2026-2026 · 1 model year

Tesla Model 3 Early Release Problems by year

Owners have filed 31 complaints about the Tesla Model 3 Early Release across 1 model year, and it has 0 recalls. The 2026 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (31). The most reported problem area is the driver assistance, followed by the steering.

Share your Model 3 Early Release experience Compare years

Most complaints for its age202631 complaints · 0 recallsSee the 2026

Complaints: 31
Recalls: 0
Crashes: 10
Fires: 0
Injuries: 3
Deaths: 0

Model 3 Early Release complaints by model year

312026

Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Crashes	Fires	Top problem	Grade
2026	31	0	10	0	Driver assistance	-

Most common Model 3 Early Release problems

Latest Model 3 Early Release complaints

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early Release Visibility & wipers Electrical system

The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH in Full Self-Driving mode, an animal entered the roadway, causing the vehicle to hesitate before the autonomous braking system independently engaged with severe abnormal jerking. The contact stated that the bumper detached; however, the vehicle remained drivable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that paperwork authorization was required prior to diagnostic testing. The...

Read the full complaint

contact stated that while driving at night, the auto-dimming rearview and side mirrors failed to dim properly, requiring the driver to wear sunglasses at night. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that diagnostic testing required an out-of-pocket fee. The failure mileage was approximately 57,525.

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early Release Driver assistanceCrash

• forward collision warning and automatic emergency breaking failed to work and are still currently an ongoing problem and not functioning. They are and have always Been enabled and can be inspected upon request. • my safety and those in my car and around me put at risk, by the system and software not functioning as intended and providing extra alertness and reaction to avoid collision. •the earliest service date I could get from Tesla is Nov 11. I have requested they preserve all data from dates Oct 20-27 2026 ...

Read the full complaint

•no, my car has not been inspected yet. I have taken, Videos and have saved in car camera footage to show the ongoing defect. •no warnings lights or alerts prior to the incident. The problem first became apparent and clear Oct 26, 2026. I had FSD subscription that ended Oct 24, 2026 and the system warnings worked just fine during that time even while driving manually.

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early ReleaseOther & unknown

On [[redacted]], the owner of a 2026 Tesla Model 3, left the garage of her house in the Tesla, and engaged the self-driving as the driver has done dozens of time in the past. The car proceeded down the driveway, as it has always done in the past. However, in an instant, before the driver had time to react, the car went straight where the driveway curved, and the car hit a tree. The video from the Tesla cameras was saved and confirms that the car was in self driving mode, there was no driver intervention causing the...

Read the full complaint

accident, and the driver did not have time to react and prevent the accident. This accident was due to a failure of the Tesla self-driving. The encrypted dashcam video was copied from the USB drive named [[redacted]], from the folder [[redacted]], and then accessed by logging into [[redacted]] and dragging and dropping the video file into the dashcam app. That was saved to our PC as [[redacted]}. Since the saved video did not show the telemetry data, the video was loaded into [[redacted]] and saved with the telemetry information visible. Another video was saved capturing the whole ExportDash.cam interface. That has bars showing where the car was actively steering, braking, or applying acceleration ("gas pedal"). This shows that the car was actively steering a second before the collision, but then stopped. There was no time for the driver to react to the car's failure to properly steer. The video showing the car in self-driving mode and failing to navigate a turn on the driveway can be accessed at this youtube link: [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early Release Steering Brakes

The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel independently turned to the left and the right. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking and uncontrollable. The contact depressed the brake pedal down, unbuckled, the seat belt and opened the door and the vehicle came to a stop. The Police was contacted and arrived on the scene. The Police removed the vehicle from the roadway...

Read the full complaint

onto the shoulder of the road. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the diagnostic test report was not provided to the contact. The contact was informed that the information was reported to the engineers. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 450.

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early Release Steering

Car was in self-driving and struck a piece of concrete. The car was in hands free and was being monitored by me, the driver. This obstruction was in the left side of the lane, about 2" tall, a foot wide and 6" across. I thought the car would see it and miss it but I was wrong, it clipped the concrete, punctured the tires side wall and damaged the tire rim. Tesls'a position was that I shouldn't have trusted the car abilities to avoid the obstruction. This is a basic for collision avoidance, and this system...

Read the full complaint

should not be allowed to run in self-drive without hands on the wheel unless the car is capable of avoidance of obstructions large enough to disable the car. This car is dangerous if it can operate at freeway speeds, hands free, and not have the ability to avoid obstructions that could cause it to be out of control.

2026 Tesla Model 3 Early Release Electrical system

The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH with the Autonomous Self-Driving feature enabled, the vehicle was driving in the left-turn lane and jerked over into the oncoming traffic. The failure mileage was approximately 9,999.

Questions about the Tesla Model 3 Early Release

Which Tesla Model 3 Early Release years have the most problems?

By the number of complaints owners filed with NHTSA: 2026 (31). Allowing for how long each has been on the road, the 2026 stands out most. Complaint counts also rise with sales, so compare years of the same model rather than different models.

What are the most common Tesla Model 3 Early Release problems?

Across every model year, owners report problems with the driver assistance (12), steering (7), electrical system (3) most often.

How many recalls does the Tesla Model 3 Early Release have?

NHTSA lists no recalls for any Tesla Model 3 Early Release model year on file.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data