2019 Tesla Model 3 Collision Avoidance & Cameras Problems
NHTSA lists 188 Collision Avoidance & Camera complaints for the 2019 Tesla Model 3, 31% of all complaints filed for the year, with 12 crashes and 4 injuries reported. Four recalls tied to this system cover false collision warnings, muted pedestrian sounds, rearview camera delay, and the Boombox feature.
- Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints
- 188
- 31% of 614
- Crashes reported
- 12
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 4
- Median mileage
- 27,019 mi
- Related recalls
- 5
Typical collision avoidance system symptoms owners report
- Autopilot or Full Self-Driving reportedly failed to detect stopped or crossing objects, including a parked SUV, a dog, and a stopped vehicle ahead, leading to collisions with no alert or braking.
- Owners describe phantom braking events where the car suddenly applied brakes on a highway or bridge after the system displayed an object, such as a traffic cone, that was not actually present.
- Some drivers report the vehicle creeping forward on its own toward a car ahead while stopped at an intersection, requiring manual braking to stop it.
- Automatic emergency braking activated unexpectedly at highway speed, nearly stopping the car abruptly multiple times in one day.
- A rear camera reportedly failed to detect a closed garage door while backing up, giving no visual or audible warning before impact.
- One owner reported a white block obscuring the instrument display, blocking view of speed, gear selector, turn signals, and camera feed until a manual display reset was performed.
When 2019 Tesla Model 3 collision avoidance system complaints were filed
First complaint Oct 22, 2020, latest Sep 21, 2026.
Collision Avoidance & Cameras recalls for the 2019 Tesla Model 3
- NHTSA 24V153000Feb 27, 2024Collision Avoidance & Cameras6,557 vehiclesOver-the-air fix
Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.
- NHTSA 22V235000Apr 12, 2022Collision Avoidance & Cameras594,894 vehiclesOver-the-air fix
Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, including Summon and Smart Summon, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall supersedes recall 22V-063. Vehicles configured with Summon or Smart Summon and already remedied under 22V-063 will need to have the new remedy software installed.
- NHTSA 22V169000Mar 18, 2022Collision Avoidance & Cameras947 vehiclesOver-the-air fix
Back over prevention:display function
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Model S, Model X, and 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.5 and operating certain firmware releases. The rearview image may not immediately display when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A delayed rearview camera image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-004.
- NHTSA 22V063000Feb 4, 2022Collision Avoidance & Cameras578,607 vehiclesOver-the-air fix
Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V-235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.
- NHTSA 21V846000Oct 29, 2021Collision Avoidance & Cameras11,728 vehiclesOver-the-air fix
Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: camera
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
Risk: Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.
Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints by Model 3 model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How many collision avoidance and camera complaints does the 2019 Tesla Model 3 have?
- NHTSA lists 188 complaints in this category for the 2019 Model 3, which is 31% of the 614 total complaints filed for that model year.
- Are there recalls related to collision avoidance or cameras on the 2019 Model 3?
- Yes. Four related recalls are listed, covering false forward-collision warnings (21V846000), a rearview camera display delay (22V169000), muted pedestrian warning sounds (24V153000), and the Boombox exterior sound feature (22V063000 and 22V235000).
- Has this problem caused crashes or injuries?
- NHTSA data tied to this component shows 12 crashes and 4 injuries reported for the 2019 Model 3, with no fires reported.
- At what mileage do these problems typically show up?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this component on the 2019 Model 3 is 27,019 miles.
- Is the 2019 Model 3 worse than other years for this issue?
- Its 31% share of complaints falls in the middle of the range across model years, which spans from 22% in 2018 up to 70% in 2022.