Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2024 Tesla Model 3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on the freeway, the central touchscreen interface displayed a blank screen. The contact mentioned the autopilot engaged independently, causing the vehicle to merge to the left and collide with another vehicle in front of the driver's side. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she sustained injuries on the left side of her wrist and arms, and a bruise on her right arm near her elbow and upper right thigh swollen on her neck, shoulders, and full back and both hands are swollen. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision garage. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer diagnosed and informed the contact to speak with a lemon law expert. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. …
Client left the road and the vehicle hit a tree by the roadside. The vehicle caught fire and client was incapacitated and unable to operate the door handle from the inside or unlock the doors. Bystanders attempted to open all four doors from the outside, but they were all locked. Bystanders noted that the handles themselves were functional and believe it was an electrical issue keeping the doors locked. Bystanders broke the windows and attempted to open the doors from the inside, but they were unable to access the emergency door release because the driver door panel was on fire in proximity to the emergency release. Bystanders began mechanically disassembling the door to get him out and he was eventually extracted by the fire rescue team. …
On October 17, 2025, while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged, the vehicle made an abrupt, uncommanded steering input to the right, causing a collision with a tunnel wall. This crash appears to be the result of a critical vehicle hardware failure. In the 24 hours prior to the crash, the vehicle logged multiple critical steering errors, including EPAS3P_a086_dasMia, which indicates the Electric Power Assisted Steering system was "Missing in Action" and not communicating. Furthermore, the vehicle has logged daily, recurring hardware faults for the Steering Column Control Module (SCCM_a016_hardwareError) since it was purchased. The uncommanded steering action created an extremely dangerous safety condition resulting in a collision. All stability and traction control faults appeared at the exact moment of impact, not before, indicating the steering system failure was the root cause. …
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle lost electrical power and the main computer screen was black. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn left or right, and the brake pedal was soft while depressing the brake pedal. The contact was able to coast to a stop. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but was unable. The contact was able to get the main computer screen back online. The contact stated that the computer had several unknown warning lights displayed and a timer was activated and counted down and the vehicle shut off. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was blown fuse, and that the vehicle went into "Fail Safe Mode" and shut down all systems. …
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that whenever it rained, the horn was filling with water that was entering through the grill, and the horn would not function when needed. The contact stated that when the horn had dried out, the horn worked normally. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that water was leaking through the grill and causing the horn to malfunction. The dealer determined that the horn system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,500.
I am writing to report an accident involving my son who was driving Tesla 2024 Model-3 on July 18th 2026 approximately 10:15 AM EST. He was returning home from his volunteering with Emergency medical Service(EMS) when the vehicle's steering wheel suddenly froze. while attempting to maneuver the vehicle to safe location , it collided with a roadside barrier. fortunately , my son was not injured , but the vehicle sustained significant damage, including deployment of airbag and damage to front passenger side. this incident occurred at a speed of approximately 26 MPH
I was in a drive thru of a fast food restaurant and the car rapidly accelerated on its own and crashed into a wall. The air bags deployed and we were injured. We also narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian. The car hasn't been inspected by anyone yet, however it is available if someone wants to inspect it.
My Model 3 was T-boned in an intersection, hitting both the front and rear doors, as a result of a vehicle running a red light. The driver that hit us was speeding and didn't hit brakes. The impact pushed the Tesla almost in a complete 360 on an adjacent street where the driver side of the car jumped a curb and stopped after hitting a pole slightly on the driver side. Red light etc all substantiated by police report. Airbags deployed on the passenger side from the seat and upper panels. Front airbags failed on both sides. There was also a delayed airbag deployment from the back of the driver seat that only ripped the seat but never deployed fully. The smell of fire / burning and debris was all that happened from the driver seat. I requested a crash report from Tesla which outlines the speed and airbag deployment. The report says that knee level airbags deployed but they never did. …
Tesla officially confirmed as I brought my car in a THIRD time that the repeated turn signal failure I was/am experiencing is now a known software issue. They looked at the timestamps and video I shared and saw that I had indeed applied pressure to the turn signal buttons to no avail/effect. Out of the three times I took the car in and shared timestamps for when this issue occurred this is the only time they identified the issue in the logs, which leads me to believe they never even looked at the logs the previous two times I had brought the car in and they failed to ID the issue or a fix. They have been unable to reproduce in person, as the issue occurs at random while the vehicle is in motion. I brought it in a third time after multiple instances in one day of the turn signal not working and putting me in highly precarious situations on the highway. …
The horn on my 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance becomes severely muted, distorted, or inaudible when the vehicle is wet-especially during rain, which is when a functioning horn is most critical for safety. The horn sound in this vehicle is emitted through an external speaker (used for pedestrian alerts), not a traditional mechanical horn. This speaker is exposed to the elements and appears to degrade in sound quality and volume when wet. This presents a serious safety risk in conditions where visibility is already compromised, and the horn may be needed to avoid a collision. The issue resolves once the speaker dries out, but it is highly repeatable and affects the horn's ability to fulfill its basic safety function. I believe this design may violate the intent of FMVSS 108 by failing to ensure a consistent and reliable horn sound in common real-world driving conditions. …
Related recalls
Electrical system
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image.
Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the…
NHTSA investigations
Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The Office of Defects Investigation ("ODI") is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute tra c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation system requiring a…
Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private property.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
On October 17, 2024, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24031) of Tesla's Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) to assess: the ability of the FSD system to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions; whether any other FSD crashes had occurred under degraded roadway visibility conditions that are…
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla's Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system's ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time to respond.
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
The Office of Defects Investigation ("ODI") has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. ("Tesla") in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the "SGO"), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports.
Electrical complaints in other Model 3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2024 Tesla Model 3?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the electrical system of the 2024 Tesla Model 3, 21% of the model year's 221 complaints. The component named most often is adas (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2024 Tesla Model 3 electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 25V-002 (electrical system, Jan 6, 2025). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2024 Tesla Model 3 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 10,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 1 fire and 7 injuries to electrical system 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.