Page 2 of 14 · complaints 51–100 of 669

2015 Tesla Model S complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2015 record →

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 15, 2024NY

Unknown

Electrical System
Filed Feb 14, 2024SC

The high voltage junction box in my Tesla Model S reported issues. Took my car to Tesla service center in Charlotte NC in November. Its now been 3 months and my car has yet to be repaired by Tesla. They claimed would be repaired within 2 weeks and have arbitrarily been bumping the repair date out nonstop every few weeks to now being 3 months delayed. My understanding is that Tesla used parts from a company no longer making this part and they have no solution. This is crazy I have been without my car this long by them.

Power Train
Filed Feb 2, 2024SC

Bought the car used. Had issues with rear drive unit that was replaced under warranty. Similar issue before warranty expired and was checked out by Tesla and noted to be " normal" noise. Later the nose got louder and repeat diagnostic recommended RDU to be replaced at a cost of nearly $8500. I believe that the RDU on older models were defective.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 19, 2024MD

There have been 7 incidents with my car where the door handles for both front doors (left and right) handles stopped working. The door handles would not "present" or "extend" and thus making it impossible for entry into the car. The latest incident occured on 1/13/2024 where the front driver side door would just pop open anytime any other door was opened. This is while the car was still in operation and the drive would then have to manually close the door. The door handles have malfunctioned on the following dates - January 2019, April 2019, July 2019, April 2022, June 2023, January 13, 2024.

Suspension
Filed Jan 18, 2024WA

Tesla front right hand lower forward link failed at the ball joint (aluminum casting spilt open) Part #1041575-00-A, FRT FORE AWD LCA RH, Made in Canada. This happened while backing up on flat pavement without warning. The car has been well cared for, garaged, never damaged or abused and has less than 52K miles. It could have caused a life threatening accident if it would have happened at speed.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 6, 2024TX

The front trunk flew open without any warning and smashed the front windshield. We could not see. We never received any info on recalls.

Steering
Filed Dec 29, 2023160,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the limited steering warning light illuminated, and the power steering was inoperable. The contact was able to take the next exit to find a safe location on the side of the roadway. The contact reset the computer and the power steering became operable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the vehicle was being inspected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Wheels
Filed Dec 20, 2023WA

In 2016, approximately 18 months after purchasing my Tesla Model S, I was driving to work and brushed a curb on a tight city street. Upon arriving at my office parking garage, as I was parking and turning the steering wheel sharply to park in a space, my front right wheel fell off and the axle completely sheared off. Tesla blamed the incident on my curbing the wheel, which only caused light damage. However, more and more reports have come out recently (including this article: [XXX] ) which suggests that Tesla has known defects they are denying and blaming on customers. Not only did this cost me money out of pocket (more than just my deductible), but my insurer had to pay the full amount. Tesla admitted no fault and made me & insurance pay the full amount. I have multiple photos, but the Upload feature on this site is NOT working so I am unable to upload them but can provide them later as needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel/Propulsion SystemCrash
Filed Dec 13, 2023CA

The Model S, which was bought in 2015, had a sudden acceleration while I was trying to park near the entrance gate of the parking lot. The accident happened on May 25, 2023. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and the car was totaled. I feel strongly that this should be investigated, as this can be a very serious public safety issue. It was inspected by the insurance company. There were no warning messages prior to the failure.

Vehicle Speed ControlCrash3 injured
Filed Dec 11, 202360,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while he, his wife, and his son were in the vehicle he had begun veering right pulling into the driveway, at approximately 5 MPH, he had begun slightly releasing the brakes when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at accelerated high speeds. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal however the vehicle speed continued to accelerate. As a response, the contact attempted to maneuver the vehicle to avoid crashing into the garage. The contact crashed into a nearby tree, jumped the curb, and became airborne crashing into the side of the home. The driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the side of the home where the laundry room was located ricocheting hitting the kitchen and bedroom windows and eventually coming to a stop. Due to the home being on a slope, the vehicle ended up falling into a nearby embankment after coming to a stop. All air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed. The contact was informed by insurance the vehicle would more than likely be totaled however this had not been confirmed. A police report was filed. The contact received emotional distress, cuts, and bruising to their hands. arms and forehead. The contact also suffered from back pain. The contact's wife sat in the rear on the driver's side and received emotional distress, trouble breathing, bruising on their face, and bleeding in the mouth. Their wife also received neck, back, and head pain. The contact stated that their wife ended up fal

