Tesla Model S Complaints

470 consumer complaints on file.

#11565320January 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The steering wheel horn button is in a difficult place. It’s not in the center like normal vehicles. It’s off to the side and difficult to find in an emergency. I don’t even use the horn any more because it’s difficult to find when I need it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565313January 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Horn button is off to the right making it difficult and have to look to honk the horn. When pressing the center, like all cars, it does nothing. Safety issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565306January 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The placement of the horn and turn signals onto the steering wheel is highly flawed. In normal driving, the turn signal buttons on the wheel are not intuitive, even after months and 10,000mi of ownership. The horn is also a button, and will never be useful in an emergency situation. These items should be required to be placed in the same spot for every street legal vehicle. Muscle memory and ease of use for safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565296January 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The 2023 Tesla Model S does not have a standard horn on the steering wheel. Rather than pressing on the air bag to trigger the horn like in most cars, Tesla has a small (about the size of a pea) capacitive button on the steering wheel. The button is placed in such a way that finding and pressing the horn in an emergency situation is nearly impossible. A driver has to look down away from the road and find the button to press it. This has nearly resulted in 2 accidents for me personally as I was unable to alert another driver of a dangerous maneuver like a lane change in a blind spot. Horns should be very easy to engage without needing to look away from the road. Tesla has recently begun releasing cars with normal airbag horns. It is my opinion that Tesla should retrofit existing cars without airbag horns with these new steering wheels.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565247January 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The issue everyone with a Model S or X has is that when they refreshed the car in 2021, the removed the stalks by the steering wheel and that's mostly ok, however the horn was turned into a tiny capacitive touch button which in an actual emergency situation, you can't find it and even if you think you do, you didn't hit it right and it doesn't trigger the horn. A few times now I've had people in parking lots or at dangerous intersections almost hit me and every single time I've failed to trigger the horn. Luckily I haven't been in a collision because of hit so far, but this is extremely dangerous. Tesla has definitely admitted fault by undoing this change in the 2024 S and X vehicles being produced, and I would like to propose that they be required to make this change to all current vehicles that are affected by this terrible design defect which is endangering the drivers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565242January 12, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Another vehicle ran a stop sign in a parking lot as I was in the intersection. I couldn't find the horn button. The steering wheel has a tiny touch sensitive horn "icon" that's virtually impossible to find in an urgent situation, ESPECIALLY if the steering wheel is turned one way or the other. There is no raised area to help a thumb find the area to press even if one has both hands on the steering wheel. I couldn't look down to find it because I was trying avoid the other car, and my steering wheel was twisted to avoid getting hit. The car lacks the ability to press in the center of the steering wheel to sound the horn like cars have had for eons.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565236January 12, 2024
STEERING
The car doesn’t have a conventional horn. Instead the horn is activated via a small button on the steering wheel. I don’t mean to be a pain, but I feel as though the horn is meant for emergency situations mostly. I’ve been in multiple situations now where someone has almost hit me and I tried to swerve and find the horn but given the fact I have to keep my eyes on the person swerving into me, was unable to find it in time. One of these times, the person continued to not see me and I nearly was pinned between the car and the wall of the freeway. Due to not being able to activate the horn, I had to swerve and slam on my brakes instead almost being rear ended by the car behind me. Ideally I’d love if Tesla has to recall this steering wheel for one with a mechanical horn. They have just started making the wheels with a mechanical horn again and it would be great if they received a recall so that us without them, who are put at risk, can receive them by visiting the service center and having the wheels swapped. Thank you again for the time in reading this. I apologize for the long story. I only ask because it’s unsafe for both myself and those around me and now there’s a remedy
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565103January 12, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
To activate the horn you must press a small label which is not in the middle of the steering wheel. This requires taking eyes off the road and looking for the small area. There is a horn-like appearing big area in center of the wheel that has movement when you press it, but doesn’t beep the horn ---- See attached document for complaint
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563661January 5, 2024
STEERING
Left turn signal button randomly stops working, have to click right signal then left again for it to work. Happens about 2-3 times per week
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563549January 4, 2024
TIRES
In the time of 2 years of ownership of this vehicle, I have had a blown out tire happen 3 separate times with these particular tires, whether it has been the rear left side or rear right side, leaving me stranded on the street.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562700December 30, 2023
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The turn signals are confusing and will lead accidents or not using them entirely. The signals were moved from a stalk in earlier models to two stacked buttons on the left side of steering wheel. This leads to accidentally signaling in the wrong direction and looking down at the wheel before each turn which is also unsafe. The buttons are not raised so it’s also too easy to intend to signal but accidentally miss the button while turning. Tesla should replace the old turn stalk or move the right turn signal to the right side of the wheel and raise the buttons so you can feel them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562326December 28, 2023
