Tesla Model S
The Tesla Model S appears on NHTSA's register for model years 2012 to 2025: 37 recall campaigns (144 model-year entries) and 605 consumer complaints.
The component named most often in complaints is suspension (350.6 per 1,000 component mentions), followed by steering (125.3).
The 2016 model year has the most complaints (189). Recall campaigns peaked in 2022 with 11; complaints were received in the largest number in 2017 (185). Within Tesla, this line ranks 1 of 6 by total complaints.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | vs line average | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Tesla Model S | 8 | 7 | 16% | 4,649,815 |
| 2013 Tesla Model S | 11 | 122 | 282% | 4,693,530 |
| 2014 Tesla Model S | 8 | 85 | 197% | 4,715,491 |
| 2015 Tesla Model S | 8 | 125 | 289% | 4,715,491 |
| 2016 Tesla Model S | 9 | 189 | 437% | 5,072,656 |
| 2017 Tesla Model S | 8 | 66 | 153% | 4,953,749 |
| 2018 Tesla Model S | 10 | 10 | 23% | 4,961,253 |
| 2019 Tesla Model S | 9 | 1 | 2% | 4,826,302 |
| 2020 Tesla Model S | 10 | 0 | 0% | 5,998,856 |
| 2021 Tesla Model S | 22 | 0 | 0% | 10,162,158 |
| 2022 Tesla Model S | 20 | 0 | 0% | 10,216,533 |
| 2023 Tesla Model S | 13 | 0 | 0% | 7,119,562 |
| 2024 Tesla Model S | 6 | 0 | 0% | 2,215,025 |
| 2025 Tesla Model S | 2 | 0 | 0% | 239,869 |
"vs line average" is the model year's complaints as a share of the line's average per model year (100% = average). A campaign covering several model years counts once per year. Model years with one campaign and fewer than 25 complaints are listed but have no page of their own; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record.
Components most reported
Per 1,000 component mentions across all Tesla Model S complaints (870 mentions).
Campaigns by year reported
Complaints by year received
Other Tesla model lines
- Model S 144 recalls · 605 complaints
- Model X 125 recalls · 161 complaints
- Model 3 135 recalls · 58 complaints
- Model Y 103 recalls · 0 complaints
- Cybertruck 16 recalls · 0 complaints
- Semi 2 recalls · 0 complaints
Questions and answers
Which Tesla Model S model years have the most recalls?
2021 (22), 2022 (20), 2023 (13). Across model years 2012–2025 there are 37 distinct campaigns.
Which Tesla Model S model year has the most complaints?
2016, with 189 of the line's 605 complaints. Newer model years have had less time to accumulate reports.
What do owners of the Tesla Model S complain about?
suspension (350.6 per 1,000 mentions), steering (125.3 per 1,000 mentions), vehicle speed control (111.5 per 1,000 mentions). Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint flat files, public domain, dated 29 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, dated 29 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019. Model names are as NHTSA records them; variants such as "Accord" and "Accord Hybrid" are separate lines. See the methodology.