What 365 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Tesla Model S P90d

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that her husband had buckled their son in the rear passenger’s seat and closed the door; however, while her husband was attempting to open the driver’s side door, the vehicle locked independently. The contact’s husband attempted to unlock the vehicle with the key fob however, the vehicle would not unlock. The contact stated that her husband downloaded the Tesla App to attempt to unlock the vehicle but the vehicle remained locked. The contact’s son also attempted to unlock the vehicle from the inside however, the vehicle failed to unlock or start-up. The contact’s husband was able to lower the rear passenger’s side window and remove the child from the vehicle. The contact stated that several hours later she was able to unlock and start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center however, the mechanic found no failure with the vehicle. The mechanic stated that the vehicle might have rebooted itself. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11485910

Have experienced phantom braking at high speeds which could cause a rear end collision involving the vehicle or vehicles behind me. The phantom braking occurs about once per 500 to 750 miles and always occurs while traveling on the freeway at 60 to 70 mph. Approximately 80% of the time, it occurs at exactly the same place just before a large freeway sign. The occurrences are regardless of surrounding traffic. Sometimes it occurs with many other cars (at safe distance from me), sometimes with a few cars around me and sometimes with no cars within 100 yards in any direction. This one location is located in mid-California, at the north end of Ventura, on US 101 (freeway) northbound about 200 yards south of the Highway 33 (Ojai) cutoff.

NHTSA ODI 11484896

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

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

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

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model- S. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH another vehicle was merging into the left lane where she was driving, and she made an immediate turn into the right lane. The contact stated she felt the vehicle pulled strongly into the right lane and then pulled back strongly into the left lane, and it happen several times until the vehicle started to operate normally. The dealer was contacted and was not able to set an appointment. The failure mileage was 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479384

During my ownership of the car I have experienced very severe issues with the door handles. in total I have replaced 5 door handles in just my ownership. Meaning that I have replaced the same door handle more than once. One particular instance I had an issue while I was on a job where both the door handles on the driver side failed at one time. One was a mechanical malfunction and the other was a software related problem. I ended having to climb across the car for 3 weeks before they could get me into my appointment. Tesla has the ability to fix the problem. They have stated several times to me that it is just an outdated door handle with poor parts that they used on the first generation. if you have a child locked in the car it could be a serious issue.

NHTSA ODI 11478000

Air bubbles and leaking glue on instrument cluster obscuring visibility of speedometer and other displays.

NHTSA ODI 11477964

My 2014 Tesla Model S is an unsafe vehicle as my dash goes black constantly and I lose control of the car safety items included in the dash panel such as speed, back up camera, visibility and power train. I have complained many times but Tesla does not respond with results that will make the car safe again.

NHTSA ODI 11475648

The door handles on my car get excessively hot in warmer weather. My 7 year old daughter burnt her hand attempting to open the door. I’m unsure of what material they are made out of, however it is impossible to open without using something to put over them first. I will be getting a temperature on them today. I’ve never had this be an issue with any other vehicle previously.

NHTSA ODI 11475148

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was delaminating and distorted. The contact was unable to see the messages and sensors. The contact stated that the liquid crystal fluid was leaking. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470279

While driving the car at regular freeway speeds (50-65 MPH) on a sunny spring day, the vehicle displayed a warning message that "Power steering was reduced." This made steering the vehicle more difficult and dangerous in curves or during unexpected lane adjustments to accommodate traffic changes. The car's warning message did not go away and continued to warn that "Power steering was reduced." After bringing the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center, the staff confirmed that the steering rack and the harnesses attached to the steering motor had corroded and needed to be replaced. This Tesla model and year had another voluntary recall due to the bolts on the steering bolt corroding but the Tesla Service staff said this new issue was not related to the bolts but rather than steering rack and harnesses connected to the steering motor. When I asked what causes the steering rack and harnesses to fail, the technician said that exposure to the elements light water and snow causes corrosion. I asked if there was any way to prevent this from happening again and they said no. He mentioned that Tesla's newer Model S models now have a protective gear around the steering rack to prevent water corrosion but that the older Model S models did not have this protection and thus caused them to corrode and eventually fail. This issue is not normal wear and tear. This steering rack and harness failure has to do with exposure to the elements, the same reason that led Tesla to do a voluntary recall on the steering motor bolts. This steering rack issue is caused by the same issue affecting the steering motor bolts and therefore, Tesla should do a recall and replace the rack and harnesses at no cost to the customer.

