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What 379 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Tesla Model S P90d

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)

Newest first · 379 complaints · page 16 of 16

Jul 31, 2017Suspension

HERE IS A 2017 MODEL S IN THE JUNKYARD: HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLE?ITEMID=25563471&ROWNUMBER=49&LOADRECENT=TRUE&ISNEXT=TRUE THERE IS VERY LITTLE DAMAGE TO THE CAR EXCEPT FOR THE BACK WHEEL WHICH HAS GONE ALL WHOMPY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE REASON THAT THE TESLA WHEELS GO WHOMPY SO OFTEN.

NHTSA ODI 11011598

Jul 17, 2017SteeringTransmission & drivetrainSpeed control

ON JULY 13, 2017, MY TESLA WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE I-680 IN THE VICINITY OF FREMONT, CALIFORNIA. MY VEHICLE WAS IN SELF-DRIVE MODE TRAVELING IN THE LEFT-MOST LANE AT 65 MPH. MY HANDS WERE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. WE ENTERED A LONG CURVE TO THE RIGHT AND APPROACHED STOPPED CARS AHEAD OF US. THE SELF-DRIVE MODE IN MY TESLA THEN STOPPED OPERATING AND I WAS LEFT TO SUDDENLY HAVE TO STEER THE TESLA ONTO THE LEFT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME. THIS ALL OCCURRED UNDER CLEAR SKIES AND DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. I COULD NOT SIMPLY ACCEPT THIS BEHAVIOR BY MY VEHICLE WITHOUT REGISTERING A COMPLAINT AT MY TESLA DEALER IN SEASIDE, CALIFORNIA. THE TESLA SERVICE REP EXAMINED THE LOGS ON MY VEHICLE AND LATER THAT SAME DAY REPORTED TO ME THAT THE SELF-DRIVING FEATURE ON MY TESLA WAS STILL IN BETA STAGE AND THAT MY NEW TESLA'S FIRMWARE WAS DEFECTIVE. I WOULD NOW LIKE TESLA TO TAKE BACK THIS TESLA AND RETURN TO ME A FULL REFUND. THIS IS THE SECOND MAJOR FAILING OF THIS TESLA WHICH HAS ONLY ABOUT 700 MILES ON ITS ODOMETER. I TOOK INITIAL DELIVERY OF THIS TESLA ON MAY 3, 2017. THIS FAILURE OF THE SELF-DRIVING FEATURE OCCURRED AT AROUND 10:30AM ON JULY 13, 2017. THE FIRST FAILURE OF THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM OCCURRED ON MAY 3, 2017, THE ORIGINAL DELIVERY DATE. THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAD SIMPLY FROZEN AT THE DEALERSHIP. AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THIS VEHICLE TO TESLA FOR A FULL REFUND.

