At approximately 32,916 miles, the powered trunk lift strut on my 2022 Tesla Model 3 separated from its mounting ball stud during normal use. There was no collision or external impact. When the strut separated, it struck the rear glass and caused the glass to break. Tesla inspected and repaired the vehicle. Tesla’s final service invoice states: “Strut failure was responsible for breaking back glass.” I am concerned that failure of the powered trunk strut attachment on a relatively low-mileage vehicle can cause broken glass and may create a safety risk.
2022 Tesla Model 3 body problems
10 complaints (1% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Body9
- Body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Tesla Model 3 body problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Emergency egress controls are not readily accessible and clearly identifiable.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a defect petition received on November 24, 2025, requesting an investigation into the emergency mechanical door release in 2022 Model Year (MY) Tesla Model 3. The petition alleges that the controls for the emergency mechanical door release are not accessible and clearly identifiable and thus fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 206. A vehicle equipped with electric door handles without an accessible mechanical door release creates a risk to safety when the electric door handle becomes inoperative due to loss of power and occupants are unable to easily locate the mechanical door release to exit the vehicle in case of an emergency. A concealed or hard to locate emergency door release could prevent an operator or occupant from exiting the vehicle in the event of an emergency, such as a crash or fire. The potential risk for entrapment can result in a severe injury or death of the operator and other occupants of the vehicle. As of March 13, 2026, out of the population of 179,031 subject vehicles, the federal safety agency has identified one (1) consumer complaint, in the federal safety agencyâs databases alleging that the mechanical door release is concealed and unlabeled, resulting in a risk of entrapment in the event of an emergency, as cited in the Petition. The complaint is for the same Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) as the subject vehicle of the Petition. The allegation describes a front impact collision, where the vehicle lost electrical power, and the electric door mechanism stopped working. The 2022 MY Model 3 has a mechanical release for the front doors, located in front of the window switch on the door's interior and consists of a lever that can be pulled up to open the door. The subject vehicle does not have a mechanical release for the back doors. The ownerâs manual for the 2022 MY Tesla Model 3 includes a section labeled âIn Case of Emergencyâ that details how to open doors from the interior when the vehicle has no electrical power. The ownerâs manual refers to the mechanical release as a âmanual door release.â The ownerâs manual instructs the operator to âpull up the manual door release located in front of the window switches.â The ownerâs manual includes an illustration showing the mechanical door release lever and its location on the door. The illustration depicts an image of the door with the window switch and lever, including a blue arrow pointing to the location of the lever to demonstrate the upward movement required to operate the lever. The lever shown in the illustration does not contain a label to identify it.  Although they vary in design and location, mechanical releases for the front doors are available on all Tesla models. The location and operation of the mechanical release is described in the ownerâs manual for each Tesla model. Further, the ownerâs manual cautions the operator that the mechanical door release should only be used when the subject vehicle has no power or if otherwise necessary. If the subject vehicle has power, the button located at the top of the interior door handle should be used to open the doors. The Petition also stated the lack of an accessible mechanical emergency door release is a violation of the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 206 (49 CFR § 571.206). FMVSS 206 specifies performance requirements for vehicle door locks, latches, hinges, and attachment components to prevent passenger ejection during crashes. It applies to passenger cars, trucks, and buses with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs.) or less, focusing on maintaining latch engagement under inertial loads and structural integrity. No requirements exist in the standard that address the Petitionerâs concern regarding the labeling and location of an emergency mechanical door release in passenger cars. On November 4, 2025, the federal safety agencyâs Office of Rulemaking received a petition to initiate the issuance of a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) to mandate a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles. The request has been granted, and the Agency will accordingly commence a rulemaking proceeding. See 49 CFR § 552.9. A decision as to the issuance of a rule will be made on the basis of all available information developed in the course of the rulemaking proceeding, in accordance with statutory criteria. Id. The Agency has thoroughly assessed the material submitted by the Petitioner, consumer complaint information in the federal safety agencyâs databases, and other relevant information already in possession of the Agency. the federal safety agency does not believe that the issues presented by the Petitioner indicate the likelihood of a safety related defect that would warrant a defect investigation, and the issue is best addressed through the rulemaking process. After full consideration of the available information and the commencement of the related rulemaking proceeding, the Petition is denied. Further specifics can be found in the Federal Register Notice. The ODI report cited above can be viewed at under ODI Number 11701894 and the Defect Petition can be viewed under ODI Number 11698174.
