What 982 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Tesla Model 3 (all Variants)

My hard brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced on a 7 year old model 3 with 70k miles on it. The cost was over $4000 as battery has to come out and it's very labor intensive. Tesla offered no help with paying for this. They tried to say the car probably was in a very corrosive environment before I bought the car (I purchased it about a year ago). However, I've seen little to no corrosion anywhere on the car. I've decided to report this issue after talking with several lifelong mechanics who have said they have never heard of hard brake lines failing on a car with age and mileage that mine has. Also after searching owner groups I've heard from other owners that have had this same issue and it seems like a growing number especially in early model 3 cars. I was giving a warning about low brake fluid and advised not to drive the vehicle before getting it inspected.

NHTSA ODI 11727777

Please review attachment.

NHTSA ODI 11709559

Vehicle is 7 years old with 107,000 miles. I received a warning regarding low brake fluid with instructions not to drive the vehicle. Dealer is advising all brake lines are rusted out and need replacement. Rusted lines are apparently causing the brake fluid to leak. I've never heard of any vehicle, let alone a 7 year old vehicle, needing all brake lines replaced. After researching online, my 2018 Tesla Model 3 is not the only Tesla Model 3 with this issue. Specifically, it appears some early 2018 Model 3s have suffered this issue. I believe this is a design defect and safety issue, and that Tesla should be voluntarily repairing affected vehicles with this known issue, since it is a design/safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11706805

Repeatedly and randomly, with cruise control (not FSD) engaged, the car would brake, sometimes aggressively. The last time, it braked so hard the tires or brakes squealed and the car swerved slightly before I was able to regain control. This was on the freeway (in Colorado, if I remember correctly) while I was cruising at 70 or 75 MPH. I decided that that was the last time I would use cruise control; it was just not safe. I had an appointment on October 22 to take the car in for service. But then a friend told me this was called "phantom braking" and that there was no fix. A friend suggested that I contact the NHTSA.

NHTSA ODI 11695523

The brake lines badly rusted creating safety hazard as Tesla service reported when working on other maintenance. Not a warranty issue not covered as repair is over $3800. Vehicle was not abused and was kept clean regularly - this seems to be a vehicle defect if the brake lines can get moisture trapped behind the battery pack and create excessive corrosion requiring brake line replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11693135

Main incident: Time: 2025-08-28 ~12:41 PM PST What happened: After searching for a parking space, the driver was preparing to reverse into the spot, the driver pressed up the stalk to shift the gear into reverse, a sound was heard and something showed up on the screen, the vehicle once again started accelerating and running forward suddenly and sharply (3 mph to 28 mph in 3 secs), driver tried to steer the vehicle away from cars and buildings to minimize danger, the car rushed onto a concrete curb, hit one blue Tesla, then hit the side of a concrete utility pole, and ran over a plant and last crashed into the chain-link french before it finally stops Injuries: * Spine pain for one passenger Damages: ** All tires blown out, tire falls off ** Severe damages throughout the vehicle body * One Tesla parked on the parking lot was severely damaged * The utility pole's base box was scraped and deformed * One plant was knocked down Similar case 3 few mins ago: Time: 2025-08-28 ~12:38 PM PST What happened: The driver entered a oneway parking lot, but found no available spot and was trying to back up, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The driver performed an emergency brake and stopped the vehicle. At the time the vehicle stopped, it was only about 20 inches away from two cars in front of it Injuries and damages: None What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Malfunctioning of the electronic control or braking system leading to abnormal acceleration Conflicting gear shifting and autopilot engagement design The right stalk is used to both shift gears and engage autopilot features, this design makes it very easy for the system to confuse the two actions Autopilot feature safety issues Autopilot features (whether its FSD or cruise control) should not be allowed to initiate abrupt acceleration to a dangerous speed in a low speed area (for example parking lot) Insurance claim filed, number: 25-647243342

NHTSA ODI 11684449

All 4 Brake lines (tubes) from either from ABS or Brake booster pump are corroded and pierced. All brake fluid leaked front center of the vehicle and lost all brake. Brake lines or tubes are looks good from under the front and back tires. It looks like a quality of the brake lines / tubes from ABS to the bottom are not meeting the expected quality.

NHTSA ODI 11683439

My Tesla got stuck in a McDonald's drive-through because the EPB (Electronic Park Break) refused to disengage. I believe it got stuck as the vehicle was pulling up to the window to pay and I had to reach out with my phone to tap their payment terminal to use Apple Pay. Then the park brake engaged I believe because I possibly lifted up from my seat, yet had my foot on the brake, but when I put it into drive, it refused to disengage. So my car got stuck for about an hour until we force skidded it out of the drive way. Now I've been stuck at this McDonald's parking lot for days, unable to drive it to get repaired or charged. Tesla Temecula refuses to schedule service and canceled the service appointment. Other further away Tesla Service Centers want to charge me hundreds of dollars for diagnosis that I don't have. This is the 2nd time the park break got stuck. The other time was in hospital ambulance ER drop-off bay. This is a major safety issue and the NHTSA should do a safety recall on this to force Tesla to fix it. It's both a software and hardware engineering issue. Yet Tesla keeps placing the blame and cost on customers to profit from their faulty engineering testing. Please help me and Tesla customer fix this!

