Tesla Model 3: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Tesla Model 3 model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 26 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 46.2 Medium | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2018 | 984 | 18 | 100 | 4 | 77.2 Medium | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2019 | 594 | 21 | 58 | 5 | 106.1 High | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2020 | 435 | 20 | 51 | 2 | 125.1 High | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2021 | 651 | 21 | 45 | 5 | 104.8 High | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2022 | 749 | 17 | 52 | 3 | 81.4 Medium | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2023 | 412 | 11 | 70 | 1 | 174.3 High | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2024 | 201 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 113.4 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
Across 8 model years, the 2023 Tesla Model 3 carries the highest severity index (174.3, driven by forward collision avoidance), while the 2017 is the cleanest at 46.2.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.