What 604 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Tesla Model S 75

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, after diagnosing the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact that the recall repair would not be completed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the instrument panel temporarily blacked out while the GPS was in use. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle memory needed to be cleared. The memory was cleared however, the failure persisted. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. Parts Distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11423168

Sudden unintended acceleration: When pressing the brake on uneven paved roads the vehicle will suddenly accelerate while my foot is on the brakes. This has been an ongoing issue since I received the car and I was told this has to do with regenerative braking but it is definitely a safety issue. There are two commonly visited places on the freeway where this happens to me so I can definitely demonstrate the problem if needed.

NHTSA ODI 11422835

My Tesla Media Control Unit v2 went to a black dark screen while the car was still on. I just put the car in reverse and the instrument cluster and control unit froze, then did 3 cycles of restarts before coming back on. The whole time I had to press the brake pedal because I wasn't sure if the car had been put back into park by default. Should I have released the brake pedal the car may have rolled into the street and caused an accident if the system failed to allow me to depress the break pedal again. Tesla is doing a "remote" diagnostic but is being very secretive and or non-transparent about the cause of the issue. There was no warning and the cluster and media control unit just froze. This has occurred on 2 previous occasions as well, though thankfully those times I was parked and charging the vehicle rather than about to drive. This is extremely unsafe and quite frankly frightening to drive a vehicle that may at any time shut off without warning not allowing me to pull over or avoid a potential collision.

NHTSA ODI 11422711

My Vehicle is part of the eMMC Media Chip Recall. I have tried repeatedly in past 6 months to have Tesla repair my vehicle, which continues to suffer screen blackouts daily during operation. These blackouts render my backup camera blank, creating a major safety concern. Each time I schedule an appointment, Tesla will cancel and tell me they do not have the part. They are not complying with the NHTSA recall. I cannot in good faith believe their excuse that part is unavailable given the massive volume of cars they are producing quarterly.

NHTSA ODI 11422139

Car's central console locks up or goes blank while driving. This creates a driving hazard as drive must take his eyes off the road and try to restart the console. Tesla sent out a notice by mail in March that a recall was issued and that Tesla would replace the defective parts. Tesla sent a secondary notice in April. They will not take calls concerning this issue and have not provided an estimated repair date. No communication on this recall has been made by Tesla for 90 days.

NHTSA ODI 11421827

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that after releasing the brake pedal while parking, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and lurched forward crashing into the rear of a second vehicle. During the incident, no injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The contact indicated that prior to the incident a chip was installed due to a navigation problem. Also, the control panel display screen had a malfunction and audible warnings such as turn signals were not available. The failure mileage was 25,000

NHTSA ODI 11421831

This model's Main Computer Unit (MCU) is malfunctioning by spontaneously rebooting thereby disabling major functions of the vehicle including the rear camera that is enabled when driving the car in reverse. This is a safety hazard since rear visibility is completely disabled during the reboot of the system. As the NHTSA is likely aware, this problem has been previously reported and Tesla has previously issued a voluntary recall for this problem. It resolves the problem by installing a larger memory chip (a daughterboard) on the main board to prevent these functions from being disabled. My vehicle was included in this voluntary recall and was expedited to receive the recall after I reported this problem (the problem I reported is apparently different from the one that was the main impetus of the recall). However, the installation of the upgraded memory chip DID NOT resolve the problem that I have been experiencing and the safety hazard persists. I was told at the time of the voluntary recall service appointment that this installation would likely solve the problem that I was experiencing but it has not done so. I have reported these results to Tesla and they claim that they are working on a software update to eliminate the problem but they have not provided any timing for the availability of this software update and I continue to experience the effects of the problem on a regular basis. The dealer is aware of the problem and the vehicle was inspected in connection with the voluntary recall. No warming messages are provided in connection with this problem. The MCU also known as the touchscreen in the Tesla simply unexpectedly reboots until the the functions are restored, a process that takes several minutes to occur.