Structure › Body
Filed Nov 16, 2023CA

The hood (frunk) lid disengaged while driving at highway speed and obstructed the windshield. I had to make an emergency exit. The car did not indicate that the latch was released and it did not slow as the manufacturer claims will occur with this problem. I was not notified of the known recall for this defect. As of now, Tesla collision is not taking responsibility and sent me to a third party for repair of the hood.

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Nov 15, 2023CA

While driving on the freeway, I thought I heard a rattling from the sunroof, and so I cracked the sunroof to 12% open, and then closed it again. The moment the sunroof closed, smoke with an electrical burn smell began billowing in through the air vents in the front of the car. We immediately opened the car windows to allow fresh air and exited the highway. Smoke continued to pour into the cabin while I pulled the car to the side of the road in a residential neighborhood. The car was parked within ~2 minutes of the smoke initiating. During this time, there were no warnings or hazards that I noticed on the dashboard. My family grabbed their immediate belongings and got out of the car, while I turned on the hazard lights, and also then exited the vehicle, popping the trunk of the car and the frunk to allow smoke to dissipate. The smoke didn’t seem to decrease after pulling to the side, nor opening and venting the car. After being at the side of the road for probably 1-2 minutes, a visible fire sprung up at the intersection of the hood/front windshield at which point I called 911. The fire quickly spread to consume the hood and cabin of the vehicle. Multiple explosions from the vehicle were seen and heard, sounding like gunshots at times, drawing many concerned neighbors from their homes. By the time the first responders arrived, the front of the car and cabin were largely consumed down to the metal framework, and the trunk had fallen shut and was also on-fire.

Electrical System
Filed Nov 13, 2023CA

Driving my car and it completely gives out in the middle of traffic without any warning or alter almost causing an accident. When asked about the absence of alert they said I may or may not get one and I should be lucky it just cut off (randomly in traffic mind you) because if it didn’t it would’ve burst into flames. Being the Rear Drive Unit is the second most important part of the vehicle an alert should be given 100% of the time as no alert could cause injury to myself or other drivers. This means there are other Tesla drivers out there with a probable chance of their randomly car stopping without any control of the vehicle endangering lives. This oddly happens 60 days outside my 8 year warranty when I haven’t any issues at all and receive alerts for everything down to my fob key being low on battery. In addition the whole time they were just trying to convince to get a new one because they just happen to be running a limited time promo that I can transfer my free supercharging to a new vehicle if I purchased. A lot of people have reported (down to the day) of their car dying suddenly after warranty but no avail Tesla says they won’t goodwill repair my vehicle although I could’ve died or been seriously injured.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 27, 2023WA

1)MCU1 flash memory failure in production from 2012 to 2018, part is available, but would require downing the car to remove/replace. 2)The symptoms of this failure include the loss of indicated gear state and reduced driver visibility from the loss of rearview camera, defrost/defog and exterior signal lighting which increases the risk of an accident. Driver display is black or booting up slowly during this time and the car can be put into gear and driven prior to the display showing DNR gear state making it a safety risk to anyone walking near the vehicle if it was accidently put into gear. 3)Issue was confirmed by Tesla and was told an update to MCU2 hardware at $2250 was needed at the customer (my) expense. The vehicle was under a full Tesla warranty, so I refused and asked them to fix this issue. Tesla Service cleared/freed up some memory but said the issue would return unless I paid to update to MCU2 hardware. The issue has returned as they stated. 4)Yes, by Tesla Service and Tesla Engineering. Both confirmed that this was a known issue with the MCU1 hardware in production from 2012 to 2018 and recommended that I (the customer) update the vehicle to MCU2 hardware for $2250. 5)There are no warning lamps or messages to inform the operator of an issue. Only the black driver display, but that doesn’t prevent the operator from putting the vehicle in gear. The symptoms start with slow driver display boot times and progressively get worse over time losing the rearview camera, de

