Tesla Model S Problems (2012-2026)
Owners have filed 5,204 complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S for the 2012 to 2026 model years. The most common are about the electrical system, suspension, and forward collision avoidance.
A complaint is an unverified report a driver files with NHTSA about a problem they had. It is not a recall or a proven defect, and a popular model on the road in large numbers naturally collects more of them. Still, a cluster of complaints about one part is often the earliest public signal of a problem, sometimes years before a recall. Here is how the Tesla Model S complaints break down.
Of those complaints, 647 mention a crash, 94 mention a fire, 336 report an injury, and 58 report a death. These are owner-reported and not confirmed by NHTSA, but they are worth knowing when you weigh up a vehicle.
Most-reported Tesla Model S problem areas
Tesla Model S complaints by model year
How to read these complaints
A few things are worth keeping in mind when you read these numbers. Complaints are self-reported and unverified, so they lean toward the problems owners noticed and bothered to report, not a clean sample of every vehicle. A model that sold in big numbers will gather more complaints than a rare one, even at the same defect rate, so the raw totals say as much about popularity as reliability. What is genuinely useful is the shape: a tight cluster of complaints about one part, especially one that also shows crashes, fires, or injuries, is the kind of pattern that sometimes turns into a recall or a federal investigation later.
What to do about a Tesla Model S problem
If you own a Tesla Model S and recognize one of these problems, start by checking whether it is already covered by a free recall repair, then look the vehicle up by its VIN to see what is open on your exact car. It is also worth filing your own complaint with NHTSA: complaints are how defects get noticed in the first place, and enough of them about the same part can trigger an investigation. Keep your repair records either way, since they matter for warranty and lemon-law claims. Start with the Tesla Model S recall history, then run a VIN recall check for your specific vehicle.
Common questions about Tesla Model S problems
- What are the most common problems with the Tesla Model S?
- Across 5,204 complaints to NHTSA for the 2012 to 2026 Tesla Model S, the most-reported areas are the electrical system, suspension, and forward collision avoidance. A complaint is an owner report, not a confirmed defect, but the busiest categories point to where owners run into trouble.
- How many complaints does the Tesla Model S have?
- NHTSA has 5,204 complaints on record for the Tesla Model S across the 2012 to 2026 model years. Owners file these directly with NHTSA, so the count grows over time and tends to be higher for popular models.
- Have any Tesla Model S crashes or fires been reported?
- Of those complaints, 647 mention a crash, 94 mention a fire, 336 report an injury, and 58 report a death. These are owner-reported and not confirmed by NHTSA, but they are worth knowing when you weigh up a vehicle.
- Are complaints the same as recalls?
- No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A recall is an official action by the manufacturer or NHTSA to fix a known safety defect, with a free repair. Complaints can be an early warning, but only a recall obligates a fix. The Tesla Model S recall history is on its own page.
Complaints come from NHTSA's consumer complaints database and are reports filed by owners, not confirmed defects. See the methodology and data sources for detail. This page is a reference, not legal or safety advice.