Tesla Model S Complaints

470 consumer complaints on file.

#11631033December 16, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla has relocated the horn from the center hub where it has been on vehicles since the beginning of time, to a very small icon on the steering wheel cross-member. It's simply impossible to find this little icon in an emergency. I've already had almost three accidents because of this. They need to put the horn on the center hub like it's been on vehicles for decades so people can quickly use it versus looking for it when they have to take their eyes off the road in order to use it. Additionally, when it's on the cross member and you're turning the wheel the little icon turns with it then it's even harder to find.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630866December 16, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
As I approached a red light with a car in front of me, I took my foot off the accelerator to use Tesla's regenerative braking, but instead the car rapidly accelerated and crashed into the car in front of me. It seemed like unintended acceleration.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630460December 12, 2024
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the message “Climate Control System Service Required” was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local Tesla Service Center however, the vehicle was not repaired due a lack of available Service Techs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 59,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629856December 10, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX] at approximately [XXX] I was driving down a small back alley/street in Baltimore when my Tesla Model S Plaid sedan stopped operating. It would not restart, including with the emergency restart bar. Since I was unable to restart it, I left it there while I ran into an appointment. About maybe 20 minutes later it started up like nothing was wrong. I did not receive any warnings on the dash from the car that there was an issue, and I thought it must have been a computer glitch. Unfortunately, sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 am I was driving the Tesla on a major feeder multi lane feeder branch to a highway. I was on [XXX] merging onto [XXX] when the car just stopped with no warning. It is a miracle that I didn’t get hit, but it caused a truly dangerous situation with horns blaring, cars and trucks going around me. It was very unsafe. This time I was able to start the car with the emergency start bar Tesla has available. I was then able to drive the car to my office where the car was picked up and towed to the dealership. To make a long story short, apparently, they (service department) drove the car around the parking lot, trying to reproduce the problem but they said they were not able to. The only thing they were able to tell me about the car was that it had two high-voltage spikes and possibly that’s what caused the problem, but they didn’t know how to fix that problem. I did talk to the lead tech on my car, but at one point he said they were out of resources and would refer this to his general manager. The service manager told me that since they can’t reproduce the problem, that my car is drivable, I should pick it up and drive it. I refused. A car that stops dead with no notice in moving traffic is not a safe car. I was astounded that they would expect me to drive the Tesla. I told the manager that I would not drive it until it was fixed. It is still there. 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
#11629578December 9, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought my car used last year! I have almost been involved in many accidents with this car! There is only 1 small button for the horn mixed in with other buttons on the right side of the steering wheel! When stress hits because somebody is heading right for you and you are frantically looking for a small button to lay in the horn it’s almost too late! It’s a MAJOR safety issue and they are offering a new steering wheel for almost 1900.00!!!! I already replaced the yoke wheel it came with! This is a total safety hazard and people are going to end up dead because of it if they don’t fix it!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629422December 7, 2024
STEERING
THIS VEHICLE HAS THE YOKE STEERING WHEEL.Issue is two fold. The right and left turn signal activation in on the face of the wheel and difficult to find since the arrows are not raised so you can feel them. You have to take your eyes off the road to find the left or right turn signal, then if they do not automatically turn off you have to repeat this again to press. Very unsafe and frustrating. Second issue: the Horn. Again, the switch is on the surface of the wheel and you can not feel it you have to search for it because of other switches nearby. The horn activation needs to be in center of wheel with an easy push sequence to activate. Searching for the horn switch is unsafe due to the speed needed to warn somebody and again, you have to take your eyes off the road to locate the small lit switch to blow the horn. If you are turning a Yoke Wheel and need to blow the horn, it is impossible. A Recall is needed to replace the entire Yoke Wheel with a Horn activation in the center, and a lever installed on the steering column for blinkers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629404December 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING
The horn button on the yoke steering wheel is a safety hazard. In a situation that requires quick responsiveness immediate reaction is to press the center of the steering wheel. Tesla has come out with a retro fit and the new yoke has it in the center. I am paying $1,000 for the retro fit for my safety and the safety of others. I expect the NHS to also look at this concern and address to assist with the prevention of accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629236December 6, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
10:12am 12/6/2024 autopilot randomly and suddenly starts jerking wheel back amd forth erratically and swerves all iver road onto wrong side of road. When i grab wheel to disengage it sounds alarms and alleges im departing my lane and activates lane departure/ assist despite the fact i have lane departure assist disabled
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628853December 4, 2024
STEERING
I have the yoke steering wheel. To activate the horn, you press on the right side of the steering wheel. I was driving at freeway speeds and a car did not see me and started to move into my lane. Due to the placement of the horn on the side next to windshield wipers, the wipers went on but not the horn. You have to take your eyes off the road to look down for the horn. Tesla is aware of the dangers of the placement of the horn and has a new yoke steering wheel with the horn in the traditional position, center of wheel. Unfortunately, Tesla has not on its own recalled the older model yoke although they have taken remedial steps to improve the design. I believe a formal recall should be initiated on this steering wheel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628665December 3, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I was driving in dense fog about 9 am on December 2, 2024. It was about an hour after sunrise. I passed an approaching car without lights on and thought to myself how dangerous it was to be driving in dense fog without lights. I then realized that my automatic headlights were off! That means my fog lights were also off. They were on when I first left the house. The fog was dense enough that cars without lights appeared out of the fog with 10-15 feet warning. Very dangerous when turning left onto roads or at stop signs. The fog was dense enough that the driver assist cameras were complaining about being blocked or blinded, but the car had decided to turn off the headlights and fog lights without notification (except removing the lights on indicators on the dash). I have tried to contact Tesla support on their web support and haven't been able to figure out a way to provide comments. I only find a "help" section that provides answers to a few questions and seems to go in circles for anything else. I was able to move the headlights from Auto to On and solve the problem, but that required messing with the touchscreen while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626018November 18, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
