"How reliable is the 2017 Tesla Model 3?"

"Based on 52 NHTSA complaints, the 2017 Tesla Model 3 has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is Adaptive Cruise Control."

"What are common problems with the 2017 Tesla Model 3?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2017 Tesla Model 3 is Adaptive Cruise Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 52 total complaints filed."

2017 Tesla Model 3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 52 complaints

Total Complaints

Adaptive Cruise Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Adaptive Cruise Control

Seats

Seat Belts

Air Bags

Unknown Or Other

Vehicle Speed Control

Assist

Service Brakes

Visibility/Wiper

Warnings

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT A MODEL 3 WITH A WHOMPY WHEEL. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39345671?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=0 MORE IMPORTANTLY IT IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE CULTURE AT TESLA WHICH ALLOWS SUBSTANDARD COMPONENTS TO BE FITTED TO ALL MODELS OF TESLAS AND THE COMPANY'S REFUSAL TO COMPLY WIT..."

"SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR IT RECEIVED A SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD CALLED EMERGENCY LANE DEPARTURE AVOIDANCE WHICH IS TESLA'S FANCY NAME FOR A LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO THEIR SERVICE CENTERS 3 TIMES TO HAVE IT REPAIRED BECAUSE IT ONLY WORKS <50% OF THE TIME - NEVER WORKS..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 43 WA: 3 NC: 2 GA: 2 KS: 1 AZ: 1

Tesla Model 3 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2018	1614	16,395	Unknown Or Other	202
2019	997	10,000	Adaptive Cruise Control	93
2020	725	2,425	Adaptive Cruise Control	94
2021	1186	8,900	Adaptive Cruise Control	78
2022	1452	4,700	Adaptive Cruise Control	97
2023	696	4,369	Adaptive Cruise Control	139
2024	287	13,816	Unknown Or Other	33
2025	168	8,434	Unknown Or Other	39

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28