2020 Tesla Model S problems
NHTSA has received 123 complaints about the 2020 Tesla Model S, and 25% of them involve forward collision avoidance. After that come suspension (11%) and steering (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 123 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Forward collision avoidance 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 2,000 miles 33 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 | 28 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 33 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 2,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Tesla Model S with enough data (123 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 11 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.
I was attempting to park my tesla model s in a charging slot in the tesla kettleman city supercharge station. After locating a vacant slot to my right, I made a right turn into the slot. The car coasted into the slot in a perfect head-in fashion with no problem. My foot was on or hovering over the brake pedal, slowing as necessary as the car reached its desired position. All of a sudden, the car lunged forward with a powerful propulsive force. It felt like we were falling over a cliff or roller coaster.
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 tesla model s. The contact stated that while they were pulling into a parking space at about approximately 6 MPH, when they tapped on the accelerator pedal lightly to move forward slightly, the vehicle accelerated forward at high speeds crashing into the building in front of the parking space. Air bags deployed. The contact stated a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed. The contact received injuries to their leg area and needed medical attention.
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 tesla model s. The contact stated that while his wife driving in a parking lot at 5 MPH, the vehicle accelerated on it's own and crashed into a wall at 70 MPH. The driver attempted to depressed on the brake pedal but the vehicle did not stop. There was no warning light illuminated on the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact wife sustained bruises on her chest and hands along with burns from the air bags. The contact who was a physician was treating his wife.
Here is a 2020 model s tesla in the junkyard [link removed] it has done just 1000 miles since being factory gated. It has not been in a crash ( but that is only because the owner got lucky). The front suspension has collapsed and the wheel is jammed up in the well causing damage to the bodywork. The stupidity of not having limit stops on the air suspension is mind boggling. This could easily have lead to another whompy wheel sudden swerve causing death and destruction.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 52 MPH. During the failure a second vehicle nearly crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The contact indicated that no warning lights were displayed. The failure occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.