Jan 2, 2020Body & structure
SLOWLY BACKING UP AND REAR SUB FRAME MOTOR MOUNT BROKE. ON A CITY STREET UNDER 5MPH
NHTSA ODI 11296639
Home · 2012 Tesla Model S Bev · Complaints
What 59 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Tesla Model S Bev
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
All (59)Crash / fire / injury (4)Electrical system (36)Suspension (9)Visibility & wipers (6)Lights (5)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Equipment (3)Backup camera & sensors (2)Body & structure (2)Fuel system (2)Brakes (1)
2 of 59 complaints match · Body & structure · clear filters
May 16, 2019Body & structure
I HAVE A 2012 TESLA MODEL S P85 WITH 90,000 MILES. I NOTICED THE CAR FISHTAIL AGGRESSIVELY WHEN I ACCELERATED A FEW WEEKS AGO AT FREEWAY SPEEDS OF 55MPH AND ABOVE, TOOK IT IN TO TESLA SERVICE AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT I HAD A CRACK IN MY SUBFRAME. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, NEVER BOTTOMED OUT OR BEEN DRIVEN OFF-ROAD, JUST NORMAL STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. I WAS QUOTED $3,300 TO HAVE THIS FIXED, THEY WILL REPLACE WITH A NEW OR RE-MANUFACTURED SUBFRAME . I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF ANOTHER PERSONS SUBFRAME WHERE THE METAL SHEARED AWAY. THE AREA IN THE MIDDLE IS WHERE THE DRIVE UNIT IS PLACED, APPARENTLY THERE ARE NO MOTOR MOUNTS (RUBBER) THE DRIVE UNIT SITS DIRECTLY ON METAL (ALUMINUM). COULD THIS BE CONSIDERED METAL FATIGUE OR A BAD BATCH OF METAL RECEIVED BY TESLA.
NHTSA ODI 11208159
Working with the data? Download all 59 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Tesla Model S Bev verdict →