Tesla Model S vs Toyota RAV4

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	Tesla Model S	Toyota RAV4
Complaints on file	5,283	12,161
Model years covered	2012–2026	1994–2025
Worst model year	2016	2021
Best model year	2024	1997
Crashes reported	659	1,192
Fires reported	94	437
Injuries reported	207	602
Deaths reported	35	14
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm	18.8%	18.5%

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%

Toyota RAV4 by year

4 1 54 61 92 75 34 418 682 392 183 168 880 1,240 708 397 498 403 357 332 279 400 295 413 443 1,181 800 519 219 255 264 114

94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 1,636 13.5%

Transmission & Drivetrain 1,400 11.5%

Electrical System 1,369 11.3%

Other & Unspecified 1,077 8.9%

Steering 945 7.8%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 902 7.4%

Airbags 852 7.0%

Brakes 674 5.5%