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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)

6 of 647 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 25, 2021Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureFuel systemFire

ON AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 23, 2020, 2015 TESLA MODEL S 85D WAS IN MOTION WITH SINGLE OCCUPANT, TURNING RIGHT TURN INTO RESIDENTIAL AREA OFF CITY STREET. DRIVER HEARD LOUD AND DEEP METALLIC SOUND AND IMMEDIATELY SLOWED. WARNING MESSAGE SIMILAR TO 'UNSAFE TO DRIVE, PULL OVER SAFELY' APPEARED ON DASH. DRIVER STOPPED CAR RIGHT AWAY AND HEARD 3-4 LOUD, IDENTICAL SOUNDS. DRIVER HEARD ANOTHER SOUND FOLLOWED BY LOUD 'POP' AND SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. DRIVER IMMEDIATELY EXITED AND SAW SMOKE BILLOWING FROM BELOW THE VEHICLE. DRIVER MOVED AWAY. THERE WAS ANOTHER LOUD 'POP' SOUND AND FLAMES STARTED VISIBLY SHOOTING OUTWARD AND UPWARD FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WELL AREA, MID-CABIN AND REAR PASSENGER TIRE WELL, CHARRING THE CURB AND GRASS NEXT TO VEHICLE. FIRE CONTINUED TO BURN THROUGH PASSENGER DOOR, FRONT OF CAR (FRUNK), AND UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR. FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON SCENE WITHIN MINUTES AND EXTINGUISHED FIRE. FIRE DAMAGE TO EXTERIOR WAS VISIBLE TO FRONT TIRE WELL AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. ADDITIONAL FIRE DAMAGE NOTED INSIDE REAR PASSENGER DOOR. CAUSE IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11389857

May 24, 2020Electrical systemBody & structureCrash

SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I HAD ALMOST COMPLETED A U TURN (BUT NOT COMPLETELY) TO SLOWLY PULL INTO A PARKING SPOT PARALLEL TO THE SIDEWALK WHEN THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN LOUNGED FORWARD (SEE SKID MARKS). IT ONLY SLOWED AFTER HITTING AND DAMAGING THE BRICK WALL.I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES, THE SCREEN FLASHED SOMETHING LIKE: YOUR AUTO PARK IS NOW DISABLED. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY EASE INTO MY INTENDED PARKING SPOT AND COME OUT AND ASSESS THE DAMAGES. IT ALL HAPPENED OVER A SPLIT SECOND. THE COLLISION DEFINITELY FELT LIKE THERE'S A MAJOR FAULT WITH THE CAR'S COMPUTER SYSTEM - INSTRUCTING IT TO LURCH FORWARD AT RAPID SPEED AND NOT ABLE TO AUTOSTOP WITH AN OBJECT (BRICK WALL) IN FRONT OF IT. I WAS AT A RESIDENTIAL AREA WITHIN A GATED COMMUNITY. WHEN CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL CAME, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FILE A REPORT WITHIN PRIVATE PROPERTY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11325718

Jan 29, 2020AirbagsBody & structureSpeed controlCrash1 injury

MY TERSLA EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ACCELERATION EVENT ON JULY 31, 2019. IT WAS BEING PARKED IN A TARGET PARKING LOT ABOUT TO BE PUT IN PARK WHEN IT SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED A FULL ACCELERATION. IT JUMPED OVER A 6 TO 8 FOOT WIDE CONCRETE MERIDIAN, TOOK OUT A BUSH AND HIT A PARKED PICK-UP, MOVING IT ABOUT 15 FEET AND TOTALING THE TRUCK. THE CAR HAD ALMOST $40,000 IN DAMAGE AND THE DRIVER WAS INJURED. TELSA FIRST SAID THEY WOULD HAVE THEIR READ OUT IN ONE WEEK THEN 3, THEN 4 - FINALLY AFTER ABOUT 4 MONTHS THEY SAID IT WAS DRIVER ERROR BUT THE DRIVER DENIES TOUCHING THE GAS OR BRAKE. SHE WAS ALREADY STOPPED AND IT HAPPENED SO FAST SHE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO REACT.

