What 647 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Tesla Model S 60

When driving with autopilot engaged, the vehicle sometimes gives alerts even when there is no vehicle or obstacle in its path. Immediately once the driver takes control, the autopilot does not disengage but continue as usual. The autopilot suddenly brakes or slows down even when there is no obstacle on a freeway.

NHTSA ODI 11506804

I brought the car in with working air, which included heating and a feature called Climate Keeper. I brought the car in with working Supercharging. I got the car back with broken Climate Keeper and soon after broken air, completely broken, and broken Supercharging. Also now the hood is bent.

NHTSA ODI 11501759

Driving slowly, in reverse, in a smooth parking lot, the front right suspension made a big thudding noise and both steering and any braking made horrible metal and other screeching noises. This was at a very low speed. The suspension part, the forward link (lower control arm) had split open and no longer held the ball joint in place. This happened without any warning of any sort, and with no (I've owned the car for about 45,000 miles and 3.5 years) known abuse of the front suspension (no hard potholes, no curb, no rough or dirt roads, only smooth well-kept roads). If this failure had happened at highway speeds or even city street speeds, losing the ability to brake and steer properly could have been disastrous and is a safety issue. Part may be available after Tesla provides service - car is under a pre-owned certified warranty. From first inspection metal "bushing" on forelink appears to be completely cracked open.

NHTSA ODI 11500031

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the passenger’s side rear door inadvertently opened. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11494689

Fatal Tesla Accident. Cause unknown. Vehicle suddenly left the highway resulting in fatal collision. Tesla model 2015 S D

NHTSA ODI 11493975

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model-S. The contact stated that he was unable to open or close the driver's side door due to the door handle not operating as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver's side door handle was replaced by a Tesla mobile Technician; however, the failure reoccurred on the rear passenger's side door handle. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger's side door would consistently open while shifting into park and would also pop open inadvertently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11493709

Driving at highway speed, swerved slightly (in lane) to avoid road debris, front aft suspension snapped suddenly and separated from ball joint causing wheel to collapse in, disabling vehicle and causing temporary loss of control in rainy conditions. There was no warning, noises, looseness or other symptoms present prior to this event, vehicle had to be towed. Pictures were taken as well as a police report. I have the broken part in my possession.

NHTSA ODI 11493083

I was driving my car around town and heard a slight knocking sound. It didn't seem to be a significant issue. Within a few hours, the knocking turned into a grinding sound. It seemed like the wheel was getting stuck in the wheel well. It didn't appear to be a significant issue, so I drove the car home. There were also no warning lights or indicators. As I drove home, the problem got worse and worse to the point where I was concerned about not being safe, but also didn't want to tow my car for a short distance. When I got home, I removed the tire and discovered that the fore beam on the right side had broken and was no longer connected to the wheel. Further research has shown that this is a known issue and there was a recall for the same issue in China. Tesla states that this happens due to driver abuse and bad roads. I can assure you that this isn't the issue in this case. When I brought it to the shop, Tesla insisted on replacing both sides, which indicates a concern for this to happen again. I have requested the broken part to be returned to me so I can inspect what happened.

NHTSA ODI 11492729

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and slowing for a traffic light or signal, the vehicle infotainment system activated and then froze. The contact stated that the digital screen remained viewable however, the touch screen functionality was unresponsive to the touch. The contact stated that once the screen had frozen, he could not access the functions controlled by the touch screen. The contact stated that the failure required a full re-boot of the system. The contact stated that the re-boot time averaged eight to ten minutes. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed physically, and over the air, and determined that the infotainment center console needed to be replaced and the main computer processer needed to be upgraded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11491961

Hello, from what I’m told I need to replace the steering wheel controls, airbag and steering wheel harness for the horn to work.

NHTSA ODI 11490674

My rear trunk lid failed to open and when I tried to open it with the emergency release cable instead the vehicle, that failed to open the back trunk lid.

NHTSA ODI 11489288

Tesla sent an “Over the Air” software update to my car that compromised the original functionality as designed at the date of manufacture. The software includes advancements that when installed on the original MCU1 hardware causes connectivity issues and significant delays in the Tesla Autopilot system, making the safety assistance system untrustworthy. Tesla informed me this is expected behavior when using the new software on the MCU1 hardware and that it was on the customer to upgrade to the newer MCU2 hardware at a cost of $2250 even when the car is covered under a full warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11488815

Door handle is supposed to pop out to open the door. This is the 2nd time my door handle is stuck and does not pop out, making it impossible to open the door from the outside. This appears to be a systematic defect in Tesla Model S cars as seen from numerous online complaints. It is a safety issue as not being able to open a door can prevent help from getting in in case of any accident. Tesla refuses to consider this in issue and treats it as an out-of-warranty expense to be covered by the owner. The right thing to do is to recall these broadly and fix this correctly.

NHTSA ODI 11487562

Heard a pop sound as I backed from my garage. Started moving forward and heard a rubbing noise from tire. Moved car back into garage to inspect. When car was jacked up I found front following control arm broken at ball joint and completely separated. I've contacted manufacturer about repair but this could have caused severe driving hazard and lose of control if it occurred at speed. I've sent pictures manufacturer and have not heard back about repair. There was no warning of failure other than popping noise then failure.

