Tesla Model S Complaints (2023)

111 consumer complaints on file.

#11609692August 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The horn is not in the correct place. The center of the steering wheel hub. In any accident scenario, your instincts fail and you wind up hitting the airbag with no result. This is. Design defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605362July 30, 2024
SEATS
Driver seat will no adjust leaving is in a position too far from the brake and steering wheel and too low to see over dashboard adequately
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604825July 26, 2024
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is a design flaw with the horn on the steering yoke. It is not easily located especially in times of stress or eminent collision. I have been driving for 50 years and all horns in my past vehicles have horns in the center of the steering wheel. Last April, I was backing up in a parking lot and through the rear camera, I saw a car behind me backing up. I stopped my car and could not get to the horn quick enough to alert the other diver and he continued to back up and he backed into my car causing $3,500 in damage. Yesterday, I was driving, and someone made a very unsafe turn that needed a horn to alert them, and I could not find the little button on the yoke to activate the horn. Yesterday's event, a near miss caused me to file this notice, although I should have done it sooner. Not as much of an issue, but the turn indicators are buttons too, and it is confusing to use them as opposed to a strike. I find myself not using the indicators as much in situations requiring a quicker need, typically like on the freeway. NHTSA should consider making all horns to be in the center of the steering wheel and all turn indicators to be strikes.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604435July 25, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have owned a 2023 Model S Plaid for 6 months. I like the vehicle overall but it has 2 features that are actually dangerous. 1) Horn - There is a small hepatic area on the right of the steering wheel that engages the horn. It is impossible to find and press in an emergency situation. One has to take their eyes off the road to find the area before attempting to press it. Even then it is small and can still be missed. Their have been multiple times my car was almost hit because I could not use the horn to warn people in time. Tesla has now moved the horn to the middle of the steering wheel but will not retroactively fix this for existing customers. This will 100% cause unnecessary accidents. 2) Turn signals These are also small hepatic spots on the steering wheel next to each other. You have to look down to find them and pressing the wrong side signal is a common occurrence. This is also dangerous and requires user to take their eyes off the road to find.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603511July 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla changed their steering wheel on later models because they know that not having the horn in the center of the steering wheel is very dangerous. Several times I tried to honk my horn in dangerous situations and I missed the horn icon and turned on the windshield wipers instead whose icon is next to it.There should be a recall of the older style steering wheels!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603466July 19, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
i am reporting a dangerous design of the horn button on my and many other Teslas. The horn activation has been moved from the standard "center of the steering wheel" to a small button on the right brace of the steering wheel (the brace goes from the center of the wheel to the outer periphery). It is a most unnatural spot for a horn that is mostly used in emergency situations (e.g., a car doesn't see you) where speed to activation is critical. (I have yet to hit the little button the first time when I really needed the horn.) Even worse, if you are in the process of turning when you need the horn, its location could be anywhere! It depends on how much the steering wheel is turned! I mostly love my Tesla, but this seemingly minor issue is pretty, pretty bad. I bet it is already causing accidents - I was lucky the other car saw me just in time. And the horn button was NOT an option - Tesla trashed the center horn to save $$.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11601284July 11, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The horn on my car is triggered by a small flat electric "button" on the right side of the steering wheel. There is no horn when you hit the middle of the steering wheel. It is very difficult (and unsafe) to quickly react to a situation when you have to look down to find the horn. When backing out of a parking spot, the horn moves to my left side due to the wheel being turned. Several times, I have almost been hit in a parking lot because I can not quickly find the horn, and my muscle memory is to quickly hit the middle of the steering wheel. I have never had a car where the horn was not located in the middle of the wheel, and I have owned and driven many cars. This week, I was on a highway, and the car next to me began to move into my lane. My muscle memory hit the middle of the wheel, which of course did not work, and so I had to slam my breaks hard to keep from being hit. If I could have hit the horn in a fast and easy manner, the other car would have moved back into its lane. If there had been someone behind me, I likely would have been rear-ended from breaking so abruptly. I have had the car for more than a year, so I reject the idea that I will "just get used to it". Please look into this and request that Tesla recall and replace the steering wheel for all of their vehicles that have this horn arrangement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600201July 8, 2024
STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Was driving on a highway when suddenly a whole bunch of error messages came on and my car became hard to steer. Wobbled off my lane which was extremely dangerous going 70mph. I reported this to Tesla and set up a service appointment. The day before my appointment they rescheduled it, pushing it out 30 days saying they don’t have the part in store. They haven’t looked at my car. They said they’re waiting for a new steering rack but don’t know when it’s coming in. Mentioned towing the vehicle and it being unsafe to operate - they must know there’s something wrong and clearly there’s a backlog of issues. They should have told me this earlier. My car is practically new. There’s absolutely no reason the steering rack would have broken.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11599105July 5, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Horn is not in the center of the steering wheel. When turning it is impossible to reach the horn. Not able to find the horn to avoid an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597062June 26, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving west on [XXX] thru Utah at 78 mph (speed limit posted 80) the car suddenly and almost violently applied full brakes and reduced speed to 50 mph before I could override by applying added pressure to the accelerator. There were no cars in front of me for over a mile, and the following cars were well back as well. This occurred late morning on perfectly dry pavement. There were few if any clouds, the temperature was in the mid to high 90's. The highway was divided with a significant center divider. If there had been a person following me within 5 car lengths there would certainly have been a rear end collision. The location was roughly 20 miles east of Green River, Utah. 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