NHTSA ODI 11420946

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V035000 (Back Over Pretention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that occasionally the display failed to operate as designed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11420585

Door/Door Handle. Puts my children at risk, as when I place car in park, door opens on it's own. With or Without someone sitting there. Drivers side rear door. Not the first time this has happened. Tesla blames their self-extending door handles. This will happen if I am outside the vehicle and unlock it. Door opens, it also happens if we are driving, and I put the vehicle in PARK. When the door handles extend, the door opens. My son has unbuckled himself preparing to exit the vehicle, not expecting the door to open on it's own. When it did, if a passing car drove by, the door may even have been ripped off and/or my child injured. Thankfully, THIS TIME, he only got a few scrapes when he hit the concrete. The whole mess of the self-extending door handles has been a nightmare since the beginning. These handles have caused endless problems, and have been replaced on both my current and previous Tesla Model S multiple times, at minimum FIFTEEN DOOR HANDLES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. I would need to go through countless service invoices to get an exact number. A door handle should operate problem free for the life of the vehicle. I should NOT have so many problems with one of the most basic functions of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11420598

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the center console screen was blank which caused several other electrical failures. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The dealer was contacted and informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11420246

This automobile has had the Tesla recall completed, replacing the 8GB with the 64GB. However, this fix is temporary and after a few months the control and information screens are malfunctioning and with ever-increasing frequency. I understand Tesla’s recent update ensures basic driving functions will continue to be operational during a screen blackout but it’s at best distracting and at worst plain dangerous depending on how lights/HVAC are set prior to the screen freeze, not to mention distractions associated with a sudden loss of navigation and an inability to control other components. As a frequent highway driver this is dangerous, even after experiencing various versions of this event. Per Service Dept., the only existing actual (non-temporary) repair for this is replacement with the newer version of the MCU, yet Tesla insists on using language as a loophole, calling the MCU2 an upgrade- which it was, but now as the sole remedy to restore previously existing functionality and safe operation of the effected vehicles, this should not be categorized as an option or an upgrade. Owners should have a better course of action than having to pay for an unwanted “upgrade” to regain original functionality.

NHTSA ODI 11420285

Pulling my car out of my driveway, I heard a loud pop noise and the steering wheel refused to turn. Attempting to turn the wheel at all resulted in a grinding noise because the entire front driver side wheel was shifted backward and was resting on the rear of the wheel well liner. I had the vehicle flatbedded to the Tesla service center and they told me one of the fore links had failed. They blamed it on an impact or pothole, neither of which actually happened. After researching online, I've come to find there have been many documented failures of this same part - for no reason at all. Tesla even recognized they had a manufacturing issue and even issued a recall in China. This could have been a very dangerous situation. There was no warning, no cause, and the car has only 50k miles. I asked them to save the parts as I'm sure upon expert examination, they would prove to be defective.

NHTSA ODI 11420214

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the front passenger’s side tire. The contact stated that the failure caused damage to the passenger’s side front fender. The contact took the vehicle to a Tesla service center where the mechanic discovered a defective front fore link. Due to the failure, the driver’s and passenger’s side fore links were replaced at the service center's recommendation. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11419622

My Tesla regularly has the instrument panel and center display go completely black and turn off while driving. This includes not being able to adjust climate control, access rear view backup camera, use lane indicators and determine speed or status of autopilot and driving safety features. I have noted this to Tesla Service Center on 3 occasions and they refuse to provide thr necessary repair under the applicable recall notice 21V-035.

NHTSA ODI 11418984

The rear passenger door would open itself. This happened numerous times. An example of when it occurred and why it was dangerous is I would be in carpool line at my kid’s school and would slow down, stop, put the car in park, one passenger would leave from the front right door, I would put the car back in drive, start to drive off and then would see a warning that the rear right passenger door had popped open all by itself. I’m now driving 20 mph. I have young kids who are in the car which is very dangerous with a moving vehicle and a door next to them that has opened unexpectedly while now in motion. The car door would also open itself when it was just parked in a parking lot with no one inside it. I would come back from the grocery store and I would see the rear passenger right door just open. Tesla told me that I should disable the auto present door handle option for all doors except the driver door as a temporary solution until I could fix it with the dealership. I did this and it made the passenger rear right door inoperable. It jammed the door handle in a fenced out position and then it wouldn’t open or close at all which was another safety issue. If I had been in an accident and people needed to escape the car they would not have been able to through the rear right passenger door at all. Tesla told me they knew they had a problem with these door handles and would “upgrade” me to the new ones (they wanted to do both the rear door handles) for $1,000. They were asking me to fix both the broken one and the one that hadn’t broken as they said it would fail too. I was out of warranty and the manager did not think this was a serious issue. I thought it was a very serious safety issue. I told them that they should investigate and consider doing a recall. They ended up only fixing for free when I brought up filing an official complaint with NHTSA. Moving vehicles with car doors unexpectedly opening is a recipe for accidents that can be prevented.

