MODELYEARINDEX

Which Tesla Model 3 years to avoid

Across 4 scored model years, the 2021, 2018 and 2019 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Tesla Model 3 Full report
D
Grade 2018–2021
2021 vs model median 1.4×
Model median3× median
Driver Assist 608
Brakes 123
Speed Control 120
Avoid

2018 · 2021

Best

2019 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2018
1.08× 656 D
2019
0.92× 648 D
2020
0.86× 612 D
2021
1.38× 1,140 D
2022 P
1.80× 1,485 F
2023 P
1.20× 724 D
2024 P
0.47× 317 B
2025 P
0.36× 206 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 D 656 reports · median 13,350 mi

  1. Driver Assist 182

    2018 tesla model 3. Consumer writes in regard to safety issue with backup camera. Camera will stop displaying image while vehicle is reversing. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Speed Control 65

    Here is a video that has just been uploaded to youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4guhsmipiq4 this owner thinks it is perfectly safe to jam some fruit in the steering wheel to eliminate the "hold steering wheel"… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Suspension 60

    Here is a model 3 in the junkyard https://www.iaai.com/vehicle?itemid=28782924&rownumber=52&loadrecent=true the lower ball-joints on the front suspension have snapped. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

129 crash · 7 fire · 29 injuries

2021 D 1,140 reports · median 10,000 mi

  1. Driver Assist 608

    Tesla model 3, while driving will report a left/right column camera, is obstructed do to condensation on the inside of the camera cover. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 123

    When I test drove the tesla model 3, there was an option to turn regenerative braking to low. This allowed the car to have more of a coasting effect when one lifts the foot off of the accelerator. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Speed Control 120

    On february 28, 2021 at 4:08 PM.. The approximate time of my arrival at workplace which is also displayed in my navigation. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

78 crash · 6 fire · 41 injuries

The best year for the Model 3

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Model 3 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 53.5 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.86× 612 D
2019 0.92× 648 D
2018 1.08× 656 D

Recalls

32 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
24V051000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2018–2023 2,193,869
23V838000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING:SOFTWARE 2018–2023 2,031,220
24V554000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH 2021–2023 1,849,638
22V702000 VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS 2018–2022 1,096,762
22V045000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2018–2022 817,143
24V935000 TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS 2018–2025 696,281
22V235000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2018–2022 594,894
22V063000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2018–2022 578,607
25V092000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2023 376,241
23V085000 STEERING:AUTOMATED/ADAPTIVE STEERING 2018–2023 362,758
21V00D000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK 2018–2020 356,309
22V844000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS 2023 321,628

+ 20 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 10,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Tesla Model 3 years should you avoid?
2021, 2018, 2019 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Tesla Model 3 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Tesla Model 3?
2020 is the best-scoring Tesla Model 3 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 53.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Tesla Model 3 have?
32 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Tesla Model 3 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Model 3
Complaints in window
1,140
Severity-weighted
1,437.5
Model median (weighted)
1,043
vs model median
1.38×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
21
Open investigations
5
Score 40.6 D