45 of the
5,283 complaints filed about the Tesla Model S
are about the doors, latches and locks —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2015.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the hood inadvertently opened and blocked the windshield. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road while the windshield was blocked. The hood was securely closed after several attempts. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the hood was bent, and the hood arms were bent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,700.
NHTSA complaint #11755932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The design of the emergency opening (No power to normal opening system) of the rear passenger doors is flawed, unsafe and should never have been approved for production. This rear door emergency opening requires an occupant to reach below the seat, remove carpet and pull a manual release cable. During a fire with smoke in the passenger compartment, an occupant may not be able to visually locate the release cable, and has a much higher chance of becoming incapacitated and dying from smoke inhalation, as demonstrated in a Tesla Cybertruck accident with multiple smoke inhalation deaths in California Thanksgiving 2024. Another potential scenario is a frontal impact causing a front seat to move rearward, reducing the floorboard space between the front seat and access to the carpet and release cable. This system needs to be redesigned for this vehicle. If I had known about this system prior to purchase, it would have negatively impacted my buying decision.
NHTSA complaint #11691293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our doors completely locked inside our garage. We could not get in the car at all, even after a technician came to replace the low voltage battery. Only after replacing the low voltage battery was someone able to get into the car. However, that low voltage battery did not fix the core issue the car was having. It was a current leak in the high voltage jumper harness. This issue required us to get a very expensive tow of our car out of our garage (required dollys & a winch), and then a very expensive diagnosis & repair by Tesla. These doors should have a way to open if the car's battery or other electrical system malfunctions.
NHTSA complaint #11687668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver’s side door failed to open from the inside as intended. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure persisted. The contact rolled down the driver’s side window and attempted to unlock the door from the outside; however, the failure persisted. The contact was trapped inside the vehicle. The contact climbed over to the passenger’s seat and exited the passenger’s side door without issue. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the door handle had an electrical issue, and an undisclosed part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11687625 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driver door does not unlock after a trip, with passengers inside the vehicle. Driver is unable to exit the vehicle from the driver door. This has happened a couple times now, a Tesla mechanic stopped by after the first time, but didn’t find any issue. It’s happening again.
NHTSA complaint #11666652 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I parked my 2015 Tesla Model S and found the rear door on the passenger side would not open from the outside even though the door handle was extended. This is a safety concern as we could not open the door to remove our pet dog from the car. It would also not be possible to open the door from the outside to remove a child in a car seat next to the door or an elderly or disabled person sitting next to the door who is unable to open the door from the inside. This could be life threatening in the case of a car crash. It is a major safety defect that should be repaired at no cost by Tesla for the entire lifespan of the car. The problem persists and is reproducible.
NHTSA complaint #11664240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The manual door release on the front passenger side of my car was released automatically without anyone in the seat. I was the only one in the car. I was making a turn off of an exit and went over the seam between the bridge and the street. After I went over the seam, the front passenger door manual release was triggered and opened the door. I was able to pull over the close the door immediately after. This is a route I take daily for work and haven't had this problem before. This is a safety issue should someone been sitting in that seat or if there was a car to the right of me and the door fully opened outward. This could result in someone potentially falling out of the car or an accident if someone hit the door if it had swung out. I have tried to reproduce the problem and it has not done it since 3/13/2025 at 4:27pm when the original incident occurred. I did receive an error on the screen stating the manual release button was triggered when I went over the bump. I have tried to book an appointment with Tesla to investigate, but the earliest appointment they had available was April 1, 2025.
NHTSA complaint #11648722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that three door handles had been replaced over the years. The contact stated that the door handles were not responding, and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that several attempts were needed before the door before being able to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's side door handle and the passenger’s side door handle were malfunctioning. The contact stated that there were no messages on the phone App, or on the instrument cluster. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to the local dealer for the driver’s and passenger’s side front door handles. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 280,000.
NHTSA complaint #11648345 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2018 Tesla Model S. While it was still under warranty the passenger side door handle quit working and it was no longer possible to open that door. Tesla replaced the door handle at no change with a newly designed mechanism. It was explained to me that they redesigned the mechanism which had a high failure rate, and my car handles would no longer be installed in later cars. I asked if they would change all 4 door handles for me, and was told they would not. Now several years later, another door handle has failed. This time dangerously. The door pops open spontaneously, and therefore the car is not safe to drive. I have an appointment for repair, but at full cost. Should Tesla not cover the cost, as it makes the vehicle unsafe to drive, and they clearly knew about it when they originally sold me my car?
NHTSA complaint #11647218 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 35 MPH, the front hood latch unexpectedly opened, causing the hood to rise up. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact immediately stopped and parked on the side of the road, and the contact closed the trunk and continued driving. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
NHTSA complaint #11639728 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Trunk/Hatchback failed to open. When I attempted to use the EMERGENCY release ( which you would expect to work in a real emergency) IT DID NOT WORK!! The truck would not open. How can you have an emergency release cord that does not work?!! And they are now charging to repair this!