NHTSA ODI 11005992

Apr 28, 2017WheelsCrash

THE COMPLAINT/ REPORT ALSO AS HTTPS://DOCS.GOOGLE.COM/DOCUMENT/D/1KZCESCBMBYWP_CTENVB7A51L-XX5TDBJCWZKB_NQVSS/EDIT?USP=SHARING 04/26/2017 15:06 I, AS A REGISTERED STRUCTURAL/ CIVIL ENGINEER/ ARCHITECT, DROVE MY TESLA MODEL S 60D (WHICH UPGRADED TO 75D) STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT AND LEFT TURN CASUALLY AFTER GREEN LIGHTS, ACCELERATE CASUALLY THEN HIT UNKNOWN OBJECTS/ CURB/ ISLAND, TYRE BURST, CAR STOPPED, NO AIRBAGS POP OUT. THE WHEEL BROKE NO AIRBAG POP OUT SHOWS THE HIT IS NOT SEVERE BUT ALUMINIUM ALLOY WHEEL BROKE. A PRACTICAL AND DUE DESIGN WOULD MAKE WHEEL AND TYRE ABSORB THE HIT IN 40~50 KM/HR WITHOUT BREAK AND BURST MAKES THE USER OF THE AUTO SAFE. TELSA MODEL S WHEEL IS SO FRAGILE (THE CASE IS 19 WHEEL). SIMILAR FINDINGS ARE REPORTED BY IIHS AND CARTHROTTLE IHS CRASH TEST FOOTAGE OF A 2016 TESLA MODEL S REVEAL A VERY DISTURBING PROBLEM WITH THE CAR'S WHEELS ON IMPACT, WHERE THEY SHATTER OF GREATER CONCERN, HOWEVER, IS THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE CARS ALUMINIUM ALLOY WHEEL. ON SMALL FRONTAL IMPACT, THE WHEEL CRACKS AND DRAMATICALLY SHATTERS, FURTHER REDUCING CRASH STRUCTURE INTEGRITY AND LAUNCHING PROJECTILES INTO THE SURROUNDING AREA. HTTPS://WWW.CARTHROTTLE.COM/POST/WHAT-THE-HELL-IS-GOING-ON-WITH-TESLA-MODEL-S-WHEELS-ON-IMPACT/ IT JUST HAPPENED ON ME. THE GRAVITY OF CENTER IS SO LOW FOR MODEL S AND WEIGHT IS SO HEAVY. THE MOMENTUM AND FORCE INDUCED DURING IMPACT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WITH A PROPER WHEEL. ITS VERY DIFFERENT WITH OTHER ICE OR LIGHT WEIGHT, HIGH CENTER OF GRAVITY MOTOR, SINCE THE IMPACT VECTORS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT IN NATURE. THE WHEEL OF TESLA, AT LEAST FOR MODEL S, IS DEFECT, AND IT SHOULD BE NOTIFIED AND REMEDY. ITS A DEFECT AND TESLA SHOULD RECALL/ NOTIFY AFFECTED MOTORS. PLEASE TAKE A NECESSARY LOOK AND CONSIDERATION INTO THE CASE FOR A SAFE MOTOR AS WE EXPECTED.

NHTSA ODI 10981928

Apr 5, 2017Body & structure

HERE IS A REPORT FROM AN OWNER OF A BRAND NEW MODEL X THAT HAS A CRACKED IN HALF A-PILLAR. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/HELP-A-PILLAR-DEFECT-FOUND.88657/ PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ATTACHED. SNIP "I PICKED UP MY S90D LAST FRIDAY AND WAS SUPER HAPPY ABOUT IT, THERE WAS SOME TRIM MIS-ALIGNMENT ON DELIVERY BUT NOTHING SERIOUS. TODAY, I WAS SHOWING OFF THE CAR TO MY BROTHER IN-LAW AND NOTICED SOMETHING VERY WRONG WITH THE A-PILLAR. ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE IT TOUCHES THE FRONT OF THE WINDSHIELD, THE ALUMINIUM WAS ACTUALLY CRACKED AND THERE IS A GAPING HOLE TO THE INSIDE! THERE IS NO WAY THAT I WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY CAUSED THIS AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY PAINTED THE CRACK PART AS WELL. I HAVE EMAILED MY DELIVERY PERSON AND AM SUPER SAD ABOUT THIS AS I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN ACTUALLY REPLACE THAT PART WITHOUT RIPPING APART THE CAR. THIS CRACKED PART IS OBVIOUSLY UNACCEPTABLE BUT I DON'T WANT THEM TO CAUSE MORE ISSUES RIPPING IT APART TO REPLACE IT. WHAT SHOULD I DO?" IT IS SCANDALOUS THAT SUCH A SERIOUS STRUCTURAL DEFECT COULD PASS QUALITY CONTROL. THIS IS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF TESLAS BEING RUSHED OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE IN ORDER TO MEET QUOTAS WHILE IGNORING THE PRODUCTION DEFECTS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE HOW THIS CAR WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THE FACTORY. CONCERNED CITIZEN ETC.

NHTSA ODI 10970820

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Working with the data? Download all 379 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 23, 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 P90d verdict →