NHTSA ODI 11673494

My brake lines began to leak. When I took the car to the Tesla Service center they repaired the brake lines, but in the process they found that the brake fluid had leaked in/on the battery compartment. Furthermore, they found a coolant leak that also leaked on/in the battery compartment. This cause a hole to develop into the battery compartment. Having the coolant and brake lines in a place that could affect the batteries is a significant design flaw of the Model 3. According to the technician from Tesla, my car/batteries, were a ticking time bomb and could have ignited at any point. I am very fortunate that a fire was not started with myself or my family in the car. I believe Tesla needs to make all Model 3 owners aware of this possibility and come up with a way to remedy this flaw before someone looses a life. If the brake lines on my car hadn't sprung a leak, I'm not sure I would have know about the coolant leak until it was too late.

NHTSA ODI 11666979

I was at a stoplight behind a Toyota Tacoma. I must have stopped around 8 feet behind it. I was not using FSD and I was not one-pedal driving. My foot was on the brake. I must have been at a complete stop for approximately 10 seconds when my Model 3 suddenly accelerated full throttle on its own and rear ended the Tacoma, directly hitting its trailer hitch, causing my car's driver-side airbags to deploy. When it happened, the light was still red and my foot was still on the brake. I never touched the accelerator. Luckily I was driving alone. After the inital contact, my car sort of bounced off of his hitch then slowly lurched forward before it stopped. After that, it was immobile, leaving me stuck in traffic until it was towed away.

NHTSA ODI 11632896

On December 24, 2024 I was driving on Freeway 5 South and all of the sudden my vehicle came to an abrupt breaking without any reason. The traffic ahead of me was of normal traffic. This abrupt breaking happened twice within 5 minutes of time span. I have notified Tesla Service Center and the service center gave me a quote of $137.50 for diagnostic and to schedule the service. I felt that this issues should be taken care of by Tesla with no charge to me. This is a safety issue. I have experienced the abrupt breaking issues with my vehicle on many occasions since I own the vehicle in 2018. Each time I was told there's no problem with the vehicle when I notified Tesla Service Center.

NHTSA ODI 11632783

Two incidents while testing the most recent version of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving": 1. While driving at less than 25mph in a residential neighborhood, using the "Full Self-Driving" mode, the car was entirely unable to detect either heavy steel plates in the road (being used to cover road work) or significant potholes in the area near the plates. 2. While driving on H1 (a federal "interstate" highway) on Oahu, at approximately 55mph, using the Tesla's "Full Self-Driving", the car inexplicably slammed on the brakes. There was absolutely nothing visibly in front of the car for at least 200 yards. The car behind me had to swerve to avoid rear-ending my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11627100

I was driving (~42 m/h) my Model 3 Tesla on a freeway and the traffic in front of me suddenly slowed down. The driver in front of me (she was a new driver with a new car) braked hard and came to a complete stop even though the traffic in front of her was moving. I ended up colliding with her as a result. I would have expected the Tesla Forward collision system or the Automatic Emergency Braking system to have activated and prevented this crash. Further, it seems Tesla brakes behave differently when it is fully charged as the engine braking does not engage. In fact the car seems to accelerate instead. If the Tesla Forward collision system and the AEB do not work and prevent such accidents, what is the point of having these systems?

NHTSA ODI 11621424

Seems that when brake pedal sensor can trigger a "pressed" reading when not actually being pressed. The only way to turn off the car manually is defeated by, you guessed it, depressing the brake pedal. This causes the vehicle to remain on and unlocked. Even if you are able to leave the vehicle in a locked park state, at any point, the sensor can register a "pressed" reading and essentially unlock and turn on the vehicle. I see this as a extremely serious safety issue. The issue seems to occur randomly at first and then more frequently. It can be confused with a known seat sensor issue which seems to also cause the same symptoms.

