2018 Tesla Model 3 vehicle speed control problems
89 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle speed control on the 2018 Tesla Model 3 — 9% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I am reporting a major safety defect that began immediately after Tesla installed the Full Self-Driving (FSD) hardware upgrade on my vehicle. After paying $2,000 for FSD and receiving the hardware retrofit, the car now instantly veers left toward oncoming traffic whenever FSD is engaged. This began…”
filed Nov 20, 2025
“Repeatedly and randomly, with cruise control (not FSD) engaged, the car would brake, sometimes aggressively. The last time, it braked so hard the tires or brakes squealed and the car swerved slightly before I was able to regain control. This was on the freeway (in Colorado, if I remember correctly)…”
filed Oct 24, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Vehicle Speed Control problems in other Model 3 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Model 3 | 14 | 13% |
| 2024 Model 3 | 20 | 10% |
| 2023 Model 3 | 67 | 16% |
| 2022 Model 3 | 171 | 23% |
| 2021 Model 3 | 123 | 19% |
| 2020 Model 3 | 69 | 16% |
| 2019 Model 3 | 71 | 12% |
| 2017 Model 3 | 4 | 15% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 Tesla Model 3
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.