2026 Tesla Model S

Routine

Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the throttle and acceleration. No safety recall has been issued.

Too new to rank against other Tesla Model S years; complaints take a few years to arrive. Which Tesla Model S years to avoid →

Most common 2026 Tesla Model S problems

2 of the 8 complaints (25%) are about the throttle and acceleration.

ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Vehicle Speed Control · throttle and acceleration2
000
Unknown or Other2
111
Visibility/Wiper · wipers1
000
Suspension1
000
Service Brakes · brakes1
000
Power Train › Manual Transmission › Column Shift Assembly · transmission1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Power Train › Manual Transmission › Column Shift Assembly
Filed Oct 29, 2026DC

Please see attachment

Unknown or OtherCrashFire1 injured
Filed Oct 12, 2026CA

I purchase my Tesla Model S in February 2026. Shortly after the purchase, My Tesla car drove through red light twice with its Full Self Drive (FSD) engaged. Recently my car crashed into a planter wall with its FSD system engaged while I was trying to take over. The car immediately caught fire following the collision. There are significant concerns that I would like to raise here: 1. After the crash, fire started immediately followed by two explosions, the exterior door handles did not deploy, creating a potential emergency rescue hazard. If I had not been able to use the manual release, I could have lost my life in the fire/explosions. I am a physician. After this accident, I tried to educate all my patients, coworkers and friends. I found out that more than half of the Tesla drivers in my patient population, coworkers and friends did not know where the manual releases were. 2. Tesla heavily promotes FSD, creating consumer expectations about its capabilities and safety. I believe that I was misled about how safe the system was. The sales representatives did not adequately inform me about potential risks that I now believe were important to my purchasing decision. My experience raises concerns about whether consumers are receiving clear, prominent, accurate, and understandable information about FSD's actual capabilities, operational limitations, and safety risks before purchasing or relying on the system. Consumers could be led to overestimate the system's capabilities and rel

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Oct 5, 2026CT

COMPONENT: The rear window glass has optical distortion in the zone viewed through the interior rearview mirror. Vehicles behind me visibly warp and change apparent size as they move across the affected area of the glass. The vehicle and component are available for inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The distortion impairs my ability to accurately judge the position, size, distance, and closing speed of following vehicles. A smaller vehicle, such as a motorcycle, could be misjudged or lost in the distorted zone during a lane change, creating a collision risk. The condition is present at all times while driving. REPRODUCED/CONFIRMED: Yes. Tesla Service (365 Caldwell Dr, Springfield, MA) confirmed during my service visit that the same distortion exists on multiple other newer Model S vehicles, characterizing it as a normal aesthetic of the rear glass. Tesla stated in writing on [XXX] that "mild distortion is still to be expected with curved glass." Tesla replaced the rear glass; the replacement exhibits the same distortion, slightly worse. At vehicle pickup on [XXX], the Tesla Service Manager verbally acknowledged the issue was not resolved and stated all such glasses are similar. Tesla later closed the case stating in writing that technicians confirmed no distortion exists, contradicting its prior statements. INSPECTED BY: The manufacturer (Tesla Service) inspected the vehicle twice, including a stated inspection and test drive after the glass replacement. No police or insur

Suspension
Filed Oct 2, 2026FL

Subject: Safety Concern—Model S Plaid Rear Tire Wear I am submitting a formal complaint regarding severe premature wear on the inside edges of both rear tires on my Model S Plaid\. I have owned the vehicle since XXX, and it has only 11,980 miles\. Both tires appear to have exposed cords along the inside edges, while tread remains elsewhere\. I have attached a photo\. Approximately 99% of my driving is with FSD engaged\. This uneven wear raises serious safety concerns and may indicate an alignment or suspension issue\. I was advised not to use Low suspension mode or “Mad Max” mode\. Please clarify which settings this refers to, explain the technical basis, and identify where this restriction appears in Tesla’s operating instructions\. I expect to use the vehicle’s factory features as instructed without severe tire damage or increased risk of failure\. I was also told that some owners have installed aftermarket adjustable camber arms to address similar wear\. The attached photo shows N2itive SX\-P2 arms advertised at $995, excluding installation and alignment\. I am concerned about having to purchase aftermarket parts to correct this condition\. Please: - Inspect both rear tires, alignment, suspension components, and ride\-height calibration\. - Provide alignment measurements and confirm whether they meet factory specifications\. - Identify the cause and a Tesla\-approved solution to prevent recurrence\. - Explain whether this wear is considered normal at 11,980 miles\. - Evalu

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Sep 29, 2026KS

Speed profiles don't adhere to actual speed limits. Speed can be higher or lower than posted. I can be driving in a 55mph speed zone and it will drop to 35 then accelerate to 65. On roads that have no speed limit posted car tends to want to go 55 rather than a more sensible speed of under 30, especially at night on a dirt road with wildlife about. Car will also see access road speed signs and slow down in the middle of traffic. To me i don't feel safe and have to disengage the system which adds stress to the drive. Being able to set my own speed is the solution, not having the car set it.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jun 17, 2026CO

Supervised FSD does not have a remedy if it assigns an incorrect speed limit to the current roadway. The only action available is to disengage FSD. This incorrect speed limit happens quite often, especially in construction zones with temporary speed limit changes. Tesla used to have a ‘max speed’ setting that the driver could use to override an incorrect speed limit, but they removed that capability.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 31, 2025KS

Car will just brake on the highway with out warning. Cruise control will just randomly change speeds. I was traveling on an overpass and speed dropped to 35 then jumped to 60mph.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 13, 2025PA

I was using Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised capability. We were turning left and the car took us into an oncoming turn lane. I had to take over to get us out of the lane.

All 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2015
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2026 — this page8010Routine
20256200Routine
202438600Routine
20231151300Routine
20221402000Routine
20211792421Fatalities reported
2020801100Routine
2019441000Routine
20181701130Routine
2017431940High concern
201665010128Fatalities reported
20156699124Fatalities reported
20143679913Fatalities reported
201346111195Fatalities reported
201261811Fatalities reported

Compare every Model S year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.