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)

8 of 604 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 14, 2023AirbagsBody & structureDriver assistanceCrash

So essentially I stopped for a charge about 30 minutes before, I charged it, then hopped back on the turnpike as I was heading to Outer Banks NC, while I was on the turn pike where I believe at the time I started to go around a curve not a sharp one but a curve right after coming off this bridge. Every 1 minute and 30 seconds you have to put your hands on the wheel and give it a jerk to keep it enable so it had to have popped up within the 1 minute and 30 seconds. As I was changing the album of the artists I was listening too I heard the BEEP BEEP BEEP which means you are approaching something and are about to hit it, As I looked up all I saw was blinking lights and really smacked the rear end of this traffic control truck, anywhere from 65-75 miles per hour with no time to react. If I remember correctly I had my car on 7 lengths away (maximum amount you can have away). As I hit the control I hit my head pretty hard on the steering wheel so the whole memory is blurry following when it happened and my adrenaline was very high but I didn’t wanna go to the Emergency room even though they suggested highly because I have no health insurance and that would have had to come out of my own pocket and I was stuck in Pennsylvania by myself and didn’t wanna get stuck in the hospital too. Thank you so much for taking your time to look at this it means a lot.

NHTSA ODI 11560159

Oct 14, 2021Electrical systemBody & structureLatches & locks1 injury

The doors on my Tesla are electronic from the inside and outside. Sometimes the car will not let me out or in, especially in the rear drivers side door where the kids are. It will not open the door and presents a huge safety issue. My sons was trapped in the door previously and we couldn't get the door to open - it took about 5 cycles of locking and unlocking the car for the doors electronic door handle to finally allow the door to be opened Recently there was a lawsuit for a similar issue in which a man became trapped inside a Tesla and died of smoke inhalation because the doors would not open and first responders couldn't get in the car either. I contacted Tesla, who was able to diagnose my car and create a repair estimate for the malfunctioning door handles without even looking at the car because the problem is so widespread and well known. They want $700 to repair my door handles that are locking me and the kids inside the car but i don't have money to repair right now.

NHTSA ODI 11436809

Jun 11, 2021Body & structure1 injury

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

Jul 30, 2020Body & structureElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED REPORT I FILED ON SAFER CAR.GOVE AND THE LETTER I WROTE TO TESLA. I HAVE NOT GOT RESPONSE TO ANY OF THOSE.. .THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AFTER I HAD SUCCESSFULLY TURNED THE CAR 90 DEGREE TO PARK HEADON. THE CAR HAD TO BE AT A VERY LOW SPEED AT THAT TIME. THEN WHEN I AS JUST A COUPLE OF FEET FROM THE CURB, THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. IF YOU GET THE REPORT FROM TESLA, YOU WILL FIND THAT CAR COULD NOT HAVE ACCELERATED THIS FAST EVEN IF I HAD PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BY MISTAKE. MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY. I ASKED TESLA TO GIVE ME THE REPORT OF THAT TIME AND THEY DID NOT GIVE. WE ALL FEEL THAT TESLA HAS BECOME SO MIGHTY THAT IT DOESN'T CARE. WE DEPEND UPON YOU FOR OUR SAFETY. SO PLEASE DO FULL ENQUIRY.*DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11342364

Sep 24, 2019Body & structureElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

