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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 · Fuel system · clear filters

Jun 12, 2022Electrical systemFuel system

Both the 12 volt system and High voltage battery system or a component communicating between the two failed. I received a warning message that my vehicle may not restart and within 30 seconds it completely shutdown while driving in the middle of the road. The vehicle was essentially dead weight at this point. None of its features worked, the ability to unlock it, the ability to use electronic doors and windows functions could not be performed. it could not even be jumped to start the computer enabling it to be towed or put in neutral to even remove the vehicle from the roadway. The manufacturer has confirmed an inner fault within the High Voltage battery pack. I have since purchased and replaced this entire battery pack as it was said to be unserviceable.

NHTSA ODI 11468855

May 17, 2021Electrical systemFuel system

eMMU seem to have caused "Console display not available error"

NHTSA ODI 11417527

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 →