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 24, 2023VA

The driver side screen and the central touch screen developed bubbles with multiple air fluid lines and bubbles. With the sun shining in from the side or rear of the vehicle, it made the screens nearly impossible to read. This created very unsafe driving conditions, as the driver was not able to see critical information from speed, dash board warnings, rear camera view and vital air conditioning functions such as defrost/defog. This was noticed within 1-2 days of having the recall repair for the VCM to upgrade 8GB eMMC. The Tesla Repair Center said the two events were not related. Ultimately, I was left to replace both screen through and infotainment system upgrade costing $2250.00.

Air Bags
Filed Oct 19, 2023138,000 milesNY

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a fault in the seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 18, 2023OR

Front passenger door randomly opens on it's own. Usually vehicle is parked but has happened at low speeds (under 30 mph). Advised it's the door handle which has been "fixed" twice before while under warranty. Tesla will no longer fix without charging (warranty expired). If it's the door handle or the door this needs to be a recall issue for Tesla to fix. Please recall! Data below is for most recent occurrence. This has happened at least 3 times this calendar year (2023).

Suspension
Filed Oct 7, 2023FL

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 1 YEAR BOTH MY FRONT SUSPENSION HAVE BROKEN OFF WHILE BACKING UP.LAST YEAR WAS MY PASSENGER SIDE TIRE JUST THIS WEEK MY DRIVERS SIDETIRE JUST FALLING OFF FROM BALL JOINTS. TESLA CONTINUES EMPHAZING IIMPACTED WITH SOMETHING AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE BROKEN JOINT, THEY HAVE REFERRED ME TO A BODY SHOP THAT I DISAGREE DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY BODY NOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE JUST THE POOR SUSPENSION AND BALL JOINTS THAT ARE ISTALLED IN TESLAS. SOMEDAY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT WHILE DRIVING AT AVG SPEED FROM THESE FAULTY PARTS. THANK YOU,

Suspension
Filed Sep 22, 2023UT

Tesla Model S began making clunking/grinding noise when reversing out of a driveway with the wheel fully turned. It turned out that the front left and right fore links have failed prematurely and caused the front wheels to rub on the wheel arch/fender. No potholes were ever hit to cause the damage. Car needed replacement parts totaling $979. A wheel alignment was also needed. Car only has 97,000 miles.

Suspension
Filed Sep 7, 2023MD

I had driven to a shopping center for buy a new backpack for my daughter who was starting school. After shopping, as I reversed my car, I felt as if I had gone over a bump. I came out to see if there was a bump or something else in the parking lot but found nothing that my car could have gone over. I got back in the car and started my drive and immediately, started hearing loud and griding noises. The noise would get worse as I would turn the steering wheel and the car would also seem as it is going over bumps. I immediately came out and look around and found nothing; I then looked at the wheel well and the surrounding area and didn't detect anything out of ordinary. I was able to drive the car home (roughly 1.5 miles) at speed no faster than 3-5 miles/hour without continuous loud and griding noise. I contacted Tesla who gave me an appointment for a week later. Inspection found fore-link broken. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Left fore-link connected to the front suspension of the car. Part is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The breakage of the part made the wheel get disconnected from the suspension. Had I been driving on a highway or other roadways at higher speed, my car would have certainly gotten out of control and endangered my life and the lives of others. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? This is a

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 4, 2023CA

When the car is put in parked mode the rear left door opens by itself causing a hazard to the passenger and/or to any nearby pedestrian.

