2015 Tesla Model S complaints

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model-S. The contact stated that he was unable to open or close the driver's side door due to the door handle not operating as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver's side door handle was replaced by a Tesla mobile Technician; however, the failure reoccurred on the rear passenger's side door handle. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger's side door would consistently open while shifting into park and would also pop open inadvertently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Driving at highway speed, swerved slightly (in lane) to avoid road debris, front aft suspension snapped suddenly and separated from ball joint causing wheel to collapse in, disabling vehicle and causing temporary loss of control in rainy conditions. There was no warning, noises, looseness or other symptoms present prior to this event, vehicle had to be towed. Pictures were taken as well as a police report. I have the broken part in my possession.

I was driving my car around town and heard a slight knocking sound. It didn't seem to be a significant issue. Within a few hours, the knocking turned into a grinding sound. It seemed like the wheel was getting stuck in the wheel well. It didn't appear to be a significant issue, so I drove the car home. There were also no warning lights or indicators. As I drove home, the problem got worse and worse to the point where I was concerned about not being safe, but also didn't want to tow my car for a short distance. When I got home, I removed the tire and discovered that the fore beam on the right side had broken and was no longer connected to the wheel. Further research has shown that this is a known issue and there was a recall for the same issue in China. Tesla states that this happens due to driver abuse and bad roads. I can assure you that this isn't the issue in this case. When I brought it to the shop, Tesla insisted on replacing both sides, which indicates a concern for this to happen again. I have requested the broken part to be returned to me so I can inspect what happened.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and slowing for a traffic light or signal, the vehicle infotainment system activated and then froze. The contact stated that the digital screen remained viewable however, the touch screen functionality was unresponsive to the touch. The contact stated that once the screen had frozen, he could not access the functions controlled by the touch screen. The contact stated that the failure required a full re-boot of the system. The contact stated that the re-boot time averaged eight to ten minutes. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed physically, and over the air, and determined that the infotainment center console needed to be replaced and the main computer processer needed to be upgraded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Hello, from what I’m told I need to replace the steering wheel controls, airbag and steering wheel harness for the horn to work.

My rear trunk lid failed to open and when I tried to open it with the emergency release cable instead the vehicle, that failed to open the back trunk lid.

Tesla sent an “Over the Air” software update to my car that compromised the original functionality as designed at the date of manufacture. The software includes advancements that when installed on the original MCU1 hardware causes connectivity issues and significant delays in the Tesla Autopilot system, making the safety assistance system untrustworthy. Tesla informed me this is expected behavior when using the new software on the MCU1 hardware and that it was on the customer to upgrade to the newer MCU2 hardware at a cost of $2250 even when the car is covered under a full warranty.

Door handle is supposed to pop out to open the door. This is the 2nd time my door handle is stuck and does not pop out, making it impossible to open the door from the outside. This appears to be a systematic defect in Tesla Model S cars as seen from numerous online complaints. It is a safety issue as not being able to open a door can prevent help from getting in in case of any accident. Tesla refuses to consider this in issue and treats it as an out-of-warranty expense to be covered by the owner. The right thing to do is to recall these broadly and fix this correctly.

Heard a pop sound as I backed from my garage. Started moving forward and heard a rubbing noise from tire. Moved car back into garage to inspect. When car was jacked up I found front following control arm broken at ball joint and completely separated. I've contacted manufacturer about repair but this could have caused severe driving hazard and lose of control if it occurred at speed. I've sent pictures manufacturer and have not heard back about repair. There was no warning of failure other than popping noise then failure.

When passing an off-ramp with a vertical wall next to the lane in which the car is travelling, the car sometimes rapidly slows down for no apparent reason. This has occurred at only two such off-ramps: North bound I-5 at 317th in Federal Way only while in the HOV lane and North bound on I-5 at the Berkeley Avenue SW exit at Camp Murray from the right lane.

This is in regards to the same complaint about the Tesla charging at the super charging being very slow on my vehicle. I went to Canada with the car charging and it was ridiculously slow even though it was at various superchargers

I was backing out of a parking space while turning the steering wheel to the right. It sounded like I was running over a plastic milk jug or something like that. I stopped the car, inspected, there was no object under the car or in the wheel wells. I looked to see if any of the wheels were rubbing on the wheel well and did not see that. I then asked a friend to watch as I backed up, moved forward, and turned the wheel. He observed that the front wheel was rubbing on the wheel well, so I had the car towed to Tesla Service SODO. The next morning I found a portion of the aluminum bearing that is part of the right fore-link assembly. I drive the car for commuting and there were no incidences of impact that could cause this.

