Tesla Model S problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 9 model years (2018–2026), NHTSA has logged 723 owner complaints and 31 safety recalls for the Tesla Model S. That averages 16.1 complaints per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (index 0.40 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Electric vehicles segment it ranks #2 of 10 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 50.8.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is worsening. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2023 and 2024 models run 314% above the 2018 and 2019 models (60 early complaints per model year versus 15).
The 2021 model year has the highest rate (30.9 complaints per year) and the 2019 model year the lowest (4.1). Model years 2021, 2022 and 2023 run at least 50% above this model's average of 16.1 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years. The 2019 model year runs at least 40% below this model's average of 16.1 complaints per year on the road.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Unspecified or other (18.4% of complaints), followed by Driver-assist systems (16.9%) and Electrical (14.8%). Unspecified or other complaints are 2.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 78 complaints (10.8%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 31 injuries and 1 death.
In the last 12 months owners filed 64 complaints versus 100 in the previous 12 months — down 36%. The 2022 model year generated the most recent reports (18). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 21 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 31 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2022 (12), 18 fixable over the air. 19 NHTSA investigations have covered this model, 6 still open; the latest is “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions” (engineering analysis, opened 2026-03-18, still open).
Within its segment it has more complaints per year than Chevrolet Bolt EV, but fewer than Tesla Model X, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning and Kia EV6.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 128 | 14.6 | 0.36 | 0 | 11 | Electrical | View › |
| 2019 Fewest complaints | 32 | 4.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 10 | Wheels, tires & suspension | View › |
| 2020 | 80 | 11.8 | 0.29 | 4 | 11 | Driver-assist systems | View › |
| 2021 ▲50%+ | 179 | 30.9 | 0.77 | 13 | 24 | Driver-assist systems | View › |
| 2022 ▲50%+ | 139 | 29.0 | 0.72 | 18 | 20 | Unspecified or other | View › |
| 2023 ▲50%+ | 114 | 30.1 | 0.75 | 17 | 13 | Unspecified or other | View › |
| 2024 | 38 | 13.6 | 0.34 | 2 | 6 | Driver-assist systems | View › |
| 2025 Too new to rank | 6 | 3.4 | 0.08 | 4 | 2 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2026 Too new to rank | 7 | 7.0 | 0.17 | 6 | 0 | Unspecified or other | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 64 · Previous 12 months: 100 Falling
Problem areas
Unspecified or other ›
133 · 18.4% · 2.05 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Driver-assist systems ›
122 · 16.9% · 2.95 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Electrical ›
107 · 14.8% · 0.94 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Wheels, tires & suspension ›
94 · 13.0% · 5.19 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Steering ›
84 · 11.6% · 1.81 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Body & structure ›
50 · 6.9% · 0.76 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Brakes ›
49 · 6.8% · 1.12 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Transmission / powertrain
23 · 3.2% · 0.27 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Other
21 · 2.9% · 1.57 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Airbags & seat belts
19 · 2.6% · 0.69 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Lighting
14 · 1.9% · 1.25 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Engine
4 · 0.6% · 0.02 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Fuel system
3 · 0.4% · 0.1 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 21 months
What owners report
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.
I was driving to work this morning and engaged FSD mode in standard when suddenly the vehicle began to speed towards traffic and did not slow down while approaching a stopped semi truck.
I am getting an error of the Tesla Front Passenger Restraint System Fault. This is a known issue among Tesla owners and Tesla wants to charge for repair/replacement when this is a design flaw.
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.
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\.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Electric vehicles
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Bolt EV | 544 | 14.8 | 0.37 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 13 | Electrical |
| 2 | Tesla Model S | 723 | 16.1 | 0.4 | Worsening | Falling | 31 | Unspecified or other |
| 3 | Tesla Model X | 752 | 17.1 | 0.42 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 33 | Unspecified or other |
| 4 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | 678 | 24.8 | 0.61 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 0 | Electrical |
| 5 | Ford F-150 Lightning | 551 | 33.4 | 0.83 | Improving | Falling | 2 | Electrical |
| 6 | Kia EV6 | 544 | 37.8 | 0.94 | Improving | Rising | 5 | Electrical |
| 7 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 1,011 | 48.3 | 1.2 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 25 | Electrical |
| 8 | Tesla Model 3 | 4,327 | 91.6 | 2.27 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 36 | Driver-assist systems |
| 9 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,359 | 93.8 | 2.32 | Improving | Rising | 15 | Electrical |
| 10 | Tesla Model Y | 3,850 | 112.3 | 2.78 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 43 | Driver-assist systems |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 31
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 0
- Over-the-air fix: 18
Safety recalls: 2018 (11) · 2019 (10) · 2020 (11) · 2021 (24) · 2022 (20) · 2023 (13) · 2024 (6) · 2025 (2) · 2026 (0)
Investigations
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions Open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time …
- Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged Open
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation sy…
- Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements Open
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to b…
- Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness Open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Autopilot is the simulta…
- Sudden Unintended Acceleration Open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial. The petiti…
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture Open
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt…