Home · 2015 Tesla Model S 60 · Complaints

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

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 (647)Crash / fire / injury (79)Electrical system (256)Suspension (147)Steering (51)Lights (44)Speed control (40)Visibility & wipers (37)Fuel system (30)Body & structure (29)Transmission & drivetrain (29)Driver assistance (26)

Newest first · 647 complaints · page 7 of 26

Jun 29, 2021

Tesla refuses to provide the recall service despite my vehicle VIN being on the recall list

NHTSA ODI 11422725

Jun 18, 2021

Battery Range diminished and Battery Charging since Software update decrease speed to very slow.

NHTSA ODI 11421391

Jun 15, 2021Suspension

The information that is being provided should be added to a previous submission that was incomplete. - What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. See attached estimate from TESLA for repairs. At slow speeds, when making a left turn out of the driveway or into a parking space, I noticed something is wobbling in the right front tire suspension. It was not tight. It resembles a loose ball in socket wobble. It was first felt with approximately 98,000 miles on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken in for the last checkup prior to the end of the extended warranty, but the problem was not discovered. I did not understand what was wrong with the vehicle until I took it in to TESLA to have a nail removed from the left rear. There is no excessive wear on my tires. I was informed that the vehicle needs $3660 in repairs to replace the suspension on all four wheels at 106,640 miles. Many of the miles on the vehicle are from interstate driving. The elevated rack inspection also revealed that the rear driver side wheel wobbles back and forth. Now I question the condition of the springs and struts. - Your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A failure in a joint such as a tie rod end or a ball joint, or one of the solid parts, a vehicle with a broken steering linkage part cannot be relied on to turn when you want it to. Experts say, "Suspensions are composed of too many different parts to list, but almost everyone is necessary for safe driving; any broken suspension part will have some negative effect on a car’s handling, steering, or braking, and a car with a broken suspension piece not listed above should not be driven lest you endanger yourself and others. Vehicle does not give any warnings that these parts are failing. I am currently on my 3rd set of tires, Michelin, Goodyear, Michelin all OEM. You would expect all parts designed for a TESLA be of the highest quality.

NHTSA ODI 11421023

Jun 11, 2021

Tesla Model S door handles are futuristic in design yet they have a major propensity to break on all versions earlier than the v3.0 door handles. My 2015 Tesla Model S have v2.0 and my driver side door handle now fails to extend out to let me into a car. I imagine this is a safety concern if I was in an accident and unconscious and a battery fire were to erupt someone outside my vehicle would have no way to open the door to pull me out. Example from 2019 where a person died from this exact scenario: https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/teslas-futuristic-door-handles-blamed-death-fiery-wreck

NHTSA ODI 11420524

Jun 11, 2021Suspension

- The right front drivers side wheel wobbles when making a left turn into a parking space. - The right front drivers side wheel wobbles when making a left turn out of a drive way when turning into the street. - It reminds you of a basketball rolling around the rim before falling through the hoop, and then falling back in-place. -This is not an everyday occurence.

NHTSA ODI 11420599

Jun 11, 2021Electrical systemAirbagsSpeed control

My vehicle was having issues during 2020 with the eMMC recall. I took the vehicle to the dealership to be repaired and paid for the repair out of pocket. After this repair took place, the NHTSA forced Tesla to do a recall for the part that failed. I subsequently was reached out by Tesla who denied a refund for the repair that I paid out of pocket and did not and has not (3 months of following-up with the company) explained the denial nor offered repayment as directed by the NHTSA. Unfortunately, I am not the only individual who has had this same experience. Many individuals online have ran into the same unfortunate circumstances. See instances linked below. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/emmc-recall-reimbursement.222189/

NHTSA ODI 11420616

Jun 2, 2021Electrical system

In May 2019 Tesla pushed an OTA update on the car (including mine) with caused the car to reduce charging speed a lot. I normally go at the Green Acres Mall supercharger, in Queens NY near JFK airport and my car used to charge at 74kW (about 40 min of time from 50 miles range to 200 miles range). After the update the time more than doubled (about 1 hour and 30 min of time to add the same miles range). The update was in response to a Model S bursting into flames in Hong Kong, although there have been multiple seemingly spontaneous fires over the past several years. Tesla allegedly knew the cars' batteries were defective and decided that it would rather push an update that reduced range, performance and charging speed than replace batteries under warranty. My problem with this is that I need to know if my car is safe to operate. If there were a battery chemistry which was not safe and Tesla rather than change it decided to reduce the charge rate, is this solution acceptable for NHTSA? Also this solution is impacting significantly my schedule. When I bought the car, I considered using it for certain road trips assuming the downtime was reasonable, but after this update it basically made my car usable only for local trips. If you have to charge the car a couple of times over a 500 miles trip, one thing is to add a couple of 30 mins pit stops which is fine considering that most people need to use the restrooms, get something to eat or drink, but another thing is now having to wait a total of 3 hours.

NHTSA ODI 11419324

Jun 1, 2021Electrical system

12V battery coolant system failure results in vehicle becoming inoperative. Car must be towed to service center.

NHTSA ODI 11419251

Jun 1, 2021Electrical system

I brought my vehicle in to get the eMMC fixed per the recall. I had to change my appointment twice because they did not have the parts in stock. When my vehicle began to experience symptoms of this defect, I called Tesla again and made an appointment for today. I brought my car in this morning. I just found out that they did NOT fix the defect and are charging me $105 for the “repair”.

NHTSA ODI 11419288

May 12, 2021

CONCERNING NHTSA RECALL 21V-035, FOR TESLA MODEL S EMMC MEMORY. I HAD MY MCU REPLACED IN APRIL, 2020 BY TESLA IN PEABODY, MASSACHUESTTS AT MY OWN EXPENSE, TO ADDRESS FAILING EMMC MEMORY AS COVERED BY RECALL 21V-035. UNDER THE TERMS OF THE RECALL, TESLA HAS PROMISED TO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAD WORK DONE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND PAID OUT-OF-POCKET. I WAS ONE OF THESE OWNERS. TESLA IS STEADFASTLY REFUSING TO REIMBURSE MY CLAIM, DESPITE BEING THE ONLY OPTION OFFERED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE WHICH SHOWED SYMPTOMS EXCLUSIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH FAILURE OF THE EMMC MEMORY. I WOULD LIKE NHTSA'S HELP WITH GETTING THE REFUND THAT TESLA OWES ME. THE INVOICE FOR THE WORK IS ATTACHED.

NHTSA ODI 11416268

May 7, 2021Electrical systemVisibility & wipersLane Departure

TOUCH SCREEN WILL BLANK, SHOW UNUSUAL CHARACTERS, NOT RESPOND, EXHIBIT PIXILLATION, STOP REAR VISION CAMERA FROM DISPLAYING, NOT PLAY RADIO OR MUSIC PROPERLY AND/OR INTERMITTANTLY, AND PRESENT NAVIGATION INFORMATION IMPROPERLY. MEDIA COMPUTER WAS REPLACED LAST YEAR, BUT NEW COMPUTER STILL HAS THOSE SAME AND OTHER PROBLEMS. HAPPENS WITH VEHICLE IN MOTION, CITY AND HIGHWAY, RANDOMLY. EVIDENCE INDICATES THIS MAY BE RELATED TO A MEMORY STORAGE HARDWARE CHIP INSIDE THE MEDIA COMPUTER, BEING OF TOO LITTLE TOTAL CAPACITY. OR RELATED TO INTERNET SIGNAL FROM MANUFACTURE BEING UNRELIABLE, WEEK, INTERMITTENT, OR DEFECTIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11415502

May 4, 2021Electrical system

2015 TESLA MODEL S. CONSUMER WRITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS RELATED TO SAFETY RECALL. *LD *JS

NHTSA ODI 11414837

May 4, 2021Transmission & drivetrainBrakesFuel system

AFTER HAVING MY BATTERY COOLANT HEATER REPLACED ON FEBRUARY 22, 2021 I NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR STARTING UP SLOWLY. NOTE ERROR MESSAGES WERE NOTED ON MY VEHICLE HOWEVER. ON MARCH 10 WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A SMOOTH STRAIGHT FREEWAY THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN MY CAR FAILED CAUSING PROPULSION TO GO OFF LINE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TO LOCK UP AND BECOME NON-FUNCTIONAL UNTIL THE SYSTEM REBOOTED. FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30 SECONDS IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WASN'T REQUIRED. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE NOW SINCE I HAD MISTAKENLY BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS REDUNDANCY IN THE SYSTEMS THAT WOULD PRESERVE BRAKE FUNCTION IN THE MIDST OF A POWER FAILURE. THERE IS NO MANUAL HAND BRAKE. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT A SYSTEM FAILURE LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AS I AM APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, A SCHOOL ZONE OR GOING DOWN A STEEP DECLINE. I HAVE ATTACHED INVOICES FROM THE ORIGINAL SERVICE WITH THE BATTERY COOLANT HEATER THAT WAS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE SUBSEQUENT SERVICE AFTER THE INCIDENT WHERE THE TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED THAT THE DRIVE UNIT WAS IMPROPERLY CONNECTED

NHTSA ODI 11415096

Apr 29, 2021SteeringSuspension

PLEASE NOTE: THE VIN OF THE ACTUAL CAR THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS COMPLAINT IS UNAVAILABLE THEREFORE I HAVE USED THE VIN OF ANOTHER TESLA OF THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS SUBMISSION. THIS COMPLAINT IS ABOUT SUSPENSION FAILURES IN TESLAS. HERE IS A TESLA IN A SALVAGE AUCTION IN ENGLAND. HTTPS://WWW.COPART.CO.UK/LOT/37735131/CLEAN-TITLE-2015-TESL-MODEL-S-P8-WOLVERHAMPTON THE ONLY DAMAGE TO THE CAR IS THAT THE FRONT WHEEL AND SUSPENSION HAS BEEN WRENCHED OFF. NO AIR-BAGS HAVE DEPLOYED AND THERE IS NO IMPACT DAMAGE ANYWHERE ON THE BODYWORK. PHOTOGRAPHS ATTACHED WITH THIS SUBMISSION SHOW THE BROKEN SUSPENSION AND DETACHED WHEEL. I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF SO MANY TESLAS HAVING WRENCHED OFF WHEELS IS VERY SIMPLE. CIRCUMSTANCES CAN OCCUR IN WHICH FULL BRAKING IS APPLIED TO A WHEEL BUT THE MOTOR IS STILL AT FULL POWER. THE ELECTRONICS ARE NOT INFALLIBLE. GLITCHES CAN OCCUR. EVEN IF POWER TO THE MOTOR IS SHUT DOWN THERE IS STILL MASSIVE STORED ENERGY IN THE ROTOR OF THE HIGH RPM ELECTRIC MOTOR WHICH ACTS AS A MASSIVE FLYWHEEL. THE SUSPENSION LINKAGES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE TORQUE WHICH IS THEN APPLIED. IT IS EVEN WORSE IF THE ABS OR TRACTION CONTROL PULSES THE BRAKES BECAUSE THIS THEN GIVES A HAMMER BLOW EFFECT. THIS FAILURE CAN AFFECT EITHER THE FRONT WHEELS OR THE REAR WHEELS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIMILAR CASES OF TORN-OFF WHEELS. YOU CAN SEE EXAMPLES HERE HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/136377865@N05/ALBUMS/72157719033036968 PLEASE TAKE ACTION. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT TESLA IS REFUSING TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11414542

Apr 26, 2021Lane DepartureDriver assistanceCrash1 injury

8:15 AM, 6/19/20, I HEAD A SICKENING THWACK FROM THE STREET FROM ABT 300 YDS AWAY. EERILY, BEC SOMETHING VERY LARGE WAS HIT WITH NO SOUND OF SQUEALING BRAKES OR CRIES, I WENT OUT FRONT TO LOOK LEFT WITHOUT SEEING ANYTHING. THEN I LOOKED RIGHT AND SAW A MAN CROUCHED TO THE GROUND BESIDE A CAR. I IOOKED FURTHER RT & SAW THE BACK OF A MAN THROWN FACE-FIRST INTO MY TREES. I DIDN'T IMME REGISTER WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT UNTIL I RECOGNIZED THE BODY AS MY HUSBAND, SCREAMED, & RAN TO HIM. HE WAS SNORING LOUDLY. I WAS AFRAID TO TOUCH HIM, SO I HOVERED OVER HIM CALLING HIS NAME. HE DID NOT RESPOND. I TURNED TO THE STREET, SCREAMING AT PASSERS-BY TO CALL 911. THE CROUCHING MAN SAID HE HAD, BUT I WAS FEARFUL OF HIM & THOUGHT, "HOW DO I KNOW YOU HAVE? WHY ARE YOU SO FAR AWAY? DIDN'T YOU EVEN COME OVER TO CHECK ON HIM?" I KEPT SCREAMING AS DRIVERS STOPPED THEIR CARS AND PEOPLE GATHERED. OUR 19-YR-OLD DAUGHTER CAME RUNNING OUT OF THE HOUSE, FOLLOWED BY OUR 17 AND 15-YR-OLD SONS. AN AMBULANCE CAME AND TOOK MY HUSBAND, REFUSING ME BECAUSE OF COVID. THEN I SPOKE WITH 1 OF 2 POLICE WHILE THE OTHER SPOKE TO THE DRIVER OF THE TESLA. HE SAID THE DRIVER ADMITTED TO BEING ON HIS PHONE AS THE CAR DROVE ITSELF, NEVER SEEING MY HUSBAND AND DRIVING 45 MPH. WHEN HE SAID I COULD LEAVE, I WENT TO THE ER WHERE I WAS IMME TOLD MY HUSBAND HAD SUSTAINED SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE TO BOTH SIDES OF HIS BRAIN AND CATASTROPHIC OTHER INJURIES. A POLICE INVESTIGATOR MET ME AT THE ER. INVESTIGATION OF THE VEHICLE & DOWNLOAD OF THE COMPUTER WERE COMPLETED AT POLICE STATION. I WAS TOLD THE TESLA HAD BEEN IN 1 PRIOR AX, BUT HAD NOT REGISTERED "AN EVENT" ON 6/19. LAWYER PRESENT DID SAY THE CAR WAS IN "AUTOPILOT" & SEV SYSTEMS HAD MALFUNCTIONED: AIRBAG, BRAKING, WARNING SOUND, VEERING AWAY, ETC. I WAS LATER TOLD HE WAS DOA, BUT BROUGHT BACK.10 MOS LATER, HUSBAND IS A NON-COMMUNICATING QUADRIPLEGIC, SEVERE TBI, FEEDING TUBE.