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 30, 2023VT

Tesla is seemingly not producing replacement key fobs for early models. I have been attempting to order one for over two years and to my knowledge new stock has never once become available over that time. I have also checked with multiple dealerships in person. On older models, the key fob is required to operate the vehicle. I only have one working key fob. I am anxiously awaiting the day when it is lost or malfunctions and I am unable to rely on our only vehicle... seemingly indefinitely. Tesla cannot consider their mobile app as an alternative to physical key fob. I live in rural Vermont. It would be incredibly wreckless to rely on remote start/unlock. Internet connectivity is required on both the car and the mobile device on older models (newer models use Bluetooth locally).

Steering
Filed Aug 11, 2023WY

I have replaced the steering knuckle two separate times I-SHAFT STEERING LINK - NON ISOLATOR - LOWER(1030622-00-A) this makes is hard to steer and is dangerous. Tesla does not have an updated part for this. I have asked

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 11, 2023WY

I drove through 3 inches of water at about 20mph, Nothing else in the car got wet, it cause the car to go into shutdown mode with a high voltage error. We had hell getting it to neutral as the computer kept shutting down. I am still under warranty but they claim the seal fail because of high water yet nothing else got wet and is not under warranty, only the drive unit and the motors are. Well with out the battery connection to the motors the car does not run. I have tried to deal with them and they refuse to do anything about it. I think the seal was installed incorrectly at the factory to allow this to happen, I do have parts to view.

Steering
Filed Aug 11, 2023WY

The steering is hard to steer. I had to replace the i-shaft. It is dangerous to drive when it happens to you, I live in Wyoming and something needs to be done to stop these from going out, this is the second one I have had done since 11/11/21. I-SHAFT STEERING LINK - NON ISOLATOR - LOWER(1030622-00-A)

Structure › Body
Filed Jun 26, 2023NJ

Recently I had an accident while I was driving my car (Tesla model S) with my wife and daughter in the car. The reason for accident was the front hood popped up in the middle of the county highway due to the secondary latch malfunction leaving us completely blinded as the hood fully blocked our vision. Luckily we were not met with a collision and had no bodily injuries, but the hood of the car got damaged. The repairs are running in thousands of dollars but Tesla is not covering. When we reached out to Tesla they informed there is a recall for the latch malfunction and sent us the recall, unfortunately they were sitting on this recall for 3 years and only sent us when we actually reached out. Still they denied any coverage owning no responsibility and even refused to fix the latch until we get the hood fixed by ourselves leaving it in unsafe condition as the hood might pop up again if we drive.

Suspension
Filed Jun 21, 2023MN

Lower control arm of front passenger wheel cracked and came off while backing out of driveway. rendered undriveable, required tow to fix.

Electrical System
Filed Jun 10, 2023CA

My MCU (onboard computer system) glitched out and the screen began flickering. I lost all of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, navigation, music, phone link, sunroof venting, climate control, including defrost. The screen froze and I had no functions. This has happened 4 times, possibly a 5th time, while driving in the last 6000 miles. I put in a service request to Tesla and they ran a remote diagnosis, and told me that the old MCU1 is overwhelmed by the new software updates. Their solution was for me to upgrade to the newer MCU2 at my cost. I am afraid to drive my car as it will malfunction while I need the safety features, like basic defrost or AC in the 105 degree heat in Phoenix. Tesla acknowledged that the previous MCU1 failure due to the eMMC chip was a recall, but this is a new problem that has not yet been acknowledged by Tesla as a recall problem.

Structure › Body
Filed Jun 8, 2023CO

Door handle that allows for opening the door from the outside fails to present. Motor just turns and turns, and it is impossible to open the door from the outside. This is the SECOND time for this defect on this vehicle - in 2021 the driver-side door failed in the same manner. This is the passenger side door that has failed now. Tesla said in 2021 that this was a known defect with a cheap gear that fails. There is also a class action lawsuit pending in California federal court, Urban v. Tesla, related to this identical defect which involves 2014-2016 Model S vehicles. No warning signs before the failure. In the event that the vehicle is in an accident, this failure would make it difficult for emergency personnel to open the door from the outside (which they otherwise would be able to do, because the key fob in the vehicle would ordinarily allow extension of the handle upon merely pushing in the handle).