#11595940June 22, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving on straight section of highway at dusk. No autopilot or other features on. Road slightly damp from earlier rain. Driving approximately 60mph. Without me moving my hands or feet then car suddenly slammed on the brakes and speed decreased to approximately 20mph. I pulled over and reset the car computer by pressing the two buttons on the wheel and no further problems but had someone been behind me there would have been a terrible crash and my daughter was in the backseat. Looking online it seems Tesla "phantom braking" is not uncommon. I am frightened to drive my car ever again but have a 7 hour drive home tomorrow.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595765June 21, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When driving I was cut off and reached for the horn. Due to the small button for the horn and the replacement, I couldn't use the horn in the emergency and almost had a very bad accident Tesla refuses to fix the problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595486June 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The steering wheel Tesla is using is causing a lot of safety concerns. The horn is now a button and not located in the center of the steering wheel. It's not very easy to find, especially in a stressful situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593314June 9, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, VISIBILITY/WIPER
I received a letter from Tesla in Jan 2024 detailing recall 24V-035 for my Model S 2023 vehicle. This recall indicates the vehicle is not in compliance with FMVSS No. 111, S5.5.3. and promised an over-the-air software update to remedy the issue. However, it is now June 2024 and my vehicle continues to show no updates are available to fix this safety issue. My vehicle continues to run software version 2023.44.30.6 while the fix is only available in version 2023.44.30.7 and later. I am concerned the Tesla is either incapable of fixing the problem via software updates and is dragging its feet, or lacks the expertise to fix the problem via said software update.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593247June 8, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
Frunk latch does not open with the first tap due to misdesigned frunk liner trim piece. The only way to open the frunk is after first tap to simultaneously tapping open and pulling the hood upward. It is only feasible using the phone app as the vehicle comes with key-card. This creates a safety concern due to fire crew would have an issue reaching a first responder loop to disconnect a battery located under the hood in case of an accident. The issue was reproduced to Tesla service team but they claimed that it is yet impossible to repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593197June 8, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The horn on this car is a small button next to the windshield wiper button. I had a truck cut me off and tried to honk the horn and I pushed the windshield wiper button by mistake. The horn requires you to use your thumb and is very difficult to use in an emergency situation. My car is a 2023 with the steering wheel horn set up and now the 2024 Tesla model S has fixed this problem with a regular horn. I would like my steering wheel replaced with the 2024 steering wheel that has fixed this problem. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592398June 4, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
I had a software update on my Tesla Model S for minor fixes (s/w version # 2024.14.9) and when I came to start the car the following systems are now working; 1/ All camera's are not working including review view camera. 2/ All ADAS systems are not working 3/ Windscreen wipers are not working 4/ Navigation is not working The biggest concern is the camera system and all the safety system associated with this are now not active on the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592339June 4, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This model has a small horn button on the right hand side of the steering wheel, rather than the traditional location of a large horn in the middle of the steering wheel. This is a VERY dangerous location for a feature that needs to be easily and quickly located to prevent dangerous accidents. The main use of a horn is to warn another driver that they may hit you. With a small button in the right side of the steering wheel, it's not possible to have to look down onto the steering wheel and find the button when encountering these dangerous situations. Tesla has since changed the steering wheel, moving the horn to the center of the steering wheel, however, there are a number of Tesla cars, like mine, which still have this issue. I believe these cars should be recalled and Tesla should replace the steering wheel free of charge so it is safe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587733May 8, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Tesla has a very tiny horn button that is not in the center of the steering wheel. The button is off to the right with other buttons for the wipers and auto cruise. It is extremely hard to find in normal situations, but impossible to find in emergency situations because the button moves with the steering wheel. Someone tried to change lanes into me. I could not both honk and avoid him. Very scary and dangerous. I thought you should know.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587618May 8, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING
The horn button is located on the side of the steering wheel spoke, extremely difficult to find, especially in an emergency. I have had several incidents in which I was unable to locate the small button when needed to avoid a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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