2016 Tesla Model S: recalls and complaints

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• 24V37600028 May 2024Seat Belts / Front / Warning Light/Devices
• 24V05100030 Jan 2024Electrical System / Instrument Cluster/Panel
• 23V83800012 Dec 2023Electrical System / Adas / Driver Monitoring / Software
• 23V08500015 Feb 2023Steering / Automated/Adaptive Steering
• 22V03700027 Jan 2022Steering / Automated/Adaptive Steering
• 21V03500029 Jan 2021Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System
• 19V0020007 Jan 2019Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
• 18V20400029 Mar 2018Steering / Electric Power Assist System
• 17V26000019 Apr 2017Parking Brake

1. 24V376000Received 28 May 2024. 125,233 units.

   Seat Belts / Front / Warning Light/Devices

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-24-00-008. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 26 Jul 2024.

2. 24V051000Received 30 Jan 2024. 2,193,869 units.

   Electrical System / Instrument Cluster/Panel

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-24-00-003. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 21 Feb 2024.

3. 23V838000Received 12 Dec 2023. 2,031,220 units.

   Electrical System / Adas / Driver Monitoring / Software

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-23-00-008. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 10 Feb 2024.

4. 23V085000Received 15 Feb 2023. 362,758 units.

   Steering / Automated/Adaptive Steering

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation. The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution. In addition, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver's adjustment of the vehicle's speed to exceed posted speed limits.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-23-00-001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Apr 2023.

5. 22V037000Received 27 Jan 2022. 53,822 units.

   Steering / Automated/Adaptive Steering

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-22-00-001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 28 Mar 2022.

6. 21V035000Received 29 Jan 2021. 134,951 units.

   Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem, causing a failure in some of the center display functions.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   The eMMC controller wear-out condition can cause the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-21-001.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-21-21-001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 29 Mar 2021.

7. 19V002000Received 7 Jan 2019. 68,673 units.

   Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2014-2016 Model S vehicles equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began May 29, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-19-20-001.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-19-20-001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 29 May 2019.

8. 18V204000Received 29 Mar 2018. 70,421 units.

   Steering / Electric Power Assist System

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with Bosch steering racks. The aluminum bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fracture causing a reduction or complete loss of power steering assist.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts and add a corrosion-preventative sealer, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-32-002.

   Report filed by Tesla, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-18-32-002. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 May 2019.

9. 17V260000Received 19 Apr 2017. 31,709 units.

   Parking Brake

   Defect, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles. The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during parking brake application or release.

   Consequence, in the NHTSA record

   If the gear breaks during parking brake release, the vehicle will not be able to be moved. If the gear breaks during parking brake application, the parking brake may not adequately hold the vehicle, potentially resulting in the vehicle rolling, increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy, in the NHTSA record

   Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-17-33-002.

   Report filed by Tesla Motors, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SB-17-33-002. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 6 Mar 2018.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

• 2016 Tesla Model S
• All 2016 vehicles

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 17.

Complaints that report a crash

56

Complaints that report a fire

10

Injuries in the complaints

36

Deaths in the complaints

8

Date of the newest complaint

18 Apr 2019

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

1. 20128
2. 201311
3. 20148
4. 20158
5. 20169
6. 20178
7. 201810
8. 20199
9. 202010
10. 202122
11. 202220
12. 202313
13. 20246
14. 20252

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

• Tesla Model S: all model years
• Tesla: 6 model lines

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• NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
• NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
• NHTSA page of the 2016 Tesla Model SThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2016 Tesla Model S?

5,072,656 units in 9 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.

How many recall campaigns does the Tesla Model S have for all model years?

NHTSA lists 37 recall campaigns for the Tesla Model S, model years 2012 to 2025. 9 of them name the 2016 model year.

Which component do the complaints about the 2016 Tesla Model S name most often?

Suspension: 95 of 309 component mentions, or 307.4 per 1,000. For all 2016 vehicles the figure is 28.8 per 1,000.

Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2016 Tesla Model S open?

6 investigations have no closing date in the NHTSA file, of 18 that name this model year.