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jun 5, 2023CA

My instrument cluster is delaminating in my tesla model S. When I took it to the service center for the recall service the service center stated that the main screen was also delaminating. Service tech told me that the instrument cluster (and main screen) would eventually fail because of the delamination. I have had the car for less than 8 years. both the instrument cluster and the center screen have a lot to do with safe operation of the vehicle so I believe they should be replaced for free under recall or at least have a much cheaper upgrade option. It is extremely rare for any car to have a common problem of the intstument cluster delaminating and this should be a recall since it is an ongoing, common issue. This is a problem Telsa knows about and hasn't done anything to remedy for a reasonable price. They want $1,750 for the upgrade of the instrument cluster and the main center screen. I bought the car when they were talking about self driving features that are not even possible for this car so I was mislead on that too. Here is other documentation of this issue. https://www.carproblemzoo.com/tesla/models/instrument-cluster-panel-problems.php

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 23, 202337,000 milesNV

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently swerved in and out of the lane and accelerated unintendedly for approximately 8 to 10 seconds and then performed as designed. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that no failure was detected and informed that a report would be filed. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

Electrical System
Filed May 21, 2023MI

As I arrived home after a 50 mile trip, I pressed the homelink indicator on the central console of my 2015 Tesla model S and found it was inactive (the garage door didn't go up). I then pressed other areas on the central console and found none of them responded to the touch of my finger. This included all functions (e.g., temperature, defroster, lights, rear camera, navigation, radio, turn car off, etc.). Unlike a previous incident that I reported (reference # 11459567) , the center display did not go black, it just became inoperable. This is definitely a safety hazard. It can not be fixed while driving. One must stop the car and exit to turn the car off, or one must stop the car and press 2 buttons on the steering wheel to reboot the center console. This might be difficult to do while driving on the highway. I will reboot the center console the next time I drive the car, and I am sure it will be fixed. However, this is a problem that should not have occurred. (Present software version 2022.8.10.12, updated recently)

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking
Filed May 12, 2023CA

When backing out of my garage, and reverse my car often times stops violently on its own

Back Over Prevention
Filed May 10, 202379,000 milesTN

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the center display screen became inoperable. The contact stated that the defroster, exterior lights, back-up camera and radio were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the center display screen needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Service BrakesCrash1 injured
Filed May 5, 202358,983 milesFL

April 21, 2023 me and my daughter was driving from Jacksonville Beach to Fernandina Beach around 6pm. Exiting from 295 to i95, I removed my autopilot to reduce speed, I was very focus driving, not on my cellphone and even sleepy. Then I saw the car in front of me suddenly stopped, i know i have enough distance and confidently press the break hard enough to make it stop. But the tesla, while started beeping loud as it sensored the sudden stop of the car , seems to just slowed down and not stopping even with the full hard press of the break, the Tesla just keep on moving slow until it just hit the car and we just heard a loud bang from the airbags that blew up, gas fumes all over inside the car, shocked with what happened, I immediately opened the car door due to the gas fumes. It was traumatizing. I have been driving for almost 20 years, a lot of experience from high way to city driving, years of experience with crazy Manila traffic and highways, using different kind of cars, SUV, family van, even U-Haul, I am very familiar with how breaks work and how breaks could save life and save from accidents even with a split seconds, but the experience with Tesla’s break system is different. With this crash with Tesla, I remember this was not the first time the break didn’t work as expected. Had the same instance happened before with Tesla, though we didn’t hit any car but almost – me and my daughter together with her classmate was driving to school. Suddenly the car in front stopped d