NHTSA complaint #11635982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The latches for the rear passenger doors of a Model S are electric and do not function in the event the vehicle loses electrical power from the 12v system. A mechanical release is provided in the rear of interior passenger compartment. However the release pulls are located under the carpeting and no labelling is provided and no instructions are posted. The emergency door release pulls consistent of plastic tab about 1-inch long by 0.5-inch wide and connected to a release cable. The plastic tab color is black, under the carpeting, and within an area coated in black coloring. The location of the release is below the rear seating above the floor boards, behind the rear passengers' footwell. The location is not intuitive or obvious and likely could not be located without reading the owner's manual, which passengers are unlikely to do. The location is not labeled inside the vehicle. The tab is small and black, under the carpeting that has to be moved to locate the tab, and provided with a black background. Passengers of limited mobility would not be able to locate and access the pull tabs to release the doors. Small children would not able able to locate and access the pull tabs without climbing off the seat and into the footwell. The pull force must be directed to the center of the vehicle. No mechanic exterior door releases are provided. In an emergency where the vehicle is without 12v electrical power, opening a rear passenger door would require an open rear window, or breaking the window to open access, climbing partially into the vehicle to the other side of the passenger's legs, locating the release below the carpeting, and pulling the release while simultaneously pulling the door outward to open. No labelling for this process is provide, nor is this maneuver detailing in the owner's manual. This level of detail is also missing from the, First Responders Reference: "INFORMATION FOR FIRST AND SECOND RESPONDERS EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDE TESLA MODEL S ELECTRIC".
NHTSA complaint #11627580 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear trunk power lift gate would not open. There is an emergency release on rear lift gate if someone is stuck in the car. Emergency release doesn't work, pulled on it multiple times and it is jammed doesn't move. So in an emergency you are stuck. Appeared today for first time. I have called Tesla to fix this issue. There are three beeps when the system malfunctions but a lot of good that does you if emergency release to open the lift gate doesn't work. Seems to be a common problem reviewing complaints on the internet... not matter what it should release.
NHTSA complaint #11619468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear trunk power lift gate would not open. There is an emergency release on rear lift gate if someone is stuck in the car. Emergency release doesn't work, pulled on it multiple times and it is jammed doesn't move. So in an emergency you are stuck. Appeared today for first time. I have called Tesla to fix this issue. There are three beeps when the system malfunctions but a lot of good that does you if emergency release to open the lift gate doesn't work. Seems to be a common problem reviewing complaints on the internet... not matter what it should release.
NHTSA complaint #11619468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Issue is with the rear hatch (trunk) latching mechanism. The rear trunk latch has partially disengaged but will not completely release and open the trunk. This is a safety concern because the emergency release inside of the trunk (pull cable) does not fully release the trunk either. If a child or person were to be in the trunk they could not escape either from inside the trunk (emergency latch) or externally (unable to close or open physically or with electronic release).
NHTSA complaint #11604982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My Tesla was parked unlocked in my garage. I came out to drive it and all the doors were locked and would not open with my key card. It also would not unlock with my cell phone app. Tesla customer service also could not remotely unlock it. The vehicle had to be towed to a Tesla Service Center where they forced open the window to gain access. They stated the car needed a new control panel. I have read where Teslas have locked up with children in the car and parent could not gain access to the car. These situations need to be looked into since the Teslas locking up are not isolated incidences.
NHTSA complaint #11596842 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Frunk latch does not open with the first tap due to misdesigned frunk liner trim piece. The only way to open the frunk is after first tap to simultaneously tapping open and pulling the hood upward. It is only feasible using the phone app as the vehicle comes with key-card. This creates a safety concern due to fire crew would have an issue reaching a first responder loop to disconnect a battery located under the hood in case of an accident. The issue was reproduced to Tesla service team but they claimed that it is yet impossible to repair.
NHTSA complaint #11593247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park(P), a person approached the driver’s side rear door, and the door unintendedly opened slightly. The contact stated that prior to entering the vehicle, the driver’s side rear door opened slightly, and while reversing, the door opened completely. The contact closed the door; however, the failure recurred. There were no alerts during the failure; however, afterwards the contact's door was opened, and the App showed a message that the door was opened. The contact stated that all the doors were not opening from inside or outside the vehicle unless the vehicle was in park. The contact stated that the driver's side door was not opening whether in park or drive. The contact added Velcro to the door handle that was used to pull the door handle open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
NHTSA complaint #11584692 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My drivers door will randomly open while driving and or while making turns, yes it is available for inspection if need be. This is put my safety at risk because its very dangerous for a door to open while driving at any speed, and if it happens to a back door items in my back seat could fall out causing a very serious accident. When the problem first started I paid to have a new door handle put in but it did not fix the problem, even after the repair the door would sometimes not close stay closed properly and the tech said he wasn't sure because he never seen a door not close every time, after looking online many people have had the same issues, I again reported this to Tesla and they set up an appointment with me to fix the door handle. I have been dealing with this issue for 6 months now. I would say the vehicle was inspected by my mobile tech, but he advised he never seen anything the issue with the door not closing or staying closed every time, said he would ask around and get back to me, I was told by another rep I had to pay for a new latch, but they couldn't confirm if this is the issue. There are only warning messages when the door opens while driving, also the door will open even if it shows its locked.
NHTSA complaint #11581664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.