Home · 2021 Tesla Model 3 Bev · Complaints

What 650 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 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 (650)Crash / fire / injury (51)Driver assistance (404)Brakes (124)Speed control (123)Electrical system (76)Lane Departure (30)Visibility & wipers (30)Steering (26)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Body & structure (15)Seat belts (15)

51 of 650 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Mar 4, 2021Speed controlBrakesCrash

ON FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AT 4:08 PM.. THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF MY ARRIVAL AT WORKPLACE WHICH IS ALSO DISPLAYED IN MY NAVIGATION. AS SOON AS I'M DOING A REVERSE TO PARK MY TESLA FOR SOME REASON AND IT DID HAPPEN SO QUICKLY ACCIDENTALLY PRESS THE ACCELERATOR HARDER AND AS A RESULT I CAUSE AN ACCIDENT THAT MY REAR BUMPER HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME THAT WAS PARKED. THE DAMAGED WAS HUGE THAT IT KNOCK OFF THE PARKED CAR FRONT BUMPER, IT BROKE THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT AND BUCKLED THE ENGINE HOOD. IT REALLY BOGGLES ME AS TO HOW IT HAPPENED, I RE-CREATE THE SCENARIO AT HOME IT TURNS OUT AND I TRULY BELIEVED THAT I GOT CONFUSED WITH THE CURRENT DRIVING MODE AS I SWITCH THE CAR TO REVERSE WHILE I STOP TO CHECK MY PROXIMITY, BUT THE DISPLAY CHANGES TO 'HOLD BRAKE' FONT. NOT KNOWING THAT IT STILL IN REVERSE MODE, ALTHOUGH THE TOP LEFT VERTICALLY DISPLAYED DRIVE MODE INDICATOR STILL SHOWING BUT IT IS TOO SMALL/ MINIMAL THAT IT'S HARD TO DISTINGUISH WHICH ONE IS ACTIVE. FOR AN OWNER THAT'S NEW TO THIS ELECTRIC CAR IT IS CONFUSING AND SPECIALLY YOU HAVE OTHER ICE CAR YOU CURRENTLY DRIVING AT HOME.TESLA SHOULD CONSIDER AN UPDATE TO THE DISPLAY ON THE DRIVING MODE INDICATOR. THE DEFAULT AS YOU SWITCH THE STALK TO D, P, N OR R, THAT LARGE FONT ONLY DISPLAY MOMENTARILY AND IT CHANGES TO YOUR SPEED AND THEN CHANGES TO ' HOLD- BRAKE FONT ICON'. THOSE DISPLAY FONT P-D- R- N ON THE TOP LEFT CORNER IS TOO MINIMAL AND EVEN LIGHTLY OBSTRUCTED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. EVEN THE FONT COLOR IS HARDLY DISTINGUISHABLE, THE CURRENT DRIVE MODE IS ONLY BOLD IN THE SAME COLOR. THIS IS REALLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED ASAP. TESLA MODEL 3 DISPLAY SHOULD BE UPDATED, THE DRIVE MODE SHOULD BE VISIBLE ENOUGH AND PERMANENT ON THE DISPLAY. LOOK AT THE MODEL S.. IT HAS A VERY VISIBLE/ EASY TO DISTINGUISH YOUR CURRENT DRIVING MODE. ( P-D- N-R ) [XXX] CONTACT: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 11399195

← Newer

Working with the data? Download all 650 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 2021 Tesla Model 3 Bev verdict →