3:17pm nov 18 2024 - I was driving manually and pulled into my driveway and subsequently my garage. I had the blinker on. As I went to turn into the garage, I heard three beeps and no message was displayed on the screen. The vehicle also jerked the steering wheel towards the wall. I have all lane departure warnings, and assistance settings turned off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625790November 17, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
I engaged Tesla's Autopark to park my car in my usual spot. The car kept going after reaching the back of the parking space, crashing into a pole located around one foot behind the parking spot. The time between when it should have braked and the post was of such short duration that I had no time to apply the brakes and prevent the accident. The car lacks both radar and lidar, either of which would have detected the post. Instead it relies on a single video camera. What made this parking different from previous safe parking attempt in the same space was that the car was perfectly lined up. That meant that the camera could not make use of parallax to enable the AI to notice that the post was moving against the background and must, therefore by close behind instead of 40 feet away. For Tesla Autopark to function safely, it needs to "know" how far back possible obstructions are. It could do so by never backing up with perfect alignment. Instead, the car should move enough from side to side to generate enough parallax effect for it to be able to determine if it is about the crash. The service manager who called to tell me that Tesla decided the accident was my fault absolutely refused to even hear my opinion on what Tesla could do to prevent such accidents in the future. He told me he had be instructed to deliver Tesla's disclaimer and to not listen to anything I might have to say. As an engineer who has patents in the area of both aviation and automotive safety, I have an opinion that might have been worthy of Tesla's hearing. I now suggest you folks warn people that Autopark should not be used to complete the parking procedure unless and until Tesla decides to address this problem. In the meantime, drivers should be cautioned to either not use the feature or to tap the brakes lightly to disengage the feature several feet before reaching the back of a parking space. The driver can then complete the maneuver manually.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625697November 16, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
My Tesla Model S 2022 unexpectedly shut down while parked in a covered garage on [XXX], after I had driven for an hour. This occurred after I returned from a family trip to Lima, Peru, where I did not use the car. Tesla service center diagnosed it as water damage requiring a $20,578.50 battery pack replacement, which was covered by my insurance. There were no warning signs prior to failure. Within 20 minutes of the tow truck dropping off my car at Tesla, a representative informed me it was water damage, citing a system error and claiming over 20 vehicles had the same issue. This suggests a widespread problem and Tesla's awareness of it. This incident raises serious safety concerns about a potential design flaw and the lack of a water intrusion warning system. If this occurred while driving, it could lead to a sudden loss of power and an accident. I urge the NHTSA to: - Investigate if a design flaw exists in the Model S 2022. - Investigate Tesla's awareness of this issue and their failure to implement a warning system. - Require Tesla, and all EV manufacturers, to submit water mitigation plans. - Mandate water intrusion detection and warning systems in all EVs. This incident highlights a critical safety risk for Tesla - and perhaps all EV - drivers, and I urge the NHTSA to take immediate action. 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
#11625689November 16, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
10:33am driving manually very safely blinker on 5mph to turn into driveway. As i turn, sounds 3 beeps and displays “vehicle departing lane” on screen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625612November 15, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SUSPENSION, STEERING
Vehicle constantly overheats and causes charger to overheat. This causes the charging rate to reduce constantly. Home infrastructure has been checked and confirmed to be wired properly by multiple electricians. The suspension makes lots of noises and is a rough ride despite being constantly checked by the service center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625246November 14, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When shifting from drive to reverse and beginning to reverse it, the car slammed on the brakes and shifted itself into park. The manual states it should only happen when you unbuckle your seat belt, or open the door while in Drive or Neutral. [XXX] 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
#11624641November 12, 2024
SUSPENSION, WHEELS
Driving on freeway when the rear tire tread peeled off the inside tire tread wheel/blow out almost causing an accident. The vehicle pulled hard while driving and almost lost control. The problem has been inspected and confirmed by the Tesla dealer. The tire warning did alert after the tire blew out. This is a very frequently reported incident with the Model S plaid. A defect in the factory camber causing the blowout. Extensive wear is seen on the very inside wall of the tire. You couldn’t see or measure the tire wear from the outside of the vehicle. This is a scary and dangerous problem that needs to be fixed. I bought this vehicle brand new from Tesla Factory and the vehicle had less than 13,000 miles. The alignment was also measured when getting repaired and had bad results.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624486November 11, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This vehicle has a well documented issue with tearing the inner side walls of the tires. I've gone through 4 sets in 30K miles, with no end in sight. What's worse it's 3 times the tire failed while I was driving at 60mph. Very dangerous
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623035October 31, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
7:38pm pulling into garage it jerked wheel right towards wall/edge of garage door assembly and sounded audible alarms (was driving manually and lane departure settings are allegedly disabled)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623027October 31, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sept 25 2:14pm pulling into garage and it swerved towards wall and sounded alarms 7:04pm turning into stonestown shopping center right from stop sign, alarms and jerking wheel force to go straight. Blinker was on. I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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