Tesla Model S problems: recalls, complaints and what they cost

What goes wrong with the Tesla Model S?

Across 3 model years sampled between 2012 and 2015, NHTSA records 28 recall entries — one campaign counts once for each model year it covers, so the number of distinct campaigns is lower — and 519 owner complaints for the Tesla Model S. Counts track how many were sold as much as how good the vehicle is, so the useful signal is which components the complaints cluster on and which years stand out against the rest of the run.

Where complaints concentrate

Electrical System draws the most reports on this nameplate. That is a starting point rather than a verdict — a component can dominate because it genuinely fails or simply because it is the part owners notice. Match it against what your own vehicle is doing before spending anything.

By model year

Model year 2014 is not in this retrieval, which means no records were returned for it — not that there were none. Use the year selector above to query that year live.

Older years accumulate more complaints simply by being on the road longer, so compare a year against its neighbours rather than against the newest one.

Recent safety recalls

Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit. Take the campaign number to any franchised dealer. How recalls work.

Recall text above is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice, affected VIN ranges and dealer instructions.

Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-08. Use the year selector above for the current live figures.

How does a electric or hybrid typically fail?

Electrified vehicles remove most of the classic failure points — no timing belt, no exhaust, far less brake wear thanks to regeneration — and add a different set. Complaints cluster around charging hardware, 12-volt batteries (which still strand electrified cars exactly like petrol ones), thermal management, and software. Note that the high-voltage pack is usually under a longer separate warranty than the rest of the car.

What should I check first?

For a electric or hybrid, the systems worth ruling out before anything else are charging faults, 12-volt battery age, remaining pack warranty. Match what the vehicle is actually doing to the guide below — each one opens with a safety verdict, not a parts list.

• Battery light on
• Won't start — silence
• Engine overheating
• Shaking at highway speed

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a defect the manufacturer must fix free of charge, forever, with no mileage limit and regardless of how many owners the car has had. A complaint is one owner’s report filed with NHTSA. One complaint is an anecdote; two hundred naming the same component is a pattern, and patterns are what you want before you buy or before you authorise a large repair. Read the complaint list by concentration, never by total — a model that sold three times as many units collects roughly three times as many complaints while being no worse.

What should I check before buying one?

Check the remaining high-voltage battery warranty in years and miles, and whether it transfers to you. Then check the 12-volt battery's age — it is the humble part that most often leaves an EV owner stranded, and almost nobody thinks to look at it.

Beyond that, the checks that find expensive problems are the same on any vehicle: see it started from stone cold, look under the oil cap, smell the transmission fluid, and scan it for stored and recently-cleared codes. Our used car inspection checklist walks through each one, and why cars fail explains how systemic defects emerge in the first place.

Questions people ask