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What 379 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (379)Crash / fire / injury (50)Electrical system (104)Suspension (104)Steering (42)Driver assistance (41)Speed control (33)Lights (24)Visibility & wipers (23)Brakes (20)Lane Departure (19)Backup camera & sensors (17)

104 of 379 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 5 of 5

Oct 10, 2019SteeringElectrical system

MODEL S HAS LOST RANGE COMPARED TO WHAT WAS ADVERTISED. ALSO MANY PROBLEMS WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN CAUSE DIFFICULT STEERING

NHTSA ODI 11267723

May 15, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemFuel system

ON SATURDAY 5/11/2019 AROUND 12:45PM WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD SOUND THEN THE CAR SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY LEAVING ME STUCK. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE CAR DISPLAY AN ERROR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE "UNABLE TO DRIVE, PLEASE PROCEED TO SAFETY" (SOMETHING LIKE THIS) I DID NOT TAKE A PHOTO SINCE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT BEING REAR ENDED. I HAD TO CALL 911 TO STOP ALL TRAFFIC SO THE CAR COULD BE PUSHED OFF THE HIGHWAY. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO PUSH THE CAR IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN. I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR INTO TESLA SERVICE SO THEY CAN TRY TO DETERMINE WHY THIS OCCURRED. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT TO MYSELF AND OTHERS IF THIS HAPPENED DURING NON RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ODI 11207856

Feb 6, 2019Electrical systemSpeed controlEngineCrash1 injury

2017 TESLA MODEL S STARTED TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN OVER 100 MPH, WHEN TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AROUND 70 MPH, WITHOUT AUTOPILOT ENGAGED. AS SOON AS IT STARTED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR TOOK CONTROL OVER THE STEERING WHEEL AND DROVE INTO THE GUARDRAIL ON THE LEFT OF THE LANE, THEN QUICKLY STEERED TO THE RIGHT LANES AND STEERED TO THE LEFT AGAIN. SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE BUT DID NOT WORK AT ALL, AND STEERING WHEEL DID NOT RESPOND. THE CAR COMPLETELY TOOK CONTROL OVER TRAVELING OVER 100 MPH GOING ZIG-ZAG ON THREE LANE HIGHWAY, FINALLY CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING NUMBER OF TREES IN THE WOODS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR IS COMPLETELY TOTALED.

NHTSA ODI 11174732

Jan 24, 2018Electrical systemSpeed controlCrash

TESLA MODEL S 2017 SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION- 1/18/2018, MORNING 9:05 AM. I WAS PULLING IN TO MY OFFICE PARKING SPOT WHERE I PARKED FOR 6 YEARS, I LET THE CAR SLOW TO ROLL CLOSER IN FRONT OF THE CURB. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR ACCELERATED, GOT ON THE CURB, HIT THE OFFICE BUILDING. THE CAR WAS STILL GOING UNTIL I APPLIED THE BRAKE. THE ACCELERATION POINT WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE CURB, MEASURING FROM THE POINT TO THE WALL IS ONLY 7 FEET. TESLA SAID I WAS ON THE PEDAL FOR A SECOND LONG, I APPLIED PEDAL FROM 0-18%, AND QUICKLY APPLIED THE BRAKE. IF I APPLIED THE PEDAL, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY MY BRAKE IN A SPLIT SECOND. TESLA REFUSED TO PROVIDE THE FORCE GIVEN TO THE PEDAL AND ANY TELEGRAPHY. TESLA SAID THEY WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE AND SAID IT IS DRIVER'S ERROR. I TOLD MY CAR WAS ONLY 6 WEEK NEW, I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE, I REQUEST TO RETURN THE CAR. TESLA REFUSED. TESLA CLAIMED THERE IS NO PARTS FAILURE AND REFUSED TO DO ANY FAILURE ANALYSIS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR AND ACCIDENT PICTURES. CONSUMER FIGHTING WITH ODDS?-- WHEN INSURANCE COMPANY SENT TOW TRUCK DRIVER ON THE NEXT DAY(1/19/2018), THE DRIVER SAID MY CAR WAS THE SECOND BRAND NEW MODEL S HE TOWED IN THE SAME WEEK WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE OTHER LADY RAN THRU HER DRYWALL AND GOT IN HER LAUNDRY ROOM WHILE PARKING, SAME SITUATION- WHILE LETTING THE CAR "SLOW", ROLL ITSELF. GIVEN TESLA HAS MANUFACTURED CLOSE TO 200,000 CARS, LAUNCHED 5 YEARS SINCE 2012, DIVIDED BY 52 WEEKS A YEAR, THE ODD IS PRETTY HIGH FOR THE SAME ISSUE---0.7%. AT A TOTAL OF 1400 TESLA CARS OUT THERE, THESE 1400 CARS ARE ACTING AS TICKING BOMB FOR THE DESIGN FAILURE CAUSING SUA. I BELIEVE THIS ISSUE REQUIRES NHTSA OR FEDERAL REGULATION TO TAKE A LOOK.

NHTSA ODI 11064628

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Working with the data? Download all 379 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 2017 Tesla Model S 75d verdict →