2018 Tesla Model 3

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Creaking front upper control arms All years

  What to check: Drive slowly over bumps and listen for creaks, pops or clicks from the front. Ask whether the upper arms have been replaced.

  The ball joint of the front upper arm wears and creaks, and cannot be replaced on its own. InsideEVs called it a chronic defect. Eleven owners in one Tesla Motors Club thread report it, on 2018, 2019 and 2022 cars among others; some had both arms replaced.

  Sources ^10,11

• Loose front suspension fasteners 2018–2021

  What to check: Confirm with Tesla that recalls 21V835000 and 23V235000 were done.

  Fasteners on the front lateral links may loosen and let a link come away from the subframe.

  Sources ^12,13,10

• Heating that stops working All years

  What to check: Run the heat on high and make sure it blows hot.

  Electrek reported widespread heating failures on brand-new 2021 cars with the heat pump in the winter of 2020. Drive Tesla reported more in early 2022, on heat-pump cars in extreme cold and on older cars with a resistive heater, some after software updates; on the older cars the fix was a new heating unit.

  Sources ^14,15

• Battery capacity All years

  What to check: Get a battery health report showing how much capacity is left.

  Recurrent's data on more than 1,500 US cars showed an average loss of 40 miles of range in the first 20,000 miles, levelling off after that. Its later study found range fell most in the first 1,000 days.

  Sources ^16,17

• Panel gaps and paint flaws All years

  What to check: Look along every panel gap and over the paint in good light.

  Edmunds calls build quality "a bit of a dice roll", and owners reviewing 2023 cars on Edmunds name panel gaps and paint problems.

  Sources ^5,18

• Rear camera cable 2017–2020

  What to check: Open and close the trunk, then check the rear camera picture. Confirm with Tesla that recall 21V00D000 was done.

  Opening and closing the trunk can wear through the camera's cable, and the picture goes blank.

  Sources ^19,20

• Sudden braking with nothing ahead Built after April 27, 2021 One source so far

  What to check: Try the cruise control on an open road and note any sudden, unneeded braking.

  NHTSA opened an investigation into phantom braking on 2021 cars built after April 27, 2021.

  Sources ³

Rare catches

Rare options, colors and interiors to look out for, and whether finding one is good news.

• Good find Silver Metallic Color

  Moved to special order in September 2018, and gone by the 2019 model year^4,9

  Why it is a good find: Find My Electric calls it one of the cleanest-looking colours and one of the easiest to look after.⁹

• Good find Obsidian Black Metallic Color

  Moved to special order in September 2018, and gone by the 2019 model year^4,9

  Why it is a good find: Find My Electric calls it stunning, with just enough metallic flake to hide the flaws that show on solid black.⁹

Recalls

• 21V389000 2018–2020

  A front shoulder belt fastener at the pillar may not be attached properly. It is checked and repaired.^21,20

• 21V846000 2017–2021

  On one software version, a communication fault can cause false collision warnings or sudden emergency braking. Fixed over the air.^19,13

• 21V00D000 2017–2020

  Opening and closing the trunk can damage the rear camera's cable and blank the picture. The cable is repaired.^19,20

• 22V037000 2017–2022

  Full Self-Driving Beta can roll through all-way stops without stopping. Fixed over the air.^19,22

• 22V045000 2017–2022

  The seat belt chime may not sound at start-up for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^19,22

• 22V063000 2017–2022

  The Boombox can drown out the pedestrian warning sound. Replaced by 22V235000.^19,22

• 22V169000 2017–2020

  The rear camera picture can appear late when reversing. Fixed over the air.^19,20

• 22V235000 2017–2022

  The Boombox can drown out the pedestrian warning sound, including in Summon. Replaces the fix for 22V063000.^19,22

• 22V263000 2018–2022

  In Track Mode the speedometer may not show its unit. Fixed over the air.^21,22

• 22V702000 2017–2022

  A window may not reverse properly after it meets an obstruction. Fixed over the air.^19,22

• 22V798000 2017–2022

  The left rear buckle and the centre anchor may have been put back wrongly. They are checked and put back together.^19,22

• 23V085000 2017–2023

  Full Self-Driving Beta can behave unsafely at junctions and respond poorly to speed limit changes. Fixed over the air.^19,23

• 23V235000 2018–2019

  Fasteners on the front lateral links may loosen. They are tightened or replaced. Widens 21V835000.^21,12

• 23V838000 2017–2023

  Autosteer's checks may not do enough to stop a driver misusing it. Fixed over the air.^19,23

• 24V051000 2017–2023

  The brake, parking brake and ABS warning lights are shown in letters too small. Fixed over the air.^19,23

• 24V153000 2018–2022

  A factory reset can silence the sound that warns pedestrians of the car. Fixed over the air.^21,22

• 24V376000 2017–2023

  The seat belt warning may not come on for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^19,23

• 24V935000 2017–2025

  The low tire pressure warning light may not stay on from one drive to the next. Fixed over the air.^19,24

• 26V283000 2017–2023

  The rear camera picture can lag when reversing. Fixed over the air.^19,23

• 26V507000 2017–2023

  The low beams can be brighter than the law allows. The headlights are replaced.^21,23

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Avoid: Early build quality 2017–2018 Less sought after

  Edmunds' test car, one of the first 1,200 built, had a hood seam that was not flush, a broken vanity mirror and a loose seatback cover, and Edmunds listed questionable durability among its cons. Consumer Reports withdrew its recommendation in February 2019 over loose body trim and glass defects, and gave it back in November.^1,3

• Avoid: The older Autopilot computer Built before the Full Self-Driving computer, HW3 Less sought after

  Electrek reported in March 2019 that only cars bought with Full Self-Driving get the newer computer free. A recall covering 2017 to 2020 cars names the 2.5 Autopilot computer.^25,20

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.