2023 Tesla Model 3 Forward Collision Avoidance Problems
Owners have filed 179 complaints with NHTSA about forward collision avoidance problems on the 2023 Tesla Model 3, 42% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 4,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (41% of reports).
- 179forward collision avoidance complaints
- 4,000median miles at failure
- 31mention a crash
- 11mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 84%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 74 of 179 complaints (41%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 30 of 179 complaints (17%)
- Full self: mentioned in 14 of 179 complaints (8%)
- Auto pilot: mentioned in 10 of 179 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance problems happen?
Based on 9 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 179 complaints, 31 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 11 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 (0)
No safety recall lists forward collision avoidance for the 2023 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.
On September 23 2026 at night I was driving my car under FSD and am in full control of vehicle my car is on speed of 54-55mph and in the middle of the road without any obstacle present on the road the car did the super ghost breaking and my car stopped 100% with the screen turning red with a…
On September 20, 2026, at approximately 10:26 AM EDT, I was driving my Tesla on ON I-76 E MM 332.4 with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. It was raining, the pavement was wet, and there was heavy road spray. The vehicle's front dashcam recording, time-stamped "Sep 20, 2026, 10:26:02 AM,"…
Im using full self driving (fsd) and it scans the lot and chose to pull into an empty spot half way in and reverse almost smacking a car in the rear. It didnt appear it was gonna stop even though the car was showing on the screen. I do have the dash cam from where i had to step on the break for it…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2023 Tesla Model 3s have forward collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA has 179 owner complaints about forward collision avoidance for the 2023 Tesla Model 3 (42% of the 428 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 2023 Tesla Model 3 forward collision avoidance?
No recall currently lists forward collision avoidance for this vehicle.
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance problems start?
The median reported mileage is 4,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about forward collision avoidance problems on the 2023 Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 74 of 179 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (30).
Other 2023 Tesla Model 3 problems
See all 2023 Tesla Model 3 problems or forward collision avoidance problems across all Model 3 years.