STEERING
Went to a Tesla dealership to get my car aligned. 4 days later they told me that my car couldn’t be aligned because my fron lower control arm was bent or broken. I purchased the car from Tesla with 5700 miles. The cad had about 19k miles when it went in for alignment. Seen owning the vehicle I never had an accident or damage to vehicle that would cause such damage. Like always they like to blame the customer to we can cover the defects of there vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562107December 27, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving on divided highway at night, the car slowed dramatically at each exit from the highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561927December 26, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car without obstacle will without warning execute a hard slowdown/stop. We have received the latest OTA update and have disabled auto steering and fsd. These unplanned stops are incredibly dangerous when driving in traffic. They charged a substantial fee to enable FSD and we are afraid to use it which sucks but the fact that basic cruise control is so dangerous is criminal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561747December 25, 2023
STEERING
The activation of the horn using a small capacitive button on the right side of the steering wheel is a serious safety problem. I have had numerous near miss incidents that were closer than they should have been because I was unable to quickly locate and activate the tiny horn button. I've tried using the "whole palm" method described by the manufacturer, but my palm is so large, that it doesn't easily fit in the space between the air-bag cover and the wheel, and I just end up activating the windshield wipers (which makes things even worse!!) The CEO comment in 2021 that every vehicle manufactured after November 2021 had the necessary hardware to activate the horn by pressing on the air-bag cover (like most normal cars) and that only a firmware update was needed to make it available. However, it's now more than two years later, and the problem still has not been corrected.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561109December 20, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
nhtsa recall 23V-838; TC2023-657 has made my car less safe to drive. The constant nagging and nannying requires me to take attention off the road. Please stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560538December 17, 2023
SUSPENSION
The suspension is very stiff and to the point when the smallest of pot holes, road bumps, or going over the road divider marker sends the shock to the body of the passenger. My family complaints of neck pain after a short ride. I live in San Jose, CA. I drive with the comfort mode with the soft ride setting for the suspension. This deep discomfort, pronounced for rear passengers is also increasingly deteriorating. Tesla inspected my car on Sept 8, 2023 - partially fixed the suspension noise. No change to the ride stiffness causing deep discomfort to passengers. Tesla inspected my car on Nov 8, 2023 for the same issue. No resolution. Tesla inspected my car on Dec 17, 2023 for the same issue. No resultion. I was told by Tesla technician who drove with me, that the ride is stiff, however, there are no fixes currently. A change to the setting and / or suspension will happen if there is a volume of complaints. Initially, the suspension had sound issues and frequent cranking. Tesla fixed it partially. However, this did not resolve the stiff suspension. I went to the Tesla dealership three times, each of the times, Tesla toggled with the settings but not avail. Tesla now claims that the suspension is what it is, any relief has to come from NHTSA or I have to sell my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560406December 16, 2023
STEERING
Dear Sir/Madam, I am highly concerned about the safety of the newest versions of Tesla Model S, Model X (without stalks), CyberTruck and Model 3 with the code name Highland. These models pose a significant danger when operated without intuitive direction signals, especially in the following situations: 1) Roundabouts: It is nearly impossible to correctly activate the signal lights. Please refer to the following example: [XXX] 2) Complete distraction of our focus from the road is required to operate signalling (eyes are EVERY TIME off a road), as shown in this example: [XXX] 3) In the event of a slightly dangerous occurrence, it is impossible to effectively and intuitively use the signals (or honk with the "Yoke" steering wheel). Please see: [XXX] Naturally, all of these points contribute to a significantly higher risk of accidents and undoubtedly impact the flow of traffic. Regards Alardo INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560301December 15, 2023
STEERING
The Tesla was driving normally as I was driving through the canyons of Utah at 65 MPH. the car gave an error about lane assist malfunction and immediately followed by steering assist malfunction. The car was very hard to turn and I nearly crashed into a concrete barrier as I forced the car to turn. I was not using auto drive
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11559916December 13, 2023
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There are several safety related issues with the 2023 Tesla Model S 1) The horn is a tiny raised marking on the steering wheel (right side), and not like in "normal" car where pushing/hitting the center of the steering wheel will activate the horn. This is unsafe, since in emergency the driver automatically hits the center, and does not have time to look for the time horn "button" 2) The turn signals are also "buttons" on the steering wheel. It's OK when the car drives straight, but if you turn the wheel to either side, the driver must LOOK at the wheel, find the turn signal and then press it. 3) The parking warning system works intermittently. I already have three big scratches on my car which I bought in June 2023, when the system was silence when I was getting out of a parking space, and I hit the car next to me. 4) The Auto wipers don't always work. I was driving at 60MPH in heavy rain. The wipers were working fine when all of a sudden they stopped and my field of vision was totally obstructed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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