Home · 2016 Tesla Model S 75d · Complaints

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

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 (604)Crash / fire / injury (97)Suspension (204)Electrical system (137)Steering (81)Speed control (74)Brakes (52)Lights (49)Visibility & wipers (37)Body & structure (28)Driver assistance (28)Backup camera & sensors (20)

28 of 604 complaints match · Body & structure · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 14, 2017SuspensionBody & structure

HERE IS ANOTHER TESLA IN THE SALVAGE YARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLE?ITEMID=24284013&ROWNUMBER=9&LOADRECENT=TRUE IT IS LISTED AS HAVING UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE. THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW THE CAR IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION EXCEPT THAT THE SUSPENSION HAS COLLAPSED. THE REAR WHEELS ARE DISPLACED TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE CAR. THE FACT THAT THIS CAR IS BEING WRITTEN OFF INSTEAD OF REPAIRED SUGGESTS THAT THE UNDERCARRIAGE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED TO A SAFE CONDITION AT A REASONABLE COST OR POSSIBLY THAT TESLA DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF THE SUSPENSION FAILING AGAIN LATER. FORUM POSTERS HAVE COMPLAINED THAT AFTER EXPERIENCING MINOR ACCIDENTS THAT CAUSE SUSPENSION DAMAGE THEIR CARS ARE STILL AWAITING REPAIR MONTHS LATER AND CAN NOT GET ANY WORD FROM TESLA AS TO WHEN THEIR CARS WILL BE RETURNED TO THEM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10954620

Aug 4, 2016Body & structureWheelsBrakesCrash

ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2016, MY MINOR SON WAS DRIVING MY TESLA (VIN [XXX]) NORTHBOUND ON ROUND HILL ROAD IN GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, WITH THE AUTOPILOT ENGAGED. AT APPROXIMATELY 3:50PM, THE TESLA APPROACHED A VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED PARTIALLY ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND PARTIALLY ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF 273 ROUND HILL ROAD. THE VEHICLE OBSCURED THE WHITE LINE ALONG THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD. RATHER THAN MOVING TO THE LEFT TO AVOID THE PARKED VEHICLE, THE TESLA CONTINUED ON THE SAME PATH. AT THE LAST MOMENT MY SON GRABBED THE STEERING WHEEL AND MOVED THE TESLA TO THE LEFT, BUT NOT SOON ENOUGH/FAR ENOUGH. THE TESLA'S RIGHT SIDE COLLIDED WITH THE PARKED VEHICLE'S LEFT SIDE. MY SON BELIEVES THAT HAD HE NOT GRABBED THE STEERING WHEEL, THE RIGHT FRONT AREA OF THE TESLA WOULD HAVE HIT THE REAR OF THE PARKED VEHICLE. TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE THE BRAKES ON THE TESLA DID NOT ENGAGE. NO ONE WAS HURT. THE POLICE WERE NOT CALLED. ROUND HILL ROAD IS NOT A DIVIDED HIGHWAY, HOWEVER IT IS A WIDE, TWO LANE ROAD WITH FRESHLY PAINTED DOUBLE YELLOW LINES DOWN THE MIDDLE AND A FRESHLY PAINTED WHITE LINE ON THE EDGE. IT WAS A SUNNY DAY, NO FOG. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10893226

Jun 10, 2016Body & structure

DOOR HANDLES ARE MADE OF METAL CHROME AND GETS EXCESSIVELY HOT IN THE SUN. YOU ARE UNABLE TO HOLD THE HANDLE AND OPEN IT WITHOUT CAUSING A BURN. (THERE IS A REASON ALL OTHER CAR MANUFACTURERS MAKE THE DOOR HANDLES WITH PLASTIC MATERIAL SO IT DOES NOT GET AS HOT IN THE SUN. ALSO THEY MAKE IT SUCH THAT WHEN HOLDING THE HANDLE, YOU HOLD FROM INSIDE THAT IS PROTECTED FROM THE SUN). TESLA NEEDS TO MAKE THE DOOR HANDLE WITH A MATERIAL THAT DOES NOT GET HOT IN SUN AND DESIGN IT IN A WAY THAT THE HOLDING PORTION PROTECTS IT FROM THE SUN.

NHTSA ODI 10873586

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Working with the data? Download all 604 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 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 2016 Tesla Model S 75d verdict →