What breaks most · 2012 to 2026 model years
Tesla Model S problems by year
Owners have filed 3,384 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S across model years 2012 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2015 for electrical system complaints, 2016 for suspension complaints and 2013 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2024, 2019 and 2012.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2019, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 33842012 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2015667 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 39662 fires · 200 injuries · 32 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 42kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 153Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 4 | 8 | Electrical system (37) | |
| 459 | 41 | 11 | Electrical system (195) | |
| 365 | 52 | 9 | Electrical system (132) | |
| 667 | 70 | 9 | Electrical system (265) | |
| 645 | 92 | 10 | Suspension (209) | |
| 424 | 55 | 9 | Electrical system (113) | |
| 168 | 36 | 11 | Forward collision system (49) | |
| 44 | 4 | 10 | Forward collision system (12) | |
| 80 | 16 | 11 | Forward collision system (23) | |
| 176 | 13 | 24 | Forward collision system (47) | |
| 136 | 3 | 20 | Unknown or other (34) | |
| 112 | 8 | 13 | Unknown or other (58) | |
| 38 | 2 | 6 | Unknown or other (23) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Forward collision system (2) |
What fails on the 2015 Tesla Model S
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 40% |
265 | 9 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 28% |
189 | 18 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 22% |
149 | 30 | Shop suspension parts for the 2015 Tesla Model S |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
51 | 3 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
46 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2015 Tesla Model S |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
40 | 16 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
32 | 2 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 5% |
31 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
EMMC failed prior to recall and was replaced by 3rd party vendor. Recall reimbursement was denied. Emailed Tesla multiple times without response
-
I was slowly backing up to charge my car and heard a thump then my wheel was rubbing against the wheel well. When I looked under the wheel to see what was happening, I discover the metal suspension had snapped off. This was the front passenger side.
-
The instrument panel went blank permanently posing a safety hazard due to loss of vehicle function status indicators such as speed, direction, gauges, warnings, and signaling.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Tesla Model S years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016, 2013 carry the most filings on the Tesla Model S. The 2015 alone has 667 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Tesla Model S problem?
On the 2015 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 265 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Tesla Model S problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Tesla Model S complaints that include mileage is about 42,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.