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What 592 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Bev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (592)Crash / fire / injury (68)Driver assistance (167)Electrical system (89)Airbags (76)Suspension (76)Speed control (71)Lane Departure (68)Brakes (62)Steering (51)Seat belts (50)Seats (42)

6 of 592 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 9, 2025Electrical systemCrash

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that his wife was driving approximately 30-40 MPH at night with Full Self-Driving(FSD) mode engaged. The contact stated that the driver was exiting the highway to merge onto another highway that would close intermittently. The contact stated that the driver briefly looked at the navigation screen, and the vehicle suddenly crashed into the first highway closure gate, and the windshield shattered. The vehicle then crashed into a second highway closure gate. The contact stated that the Full Self-Driving(FSD) mode failed to operate as needed to prevent the collisions. The driver was able to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway, and there was no oncoming traffic. The contact's daughter was occupying the front passenger's side seat during the incident. The driver called 911, and the police officers arrived at the scene. A police report was filed, but the police report number was not available. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was under evaluation. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Numbers: PE25012(Electrical System) and PE24031(Electrical System). The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer via phone, but the manufacturer was unreachable. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 111,725.

NHTSA ODI 11692414

Sep 10, 2025Electrical systemFirerelatedFire

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11686345

May 16, 2022Electrical systemBody & structureFire

Received an alert through the Tesla App that my car alarm was going off. When I stepped outside my house I saw smoke coming out of the windows. I opened the rear passenger door and saw the floor on fire. I went inside and called the fire department. By the time they arrived the entire car had been destroyed.

NHTSA ODI 11464748

Feb 18, 2022Electrical systemCrash

The contact owned a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 57 MPH during rainy weather conditions, when hitting a puddle the vehicle then drastically slowed down and fishtailed veering to the left. As a result, the contact crashed into the divider. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a AAA center where it was confirmed a total loss. The contact mentioned that the failure could be related to Phantom Braking. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,140. It was determined that there was no phantom braking at the time of the accident. Consumer stated he would like to withdraw the complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11452768

Jan 28, 2020SteeringElectrical systemCrash1 death

THE DRIVER WAS INVOLVED IN A FATAL ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE AUTO-PILOT AND/OR LANE-ASSIST FEATURES FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO TRAVEL OUT OF ITS LANE AND INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON OSCEOLA POLK LINE ROAD EAST OF SULLIVAN ROAD IN FLORIDA. THE TESLA THEN COLLIDED WITH A VEHICLE IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC, KILLING THE DRIVER OF THE TESLA. FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL AND OSCEOLA COUNTY FIRERESCUE INVESTIGATED.

NHTSA ODI 11302656

Jan 21, 2020Electrical systemBody & structureWheelsCrash

THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION ISSUE IN TESLA MODE 3 IN OUR PARKING LOT. I WAS PARKING BETWEEN 2 CARS ON MY RIGHT. SO, WAS REALLY SLOW. WHILE TURNING THERE WAS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND THE VEHICLE WAS AT A HIGH SPEED. SINCE, I WAS TURNING, THE CAR ROTATED AT THE HIGH SPEED AND IN THE PROCESS MY CAR HIT CAR ON MY LEFT, 3 CARS ON MY FRONT. THERE WAS SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND A FLAT TIRE. FORTUNATELY, NO PEOPLE WERE AFFECTED. WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, ALL SYSTEMS STOPPED FUNCTIONING.

NHTSA ODI 11300620

Working with the data? Download all 592 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2019 Tesla Model 3 Bev verdict →