Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Tesla Model 3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while entering a parking lot, the brake pedal failed to respond, the driver was unable to control the steering wheel and crashed into a Ford vehicle and a tree. The air bags deployed, and the vehicle stopped shortly after. The forward collision emergency braking system failed to engage. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and shoulder and had bruises. Medical attention was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 12,166.
The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the third floor of a parking garage, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to full speed unintendedly, and the steering wheel and the brake pedal were inoperable, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a wall and crashed into the vehicle in front, and the vehicle stopped. No further information was available. No warning lights were illuminated. The front driver's side air bag deployed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. A police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000.
My Tesla Model 3 was delivered on 14 December 2022. I first drove it on 16 December 2022 and that day I had an accident. I was about to park my car and I was already on the designated parking slot when the car made a sudden Un- commanded acceleration. I first hit the handicap sign, but the car did not stop and apparently the collision avoidance safety feature did not work. The continue to accelerate and I hit a restaurant establishment. The police came and I reported the incident to my insurance (Geico). The police (Mr. McClure) gave me the case number 2238293. Geico is taking care of the repair which would cost over $10K and the property damage, which added up to 10K. I went to the Tesla service center in Carlsbad and Mr. Hyuma said that I can request for the log. I guess it is the EDR. …
On 09/11/2023 at approx. 6AM CST, my wife went to a nearby Walmart store for groceries. As she was parking the car in the parking space, the car started to accelerate by itself and went around the parking lot in random directions. She couldn't control the steering and brake despite the continuous tries. It was such a traumatic experience, and the car went on to hit couple of other parked cars and the cart return stations in the parking lot. After few seconds of random self-drive in multiple directions of parking lot, it finally came to a halt as it got on a curb that flattened the tires. By God's grace, the car stopped right before entering the main busy road due to flat tires and also no pedestrians at that time. Otherwise, the situation could have been worse as the car was going in an uncontrollable manner. …
The components that failed or malfunctioned include the braking system, steering system, and the airbag deployment mechanism. These critical systems experienced sudden and unexpected failures. Yes, the vehicle and its components are available for inspection upon request. -The sudden brake failure and steering wheel lock resulted in a complete loss of control over the vehicle. The inability to stop or steer the car properly led to it veering over the curb/grass area, posing a severe risk of collision. Additionally, the failure of the airbags to deploy during the impact further compromised my safety. This incident not only endangered my life but also posed a significant threat to the safety of other road users on Highway I676. -At this time, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. …
-I was driving down into an indoor basement level garage very slowly as there is a steep incline. It descends from street level to basement level within a distance of approximately 30 to 35 ft. At the end of the incline is a sharp curve to the right, followed by a sharp left turn to proceed straight. -While on the incline, the car was slowing to a stop. I gently tapped the accelerator to keep it moving. -The car suddenly lunged forward, rapidly accelerating. The acceleration was not consistent with the amount of accelerator input I applied. -I quickly steered right to avoid hitting the wall, then immediately steered left to avoid hitting parked cars and garage columns. -I braked as hard as possible, pumping it. The brake pedal was stiff. The car kept moving forward despite my efforts and did not stop until I crashed into a parked car at the end of the garage. …
I have a group of individuals that are hacking all of my accounts and trying to steal my car. They first hacked my emails then my Tesla account and now they are actually on the Teslas computer system and have been in the vehicle accessing the screen. After they hacked the system and stopped updates the car started having a bunch of safety concerns and alerts.The breaks were not working and the vehicle would freely roll when full pressure was applied. The collision system in the car was not working properly. Thinking it was possibly going to be hit by another car it would avoid nothing and jerk me out of the lane and nothing was around at all potentially causing an accident. Then the collision system stopped working all together. The steering system would not communicate properly with the system and kept requesting to be reconfigured with the system. …
The contact rented a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH in the rain, a vehicle in front of him abruptly slowed down. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle jerked to the side. The contact stated that the emergency braking system unexpectedly activated ("slams on") while he was driving due to the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system falsely detecting a potential collision. There were large rocks in the roadway, and there was no traction, causing him to crash into an embankment. The driver's side airbag did not deploy. The other airbags in the vehicle had deployed. The contact sustained a fractured rib, and medical attention was provided at the hospital. The vehicle was towed to a towing company. There were no reported fires. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
My dad was driving to work in the morning in the Tesla in the left lane of the freeway. Then the car started swerving on its own. He tried to regain control with the steering wheel but he couldn't control it. The car wouldn't turn when using the steering wheel and he was not using autopilot or lane assistance. He said it felt like the steering wheel and the car were not talking to each other. And the brakes weren't stopping the car at all and because he couldn't control the car it turned left into the divider and hit the divider and the car turn again to the right and automatically stopped in the middle of the second lane. The airbags deployed for the driver side. Thankfully there weren't any other cars on the road at the time so there aren't any injuries. But this crash could've caused serious injuries to him or other people. …
I was driving behind someone when a suv came over from left lane into the right lane in front of the cars that were in Front of me and made a sudden turn into a business. I was already applying the brake and was the 3 second rule behind the car in front of me, however the car did not stop as I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could. There have been other times that the car will automatically slammed brakes on because it feels that it need to...when it's not necessary at all. But the other day when I needed the brakes to help me stop abruptly...they failed to do so. I hit the car in front of me and was cited as well. If I had been going faster..this could have been way worse. This definitely needs to be evaluated on Teslas. I have a dahcam video that I'm unable to upload.
Brake complaints in other Model 3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2023 Tesla Model 3?
NHTSA has 56 complaints about the brakes of the 2023 Tesla Model 3, 13% of the model year's 428 complaints. The component named most often is software (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2023 Tesla Model 3 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2023 Tesla Model 3, though it has 12 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 2023 Tesla Model 3 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 22 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to brakes 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.