Steering
Filed Apr 17, 2023IN

The issue began during the week of April 10, 2023. I started to experience significant steering wheel resistance in 90 degree intervals. My initial assumption was the power steering was starting to fail. The amount of force required to turn became progressively worse towards the latter half of the week. However, there were no warning lamps or messages indicating there were issues with the car. On the morning of Friday, April 14th after dropping my kids off at school, I was using the vehicle's Autopilot function while turning on an eastbound interstate on-ramp and noticed the car began to veer off course towards the concrete ramp barrier, forcing my to immediately grab the wheel to prevent a collision. It felt as if the wheel was stuck again at one of the 90 degree intervals mentioned above. I've driven this route countless times utilizing the feature and have never had an issue. It's worth noting that the resistance was felt regardless of whether or not the Autopilot feature was turned on. That afternoon I took my vehicle to the local Tesla service center and the representative immediately said it sounded as if the u-joint was going bad. They took the car in and had the part replaced within 24-hours. That evening I browsed numerous forums and learned this is a common issue due to the u-joint's lack of protection and exposure to the elements. I have never submitted a safety complaint before but the fear I experienced that morning combined with the lack of any warning lamps or

Suspension
Filed Apr 8, 2023MD

The control arm that holds my tire in place completely broke apart. It looks like the ball joint severed from the rest of the unit. I didn’t hit anything - not even a pot hole. I was driving in a residential area going 25 mph. I thought my tire went flat so I checked the car and didn’t see anything. I continued to drive the car and turned on the main road and my car almost veered me into oncoming traffic almost causing a crash. Luckily with sheer strength I was able to pull the car barely over to the side. Had I not been driving where I was, this could have been a scary situation. Tesla admitted to me this is a known safety issue but then said because my car isn’t under warranty, I was responsible. I asked for the defective part and have it in my possession.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 24, 2023FL

My 2015 Tesla Model S was driving with autopilot on 3-17-2023 at 5:45 pm PST near the intersection of Lafayette St and Memorex Dr. in San Jose California when I noticed it panicked and slammed on the brakes while traffic was flowing at about 40 mph. The day was clear no rain, fog, or obstructions. There was a Jeep approaching faster from my rear left in the next lane but it wasn't in front of me. No other cars were in front of me either. There was traffic directly behind me and the car suddenly braked nearly causing an accident from the rear. The car showed an icon of a person in red (An indication of what it was braking for). However, there was no person in the area. I immediately hit the acceleration pedal to avoid the accident from the rear and to keep the car moving. The car never showed a "person" indicator before in the 4 years I have owned it. I know the newer models show it but not this year. I immediately requested service through Tesla as the car has phantom braked for ghost cars in the past but never a ghost person and it almost caused a serious accident. I was told by Tesla that there is nothing they can do and that I needed to press the "Push to talk" button in the car and say "Report a bug". I told them in a moment like that I am more focused on preventing an accident and that is not a good solution. I did provide the time, day and conditions to them.

Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment › Video (touch)screen/Monitor/Unit
Filed Mar 10, 2023168,000 milesOR

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while adjusting the temperature in the vehicle, the infotainment screen froze. The contact stated that several minutes later the screen started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the screen and the console needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 168,000.

Suspension
Filed Mar 6, 2023CA

Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am writing to bring to your attention a serious safety issue that I experienced while driving my Tesla Model S 2015 on Freeway 680 in [insert location]. On 2/27/2023], the left rear wheel of my car suddenly dropped, causing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Fortunately, the incident occurred at night with less traffic, or it could have been catastrophic for myself, my children, and other road users. I have learned that Tesla has issued a recall in China for the same suspension issue that I experienced. However, I am deeply concerned that there has been no such recall or acknowledgment of this issue in the USA. It is alarming that such a dangerous fault could occur on a car that is marketed as a high-tech and safe vehicle. I believe that it is crucial to investigate and take immediate action to rectify this potentially fatal flaw in Tesla Model S 2015's suspension system. I urge you to look into this matter and work with Tesla to issue a recall for affected vehicles and implement a fix to prevent any further accidents. As a concerned citizen and a victim of this unsafe suspension issue, I implore you to prioritize the safety of Tesla owners and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you will take swift action to address this serious safety issue.