The screen behind the steering wheel on the TESLA forms bubbles on the screen which is a common problem with these vehicles. The screen behind has controls of the vehicle and there is a fluid that leaks behind and is causing this issue. Tesla doesn’t want to accept it and repair it but so many customers with models prior to 2016 have the same problem.

Instrument cluster not powering on or crashes/glitches while operating the vehicle. This makes the vehicle unsafe to drive while auto pilot is engaged because the auto pilot system stops operating which could lead to a serious accident. The vehicle speedometer and all other instrument cluster warning systems are unavailable because the screen is off/not working. Tesla has performed a remote diagnostic and claims no issues are identified. They then proceed to upsell me the new infotainment system that will rectify this problem for $3,000 dollars.

The rear trunk will not open. An actuator locked the trunk yet the system shows it to be open. The manual opening mechanism inside the rear trunk area does not override the actuator and the trunk will not open. A warning sound does operate - alerting the driver - yet there is no access to or from the trunk using any of the electronic systems (in-vehicle buttons, mobile app or exterior buttons or handles). The manufacturer is scheduled to repair the defect within 10 days.

With my 2015 Tesla Model S. The touchscreen component that controls rear backup camera, sound volume levels, air conditioning, mirror fold capabilities, basically all the car component settings that can be configured freezes mid drive or on car startup and the touch capabilities stop being responsive. This can also be a danger because it prevents turning sound down on radio/music in the event say EMS or ambulances are near. I have read limited other reports of this online for their MCU1 component. NHTSA forced them to do a recall on the daughterboard emmc memory issue and this feels similar. Tesla says they checked all my hardware components via remote diagnostics and the hardware checks out. The only "fix" right now is hard rebooting my car mid drive which can be scary as it causes center screen to blacken out and a 4-5 minute reboot cycle mid drive required. I plan to capture a video of this seeming software bug as well for my report to Tesla and could provide to NHTSA as well.

Like everyone else who owns an early Model S, we have had numerous issues with our door handles. A couple were replaced under warranty, but now the car is out of warranty. The design is OBVIOUSLY defective. Our best friends have the same car and they have had to replace all four of them. Our car just started opening two of the doors randomly. Not just unlocking, its actually opening the doors all the way. This is seriously concerning to me. Tesla wants $700 to fix the doors. It would seem to me that Tesla needs to recall these handles or at least fix them for free as issues arise for people. Its NOT okay to have doors that randomly pop open with children in the back seat. So dumb! Please help!

Instrument cluster is coming apart at edges and progressing into the actual display area. This will cause speedometer and other information to be distorted or unreadable. It appears as though the glue used to assemble the display is deteriorating and causing the issue. The dealer has explained that it is a common issue with these vehicles. The suggested repair would cost approximately $1500. This seems unreasonable for an obvious manufacturing defect affecting many vehicles. I have included pictures of my instrument panel as well as others with the same issue.

Driver side display is distorted due to glue leak at cconsole. This is a known issue for Tesla and they are directing customers to replace their entertainment console fully at $1,500. This issue causes distortion in sunlight conditions and the following cannot be viewed clearly: Miles avail, driver gauge (park, Reverse, Neutral, drive), mph, car status, car position and warnings.

Two issues to flag: 1) Door handles are defective. I have now had to replace all 4 door handles at $500+ each. There is clearly a design issue that should have been addressed and every part failing in the same way is unacceptable. 2) Phantom braking when 'Autopilot' engaged... rarely the car will brake hard at highway speeds for no apparent reason. I have noted this seems to occur on specific parts of road such as driving under an overpass with an uphill slope... this has been dangerous and required quick reactions to prevent the car from stopping on the highway.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the liquid crystal display was leaking from the instrument panel causing a glare while driving. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the instrument panel needed to be replaced at his expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,000.

Tesla Refused honey my warranty! My car stopped charging fully. Would only charge to 23%. Took it to Tesla, they said a row of battery not functioning correctly and since the battery is under warranty until 12/2/2023 I would not be charged. But, Left car with Tesla Service on 6/7/22 for warranty battery replacement as confirmed by Tesla same day with no charge to customer per warranty item. On 6/23/22, car is but Myra Vasquez and Tesla informed that I would have to pay 1432.10 to fix and retrieve my car after which I reminded them the original reason for the service is under warranty and I should not pay anything per Tesla Service on 6/7/22. Warranty expires 12/2/2023 so I am well within my rights. Under duress and to be able to retrieve my car I had to agree to the service or would have not way to go to work or take my children to school.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the backup camera functioned intermittently and on other occasions, the image would remain frozen on the screen. The contact also stated that the MCU Unit failed and went blank on several occasions. While driving on some occasions, the MCU Unit would reboot. In addition, the defroster and turn signal chimes failed to function. The failure had gotten progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the failure persisted. The service center offered the contact a special offer of $2,000 for an Entertainment System Upgrade (NVIDIA Tegra 3 to Intel Atom Processor). The contact declined and Tesla acknowledged that there was a known issue with NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor in the MCU and that an upgrade to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 would resolve the known failure. The contact was concerned that the backup camera failure might result in a crash with another vehicle or pedestrian. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer on three separate occasions and on each occasion, the vehicle remained in their possession for approximately 2 weeks. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Sudden braking for no reason. On Autopilot on freeway. Sudden braking from 70 MPH to 15 MPH. Happens about 1 in 3 road trips. No car in front.

