This hub covers 7 Tesla model-years across 2 models: Model 3, Model Y. Across those model-years, NHTSA's databases record 4,257 owner complaints and 138 recall campaigns. The most-recalled is the 2020 Tesla Model Y with 24 campaigns, while the 2018 Tesla Model 3 has the most owner complaints at 1,032. 7 of the 7 model-years earned NHTSA's top overall rating of five stars. Complaint totals are raw counts from the database and are not adjusted for sales volume, so they are best used to compare components and patterns within a model rather than as a league table between brands. Each model-year page reproduces the full underlying records: every recall campaign with its official summary and remedy, complaint counts by component, the complete crash-test scorecard, and EPA fuel-economy figures for every configuration.
Tesla Model-Years
| Model-Year | Complaints | Recalls | Overall Rating | Combined MPG (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Tesla Model 3 | 1,032 | 19 | ★★★★★ | 119.5 |
| 2019 Tesla Model 3 | 619 | 22 | ★★★★★ | 126.5 |
| 2020 Tesla Model 3 | 452 | 21 | ★★★★★ | 122 |
| 2021 Tesla Model 3 | 672 | 22 | ★★★★★ | 134 |
| 2022 Tesla Model 3 | 771 | 18 | ★★★★★ | 131 |
| 2023 Tesla Model 3 | 428 | 12 | ★★★★★ | 131 |
| 2020 Tesla Model Y | 283 | 24 | ★★★★★ | 121 |
What Tesla Owners Complain About
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1,760 | 41.3% |
| Unknown Or Other | 638 | 15.0% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 631 | 14.8% |
| Service Brakes | 589 | 13.8% |
| Electrical System | 521 | 12.2% |
| Suspension | 394 | 9.3% |
Across the tracked Tesla range, 440 complaints report a crash and 21 report a fire, with 247 injuries recorded in owner filings. The most fuel-efficient tracked Tesla is the 2021 Tesla Model 3, whose EPA configurations return a median of 134 combined MPG, while the most-complained-about is the 2018 Tesla Model 3 with 1,032 filings. Tracked years run from 2018 to 2023. Component shares are computed against the make's tracked complaint total; because an owner can name several components in one filing, shares can sum to slightly more than 100%. Use the component table to see whether a make's problems concentrate in one system — a pattern worth checking on the individual model-year page — or spread evenly across the vehicle, which usually reflects age and mileage rather than a single defect.
Models covered: the Model 3 (6 model-years, most-reported component: Forward Collision Avoidance); the Model Y (1 model-years, most-reported component: Forward Collision Avoidance). The highest-rated tracked Tesla is the 2018 Tesla Model 3 at 5 stars overall for its tested variant. Where a model's most-reported component repeats across several of its model-years, the pattern is visible in the model-year pages' component tables — the clearest sign in this dataset of a systemic issue rather than scattered owner experience.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026.