NHTSA ODI 11487122

When passing an off-ramp with a vertical wall next to the lane in which the car is travelling, the car sometimes rapidly slows down for no apparent reason. This has occurred at only two such off-ramps: North bound I-5 at 317th in Federal Way only while in the HOV lane and North bound on I-5 at the Berkeley Avenue SW exit at Camp Murray from the right lane.

NHTSA ODI 11485675

This is in regards to the same complaint about the Tesla charging at the super charging being very slow on my vehicle. I went to Canada with the car charging and it was ridiculously slow even though it was at various superchargers

NHTSA ODI 11483588

I was backing out of a parking space while turning the steering wheel to the right. It sounded like I was running over a plastic milk jug or something like that. I stopped the car, inspected, there was no object under the car or in the wheel wells. I looked to see if any of the wheels were rubbing on the wheel well and did not see that. I then asked a friend to watch as I backed up, moved forward, and turned the wheel. He observed that the front wheel was rubbing on the wheel well, so I had the car towed to Tesla Service SODO. The next morning I found a portion of the aluminum bearing that is part of the right fore-link assembly. I drive the car for commuting and there were no incidences of impact that could cause this.

NHTSA ODI 11482427

The screen behind the steering wheel on the TESLA forms bubbles on the screen which is a common problem with these vehicles. The screen behind has controls of the vehicle and there is a fluid that leaks behind and is causing this issue. Tesla doesn’t want to accept it and repair it but so many customers with models prior to 2016 have the same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11481326

Instrument cluster not powering on or crashes/glitches while operating the vehicle. This makes the vehicle unsafe to drive while auto pilot is engaged because the auto pilot system stops operating which could lead to a serious accident. The vehicle speedometer and all other instrument cluster warning systems are unavailable because the screen is off/not working. Tesla has performed a remote diagnostic and claims no issues are identified. They then proceed to upsell me the new infotainment system that will rectify this problem for $3,000 dollars.

NHTSA ODI 11481478

The rear trunk will not open. An actuator locked the trunk yet the system shows it to be open. The manual opening mechanism inside the rear trunk area does not override the actuator and the trunk will not open. A warning sound does operate - alerting the driver - yet there is no access to or from the trunk using any of the electronic systems (in-vehicle buttons, mobile app or exterior buttons or handles). The manufacturer is scheduled to repair the defect within 10 days.

NHTSA ODI 11480300

With my 2015 Tesla Model S. The touchscreen component that controls rear backup camera, sound volume levels, air conditioning, mirror fold capabilities, basically all the car component settings that can be configured freezes mid drive or on car startup and the touch capabilities stop being responsive. This can also be a danger because it prevents turning sound down on radio/music in the event say EMS or ambulances are near. I have read limited other reports of this online for their MCU1 component. NHTSA forced them to do a recall on the daughterboard emmc memory issue and this feels similar. Tesla says they checked all my hardware components via remote diagnostics and the hardware checks out. The only "fix" right now is hard rebooting my car mid drive which can be scary as it causes center screen to blacken out and a 4-5 minute reboot cycle mid drive required. I plan to capture a video of this seeming software bug as well for my report to Tesla and could provide to NHTSA as well.

NHTSA ODI 11479539

Like everyone else who owns an early Model S, we have had numerous issues with our door handles. A couple were replaced under warranty, but now the car is out of warranty. The design is OBVIOUSLY defective. Our best friends have the same car and they have had to replace all four of them. Our car just started opening two of the doors randomly. Not just unlocking, its actually opening the doors all the way. This is seriously concerning to me. Tesla wants $700 to fix the doors. It would seem to me that Tesla needs to recall these handles or at least fix them for free as issues arise for people. Its NOT okay to have doors that randomly pop open with children in the back seat. So dumb! Please help!

NHTSA ODI 11478713

Instrument cluster is coming apart at edges and progressing into the actual display area. This will cause speedometer and other information to be distorted or unreadable. It appears as though the glue used to assemble the display is deteriorating and causing the issue. The dealer has explained that it is a common issue with these vehicles. The suggested repair would cost approximately $1500. This seems unreasonable for an obvious manufacturing defect affecting many vehicles. I have included pictures of my instrument panel as well as others with the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11476675

Driver side display is distorted due to glue leak at cconsole. This is a known issue for Tesla and they are directing customers to replace their entertainment console fully at $1,500. This issue causes distortion in sunlight conditions and the following cannot be viewed clearly: Miles avail, driver gauge (park, Reverse, Neutral, drive), mph, car status, car position and warnings.

NHTSA ODI 11476174

Two issues to flag: 1) Door handles are defective. I have now had to replace all 4 door handles at $500+ each. There is clearly a design issue that should have been addressed and every part failing in the same way is unacceptable. 2) Phantom braking when 'Autopilot' engaged... rarely the car will brake hard at highway speeds for no apparent reason. I have noted this seems to occur on specific parts of road such as driving under an overpass with an uphill slope... this has been dangerous and required quick reactions to prevent the car from stopping on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11474720