NHTSA ODI 11418710

Update to complaint # 11418220 May 22nd 2021: I stopped the vehicle to make a turn. The steering wheel locked up and was not able to drive the car. I contacted Tesla, I was instructed to reset the computer. However this did not resolve the steering issue. I was then instructed to completely do a power shut down using the LCD control panel. This resolved the issue. It took several minutes to regain control of the steering and I was able to drive to a safe location. I am very concerned about the loss of steering and the vehicle requiring computer reset and power shut down before being able to safely drive the vehicle. I am also concerned that this issue may arise while the vehicle is in motion. May 25, 2021 Tesla service department informed me that they were not able to find any issues with steering. I insisted that they look at the vehicle logs to identify the root cause. After further investiagation they informed me that they have located a "loose wire". I am concerned that "loose wire" may be indicative of a larger safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11418549

front suspension lower fore link broke; this led to a car that cannot be moved in the middle of the road; Tesla knows about it, they have 2 bulletins on it, but do not replace them, despite being a road hazard

NHTSA ODI 11418387

I stopped the vehicle to make a turn. The steering wheel locked up and was not able to drive the car. I contacted Tesla, I was instructed to reset the computer. However this did not resolve the steering issue. I was then instructed to completely do a power shut down using the LCD control panel. This resolved the issue. It took several minutes to regain control of the steering and I was able to drive to a safe location. I am very concerned about the loss of steering and the vehicle requiring computer reset and power shut down before being able to safely drive the vehicle. I am also concerned that this issue may arise while the vehicle is in motion.

NHTSA ODI 11418220

The multi-media screen when blank and would not reboot in Dec. 2020. It had gone blank before many times over the years (more than I think most cars) but always I was able to reboot the car/computer. I had complained a couple of times at the service center going back a few years and got advice to reboot. Lately it had been happening quite frequently. This time it would not work. I called Tesla and the rep asked if the turn signals worked and I confirmed that they did not. He indicated that this was a safety issue and I should not drive the car and schedule a repair asap. Meanwhile, I had already received a notice in the mail of a volunary repair that Telsa would do if the screen went out and woudl not rebooot. I was able to get an earlier appointment than the 2 week one that was offered by going into the Tesla service center (as they had advised I could try to do). I was later told that they would not voluntarily repair this for me and I would have to pay. It took them a number of days to get back to me on this. Tesla service center rep and manager indicated that even though the end result of my issue was the same -- no screen, no rear back up camera, no turn signals, no defrost presumably -- my issue was caused by a defective audio chip for the display and not the defective multi-media chip. I had the same safety issues but they required that I pay out of pocket fo the repair. They explained that Tesla had figure out a less expensive way to swap out the mulit media chip but for the audio chip it required a full replacement of the panel or something and that cost them more. I asked about who can i escalate this to and was told I woudl hae to write the legal department. I wrote the legal department on March 12, 2021 to request a refund. They have still not written me back or even acknowledged my letter. Since I wrote my letter to Tesla, my undestanding is that NHTSA has required Tesla to issue a recall to repair a blank screen chip issue.

NHTSA ODI 11418161

May 1, 2021 Heard some noise from front of car and then went away. Loud noise coming from the right front side of car when we back up from parking spot. Car literally cannot move an inch but we had to move car out of traffic. No warnings from the car. We saw the right front tire literally touching the back liner. Tesla towed car to Tesla service center which is almost 3 hours away from home. Weekend road trip cut short. Service center was closed. Rental car companies nearby closed. Uber voucher not enough to cover fee. Service found RF fore links broken, and RF fender liner damage and replacement of 2 front tires and alignment. Estimate of $1602.90. Back in 2020 September, I heard soft noise coming from left front. Tesla took care of it under warranty. But we asked if they should inspect and replaced the right side. They refused. Now manager said that it’s wear and tear and refused to cover under warranty when it’s still under 50,000 miles. I asked them about condition of back links and they did not inspect or given estimates for replacement for back links after 7 requests. Manager told me it’s super pricy labor alone is around $700. We feel it’s a serious safety concern. We were lucky this didn’t happen on a highway. The parts definitely broke pre maturely. Also has to file with warranty department with written letter to dispute the charge now. What a hassle. They should recall asap.

