Tesla Model 3 Forward Collision Avoidance Problems
Owners have filed 1,741 complaints with NHTSA about forward collision avoidance problems on the Tesla Model 3 across 10 model years. The 2022 model year has the most (532). The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (47% of reports).
- 1,741forward collision avoidance complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 125mention a crash
- 42mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 85%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 818 of 1,741 complaints (47%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 429 of 1,741 complaints (25%)
- Full self: mentioned in 174 of 1,741 complaints (10%)
- Auto pilot: mentioned in 113 of 1,741 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance problems happen?
Based on 87 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,741 complaints, 125 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 42 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 | 24% | — |
| 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
Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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
Model years: 2021
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
Model years: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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
Model years: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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
Model years: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
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…
My Tesla displays a mandatory FSD (Supervised) disengagement feedback survey on the center touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion. Whenever I disengage FSD and resume manual control, the vehicle automatically asks me to select a reason for the disengagement. On one occasion, after disabling the…
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,"…
On September 12, 2026, at approximately 2:05 PM, while operating on Full Self-Driving (FSD v14.1 Lite) on Hardware 3 (HW3), the vehicle experienced a critical, unprompted loss of path control. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle sharply veered off the left side of the roadway, caught air…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Tesla Model 3s have forward collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,741 owner complaints about forward collision avoidance for the Tesla Model 3. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 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.
What do owners say about forward collision avoidance problems on the Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 818 of 1,741 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (429).
Other Tesla Model 3 problems
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (633)
- Electrical System problems (562)
- Service Brakes problems (561)
- Steering problems (402)
- Suspension problems (376)
- Air Bags problems (316)
- Lane Departure problems (303)
- Seat Belts problems (228)
See all Tesla Model 3 problems.