DP25002
What 2022 Tesla Model 3 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My wife had a collission on June 25th at 2 30PM CST while she was parking her vehicle in her office parking spot. The car suddenty sped and hit a tree. We suspect it be a misfire in Tesla.
The vehicle has a manufacturing defect in the charge port body seal allowing water intrusion into the vehicle cabin and near high-voltage charging components. This has resulted in dampness and potential mold growth, posing a respiratory health hazard to occupants.
The 2022 Model 3 Tesla does not have readily available emergency rear door release. Tesla's automated response to me was to locate the bolts and screws on the underside of the door armrest, then I need to remove the bolts and screw. Once that is done I can then remove the panel under the armrest so I can then reach inside and pull on the manual release cable. This could not be done during an emergency, you would need to have tools and in an emergency people panic and they would have to do everything by feel if they are trapped in the backseat of the Model 3 Tesla. This is a life safety hazard and needs to be addressed by Tesla to provide a fix that will allow easy access and not require tools to open the door if there is no power to the door release. This needs to investigated and corrective actions taken to make Tesla comply with changes for safety.
The power lift‑gate strut PN 1551489‑00‑B failed, bent inward, and shattered the rear glass on 16 May 2025. A known defect: Tesla superseded the part to PN 1551488‑00‑C in Oct 2023. Local Tesla Service center declined goodwill coverage to resolve the issue.
I am filing a formal complaint regarding Tesla's refusal to properly address a critical safety recall on my vehicle (Recall Number 24V554). This recall involves a significant safety issue that Tesla is legally obligated to remedy free of charge under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The required over-the-air software update associated with this recall repeatedly fails to install, getting stuck at 50% completion. I scheduled a service appointment and took the vehicle to Tesla for assistance. However, Tesla informed me that they will not diagnose the issue or investigate why their software update fails to install unless I agree to pay $255.00 for a general diagnosis. Additionally, they require me to pre-approve a total of $2,658.28, including the diagnostic fee, in case the computer needs to be replaced. This approach leaves me unable to proceed with a mandatory safety recall and directly contradicts Tesla’s legal obligation to repair safety-related defects at no cost to the consumer. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate Tesla's practices concerning this recall and their apparent refusal to adhere to their obligations under the law. This situation raises concerns about Tesla’s commitment to addressing safety-critical issues in a manner that ensures public safety and compliance with federal regulations. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
The vehicle was sitting in my driveway during a lower than normal temperature (18 defrees f). The car ha d ot moved at all due to snow fall around the area. The car was warmed up with the automatic function and a U shaped crack appeared in the windshield almost fully closing on itself and there was a crack along the bottom of the windshield. There were no prior chips or issues. The window was since fixed but I feel this is a warranty issue. The windshield shouldn't just crack like that in cold weather.
I was pulling into parking lot at REI car suddenly accelerated and jumped pavement and hit a wall.
As I was driving the car today, I had a car ahead of me at a full stop, so in order to slow down the car I lifted my foot off the acceleration pedal. However, instead of slowing down it sped up. My car has regenerative breaking (and it was turn on) which usually applies break when the pressure is lifted from acceleration pedal. However in this instant my car started speeding up. I then applied pressure on breaks, however it didn’t work. Fortunately the car ahead of me moved ahead and an accident was averted. My break and accelerator started working as expected moments later. But this can cause accident anytime. I have booked service request with Tesla. Also note that the car was not on Autopilot.
Tesla model 3 2022 rear side windows shattered all of a sudden with no other accidents. My 6 year old girl was sitting in the car next to it and we are all in a shock . We are trying to find the right way to report to Tesla . We checked online and saw more blog posts with same issue . Please help.
Questions about the 2022 Tesla Model 3 body
Does the 2022 Tesla Model 3 have body problems?
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the body of the 2022 Tesla Model 3, 1% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2022 Tesla Model 3 body problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 2022 Tesla Model 3 body?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Tesla Model 3 have the most body problems?
The Tesla Model 3 model years with the most body complaints are 2018 (60 complaints), 2019 (23 complaints) and 2023 (22 complaints).
Other 2022 Tesla Model 3 problems
Driver assistance 559Acceleration 171Brakes 169Electrical 61Steering 39Visibility 23Airbags 13Transmission 13Wheels 13Seat belts 12Seats 10Suspension 10Fuel system 9Engine 8Lights 7Locks 2Tires 1
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