Tesla Model 3 Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2022 At least twice the 283.5 complaints of a typical Model 3 year. Most described: phantom braking.
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 283.5 complaints of a typical Model 3 year. The 2019 is named in an open NHTSA investigation. The 2018 is next to a partial model year with few sold. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2017 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 142 MPGe combined, arrived in 2021.

Model 3 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Model 3 year drew 283.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its ranked years. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year (283.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2022 Model 3 Avoid Most described: phantom braking or false collision alerts	666	774	18
2021 Model 3 Most described: phantom braking or false collision alerts	504	675	22
2023 Model 3 Most described: phantom braking or false collision alerts	381	430	12
2020 Model 3 Most described: phantom braking or false collision alerts	186	455	21
2018 Model 3 Most described: suspension part problems	157	1,040	19
2019 Model 3 Most described: phantom braking or false collision alerts	133	624	22

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Model 3 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Tesla fixes safety recalls for free, often with an over-the-air software update.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	139 MPGe Electric	1	31
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	137 MPGe Electric	3	127	Not rated
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	137 MPGe Electric	5	224	Not rated
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	132 MPGe Electric	12	430
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	132 MPGe Electric	18	774
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	142 MPGe Electric	22	675
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	141 MPGe Electric	21	455
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	133 MPGe Electric	22	624
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	130 MPGe Electric	19	1,040
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	126 MPGe Electric	16	27	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2022: 774 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Tesla Model 3
Model year	Complaints
2017	27
2018	1,040
2019	624
2020	455
2021	675
2022	774
2023	430
2024	224
2025	127
2026	31

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Electric: 126 to 142 MPGe (every year from 2017 to 2026); highest in 2021.

2026: electric 139 MPGe

Show as a table

Tesla Model 3 best combined MPGe by model year
Model year	Best electric version
2017	126
2018	130
2019	133
2020	141
2021	142
2022	132
2023	132
2024	137
2025	137
2026	139

Every Model 3 year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Tesla Model 3 years should you avoid?

The 2022 Model 3 is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 283.5 owner complaints of a typical Model 3 year in its first three years. Owners of the 2022 most often describe phantom braking. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Tesla fixes safety recalls for free, often with an over-the-air software update.

What are the best Tesla Model 3 years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 283.5 complaints of a typical Model 3 year. The 2019 is named in an open NHTSA investigation. The 2018 is next to a partial model year with few sold. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road. The 2017 is left out as a partial model year with few sold.

Which Tesla Model 3 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2022 (666) drew the most, then the 2021 (504). Owners of the 2022 most often describe phantom braking or false collision alerts.

Which Tesla Model 3 years have the most recalls?

The 2019 and 2021 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (22 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2017 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Tesla Model 3 problems?

In the 4,407 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2017 to 2026 models, owners most often describe phantom braking or false collision alerts (731 complaints, most of them for the 2021 and 2022); suspension part problems (220 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019); and unintended acceleration or surging (122 complaints, most of them for the 2018, 2019, and 2023). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Tesla Model 3 year has the best efficiency?

The best EPA efficiency rating is 142 MPGe combined, first reached in 2021.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.