NHTSA ODI 11414018

Apr 26, 2021Electrical systemDriver assistanceLane Departure

THE CAR THINKS THE TRUNK IS OPEN BUT IT IS NOT. AS A RESULT, THE CAR DOESN'T STOP BEEPING AS A WARNING TO A TRUNK THAT IS FULLY CLOSED. IN ADDITION, I CAN'T OPEN THE TRUNK AT ALL. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR I CAN NO LONGER USE AUTOPILOT AND OTHER SAFETY FEATURES OF THE CAR. I ALSO CAN'T LOCK THE CARE. ALL AND ALL, THE CAR IN UNUSABLE, BECAUSE OF AN ISSUE WITH THE TRUNK, THIS IS DEFINITELY A FAULTY DESIGN.

NHTSA ODI 11414034

Apr 25, 2021SuspensionSeatsFuel system

ISSUE 1). EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT FELT COOKED CAUSING LOW BACK PAIN. EVENTUALLY THE SEATS POWER ADJUSTMENT WOULD ONLY RETRACT ONE SIDE SO IT COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED EVENLY AND I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE A WHOLE NEW SEAT REPLACED ISSUE 2). I HAVE THE 85 KW BATTERY AND AFTER AN UPDATE MY BATTERY CAPACITY WAS REDUCED 10%. I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO RISK OF OVERHEATING THE BATTERY FIRE RISK TESLA NEVER RESOLVED THE ISSUE AND NEVER REINSTATED THE MISSING 10% CHARGE CAPACITY 3). THE SUSPENSION HAD FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING OVER A SPEED BUMP LESS THAN 10 MPH AND THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR SCRAPPED THE PAVEMENT. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE THE SUSPENSION

NHTSA ODI 11413862

Apr 15, 2021Driver assistanceLane Departure

MY VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO THE TESLA MCU RECALL, IN WHICH THE SUBSTANDARD EMMC WAS KILLED BY EXCESSIVE LOGGING AND RENDERING THE ENTIRE MCU INOPERATIVE. I HAD THE MCU REPLACED PRIOR TO THE RECALL, AND FILED THE REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM WHEN IT WENT LIVE. TESLA DENIED MY CLAIM, STATING THAT THE REPLACEMENT WAS DONE FOR REASONS OTHER THAN THOSE SPECIFIED IN THE RECALL. OTHER TESLA OWNERS REPORT SIMILAR CLAIM DISMISSALS. TESLA MUST BE LEGALLY FORCED TO HONOR THE RECALL AND REIMBURSEMENT ORDER.

NHTSA ODI 11408168

Apr 7, 2021Electrical system

TESLA HAS BEEN UNABLE TO HELP US NAVIGATE THROUGH THIS EMMC 8GB RECALL AND PROVIDE US WITH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DENY OUR REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST BASED ON INACCURATE INFORMATION AND EVEN SHARED UNRELATEDINVOICES AS THE BASES FOR THE DENIAL. OUR MCU WAS REPLACED DUE TO THE EMMC 8GB CARD FAILING LAST YEAR. THE SYMPTOMS AND REPAIRS NOTED ON THE INVOICE ARE IDENTICAL TO THE RECALL INFORMATION. FURTHERMORE, THE TECHS AT THE SERVICE CENTER TOLD US VERY CLEARLY THAT IT WAS DUE TO THE MEMORY ISSUE, BUT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AT THE TIME. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED THAT I CANNOT CALL ANYONE TO RESOLVE THIS AND AM REACHING OUT FOR HELP!

