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What 365 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Tesla Model S 75d

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 (365)Crash / fire / injury (59)Electrical system (132)Suspension (90)Lights (27)Steering (27)Transmission & drivetrain (27)Body & structure (26)Fuel system (24)Speed control (22)Visibility & wipers (17)Airbags (13)

5 of 365 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 12, 2026SteeringCrash1 injury

The contact owned a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the vehicle exited into a tunnel. The contact stated that his hands were on the steering wheel and that the steering wheel did not move; however, the vehicle inadvertently made a sharp left turn, and the passenger-side headlight struck the tunnel wall. The vehicle spun rapidly, and the contact's head snapped to the right. The air bags did not deploy. The contact received medical attention for whiplash. Police were made aware of the crash but did not arrive on the scene. There was no police report filed. The contact pulled over on the shoulder of the road and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle had driven for a mile when the tire pressure dropped to zero. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to a tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ODI 11717659

Aug 20, 2022SteeringSuspensionBrakesCrash

This is a follow up to my last two complaints of sudden swerves that are probably causd by suspension failure. It is in my opinion highly probable that the suspension is likely to snap when brakes are suddenly slammed on hard at speed. This is known as Tesla "Phantom Braking" and you have hundreds of complaints about this on file. This situation is extremely dangerous. Not only might a Tesla that Phantom Brakes be run over by a following truck but if the suspension snaps it can cause the Tesla to veer into the oncoming lane with fatal results. As a precautionary measure I believe you should immediately ban Tesla adaptive cruise control and autopilot because these are the reason that phantom braking occurs. People are getting killed almost daily. Please stop this deadly experiment. Here is a near miss event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTk_T4olbws&lc=UgyIL5XI31XvUg7cg_F4AaABAg

NHTSA ODI 11480299

Aug 19, 2022SteeringSuspensionCrash

This is a follow up report on the issue of sudden swerves by Teslas that have often proved fatal. Please note that I have used a random VIN since the VIN of the car in the crash is unknown. Also please not that as a non US resident I have had to use a dummy US address to enable the report. My true contact details are supplied. Here is a video taken by dashcam showing a Tesla ( actual year and model unknown) making a sudden violent swerve to the left and then back to the right and colliding with other vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTk_T4olbws Sudden suspension breakages are happening to all years and models of Telsas. The quality of parts is not good and Tesla does not follow up on the causes of these failures. I beg of you to take action before more tragic crashes occur. They are crashes, not accidents. There is nothing accidental about weak suspensions snapping on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11480273

Aug 16, 2022SteeringSuspensionCrash4 deaths

Please note that this complaint is about a fatal crash involving a 2014 Tesla Model S but because I do not know the VIN I have used the VIN of a wrecked car in a junkyard. Please also note that I have supplied my full name and contact details in this submission but I have used a dummy USA address to satisfy your website requirements. I have been informed that is OK for a non-Tesla owner and a non-US resident to file a complaint particularly when it is regarding a defect that is a danger to the public. There has been a quadruple fatality crash today in which a Tesla veered into the front of an oncoming semi. https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/08/15/four-killed-when-tesla-and-big-rig-collide-near-hollister/ The 2014 Tesla predates Autopilot so it is almost certain that this sudden swerve into the truck was caused by a mechanical failure, Teslas have been suddenly swerving since the Tesla was first released. There is sufficient evidence from the actual owners complaints that are listed on NHTSA database. Additionally my Flickr Album shows multiple examples of broken suspensions and also a report from an employee of a cast alloy suspension part supplier who reports that proper quality procedures were not followed. https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@N05/albums/72157658490111523

NHTSA ODI 11479483

Jan 31, 2017SteeringSuspensionCrash

HERE IS ANOTHER TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://M.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETENC.ASPX?AUCTIONID=0&ITEMID=24154272&ROWID=37&PAGESOURCE=VEHICLERESULTS THE SUSPENSION HAS COLLAPSED ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. THE FRONT RH TIRE IS GOUGED AND COMPLETELY PEELED OFF THE RIM. IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLR FOR THIS TO HAVE OCCURRED POST COLLISION. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS THAT IT POINTS TO A DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION WEAKNESS. PLEASE START AN URGENT INVESTIGATION. THESE CARS ARE LARGE HEAVY AND HIGH POWERED AND PRESENT A DANGER TO ALL ROAD USERS. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT THE OWNER, THE DATE OF INCIDENT AND OTHER DETAILS ARE BASED ON MY ANALYSIS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INSPECT THE CAR AND INVESTIGATE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CRASH.

NHTSA ODI 10948601

Working with the data? Download all 365 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 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 2014 Tesla Model S 75d verdict →