NHTSA ODI 11302858

Jan 8, 2020Body & structureSpeed controlFuel systemCrash

ON JANUARY 2, 2019 BETWEEN 1:45 AND 2 PM I DROVE FROM MY HOUSE INTO A CLINIC PARKING LOT. AS I DROVE MY 2015 TESLA MODEL S FORWARD AND STEERED TO THE RIGHT INTO A PARKING SPOT, I CONSCIOUSLY EASED MY RIGHT FOOT OFF FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THUS LOWERING MY SPEED FROM 10-9 MPH TO ABOUT 5-6 MPH. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT PRESSED, ALLOWING REGENERATIVE BREAKING TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE. ABOUT A SECOND INTO THE PARKING TURN, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JOLTED FORWARD, ACCELERATING UNEXPECTEDLY. I FELT AS IF THE BRAKES FAILED TO WORK WHEN I REFLEXIVELY REMOVED MY RIGHT FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR, AND STOMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD. MY VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP ONLY AFTER COLLIDING WITH A CHEVROLET SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE PARKED IN THE SPOT ACROSS. AS I REGAINED MY BEARINGS, I CAUGHT MYSELF STILL FLOORING THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MY RIGHT FOOT, AND CONTINUED TO FLOOR IT UNTIL I AFTER I HAD SHIFTED IT INTO PARKING GEAR, AND MADE SURE THERE WAS NOBODY WALKING IN THE VICINITY. THE IMPACT FROM THE TESLA MODEL S BUMPED THE CHEVROLET SUV PARKED IN FRONT ABOUT 5 FEET BACK. THE MODEL S ITSELF STOPPED BETWEEN 2-3 FEET INTO THE NEXT PARKING SPACE, SLIGHTLY INTO THE OPPOSING PARKING SPACE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, AS SEEN IN THE INCLUDED PHOTOS. THIS WOULD INDICATE THE BRAKES **EVENTUALLY** WORKED. HAD THEY NOT, THE TESLA WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED TO ROLL FORWARD AND INTO THE SUV'S BUMPER AFTER THE COLLISION. THIS IS CALLED TESLA CREEP MODE, WHICH I HAVE ENABLED (SLOWLY ROLL FORWARD WHILE NO PEDAL IS PRESSED). I ASKED THE POLICE OFFICER TO POSITION HIS PATROL CAR BEHIND MY VEHICLE BEFORE I MOVED IT AND ADVISED THE POLICE OFFICER I DID NOT TRUST THE CAR. I USED AN APP TO CALL FOR A TOW THROUGH MY INSURANCE, BUT THE TOW'S NUMBER WAS DISCONNECTED. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF WITH THE PATROL CAR IN ESCORT.

NHTSA ODI 11297839

Jun 14, 2019Body & structureCrash

ON THURSDAY , JUNE 7 AROUND 6:30 PM I MET WITH A BIZARRE INCIDENT ON MY 2015 TESLA MODEL S , 70D. INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON RT 83 NEAR OAK BROOK MALL NEAR CHICAGO. THE CAR SLOWLY ROLLED AND APPROACHED A SEMI IN FRONT IN A TRAFFIC JAM. I HEARD A BEEPING SENSOR AS IT WAS ABOUT TO TOUCH THE SEMI, I IMMEDIATELY PRESSED THE BRAKE BUT THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING INSTEAD. I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, SO IMMEDIATELY LIFTED MY FOOT TO MAKE SURE I WAS PRESSING THE BREAK PEDAL. THE SECOND TIME ALSO IT STARTED ACCELERATING AND KEPT PUSHING THE SEMI IN FRONT BECAUSE IT WAS TOUCHING IT. PERPLEXED I THEN BROUGHT THE CAR TO PARKING MODE TO MAKE IT STOP. AS THE SEMI STARTED MOVING AGAIN AND THERE WAS SUFFICIENT GAP, THE CAR STARTED FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. I GOT A REPAIR ESTIMATE ON THE FOLLOWING DAY FROM A TESLA APPROVED GARAGE AND THEY HAVE QUOTED ABOVE $4000 TO REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI 11220202

Sep 11, 2018Body & structureCrash

WAS USING THE AUTO-SUMMON FEATURE TO GET THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE AND IT CRASHED ON THE GARAGE WALLS.

NHTSA ODI 11128614

Working with the data? Download all 647 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 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 2015 Tesla Model S 60 verdict →