Rear drive unit failure Failed while driving, letters turned red and car became unresponsive. Car later became responsive between 3-10 seconds. Has occurred 5 times in a week. Dealer claims moisture to drive unit is what caused it and repair was covered under warranty except the harness attached to it, dealer charged me $599 for the harness. If seals are failing and allowing moisture to happen, which then leads vehicles to be unresponsive while driving is a huge risk. Please look into this, there are others online with the same issue

This appears to be a common problem as seen in the forums. But suddenly my steering locks at intervals when turning. Feels like the power steering went out and is very jerky. Requires a lot of force to turn the wheel. Sticks and then is loose. Apparently cause by a steering column or Lower U-joint when exposed to salt roads in northern snow climates. Also it appears Tesla has replaced this part with a covering preventing this from rusting and filling up with dirt and grime. My car does not have this feature. Hopefully the car does not lose steering completely or fail before my next appointment on June 9th. I called roadside assistance and they said to try a reset. That didn’t work.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center where it was diagnosed that the front passenger’s side knee air bag was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,057.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the camera behind the rearview mirror overheated after driving for approximately 6 hours. Additionally, the other cameras became inoperable. The auto pilot lost vision of the line and drove over the line. The contact stated that the auto connection disconnected. The contact stated that after the computer cooled down the system operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The consumer stated he resolved the issue. The problem was a faulty cable.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle took 5 – 10 minutes to be started. The contact stated that the doors and apps were inoperable. The contact stated that there were several error messages displayed. The contact was concerned about the vehicle stalling. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lightning) however, the failure occurred after the recall was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an 60 mph, the center display screen went black and then rebooted, causing the defroster, the rearview camera display, and the navigational system to become inoperable. The auto pilot function and other unknown warning messages were displayed. 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 56,000. When he reported the failure to Tesla, they believe a firmware update in the near future should fix this problem.

I am from Florida and was passing through Vegas. The time was about 9:41 pm. I was on my way from Las Vegas, NV and I charged the car to 90% and was on my way to the Kingman, AZ Supercharger (Traveling on U.S. 93). The car was at 32% at the bottom of the mountain (Approx +3400ft). The cars indicators showed arrival to Kingman supercharger @ 31%. However, while reaching near the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area (Approx +4000ft - so approx gradual 600ft climb). The car started to alert me that I needed to pull over as there is no more power. The car still showed 30% power remaining and approx 23 miles. The destination was 2.7 miles (5 min) away. The car drove for about 20 - 50ft then lost the ability to accelerate. I put my hazards on and had to cut drivers off to get over to the right shoulder (No shoulder on left) before it stopped rolling uphill. There were also no street lights (very dark) and the cell signal was very weak. I was able to call Tesla roadside who saw remotely that the car had 38% remaining power. The battery immediately started dropping quickly while talking to him. The car refused to start/go into neutral when the tow company came. We had it taken back to Vegas where it took Tesla over a month to acquire a replacement battery. I slept in the car and was not provided a loaner for months. Even had to get a job there. While waiting for the repair I discovered the cooling system had issues. Tesla won't say it but I am sure the cooling system failure led to the b

I was behind a car at a stop light when a SUV hit me very hard from behind, I hit the car in front of me. My face hit the steering wheel, 2 teeth came out whole, ripped from the gums, one tooth pushed up into my upper jaw. I got a laceration on my lower lip. i hit my forehead left side of my mouth and nose (very swollen, deviates to the right).

When using auto pilot on the freeway my vehicle sometimes comes to a halting stop for no reason putting myself and passengers in great danger.

On two or three occasions now my Model S will slow down for no apparent reason while autopilot is engaged. It's happened at speeds between 35 - 45 mph and highway speeds. Problem seems to have started after OTA updates. Car never had this problem before prior to the most recent OTA updates.

Wheel speed sensor kept getting disconnected. When it does, systems like ABS, traction control, and other anti-collisions systems are disabled immediately. This resulted in lost of vehicle control on wet pavement. The service center replaced the sensor twice but the problem continues to pop up randomly. They won’t look at the issue unless I pay for troubleshooting at $150/hr with no limit of how long or if they will find something.

