward collision avoidance for the 2021 Tesla Model 3 (61% of the 669 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 2021 Tesla Model 3 forward collision avoidance?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list forward collision avoidance. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance 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 forward collision avoidance problems on the 2021 Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 236 of 408 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (107).
Other 2021 Tesla Model 3 problems
See all 2021 Tesla Model 3 problems or forward collision avoidance problems across all Model 3 years.