The 2026 Tesla Model 3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 48 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the back over prevention. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS25V4100002025-06-1848 affected
Defect
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The fasteners attaching the seat back to the seat bottom may have been improperly tightened.
Consequence
The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy
Tesla Service Centers will inspect and tighten or replace the seat assembly fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-13-003.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While the vehicle was parked outdoors and the powered rear trunk lid was fully open, I leaned/bent forward into the trunk to retrieve an item. The edge of the trunk lid near the taillight assembly made contact with my scalp, causing a laceration. The wound bled significantly。the trunk lid’s…”
“Tesla model 3 full self-driving (supervised) feature I was using self-driving mode in my tesla model 3 while traveling on [xxx]. The vehicle suddenly turned right without warning, struck a mailbox, broke the right-side mirror, and came to a complete stop. There were no vehicles in front of or…”
“We bought the new 2026 tesla model 3 and picked it up on 5/3/2026. The next date 5/4/2026, I was trying to drive it to work. I got in the car and used the tesla’s full self-driving function and let it drive the car by itself. It started moving forward and tried to make a u turn. Since there was…”
“The vehicle's full self-driving (fsd) system was actively controlling the vehicle while executing a reverse maneuver into a residential garage — a routine the system had successfully performed on multiple prior occasions. During this session, the fsd system misjudged the maneuver and the vehicle…”
“The vehicle's full self-driving (fsd) system was actively controlling the vehicle while executing a reverse maneuver into a residential garage — a routine the system had successfully performed on multiple prior occasions. During this session, the fsd system misjudged the maneuver and the vehicle…”
“The vehicle's full self-driving (fsd) system was actively controlling the vehicle while executing a reverse maneuver into a residential garage — a routine the system had successfully performed on multiple prior occasions. During this session, the fsd system misjudged the maneuver and the vehicle…”
“I was involved in a rear-end collision while stopped at an intersection. The impact was significant. During the crash, the front airbags did not deploy. More importantly, the seat belts in both front seats (driver and front passenger) failed to function as expected. Instead of tightening during…”
“I was involved in a rear-end collision while stopped at an intersection. The impact was significant. During the crash, the front airbags did not deploy. More importantly, the seat belts in both front seats (driver and front passenger) failed to function as expected. Instead of tightening during…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationAQ25002 Opened 2025-08-20 · open
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODIâ€�) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Teslaâ€�) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGOâ€�), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports…
InvestigationEA26002 Opened 2026-03-18 · open
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway…
InvestigationPE25012 Opened 2025-10-07 · open
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODIâ€�) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2026 Tesla Model 3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.