System Failure: Adaptive speed control Safety Risk: My 2015 Tesla Model S, at highway speeds, smashed into the rear of a jacked up Ford F250 Pickup. A Head on collision at highway speeds put my wife (and dog) and I at great risk. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am unsure if or how Tesla is dealing with the problem of adaptable speed control failure. Has the vehicle been inspected? Yes. Dan's Paint & Autobody and USAA Insurance Company adjuster My accident happened in the southbound passing lane at mile marker 178 on I-10, south of chandler on the Gila River Community in Maricopa/Pinal County It was dark outside with heavy traffic in both southbound lanes. My software version was 2021.40.6 I had the distance between cars at the closest setting , and had the adaptive speed control set at ~75. I was attentive with both hands on the wheel, eyes forward watching traffic with my wife whom was also watching the traffic. Without warning a Ford F250 stopped hard in front of me and my adaptive speed control did not react. The few beats I gave the adaptive speed control to respond first cost me precious braking time. I did hit my abs brakes and could feel the vibration as they attempted to slow down, but it was too late. I submarined under the bumper of the truck at a very high speed. There was no warning lamps, messages at the time of the accident. There was one early symptom that I recall. There was a Tesla software update a fe

When driving above 45 MPH, there is a shuddering sound that comes from the front left of the car. After taking the car in for service, I was told that "the front AFT and Fore links are bad on the car" and need replacement.

The Navigation system stops and doesn't start. Checking on Google, I see that this has happened to many Tesla Model S owners who have an older model. This is because of a chip store card that fails after 4-6 years. On a long drive, this doesn't take us to the next super charger. This can cause the car to stop suddenly when it runs out of charge, and create risk for drivers and for other vehicles on the road too. The navigation is important on Teslas to know that one can safely complete her journey without running out of charge.

I was driving on a street and needed to stop fast to avoid rear ending a stopped car. The control arm of my car broke. There was no debris on the road and I didn't hit anything. My car was towed to a Tesla Service center and they replaced both control arms (per the service person) and charged me only $200.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The current mcu is useless. Freezes and restarts. It's really slow to utilize

No early alert before slamming on the brakes, only tapping a rear bumper on a 1999 Toyota Tundra. No damage to the Toyota but to my surprise, the insurance company said the Tesla's totaled. The airbags for the driver were deployed only, with no other passengers in the car. Quite a loud noise. I have an EDR report, not sure how to interpret it. Did not hear any warning lamps. Fortunately, both the other driver and I suffered no injuries. I would like to find out exactly what happened.

Front right suspension lower forelink sheered apart while backing out of a parking space.

The car will issue a BMS_w035 warning which is connected to the battery heater failing/failed. In this case, the car may not restart, per Tesla's on-screen warning. If this occurs while driving, or in stop-and-go traffic, this could lead to a dangerous situation of not being able to remove the car from the road safely without a tow truck. From recent incidents online, this is occurring in many 2014-2016 Model S vehicles with the colder weather change.

Driver seat and passenger seat rocks when accelerating or braking. The seats can become loose in the event of impact from being loose in the housing. The problem has been inspected and acknowledged by Tesla service center and have unsuccessfully tried to repair the vehicle. The issue has not not been fixed after multiple visit to Tesla regarding the same issue.

A recall for my main media control unit was announced in March 2021. I have STILL not received the replacement unit from Tesla. My main screen goes black while driving. I lose ability to control HVAC, navigation, music, suspension, security etc. I also am unable sometimes to drive the vehicle from standing as the car will "reboot" unexpectedly.

While I was backing out from my car garage and turn the steering wheel, I heard a squeaking sound while applying a brake on the passenger front tire area. I stopped the car and went out to check, the front passenger tire pretty much pushed all the way back touching the wheel arch liner (see photo). I called tesla and they sent a tow truck to towed it to their service center near by. I didn't realize how wide spread the issue was until I research the problem online. I filed this complaint to solidify with other people which have the same problem.

Car door would not open or get stuck.

Brake and accelerator pedals are configured such that both are easily pressed together. Other unintended acceleration or loss of brakes complaints here may be the same issue. I was cornering and needed to slow. Pressing the brake pedal did not slow the vehicle. An error that both pedals are pressed was seen in the first occurrence. This time I only heard the chime. I couldn’t look to see the message. No crash, just a scary incident.

I have developed bubbles in my central LED display. The car was being serviced. They were repairing a recalled eMMC chip. When I receive the car back, the central touchscreen had bubbles. They tell me that I need to replace it for a cost of $797. I am told that this is a safety issue oh, a fact that I can readily believe