Diagsheet

2018 Tesla Model 3 · symptom sheet

Brakes grind, pulse or wear early

  • 88owner reports
  • 9,500median miles
  • 19involved a crash

Newest report Sep 3, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

88 of the 1,011 complaints on this car describe brake wear.

Tick what matches of 88 reports

4
16
1
26
4

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the ABS module (5 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the brakes covers the 2018 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 4,200 and 34,000 miles, from the 16 reports that gave a mileage.

418
619
320
421
4122
1223
724
725
426

What owners wrote

“Everyday while I am driving on the highway, when the car is in cruise control, multiple times it decreases the speed drastically for no reason.”

Filed Feb 22, 2022

“The car breaks automatically when neighboring cars drive by during autopilot. I have a family of 4. This appears to happen when using autopilot almost every single time. It has gotten worse over the years. This car is becoming dangerous.”

Filed Feb 18, 2022

“I drive along the highway and all of a sudden while I'm in adaptive cruise control my car brakes suddenly for no reason.”

Filed Feb 17, 2022

“Phantom braking- was driving at 65mph and car hard braked and decreased to 55mph in 1 or 2 seconds”

Filed Feb 17, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 19 of 88 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

Other problems on this car