NHTSA ODI 11469373

Driver's door handle does not function. When car is unlocked, the door handle pops out BUT the door will not open. I had this same issue two years ago with the front passenger door handle and see that this is a recall item on my model (S) for vehicles starting in year 2016. Don't know why the 2014 sedan is not included in this recall, as it should be. It is a safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11465987

The instrument cluster display screen on this model used defective adhesive causing "bubbling" and blurring of the information displayed, and may include the speed of the vehicle. This bubbling defect in the instrument cluster screen is a know defect by Tesla who is currently charging customers approximately $1600 to repair. This defect in the screen can make it impossible to determine the speed of the vehicle, as this is the only place it is displayed. The attached photo is not of my car but it shows what happens as these instrument clusters break down and blur visibility.

NHTSA ODI 11459715

Front end suspension started making creaking noises, rattles when driving over bumps and holes, steering wheel makes popping sound when turning. Had estimate from Tesla for repair totaling almost $7,000. After doing some research myself this is a common issue with these vehicles from 2012-2018 and some have been repaired at no cost to keep consumers quiet about the issues.

NHTSA ODI 11457037

The autopilot will apply the brakes in what is basically a panic stop any time you are decending from a hill and there is an overpass crossing the roadway. It happens to me on a particular stretch of the freeway almost every single time, and has happened multiple times. Each and every time it occurs it is as the vehicle is decending from a rise and there is an overpass ahead. For some reason the vehicle detects the overpass as an obstruction and slams the brakes. This has happened at least half a dozen times. Fortunately there was never a car following me very closely. I make it a point when I use the auto pilot to be ready to take over at a moment's notice whenever there is an overpass ahead. The vehicle did this with the OLD (original MCS) and the NEW one Tesla just installed.

NHTSA ODI 11453901

creaking noise when turning wheel. suspension jumpy when driving over bumps. taken to tesla service center found to have cracked aft left and right suspension links which were subsequently replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11453309

noticed very loud HVAC fan noise when car trying to cool off battery during moderate to warm weather. taken to tesla service center found to have broken front vent louvers which were replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11453310

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated she was unable to start the vehicle and the battery was replaced. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11451931

On January 3, 2022, at approximately 7:30pm we plugged our car into a dedicated 240v outlet that was installed by a licensed electrician and permitted by the city of Menlo Park. At approximately 8:30pm the charge was interrupted and then started again (per Tesla's records). We heard a couple of small noises and then a louder noise at 8:38pm. We opened the garage door and saw a large flame where the charging cord plugs into the outlet.

NHTSA ODI 11450891

When using Autopilot / TAC cruise control the vehicle sometimes applies the brakes for no reason.

NHTSA ODI 11449988

This vehicle has a faulty parking break that will enable it to roll when placed in park. Tesla previously recalled this issue on Model S and X but wants us to pay $1486.66 to have this repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11444793

The TPMS system has failed and has been a known issue with Telsa since 2014. The system will not reset and Telsa has said it has to be upgraded for 1000. The warning light comes on randomly and goes away after the car drives for a while or gets parked.

NHTSA ODI 11444886

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact noticed that there was acid leaking from the vehicle onto the contact’s foot causing the foot to burn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the screen seal failed which cause the screen to leak and both screens needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444576

The vehicle was part of the eMMc recall, we paid out of pocket, approved for reimbursement but Tesla refuses to actually pay

NHTSA ODI 11440969