NHTSA lists 647 complaints for the 2016 Tesla Model S, 92 of them mention a crash and 12 mention a fire. 31 complaints mention an injury, with 64 injuries and 8 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as TESLA MODEL S.
Recalls
See new recalls and investigations this week.
10 recalls.
Date: 2024-05-28. Systems: SEAT BELTS.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2024-01-30. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraul (excerpt)
Consequence: Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2023-12-12. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advance (excerpt)
Consequence: In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2023-02-15. Systems: STEERING.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation.A The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersect (excerpt)
Consequence: FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge.A Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023.A Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.A Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-001. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2022-01-27. Systems: STEERING.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.
Consequence: Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2021-12-21. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
Consequence: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and reposition the latch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 18, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-11-003.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2021-01-29. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VISIBILITY.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem, causing a failure in (excerpt)
Consequence: The eMMC controller wear-out condition can cause the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2019-01-07. Systems: AIR BAGS.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2014-2016 Model S vehicles equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to abso (excerpt)
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began May 29, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-19-20-001. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2018-03-29. Systems: STEERING.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with Bosch steering racks. The aluminum bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fracture causing a reduction or complete loss of power steering assist.
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts and add a corrosion-preventative sealer, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-32-002.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2017-04-19. Systems: PARKING BRAKE.
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles. The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during parking brake application or release.
Consequence: If the gear breaks during parking brake release, the vehicle will not be able to be moved. If the gear breaks during parking brake application, the parking brake may not adequately hold the vehicle, potentially resulting in the vehicle rolling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-17-33-002.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
18 investigations; 6 open.
EA26002
Opened: 2026-03-18. Closed: Not listed.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Teslaa s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the systema s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient t
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE25012
Opened: 2025-10-07. Closed: Not listed.
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The Office of Defects Investigation (a ODIa ) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute trai? c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automat
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
AQ25002
Opened: 2025-08-20. Closed: Not listed.
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
The Office of Defects Investigation (a ODIa ) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (a Teslaa ) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the a SGOa ), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE24033
Opened: 2025-01-06. Closed: 2026-04-03.
Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private prope
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE24031
Opened: 2024-10-17. Closed: 2026-03-18.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
On October 17, 2024, NHTSAa s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24031) of Teslaa s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) to assess: the ability of the FSD system to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions; whether any other FSD crashes had occurred under degraded roadway visibility co
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
RQ24009
Opened: 2024-04-25. Closed: Not listed.
Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Autopilot is the simulta
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP23002
Opened: 2023-06-29. Closed: Not listed.
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial. The petiti
Systems: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP23001
Opened: 2023-04-07. Closed: 2026-03-18.
Defect Petition Interlock Request
On March 21, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting a a recall of all Tesla carsa produced from 2013 to the date on which the petition was filed due to what Petitioner considers to be the increased likelihood of pedal misapplication. Attached to the Petition is a paper authored by Petitioner. According to Petitioner, the differences in the operator contro
Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: 22V063000.
EA22002
Opened: 2022-06-08. Closed: 2024-04-25.
Autopilot System Driver Controls
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded PE21020 to EA22002 on June 8, 2022, to extend work and deepen the PE21020 crash analysis, to supplement that analysis with additional data, and to perform vehicle evaluations to understand how Teslaa s Autopilot system may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the drivera s supervision. To suppor
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: 23V085, 23V838.
EA21002
Opened: 2021-09-17. Closed: Not listed.
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt
Systems: AIR BAGS.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE21020
Opened: 2021-08-13. Closed: 2022-06-08.
Autopilot & First Responder Scenes
On August 13, 2021, NHTSA?s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-020) to assess the performance of Tesla?s Autopilot system (a system characterized by Tesla as an SAE Level 2 driving automation system designed to support and assist the driver in performing the driving task) available in Tesla vehicles. The investigation opening was motivated by an accumulatio
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE20020
Opened: 2020-11-22. Closed: 2024-08-12.
Fore Link Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on forty-three complaints alleging failure of the left or right front suspension fore links in Tesla model year (MY) 2015 through 2017 Model S and MY 2016 through 2017 Model X vehicles. The investigation has identified 426 instances of failure on part number 1041570-00-A or 1041575-00-A fore links.None of the instan
Systems: SUSPENSION.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
EA20003
Opened: 2020-11-12. Closed: 2024-05-02.
Loss of rearview camera
On November 20, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) 20-003 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-18 Tesla Model S and model year (MY) 2016-2018 Tesla Model X vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. During
Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VISIBILITY.
Linked campaign numbers: 21V035.
PE20010
Opened: 2020-06-22. Closed: 2020-11-22.
Loss of rearview camera
On June 22, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE20-010 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-2015 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. EMMC NAND flash devices have a finite lifespan based
Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP20001
Opened: 2020-01-13. Closed: 2021-01-08.
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
On December 19, 2019, NHTSA received a petition from Mr. Brian Sparks requesting that the Agency recall all [Tesla] Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles produced from 2013 to the present due to sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). In his petition and follow-up submissions, the petitioner identified a total of 232 non-duplicative complaints to NHTSA, including 203 reporting crashes. On January 1
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP19005
Opened: 2019-10-01. Closed: 2021-09-28.
Battery Management Software Updates
In a letter dated September 17, 2019, Mr. Edward Chen petitioned the NHTSA to initiate a defect investigation of certain Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles that received revised battery management software in one or more over-the-air (OTA) updates from Tesla, beginning in May 2019. The petitioner bases his request on vehicle fires that took place worldwide and OTA software updates Tesla made to th
Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
PE16007
Opened: 2016-06-28. Closed: 2017-01-19.
Automatic vehicle control systems
On May 7, 2016, a 2015 Tesla Model S collided with a tractor trailer crossing an uncontrolled intersection on a highway west of Williston, Florida, resulting in fatal injuries to the Tesla driver.Data obtained from the Model S indicated that:1) the Tesla was being operated in Autopilot mode at the time of the collision; 2) the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system did not provide any warning or
Systems: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
99 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system| System | Count |
|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 39 |
|---|
| EQUIPMENT | 27 |
|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 |
|---|
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 8 |
|---|
| SEATS | 8 |
|---|
| STEERING | 5 |
|---|
| STRUCTURE | 4 |
|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 3 |
|---|
11020189
Date: 2025-06-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
On certain Model S and Model X vehicles, the battery powered Pyrotechnic High Voltage (HV) Battery Disconnect will reach the end of its battery lifespan in the near future, which will trigger alerts and may limit the vehiclea s performance.
11008803
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008805
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008806
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008807
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008824
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008827
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008829
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008830
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file
11008831
Date: 2024-09-30. Type: Over The Air. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available ownera s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file