NHTSA ODI 11617984

While driving on the highway with FSD on, the car severely amalfunctioned with sudden deceleration at 4 separate ocassions. At 68 mph when changing lanes, the car suddenly decelerated. There were several cars behind us and it could have been a major multi car collision. At all 4 ocassions, I immediately took over control on steering and acceleration, thus avoiding any accident. This problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center yet. My vehicle or component(s) have also not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others yet. Additionally, there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11598431

I was parked on a flat street and got in my car and began driving. I went one city block at a slow pace because cars were stopped ahead. I pressed my brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor with no tension or braking. It was “floppy”. I was able to stop in the road (in traffic) and since it was a quiet street I decided I should try to reboot the car (thinking maybe it was a software glitch). Luckily only 2 cars passed me as this was happening because even the hazard lights go off during a reboot. Once the car was started up the brakes felt tight again so I drove another block, still going under 20 MPH. At the next intersection the brakes stopped working again and were “loose”My foot would go all the way to the floor with no effect. I saw a space at the corner to pull into (not a legal parking space but my car could fit so I could pull out of traffic). The regenerative brakes worked and I rolled to a stop. I called Tesla. They agreed the car was not safe to drive and asked me to tow it to them. They worked on the car for about a week and half. They told me the Hydraulic Control Unit failed and was replaced. They said the unit is in a protected area and did not fail because of impact or because of my breaking habits. They said it is possible that it might just fail overtime. But there was no warning, light or indicator that it was failing, and the brakes just stopped working suddenly it could’ve been much worse. If I had parked on a hill that day or made my way to a freeway this would have been a very different story. I can’t believe that brakes can fail like that with no warning at all.

NHTSA ODI 11585772

The adaptive cruise control (Autopilot) suddenly applied the brakes while I was traveling about 70 MPH on a major interstate highway. There was no reason for the sudden and rapid braking. No obstacles of any kind. I suspect the Autopilot was confused with the shade of the road from asphalt to concrete as I approached a small bridge. Software version on the vehicle is 2023.38.6.

NHTSA ODI 11555893

I was traveling about 10-15 mph and my car unexpectedly activating the automatic emergency braking system. It was very scary and dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11554697

The brake lines rusted out and caused the brake to go out while my wife was driving with our newborn baby. The car is not even 5 years old. I have read of other cases of this happening.

NHTSA ODI 11549677

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a safety defect with my Tesla Model 3, VIN [XXX] . On July 28th, 2023, at 3:34 PM PST, My wife [XXX] was driving into my driveway at my home at [XXX] . The weather was sunny and car was traveling at 5-10 mph. The car was not in Autopilot and the driving mode was set to Chill mode. When pressed the brake pedal to slow down, the car did not stop and went straight into my garage, causing significant damage to my home and the car. Very experienced driver and I am confident that wife was applying the brake pedal correctly. However, the car simply did not stop. I am very concerned that this is a software glitch in the Tesla car, and I am worried that it could happen to other Tesla drivers. I have tried to contact Tesla to report the issue, but I have not been able to reach anyone. I had the car towed to a body shop, but the car is now totaled and I cannot take it back to Tesla. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this safety defect and take appropriate action to protect Tesla drivers. I am also requesting that NHTSA help me to get in touch with Tesla so that I can resolve this issue. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11545300

When driving using Full Self Driving or Autopilot, the car unexpectedly and suddenly brakes as if there is something on the road which is in the way even though there is nothing there. On one trip of 260 miles, the car unnecessarily braked twice on the freeway. Had someone been following too closely to me it could have caused a collision.

NHTSA ODI 11541517

My car left the road traveling at 60mph, and after leaving the road it was quickly approaching a metal pole. At this time it seemed that the breaks were not able to stop the vehicle. After totaling the car, and what I thought would be the loss of my life, my airbags did not deploy. To further explain the extent of the accident: the front bumper is destroyed, the hood is destroyed, the windshield is destroyed and caved in onto me, the roof was destroyed, the back glass was also destroyed, along with much more extensive damage to the build of the car. The pole involved in the accident came out of the ground and through the car. It is unfathomable how I am still alive with manageable injuries. Yet- no airbags. This could have ended much differently.

NHTSA ODI 11533767

My Tesla 3 on autopilot have stopped on highways without cause this week. This happened numerous time during this year.

NHTSA ODI 11527965

2018 Tesla Model 3 was in cruise control (not self-drive) on an interstate with no other vehicles in the near vicinity. The car repeatedly applied brakes unexpectedly. I have traveled with this vehicle before and did not have unexpected braking problems. I have requested a Tesla service appointment but do not know if Tesla has an answer to what I hear is a widespread problem.

NHTSA ODI 11523575

Brakes completely failed after the car sat idle for a week. Went to start the car and there were no breaks at all. Fortunately the car was at the garage and after close inspection of the break system it was discovered that the break lining to the break wheel assembles (both sides) had significant rust. With the left rear completely rusted out and leaked the entire fluid out. If we had driven the car it could have been a disaster. We could have been killed and or someone else killed. The car had been in a heated garaged its entire 4 year life and maintained properly. There was no damage to the vehicle prior to the break failure.

NHTSA ODI 11523274