365 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Electrical System · verdict AVOID 16/100
“Dashboard is leaking glue out the bottom center causing the computer screen and dash control panels to move. I'm not feeling safe driving as I'm not sure if they will drop down or stop functioning at any point. Tesla wants $1500 to fix, and I don't have that money being retired. How can Tesla glue their cars together, and it only last for about 10 yrs?? I feel like this is a safety issue that they should be fixing.”NHTSA complaint, 2014 Tesla Model S owner
“This issue appears to be related to a known MCU failure affecting early Tesla Model S vehicles. The touchscreen exhibits screen melting/discoloration and eventually goes blank or becomes inoperative. When this occurs, critical functions including occupant detection indicators, seatbelt warnings, and windshield defrost controls may become unavailable. The loss of these functions creates potential safety risks involvin”NHTSA complaint, 2014 Tesla Model S owner
“Motor suddenly failed after a required update while driving, nearly causing a crash with multiple commercial vehicles and pedestrians, leaving brake lights dangerously always on and alarm sounding, killed 12v as well.”NHTSA complaint, 2014 Tesla Model S owner
| Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 07/01/2019 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2014-2016 Model S vehicles equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In |
| 19/04/2017 | Parking Brake SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles. The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during |
| 29/03/2018 | Steering:Electric Power Assist System SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with Bosch steering racks. The aluminum bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fract |
| 23/11/2015 | Seat Belts:Front SAFETY | Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Model S vehicles manufactured May 31, 2012, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver or front passenger seat belts that ma |
| 29/01/2021 | Back Over Prevention:Software | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC |
| 21/12/2021 | Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the |
| 12/12/2023 | Electrical System:Adas:Autonomous/Self Driving:Software SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remed |
| 30/01/2024 | Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brak |
| 28/05/2024 | Seat Belts:Front:Warning Light/Devices SAFETY | Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not |
On the federal record it scores 16/100: 365 owner complaints (30.42 per year on the road) and 9 recall campaigns, 7 touching safety-critical systems.
The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Electrical System, with 132 of 385 categorised reports.
The 2014 Tesla Model S scored 16/100 on the federal record.