NHTSA ODI 11406953

Apr 6, 2021LightsVisibility & wipersBackup camera & sensors

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V035000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION, VISIBILITY, EXTERIOR LIGHTING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11406706

Mar 27, 2021

VEHICLE HAS BEEN GIVEN TO TESLA FOR BATTERY AND MOTOR WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT. THEY HAVE NOW STATED THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE TO 2019.16.1/ 2019.16.2 OR NEWER , THEY HAVE ALSO ADVISED THAT THIS MAY AFFECT THE RANGE AND CHARGE RATE OF THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THESE SOFTWARE UPDATES RELATE TO A HARDWARE FAULT AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS IT IS SETTING PRECEDENCE FOR OTHER MANUFACTURERS TO POTENTIALLY SEND SOFTWARE UPDATES TO THEIR VEHICLES WITHOUT REPORTING THE FAULT, IMAGINE IF A CERTAIN MANUFACTURER HAD THE OPTION OF SENDING AN OTA SOFTWARE UPDATE TO PREVENT THE INVESTIGATION INTO AN EMISSIONS SCANDAL.

NHTSA ODI 11405120

Mar 26, 2021Body & structure

DOOR HANDLES THAT PRESENT THEMSELVES WHEN YOU APPROACH VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY BREAK AND PREVENT THE ABILITY TO OPEN THE VEHICLE FROM THE OUTSIDE. THIS ALSO RESULTS IN INABILITY TO OPEN THE DOOR COMPLETELY WHEN CHILD LOCK IS IN PLACE. ALTHOUGH BROKEN DOOR HANDLES CAN HAPPEN THESE BREAK EVERY YEAR OR TWO. IT'S A REAL SAFETY ISSUE FOR WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS STRAPPED TO CAR SEATS IN THE EVEN OF AN EMERGENCY. PLEASE INTERVENE BEFORE THEY MOVE TO TOUCH LESS DOOR HANDLES, FUNCTIONING OUTDOOR AND INDOOR HANDLES ARE REALLY IMPORTANT IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SUCH AS FIRE AFTER AND ACCIDENT. FIRST TIME HANDLE BROKE WAS AROUND 30K MILES THEN AGAIN ANOTHER AROUND 50K

NHTSA ODI 11405049

Mar 25, 2021Electrical systemBackup camera & sensors

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE DISPLAY SCREEN STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V035000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION, VISIBILITY, EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TESLA SERVICE - LATHAM (326 OLD NISKAYUNA RD LATHAM, NY 12110) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE EMBEDDED MULTI-MEDIA CARD (EMMC) CONTROLLER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,398.*LN CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIR, BUT THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THEM THAT THEY HAD NO RECORD OF THE REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI 11404815

Mar 15, 2021Electrical system

TESLA ARE DRAGGING THEIR FEET MANUFACTURER RECALL # SB2121001 (NHTSA RECALL # 21V035). TESLA HAS STATED THAT THE RECALL WILL NOT APPLY TO VEHICLES WITH OVER 100,000 MILES. CURRENTLY, MY VEHICLE IS AT 96,164 MILES. TESLA APPARENTLY WANTS TO "OUT-WAIT" ME ON THIS RECALL UNTIL MY VEHICLE IS OVER 100,000 MILES. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE FOR ME HERE, AND NHTSA NEEDS TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.

NHTSA ODI 11402972

Mar 14, 2021Suspension

EACH TIME THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES OR SLOWS DOWN/STOPS, IT MAKES A LOUD THUMP NOISE FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, USUALLY AUDIBLE AT BACK RIGHT PORTION OF VEHICLE. TESLA HAS DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE ON THIS VEHICLE AS A CRACKED REAR SUBFRAME. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ONLINE, MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS AND EVEN RECALLS/CLASS ACTION SUITS HAVE BEEN FILED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. IN CHINA, FOR INSTANCE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE RECALLS SET UP TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWN ISSUE. HOWEVER, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SUCCESSFUL FILING IN THE US AS FAR AS I CAN FIND. ULTIMATELY TESLA SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THIS REPAIR SINCE ITS A KNOWN ISSUE ON THIS YEAR AND MODEL, BUT THEY ARE FORCING US TO PAY ($2917.50, NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY). THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO STEM FROM WHAT TESLA CALLS A HARD POTHOLE OR SUSPENSION EVENT, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE ON THE VEHICLE SINCE WE PURCHASED IT, PRE-OWNED. REGARDLESS, IF THE ISSUE IS KNOWN, WHICH IT CLEARLY IS, BY THE MANUFACTURER, THEY SHOULD COVER THE COST OF REPAIR OR RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11402956

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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 2015 Tesla Model S 60 verdict →