Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Tesla Model 3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH with the "auto-pilot" engaged, the vehicle approached another vehicle in traffic from behind and had gotten too close. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal to slow down when the vehicle inadvertently accelerated at high speed. The contact steered to the left to avoid rear-end crash with the vehicle directly in front. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel had become hard to turn and the vehicle crashed into the highway divider. The vehicle's front end had crashed into the divider wall and the vehicle ricocheted across four lanes of traffic and ran off the roadway onto the right shoulder and was stopped by having crashed with small trees and bushes. The contact stated she did not notice any warning lights. …
The contact stated that while renting a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel suddenly turned left while accelerating. The contact attempted to gain control however the steering wheel seized. The vehicle ended up crashing in the middle of the highway on the left side of the vehicle and front-end mostly. The air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed however it had not been determined if the vehicle was totaled as of yet. The display of the front left safety restraint system fault message was displayed on the main control display. The contact received injuries to their arms, knees, neck, shoulder, and back. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently turned to the right and then to the left. As a result, the contact stated that he momentarily lost control of the vehicle and collided with a barrier wall before careening to the right again into traffic. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. A police report was not filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the failure has yet to be diagnosed. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 27,000.
On October 20th, 2023 around 3:00 pm I was driving eastbound on the highway 69 in Michigan. A friend of mine was seated on the front passenger side (no more other passenger). Autopilot was not installed on the car and the driver had both hands on the steering wheel. I was driving on the most left lane at speed about 75 mph. At about Exit#131, Suddenly, I felt the steering wheel turned right a little by itself and the car slowly drifted to the right a little, then the steering wheel quickly turned to left by itself and the car quick turned to the left. I tried to control the steering wheel but couldn't. The car zig-zagged forward and hit the center guardrail at about 45 degree angle. The car was pushed away from the guardrail and stopped in the middle lane. After the crush, the left side of the car tilted to the ground. …
Something occurred with the steering, automatic braking, or lane keeping assistance on [redacted] at approximately 6:35am while I was driving my 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range North in the carpool lane just south of [redacted] in Sandy Utah. The roads were a little slick so was proceeding cautiously at around 65 MPH when the car turned to the left slightly, then immediately to the right, which caused it to do a 180 degree turn in the same lane, I wasn't sure what was going on as the car felt like it was driving itself. Before I knew what was happening, the car then veered to the East across three lanes of traffic while driving backwards, it then stopped just as it was struck in front of the wheel on the front drivers side by a two trailer semi-truck which spun the car around. …
Driving on the freeway, husband driving, myself in passenger front seat and 1yr and 3yrs in back. Just touched a 70 zone when the car, without warning/prompt started to deviate from left lane to right lane, at same speed, my husband tried to control car at which point he realized that the steering wheel and brakes were locked and he had no control of the direction or speed and could do nothing to stop the car. The car continued at high speed to drag us to the left side of the road, we smashed at full force into a display maintenance board first, the airbags deployed, and we continued to smash through a barrier and finally into a tree in a field about 100yards+ from freeway. We managed to escape the vehicle and get our screaming kids to safety where we then were picked up by ambulance and police. The car, of course, was unsalvageable. …
My Tesla was operating with Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) engaged when it initiated a left turn across the path of an oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, resulting in a collision. During the incident, FSD was controlling the vehicle's driving behavior and initiated the left turn despite the presence of oncoming traffic. The Tesla collided with the approaching vehicle while executing the turn. I am concerned that the FSD system failed to properly recognize or respond to oncoming traffic, failed to determine whether the left turn could be safely completed, or made an unsafe decision to turn across the path of another vehicle. This incident created a significant safety risk for the occupants of both vehicles. …
U.S. registered Tesla operating in [redacted]. Full Self-Driving engaged. Dark, nighttime conditions. Vehicle was traveling toward low traffic zones near the edge of [redacted] when the system made a severe mistake. The car went off the main road. Driver was forced to take control off-road after the system lost control. Damage to the rims occurred. At the time of this incident, manual speed control was still available. The driver could cap the speed. That capability has since been removed by a software update. The current version is more dangerous. If the same incident happened today, the driver would have no way to limit speed or prevent the system from repeating the error. The defect is the progressive removal of driver control from the Full Self-Driving system. Earlier versions allowed manual speed caps. Current software does not. This vehicle is U.S. registered and runs U.S. …
During a head-on collision on [redacted] in Georgia, the electrical system in my 2022 Tesla Model 3 lost power and the electric door releases stopped functioning. The vehicle interior caught fire and I was trapped inside. I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency. I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape while the interior was burning. I suffered a broken hip, broken arm, and later required a full hip replacement. The mechanical emergency door release was concealed and unlabeled, resulting in entrapment during a fire, which is a violation of FMVSS 206 and presents a continuing and life-threatening safety hazard to all drivers and passengers. …
On Wednesday, 8/24/2022 around 1:30pm, when I tried to park my Tesla Model 3 on a residential street, suddenly and without any warning the steering wheel lost control, accelerated, made a right and then a left turn, hit an electric box and landed on the neighbor's driveway. No one else was injured, only myself with severe back pain and I could not move. Several neighbors came out of their house and checked on me and called the Homeowners Association Office and called 911, the homeowners experienced power outage. An ambulance came & took me to the Irvine Hoag Hospital Emergency Center. The medical staff took X-Ray for me and gave me Tylenol pills and ice pack on my back. I was diagnosed with compression fracture of T12 vertebra, per doctor's exam: It will take two-to-six-month to heal my back. A police report #[redacted] was filed on 8/31/2022. …
Related recalls
Steering › Automated/adaptive steering
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
Steering › Automated/adaptive steering
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022.
Steering complaints in other Model 3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the steering of the 2022 Tesla Model 3, 5% of the model year's 770 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2022 Tesla Model 3 steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-085 (automated/adaptive steering, Feb 15, 2023); NHTSA recall 22V-037 (automated/adaptive steering, Jan 27, 2022). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2022 Tesla Model 3 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 27,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 1 fire and 8 injuries to steering 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.