2015 Tesla MODEL S

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2015 Tesla MODEL S has 1053 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 13.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (25% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owned a 2015 tesla model s. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle caught fire. the vehicle was destroyed. there were no injuries sustained. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 500.. ⚠️ 11 fire reports filed.

11 fire reports 90 crash reports 27 injuries

1053

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

13.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

266 complaints

25%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.
• WHILE USING THE AUTOPILOT ON A BUSY I-80 FREEWAY IN SAN FRANCISCO. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH AND IN THE MIDDLE LANE TRYING TO MAKE A LANE CHANGE INTO THE LEFT LANE. I HIT THE SPEED ADJUSTER KNOB INSTEAD OF THE TURN SIGNAL, THIS AUTOMATICALLY INCREASES THE SPEED OF THE CAR WITHOUT INTENDING TO PERFORM SU
• ELECTRONIC PARKING, WHILE PARKING THE AUTOMOBILE IN THE GARAGE I PRESSED THE PARKING OPTION. THE AUTOMOBILE SURGED, RAMMED THE GARAGE, BACKED UP AND RAMMED THE GARAGE AGAIN AND CAREENED BACKWARDS INTO THE STREET.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 9 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

194 complaints

18%

• THE CAR WAS BEING SLOWLY PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A BANK WHEN IT EXPECTANTLY ACCELERATED. IT JUMPED A CURB, PASSED THOUGH SHRUBS, CLIPPED A TREE, AND WAS ABLE TO BE STEERED AWAY FROM A LIGHT POLE. IT CAME TO REST HALF INTO THE ROAD. THERE WERE SKID MARKS FROM THE ATTEMPTED BRAKING THAT WERE P
• WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AND ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEED, WITH AUTOPILOT/TACC ENABLED IT WILL BRAKE HARD FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO AND INCORRECT "KNOWN" 45 MPH (+5 MPH AUTO PILOT THRESHOLD). I USE "KNOWN" AS IT APPEARS TO BE GPS DATA THAT PRESENTS THE MPH. THE ACTUAL SPEED LIMIT IS 65 MPH. DRIVERS WILL
• THE ONLINE OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THERE SHOULD BE 144MM OR 5.65" OF GROUND CLEARANCE ON MY 90D. I HAVE LESS THAN 5". I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO TESLA'S ATTENTION AND THEY STATE THAT THERE IS A RANGE THAT THEY CAN HAVE. I HAVE BELOW THE MANUAL CLEARANCE. THIS LOWER CLEARANCE HAS MADE ME BOTTOM OUT AND

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 18 crashes

“THE CAR WAS BEING SLOWLY PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A BANK WHEN IT EXPECTANTLY ACCELERATED. IT JUMPED A CURB, PASSED THOUGH SHRUBS, CLIPPED A TREE, AND WAS ABLE TO BE STEERED AWAY FROM A LIGHT POLE. IT CAME TO REST HALF INTO THE ROAD. THERE WERE SKID MARKS FROM THE ATTEMPTED BRAKING THAT WERE P”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SUSPENSION

149 complaints

14%

• PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE SUPPLIED THE VIN OF A DIFFERENT CAR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FILE THIS REPORT. I HAVE ALSO SUPPLIED A MADE UP ADDRESS BUT ONLY BECAUSE I NEEDED TO SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE REPORTED PREVIOUSLY THAT THE SUSPENSIONS OF THE TESLA MODEL S HAVE A DESIGN WE
• PLEASE NOTE I HAVE USED A FICTITIOUS ADDRESS TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE WEBSITE. I AM NOT A US RESIDENT, JUST A CONCERNED CITIZEN I HAVE ALREADY REPORTED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TESLA REAR SUSPENSION AND I AM FINDING SEVERAL CASE WHERE THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS FAILED AND CAUSED
• PLEASE DON'T THINK I AM MAKING FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINTS. THERE IS A PATTERN OF SUSPENSION FAILURES. THIS ONE HAS RESULTED IN A VERY SERIOUS CRASH. 2015 TESLA 70D IS FOR SALE AT SALVAGE COMPANY IAAI. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLES/VEHICLEDETAILS.ASPX?ITEMID=20460578&ROWNUMBER=2&LOADRECENT=TRUE IT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 6 fire reports💥 30 crashes

“PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE SUPPLIED THE VIN OF A DIFFERENT CAR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FILE THIS REPORT. I HAVE ALSO SUPPLIED A MADE UP ADDRESS BUT ONLY BECAUSE I NEEDED TO SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE REPORTED PREVIOUSLY THAT THE SUSPENSIONS OF THE TESLA MODEL S HAVE A DESIGN WE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

