Tesla Model 3 Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 633 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the Tesla Model 3 across 10 model years. The 2022 model year has the most (171). The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (43% of reports).
- 633vehicle speed control complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 118mention a crash
- 42mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 78%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 274 of 633 complaints (43%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 122 of 633 complaints (19%)
- Full self: mentioned in 45 of 633 complaints (7%)
- Auto pilot: mentioned in 43 of 633 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 100 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 633 complaints, 118 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 42 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 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.
Tesla has done away with a set maximum speed control when on FSD and uses speed profiles. These profiles can have the car speed at huge differences from the actual speed limit. Tesla previously gave the driver the option to control the maximum speed but eliminated it with version 14 FSD software.
When using Tesla's Full Self Driving (supervised) speed control is erratic and not subject to the driver's control, such as it would be when using adaptive cruise control. As a result, the available speed modes (sloth, chill, standard, hurry and Mad Max) can cause the vehicle to dangerously exceed…
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…
On XXX at around 3:30 PM EST, I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model 3 on [XXX] about 10 miles outside of [XXX]. I had the adaptive cruise control set at 75 mph. I was driving in the right lane of the two available lanes of travel in that direction. I noticed an unattended car on the right shoulder…
Whilst driving on highways which feature multiple speed limits - eg. 70 cars, 65 Trucks, 60 Buses. If full self driving more or when in adaptive cruise control - the car systems fail to recognize the restriction linked to the lower speed limits. As a result, you can be driving on Full Self Drive at…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Tesla Model 3s have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 633 owner complaints about vehicle speed control 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 vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the Tesla Model 3?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 274 of 633 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (122).
Other Tesla Model 3 problems
- Forward Collision Avoidance problems (1,741)
- 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.