Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Tesla Model 3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at 3 MPH and slowing the vehicle into his residence driveway, as he took his foot off the accelerator the vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed forward. The vehicle crashed into the residence and entered the house. The contact stated he did not notice any warning lights. The contact was rendered unconscious and was transported by ambulance to an ER. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact had sustained a broken back and had fractured his sternum. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
On June 6th, 2021, we were driving home in our 2019 Tesla Model 3. We were at the intersection of 7th Street and 36th Avenue in Moline, Illinois. We were stopped on 36th Avenue heading east trying to turn north onto 7th street. We were stopped behind another vehicle when our Tesla started creeping slowly forward toward the vehicle in front of us. My wife, who was driving, stepped on the brake. But instead of stopping, the Tesla suddenly accelerated, careening off the car in front of us and then heading into the intersection at full speed. My wife was able to avoid hitting two vehicles on 7th Street in the intersection, but then hit a steel stoplight pole across the intersection. The right front passenger tire was torn off the Tesla and the airbags deployed. No one was hurt. But we damaged two other vehicles and totaled our Tesla. …
My wife was dropping my kid in the school drop off line. The speed was probably about 5 mph. The Tesla suddenly went into a sudden spontaneous acceleration. When my wife tried to brake, the brakes did not work. There was no forward collision warning beeping sound that went off, which is supposed to. It hit the vehicle in front and finally hit a fence. so, both the accelerator and brake malfunctioned. The car will go to a body shop tomorrow. Since it was a school drop off zone, safety of a lot of people were put at risk. It was very hard to get Tesla on the phone. so, we went into a Tesla service center and a complaint was filed. They will be reviewing the data but I dont know how long it will take. A software update had been applied a week back. 2 hours after the accident, a software update screen popped up
I was at a toll booth paying for tow. All of a sudden the car accelerated forward by itself, ramming into the toll bar. At that time, my arm was still sticking out the window while interacting with the toll terminal. This incident is something that needs to be looked at. It certainly looks like this is a result of the accident avoidance feature. Not sure why it activated either. But I am 99.9% sure that I did not accidentally press the gas pedal because I had to slam on the brakes to stop. Currently contacting Tesla to see if they can get the log to prove whether I accidentally press the pedal or not. In addition to this, there were reports of inverter spikes causing acceleration issues. Please look into the linkage of these incidents. As an electrical engineer myself, this is very alarming.
On 10/17/2021 my son was killed along with his passenger in this Tesla. The car was thought to be going over 100 miles an hour on a city road Coconut Point Road in Estero Florida. The car was thought to have hit a tree with the rear tire and was sent flying through the air and hit another tree and split in half. My son knew this road well as it was close to his home and drove it on his way home from work. I feel strongly that this was an acceleration issue!! He has driven this car for 2 years, so knew the car well.
This is a sudden unintended acceleration accident. I was driving into a hotel parking lot. I turned right at less than 5 mph for about 15 feet and then made another right. Suddenly, the car accelerated at very high speed. I was able to steer but can't stop the car until 200 yards after I made a turn into the bushes and knock down a tree. At about 50 yards the vehicle also banged into three parked cards.
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a residential gate, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a private residence. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
I was going 45 mph with autopilot engaged and in fact the autopilot actually caused the accident. The car suddenly turned to the right and hit the curb then spinned 180 degrees midair, landed on the sidewalk and then rolled back fishtailed a wooden pole.
Ever since I have owned the car, there have been intermittent bouts with what most Tesla owners refer to as phantom braking while using the Traffic aware cruise control (TACC) or autopilot (AP). In all instances, I'm driving along the I-15 highway in Southern California at or near the speed limit with the flow of traffic, with no visible obstacles to safe driving in my lane or lanes adjacent to me, the car suddenly slams on the brakes out of nowhere and it is absolutely terrifying and unsafe. Today, had someone been tailgating me at 80mph and this occurred, I am certain I would have been rear-ended. The deceleration was so sudden and aggressive that I felt the blood rush to the front of my face and I became dizzy momentarily. I can't remain silent on this any longer as I hoped Tesla would have fixed this through software updates. I no longer have trust in the system. …
I started to having "Faulty Restrain system fault" around 49k miles on Tesla Model 3. Error pop up "service needed". Consult Tesla for repair. First they ask for $384 for repair harness wires attach for driver front seat. Upon checking warranty on Tesla.com, it provides 60000 miles and 5 years warranty for Restrain System coverage so tesla agrees to fix error for "$0". Upon taking car for repair, I was informed I had rodent cause damage (chewed) wires and it's not cover. I had to pay $180 for repair. I live in Phoenix city and where I live we don't have any problem with rodents. It's very shocking to learn that rodent get access to underneath of Tesla and can chewed on wires. Why wires are not covered with better material rather than cheap plastic tapes. Those wires play significant role in vehicle safety as far as restrain system is concern. …
NHTSA investigations
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial.
Acceleration complaints in other Model 3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?
NHTSA has 71 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2019 Tesla Model 3, 11% of the model year's 619 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Tesla Model 3 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2019 Tesla Model 3, though it has 22 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2019 Tesla Model 3 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 5,000 miles, and 89% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 19 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries and 2 deaths to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.