Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my Tesla Model 3. I still consider it the best car I’ve ever driven, but nothing is perfect. After owning my Tesla Model 3 for 2 years I’m going to show you some things I don’t particularly like about it in case you’re interested in getting (or you already own) a Tesla Model 3.
Steering Wheel:
The inside of the steering wheel is sharp. I hate it because the sharp edge rubs against my index finger where my hand goes when I have Autopilot enabled. It is pretty uncomfortable. Also I wish it was a heated steering wheel because it feels like touching ice during cold winter days.
Windshield:
For some reason the windshield on the Model 3 seems to fog up easier and more frequently than any other car I’ve driven (when it’s a little cold outside). Not sure if it’s because of the glass roof or what, but it’s annoying because I like to keep my climate control and fan off as much as possible.
Cruise Control:
Sometimes when driving during heavy precipitation the cameras get blocked which causes Autopilot and TACC to be unavailable. During these times I wish the Model 3 had a regular “dumb” cruise control that would allow me to set cruise control based on the speed alone.
Charging Cable:
In the morning when I go out to my Model 3 the car is ready to unlock when I open a door because my phone is in my pocket (unlocks via Bluetooth). However, the charging cable doesn’t unlock automatically. I have to open a door first to unlock the car which will then let me unlock the charging cable. I wish the car would allow me to unlocked and disconnect the charging cable without opening a door first.
Stalk:
This may just be me, but it’s happened on multiple occasions. Sometimes when I go to press the left stalk up (to initiate my right turn signal) the stalk accidentally moves backwards and flashes my brights.
Wheels:
The 18″ Aero wheel rims stick out just a little bit further than the tire so it’s extremely easy to curb rash these wheels. I’ve curb rashed all of my wheels so far. Luckily some cheap paint on Amazon fixes the curb rash cosmetically, but the wheels are damaged physically from the curb rash.
Seats:
Tesla has already fixed this, but my backseats are V1. Right after I got my car Tesla started putting V2 seats in the Model 3. I still have V1 seats which are much firmer than V2 seats and not as comfortable either. Would love to have V2 seats.
Driver Pedal:
I absolutely hate the footrest on the left side of the driver pedal area. I’m tall so I would much rather be able to fully extend my left leg while driving for long periods of time. The footrest is annoying and uncomfortable in my opinion.
Blind Spot:
For as much tech that’s in the Model 3 it still lacks a great blind spot detection system. It doesn’t even have lights on the side mirrors. I would love to see a software update that enables the side camera view to pop up on the touch screen when initiating a turn signal.
Sentry Mode:
Currently it’s not possible to view Sentry Mode clips on the touch screen display, but I think Tesla is planning to release a software update soon that gives us this feature. Also 99% of the Sentry Mode clips are of me walking up to the car to unlock it. I wish Sentry Mode automatically deleted clips when the car is unlocked by a key or phone within 5 seconds.
Wind Noise:
The Model 3 is very quiet at low speeds, but there’s quite a bit of wind noise at high speeds. Maybe due to glass roof design.
Center Console:
The surface of the material inside the center console is a magnet for dirt, dust, hair, etc. Wish it was made of a different material.
Buggy Media Streaming:
Spotify usually doesn’t load unless I play Slacker first. There’s also no intuitive way of sorting/browsing Spotify. Podcast player is rudimentary at best. Sometimes it doesn’t bring up all podcasts and doesn’t give the option to play at 1.5x or 2x speed.
App:
My Tesla app loot box has been broken for almost a year now. Freezes to blank screen.