NHTSA ODI 11417457

I WAS STOPPED, PREPARING TO PULL INTO MY GARAGE, WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY AND SMASHED THROUGH MY WALL, BREAKING FREEZER & SHEVING UNIT IN MY GARAGE. IT ALSO DAMAGED MANY ITEMS IN THE BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY ROOM, DOORS, AND WALLS ON OTHER SIDE OF GARAGE WALL. THIS IS THE 2ND INCIDENT, IN 2019 THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON A STREET. I WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC AND WHEN I STARTED TO MOVE THE CAR ACCELERATED AND HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT I DID NOT FILE A CLAIM. TESLA WAS CERTAIN THAT I HAD ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR INSTEAD OF BRAKE, AND ACCEPTED THAT. IN BOTH INCIDENTS THE CAR FELT AS THOUGH IT WAS FLYING, THE CAR WAS MOVING SO FAST.

NHTSA ODI 11415675

PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE

NHTSA ODI 11415415

THE VANITY MIRRORS CAN EASILY FELL OFF FROM THE SUN VISORS. I GOT THIS PROBLEM, AND FOUND THE HEAVY MIRROR IS GLUED BY WHITE DOUBLE SIDED ADHESIVE TAPE WHICH WILL LOSS ADHESION AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. THEN THE MIRROR FELL BECAUSE OF GRAVITY. ALTHOUGH, THERE IS A PLASTIC MIRROR COVER, THE COVER HAS VERY FRAGILE THIN SPIN AXLES. I DID NOT WITNESS THE WHOLE PROCESS, BUT SINCE I DO NOT USE THAT MIRROR SO THE MIRROR COVER SHOULD NOT BE DAMAGED BEFORE THIS HAPPED. SO I GUESS THAT IN MY CASE THE FALLEN MIRROR SMASHED THE COVER, AND THE COVER AXLES ARE BROKEN AND SO THE COVER GOT OPENED AUTOMATICALLY AND LET THE MIRROR CAME OUT. THERE ARE AIRBAGS BEHIND THE SUN VISORS, SO THE FALLING MIRRORS AND COVERS ARE NOT ONLY A RISK FACTOR FOR DAILY DRIVING BUT ALSO MAY CAUSE SEVERE INJURY WHEN THE AIRBAGS ARE ACTIVATED. I DO NOT USE THAT MIRROR, I ONLY USE THE SUN VISORS, SO THIS IS DEFINITELY A CAR DEFECT. THE FALLEN MIRROR IS NOT SHOWED IN MY PICTURES. WHEN I FOUND THE PROBLEM, THE COVER WAS NOT COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE SUN VISOR, SINCE I CANNOT CLOSE IT ANYMORE AND IT SEEMS LIKE WILL FALLING SOON, SO I PULLED IT OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11415361

CENTER CONTROL PANEL IS NOT VERY RESPONSIVE AND FREEZES OFTEN. MANY OF THE MAIN CONTROLS FOR THE CAR ARE ON THE INSTRUMENT CENTER PANEL. I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TESLA BUT THEY REFUSE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND KEEP SAYING PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. IT IS HAS BEEN 3 MONTHS SINCE I RECEIVE THE NOTICE AND I FEEL THEY ARE DELAYING CORRECTING THE KNOWN ISSUE WITH EMMC DUAGHTERBOARD CHANGE.

NHTSA ODI 11414300

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 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 NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE CENTER DISPLAY SCREEN WOULD NOT TURN ON OR WOULD BLACK OUT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HE WOULD BE CONTACTED WHEN THE HARDWARE EMMC UPGRADE WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11414181