60 complaints

• CAR WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT . WHILE BACKING THE CAR, IT SPIN FAST OUT OF CONTROL EVEN THOUGH BACKING WAS STARTED AT A VERY SLOW SPEED . CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING FOUR VEHICLES DIRECTLY, AND ONE OF THE VEHICLE HIT OTHER TWO VEHICLES. MAJOR DAMAGE ON THE TESLA CAR IS ON DRIVER SIDE AT BACK, W
• ON THE AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 25, 2015, I WAS DRIVING INTO A STRIP MALL PARKING LOT. I WAS GOING TO PULL INTO ONE OF THOSE SPACES WHERE YOU CAN PARK PERPENDICULAR TO A SIDEWALK CURB AND THE SIDEWALK LEADS UP TO THE STORE FRONTS. WHEN APPROACHING THE PARKING SPACE, THE CAR WAS ALREADY IN REGENERAT
• WHILE USING THE AUTOPILOT ON A BUSY I-80 FREEWAY IN SAN FRANCISCO. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH AND IN THE MIDDLE LANE TRYING TO MAKE A LANE CHANGE INTO THE LEFT LANE. I HIT THE SPEED ADJUSTER KNOB INSTEAD OF THE TURN SIGNAL, THIS AUTOMATICALLY INCREASES THE SPEED OF THE CAR WITHOUT INTENDING TO PERFORM SU

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 19 crashes

“CAR WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT . WHILE BACKING THE CAR, IT SPIN FAST OUT OF CONTROL EVEN THOUGH BACKING WAS STARTED AT A VERY SLOW SPEED . CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING FOUR VEHICLES DIRECTLY, AND ONE OF THE VEHICLE HIT OTHER TWO VEHICLES. MAJOR DAMAGE ON THE TESLA CAR IS ON DRIVER SIDE AT BACK, W”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

53 complaints

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BACK OVER PREVENTION CAMERA FAILED TO ILLUMINATE PROPERLY. AN ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED AND INDICATED THAT THE CENTER DISPLAY WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TESLA (1901 DEL MONTE BLVD, SEASIDE, CA 93955, (831) 264-68
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE MASTER CONTROL UNIT WAS INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BACK OVER PREVENTION CAMERA DISPLAY AND TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERABLE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER TESL
• TESLA MODEL S 2015 90D. I HAVE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT COME NOVEMBER 30TH 2020 FOR THIS BUT I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES OF THE MAIN PANEL AND SIDE PANEL DISPLAY GO COMPLETELY CRASH AND BLACK SCREEN ON ME. DISABLING BOTH THE "AUTOPILOT" V1 FEATURE IN MID USE ON A HIGHWAY GOING 60+ MPH, GPS AND OTHE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 10 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BACK OVER PREVENTION CAMERA FAILED TO ILLUMINATE PROPERLY. AN ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED AND INDICATED THAT THE CENTER DISPLAY WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TESLA (1901 DEL MONTE BLVD, SEASIDE, CA 93955, (831) 264-68”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

SUSPENSION(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1053 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE CAR WAS BEING SLOWLY PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A BANK WHEN IT EXPECTANTLY ACCELERATED. IT JUMPED A CURB, PASSED THOUGH SHRUBS, CLIPPED A TREE, AND WAS ABLE TO BE STEERED AWAY FROM A LIGHT POLE. IT CAME TO REST HALF INTO THE ROAD. THERE WERE SKID MARKS FROM THE ATTEMPTED BRAKING THAT WERE P
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SUSPENSION: PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE SUPPLIED THE VIN OF A DIFFERENT CAR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FILE THIS REPORT. I HAVE ALSO SUPPLIED A MADE UP ADDRESS BUT ONLY BECAUSE I NEEDED TO SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE REPORTED PREVIOUSLY THAT THE SUSPENSIONS OF THE TESLA MODEL S HAVE A DESIGN WE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: CAR WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT . WHILE BACKING THE CAR, IT SPIN FAST OUT OF CONTROL EVEN THOUGH BACKING WAS STARTED AT A VERY SLOW SPEED . CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING FOUR VEHICLES DIRECTLY, AND ONE OF THE VEHICLE HIT OTHER TWO VEHICLES. MAJOR DAMAGE ON THE TESLA CAR IS ON DRIVER SIDE AT BACK, W
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)