2016 Tesla Model S problems
NHTSA has received 1,033 complaints about the 2016 Tesla Model S, and 20% of them involve suspension. After that come electrical system (15%) and steering (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,033 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 160 and 23
- Injuries and deaths
- 115 and 12
- Typical mileage
- 26,000 miles 618 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 280 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 105 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 90 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 92 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 32 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 618 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 26,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 10,000 miles (149 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 160 complaints mention a crash; 23 complaints mention a fire; 115 injuries reported; 12 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Tesla Model S with enough data (765 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 10 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
There has been a fatal tesla crash in indiana. Crash site photographs show that the rear wheel has skewed over in the wheel well but there is no damage to the rear of the car which could have cause that to happen. The car was repaired by tesla a few months ago after it suffered undercarriage damage after hitting a pothole there is a clear pattern of weakness in the suspension components. It is highly probable that this crash was caused by a suspension failure.
Update to the indianapolis crash that killed two people. This report claims that both occupants were intoxicated. [link removed] however, this other report suggests that tests on badly burned victims may be unreliable. [link removed] not withstanding these reports the photographs published here [link removed] show that the tesla has completely disintegrated and that all of the wheels have snapped off with some of the wheels showing signs of damage whilst rotating.
While test driving a model s at a tesla store, sales rep told me to remove my hands from the steering wheel while on auto pilot. Car suddenly swerved to the right at highway speeds causing the car to leave the regular lane I was traveling in. The tesla rep instructed me that I did not have to keep my hands on the wheel which left me unprepared for the sudden swerve. Name/address are left this complaint off due to concern about the retaliatory nature of the tesla ceo.
At approximately 3000 miles after buying it brand new, a warning message on the dash stated that the 12v battery needed to be serviced. When I brought it in to the service center, they stated that it had to be replaced.