GMC Suburban vs Tesla Model S

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	GMC Suburban	Tesla Model S
Complaints on file	2,323	5,283
Model years covered	1974–2004	2012–2026
Worst model year	1994	2016
Best model year	2000	2024
Crashes reported	246	659
Fires reported	39	94
Injuries reported	101	207
Deaths reported	7	35
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	16.9%	18.8%

GMC Suburban by year

1 2 5 6 4 8 8 24 28 33 105 254 490 294 220 268 137 393 20 5 9 8 1

74 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 1,053 45.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 203 8.7%

Tires 136 5.9%

Transmission & Drivetrain 129 5.6%

Electrical System 125 5.4%

Seats 105 4.5%

Engine & Cooling 100 4.3%

Steering 95 4.1%

Tesla Model S by year

89 677 546 1,057 1,027 673 288 73 123 279 198 162 78 7 6

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 1,001 18.9%

Other & Unspecified 863 16.3%

Suspension 730 13.8%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 672 12.7%

Steering 344 6.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 273 5.2%

Brakes 208 3.9%

Lights 195 3.7%