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 4, 2023MD

The retracting door handle mechanism is defective. The motor that activates the door handles breaks and I cannot open my passenger doors from the outside. I have to deactivate the child safety locks and open the door from the inside. This creates a hazard in emergency situations. I have two young children that are still in car seats. They need assistance in and out of the vehicle. Tesla has replaced both the rear passenger door handle mechanism at cost. The tech says this is a known problem for early models of this car.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 21, 2023IN

I had the eMMC replaced under recall in December of 2021. The board failed again in December of 2022 resulting in all controls of the car being inaccessible, the center screen was black. I had no control of lights or HVAC and all the traction control, ABS, and emergency avoidance features were not working. Tesla told me there was no fix except to upgrade to the MCU2 computer which cost me $1,872. This was related to the original recall that didn't really fix the problem. The MCU just went dead, no waring.

Electrical System
Filed Feb 17, 2023CA

Driver door of vehicle will unexpectedly and randomly unlatch and open whenever the vehicle is unlocked. While moving, as well as parked and when vehicle is unattended.

Exterior Lighting › Turn Signal
Filed Feb 16, 202335,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the autonomous self-driving feature activated, the contact attempted to use the turn signal while changing lanes and almost struck another vehicle. The contact was able to control the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic made the contact aware that the failure was a known issue however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Suspension
Filed Feb 15, 2023NY

This is the second time that a wheel becomes "lopsided" and no longer perpendicular to the axle. On 4/13/22 I was driving to work and suddenly I heard noises coming from the back wheel and I felt the car dragging. I found that the passenger rear tire was lopsided and almost falling out of the car. Then this year on 2/4/23 as I was going to work I found the driver rear tire also lopsided. Both times I had to pay for towing and $4000+ get the tire back on securely mounted to the axle. Both times the REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS - FORWARD and REARWARD - need to be replaced. Last time we took it to a local repair shop, this time we took it to Tesla. This time, the following parts also needed to be replaced: REAR UPPER LINK SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HALFSHAFT - REAR DRIVE UNIT - LH SUSPENSION - REAR UPPER - LH TOE LINK ASSEMBLY - REAR - LH INTEGRAL LINK - REAR - LH DROP LINK - SWAY BAR - REAR - LH SPRING and DAMPER ASSEMBLY - REAR - LH This is a unsafe car to drive - I understand that it's a low car and there are pot holes on NYC streets. But this car is still unreliable if it happens within 12 months that I cannot get to where I need to go because the car is undrivable.

Service Brakes
Filed Feb 11, 2023CA

When driving with autopilot engaged, the vehicle sometimes gives alerts even when there is no vehicle or obstacle in its path. Immediately once the driver takes control, the autopilot does not disengage but continue as usual. The autopilot suddenly brakes or slows down even when there is no obstacle on a freeway.

Electrical System
Filed Jan 14, 2023CA

I brought the car in with working air, which included heating and a feature called Climate Keeper. I brought the car in with working Supercharging. I got the car back with broken Climate Keeper and soon after broken air, completely broken, and broken Supercharging. Also now the hood is bent.

Suspension
Filed Jan 3, 2023UT

Driving slowly, in reverse, in a smooth parking lot, the front right suspension made a big thudding noise and both steering and any braking made horrible metal and other screeching noises. This was at a very low speed. The suspension part, the forward link (lower control arm) had split open and no longer held the ball joint in place. This happened without any warning of any sort, and with no (I've owned the car for about 45,000 miles and 3.5 years) known abuse of the front suspension (no hard potholes, no curb, no rough or dirt roads, only smooth well-kept roads). If this failure had happened at highway speeds or even city street speeds, losing the ability to brake and steer properly could have been disastrous and is a safety issue. Part may be available after Tesla provides service - car is under a pre-owned certified warranty. From first inspection metal "bushing" on forelink appears to be completely cracked open.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Nov 23, 202286,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the passenger’s side rear door inadvertently opened. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

Unknown or OtherCrash1 killed
Filed Nov 17, 2022HI

Fatal Tesla Accident. Cause unknown. Vehicle suddenly left the highway resulting in fatal collision. Tesla model 2015 S D

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NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2015 Tesla Model S → · Every Model S year → · How the figures are calculated →