2020 Tesla Model 3 forward collision avoidance problems
156 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the forward collision avoidance on the 2020 Tesla Model 3 — 35% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“All Teslas vehicles running HW3 / AI3 Autopilot self driving computers have been known for years to have a defective design problem with the cooling system without its own dedicated cooling and which puts the self driving computer last in the cooling looping at the top of the cooling stack. When…”
filed Aug 5, 2026
“Car was sitting at a red light while in Full Self Driving (supervised). The screen showed at least four red lights. Suddenly the car started to move forward while the lights were still red. I was able to stop it from going further. This has happened before and I reported it then. If I had not had…”
filed Jul 21, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) soundsCampaign 24V153000 · Feb 27, 2024
- Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle…Campaign 22V235000 · Apr 12, 2022
- Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle…Campaign 22V063000 · Feb 4, 2022
- A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected…Campaign 21V846000 · Oct 29, 2021
Forward Collision Avoidance problems in other Model 3 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Model 3 | 28 | 25% |
| 2024 Model 3 | 43 | 21% |
| 2023 Model 3 | 171 | 41% |
| 2022 Model 3 | 528 | 70% |
| 2021 Model 3 | 405 | 62% |
| 2019 Model 3 | 169 | 28% |
| 2018 Model 3 | 200 | 20% |
| 2017 Model 3 | 8 | 31% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2020 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.