AS USUAL, I DROVE TESLA TO WORK. MY PARKING SPOT IS A HEAD-IN PARKING SPOT. TO PARK MY CAR I HAVE TO MAKE A 90-DEGREE TURN, SO I PRESSED THE BREAKS TO SLOW THE CAR. JUST AS THE CAR COMPLETED THE 90-DEGREE TURN AND I WAS ABOUT TO STOP THE CAR TO COMPLETE PARKING, IT ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. IT JUMPED THE CURB IN THE FRONT AND HIT BUSHES ABOUT 5-6 FEET AHEAD. THE CAR SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE THAT IS ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT $20,000. I ALSO TRUST THAT TESLA IS COMMITTED TO MAKING TESLA 100% SAFE TO DRIVE. THEREFORE, IT IS IN BOTH PARTIES' INTEREST TO FIND WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED. FORTUNATELY, TESLA KEEPS TRACK OF EVERY MOVEMENT THAT EVERY TESLA MAKES. THE RECORD CAN PROVE BEYOND DOUBT WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED. I, THEREFORE, REQUEST A COMPLETE RECORD OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENCE HAPPENED BETWEEN 9:50 AM AND 10 AM EST ON AUGUST 22, 2019. AS I WAS MAKING A 90-DEGREE TURN TO PARK, YOUR RECORD WOULD CERTAINLY SHOW THAT I PRESSED THE BREAKS DURING THE TURN. THE ONLY WAY I COULD HAVE PUT THE CAR IN THE HIGH ACCELERATION - THAT MY WIFE AND I NOTICED - WOULD BE THAT I LIFTED MY FEET FROM THE BREAK AND INSTANTLY PRESSED VERY HARD ON THE ACCELERATED PADDLE. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW COULD THAT BE FEASIBLE. IF THE RECORD DOES NOT SHOW THIS PRECISE PATTERN, THAN IT POINTS TO A POTENTIAL SOFTWARE FLAW. PLEASE PROVIDE ME AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) WITH THE COMPLETE RECORD OF EVERY EVENT THAT HAPPENED WITH MY CAR ON AUGUST 22, 2019 BETWEEN AROUND 9:50 AM AND 10 AM. SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARAMETERS THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION ARE: WHAT WAS THE LOWEST SPEED OF THE CAR, AT WHAT TIME THAT HAPPENED, WHAT WAS THE HIGHEST ACCELERATION OF THE CAR AND THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE LOWEST SPEED AND HIGHEST ACCELERATION.*DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11257753

Dec 15, 2017Body & structureSpeed controlFuel systemCrash

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK MY TESLA S75 D IN A COSTCO SPACE, THE CAR BOLTED. IT FELT LIKE IT WAS IN AUTOPILOT MODE WITHOUT ME ENGAGING IT MANUALLY. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. IT HIT THE REAR BUMPER OF THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT. FORTUNATELY, IT DIDN'T DO ANY DAMAGE TO THAT VEHICLE BUT IT CAUSED PLENTY OF DAMAGE TO MY FRONT END. I'LL NEED A NEW BUMPER AND HOOD. IT ALSO DEACTIVATED MY AUTOPILOT AND RADAR WHICH ARE BEHIND THE BUMPER. I CAN STILL DRIVE THE CAR AND FEEL FAIRLY SAFE AS I BELIEVE THE COMPUTER ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED THE AUTOPILOT AND NOW THE AUTOPILOT ISN'T OPERATIONAL. HOWEVER, I NO LONGER TRUST THIS CAR. I'VE PRESENTED THIS PROBLEM TO TESLA AND THEY SAID IS WAS USER ERROR BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT I WAS NOT AT FAULT. I'VE DONE RESEARCH AND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN THE WORKS AS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER TESLA USERS. MY ADVISE, DON'T BUY A TESLA!!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11054973

Jun 19, 2017Electrical systemBody & structureBrakesCrash

TAKATA RECALL. A SERIOUS INCIDENT HAPPENED TO MY TESLA MODEL S IN DECEMBER 16, 2016 WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AT PARKING SPOT. THE VEHICLE KEPT RUNNING OVER A CONCRETE BARRIER AND HIT A WALL WHICH RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. I CALLED TESLA MOTOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INCIDENT AND TOLD THEM ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. PICTURES OF THE CRASH ARE UPLOADED BELOW. REPAIRING THE VEHICLE DAMAGES COSTED $11,717.85 AND OVER 2 MONTHS TO FIXED PLUS EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH CAR RENTAL AND TOWING THAT BESIDE THE INCONVENIENCE I WENT THROUGH. AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL LETTER REGARDING THE THE BRAKE CLAPPERS ISSUE LAST MONTH I SENT AN EMAIL TO TESLA AND I WAS TOLD TO COME TO TESLA SERVICE ON TUESDAY 06/20/2017 TO CHECK THE SITUATION.

NHTSA ODI 11000097

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

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 →