2019 Tesla MODEL S

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2019 Tesla MODEL S has 69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is driver assist/cameras problems (17% of all complaints), specifically: at ~5,000 total vehicle miles, our 2019 model s performance had sudden and complete power steering assist failure at highway speeds, possibly concurrent with autopilot (autosteer) failure. either i, or the autopilot system, turned off the autopilot feature at or near a slight curve on an interstate.

5 crash reports 1 injury

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

12 complaints

17%

• AT ~5,000 TOTAL VEHICLE MILES, OUR 2019 MODEL S PERFORMANCE HAD SUDDEN AND COMPLETE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POSSIBLY CONCURRENT WITH AUTOPILOT (AUTOSTEER) FAILURE. EITHER I, OR THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM, TURNED OFF THE AUTOPILOT FEATURE AT OR NEAR A SLIGHT CURVE ON AN INTERSTATE
• I have a Tesla with Full Self Driving software. On Oct 15, around 1:15 PM Central, in Austin, we had finished lunch. Testa was parked around 100 ft away and I pressed Summon to have the car come to where we were. Completely line of sights. The car while pulling out hit the car parked next to it a
• This is my 6th trip with 2019 Tesla S from Chicago to San Francisco / 1st time SO MANY “PHANTOM BRAKING” incidents / FLAT TIRE WARNING error / screen shut off 3 times …..

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“AT ~5,000 TOTAL VEHICLE MILES, OUR 2019 MODEL S PERFORMANCE HAD SUDDEN AND COMPLETE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POSSIBLY CONCURRENT WITH AUTOPILOT (AUTOSTEER) FAILURE. EITHER I, OR THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM, TURNED OFF THE AUTOPILOT FEATURE AT OR NEAR A SLIGHT CURVE ON AN INTERSTATE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

11 complaints

16%

• TL* THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2019 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILETHEY WERE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY UNKNOWN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AND WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES SEIZED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT
• I WAS DRIVING MY 2019 MODEL S TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DOWN THE FREEWAY AT FREEWAY SPEED WHEN SUDDENLY IT STARTED BRAKING AND THE ALARMS WENT OFF AS IF REACTING TO AN IMPENDING COLLISION. ONLY, THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME TO REACT TO. THE GUY BEHIND ME REAR ENDED ME AND SPUN ACROSS TRAFFIC LANES. THA
• This is my 6th trip with 2019 Tesla S from Chicago to San Francisco / 1st time SO MANY “PHANTOM BRAKING” incidents / FLAT TIRE WARNING error / screen shut off 3 times …..

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“TL* THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2019 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILETHEY WERE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY UNKNOWN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AND WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES SEIZED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SUSPENSION

8 complaints

12%

• THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL GOT DISLODGED FROM THE STRUT AND THE CAR WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. IT WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET AFTER JUST GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY
• ON HARD ACCELERATION (IN MOTION), THE CAR VIBRATES AND RATTLES FROM THE FRONT END. TESLA SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX. LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT IT. I FRERL SOMETHING MAJOR IS WRONG WITH THE CAR AND TESLA IS DOING NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
• THIS ABOUT THE 400TH TIME THAT I HAVE HAD TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT DEFECTIVE TESLA SUSPENSIONS. I DON'T GIVE UP EASILY. HERE IS A TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/35537692/22 IT HAS NOT BEEN IN A CRASH. NO AIR-BAGS DEPLOYED. NO DAMAGE TO THE BODYWORK. THE ENTIRE FRONT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL GOT DISLODGED FROM THE STRUT AND THE CAR WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. IT WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET AFTER JUST GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

7 complaints

10%

• This is my 6th trip with 2019 Tesla S from Chicago to San Francisco / 1st time SO MANY “PHANTOM BRAKING” incidents / FLAT TIRE WARNING error / screen shut off 3 times …..
• Repeated unexpected emergency braking incidents, similar to those described in the recent Washington Post article. The first one happened on the day that I bought the car, and has never improved. One scenario is the same as described in the article - oncoming car/truck on a two-lane road. But it
• The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH on autopilot, the vehicle independently activated the brakes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal in order for the vehicle to deactivate the brakes. The contact stated

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“This is my 6th trip with 2019 Tesla S from Chicago to San Francisco / 1st time SO MANY “PHANTOM BRAKING” incidents / FLAT TIRE WARNING error / screen shut off 3 times …..”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

4 complaints

• ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, WHEN DRIVING IN ENHANCED AUTO-PILOT AND ENGAGED AUTO LANE CHANGE, THE CAR STARTED CHANGING LANES, THEN ABRUPTLY SWERVED BACK INTO MY ORIGINAL LANE. I LOOKED BEHIND ME AND COAST WAS CLEAR. IT'S NOT AT ALL APPARENT WHY THE CAR ABORTS THE LANE CHANGE. I WAS DRIVING THE SPEE
• AT ~5,000 TOTAL VEHICLE MILES, OUR 2019 MODEL S PERFORMANCE HAD SUDDEN AND COMPLETE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POSSIBLY CONCURRENT WITH AUTOPILOT (AUTOSTEER) FAILURE. EITHER I, OR THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM, TURNED OFF THE AUTOPILOT FEATURE AT OR NEAR A SLIGHT CURVE ON AN INTERSTATE
• while driving on a highway, car made warning sounds and displayed a message "steering assist is reduced, drive with care" the car was not drivable. I almost crashed as it happened on a curve. after i stopped, i soft reset the computer but that did not help. During the incident the steering wheel was

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, WHEN DRIVING IN ENHANCED AUTO-PILOT AND ENGAGED AUTO LANE CHANGE, THE CAR STARTED CHANGING LANES, THEN ABRUPTLY SWERVED BACK INTO MY ORIGINAL LANE. I LOOKED BEHIND ME AND COAST WAS CLEAR. IT'S NOT AT ALL APPARENT WHY THE CAR ABORTS THE LANE CHANGE. I WAS DRIVING THE SPEE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

SUSPENSION(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 69 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: AT ~5,000 TOTAL VEHICLE MILES, OUR 2019 MODEL S PERFORMANCE HAD SUDDEN AND COMPLETE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POSSIBLY CONCURRENT WITH AUTOPILOT (AUTOSTEER) FAILURE. EITHER I, OR THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM, TURNED OFF THE AUTOPILOT FEATURE AT OR NEAR A SLIGHT CURVE ON AN INTERSTATE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: TL* THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2019 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILETHEY WERE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY UNKNOWN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AND WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES SEIZED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SUSPENSION: THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL GOT DISLODGED FROM THE STRUT AND THE CAR WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. IT WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET AFTER JUST GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: This is my 6th trip with 2019 Tesla S from Chicago to San Francisco / 1st time SO MANY “PHANTOM BRAKING” incidents / FLAT TIRE WARNING error / screen shut off 3 times …..
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)