FaultScore

Tesla Model S stability control problems

47 of the 5,283 complaints filed about the Tesla Model S are about the stability control — 1% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2015.

47

Complaints

1%

Share of all complaints

11

Crashes

0

Fires

Stability & Traction Control complaints by model year

2013 Model S 6 12.8%

Median failure at 113,000 miles

2014 Model S 5 10.6%

Median failure at 50,000 miles

2015 Model S 20 42.6%

Median failure at 47,000 miles

2016 Model S 11 23.4%

Median failure at 52,000 miles

2017 Model S 1 2.1%

Median failure at 4,900 miles

2018 Model S 3 6.4%

Median failure at 5,000 miles

2019 Model S 1 2.1%

Median failure at 9,000 miles

What owners said

2013 Tesla Model S at 106,000 miles Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

2013 TESLA S P85 MCU WILL NOT BOOT UP AFTER OVER THE AIR SOFTWARE UPDATE BETWEEN OCTOBER 2 T O OCTOBER 9TH WHILE I WAS ON A VACATION. OTA SOFTWARE VERSION 2020.24.6.11

NHTSA complaint #11366786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 25 miles Boumourt, AE

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

HI, I HAVE SEVERALS ISSUE WITH THE CAR WHICH ARE KNOWN ISSUES FOR THE MANUFACTURER AND FOR WHICH SERVICE CENTER SAYS "YES IT'S AN KNOWN PROBLEM ON ALL THESE 2015 MODEL S CAR" BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE CAR IS OVER 4 YEARS OLD AND MORE THAN 100 000KM, SO NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE. THESES ISSUES ARE : * TWO DOORS HANDLES 1042845-00-B (ONE I PAID FOR BEING REPAIRED 60.83) ONE ACTUALLY BROKEN SO RIGHT FRONT DOOR CAN'T BE OPENED FROM OUTSIDE. NEARLY ALL CUSTOMERS FROM MODEL S FROM 2012 TO 2015 HAVE THIS PROBLEM FOR DOORS. IN MY CASE TWO TIMES WERE WHEN CHILDS CLOSED THE DOOR FROM OUTSIDE A BIT STRONGER, SO IT CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME YOU CLOSE A MODEL S DOOR FTOM THIS GENERATION. THE PART 1042845-00-A HAS BEEN VERSIONED 1042845-00-B (THE "A" IS LESS RESISTANT). * TWO WINDOWS CAN'T EASILY BE CLOSES (THE TWO ON RIGHT SIDE) EVEN MORE WHEN TEMPRATURE IS MORE THA 20C, ANTI-PINCH SYSTEM DON'T WORK WELL SO THE WINDOW REOPPEN. SO SOMETIMES YOU LET THE CAR WITH WINDOWS OPENED WITH RAIN RISK IF YOU DON'T CHECK IT. IN THIS SECOND CASE, SERVICE CENTER SAYS THIS IS ALSO A KNOWN PROBLEM AND SAY THEY CAN CHANGE WHOLE PART WITH PAYMENT ! * MORE IMPORTANT IS COMPUTER ISSUE WITH EMMC FAILURE WHERE 8GB NAND MEMORY IS GETTING BY THE TIME WITH READ/WRITE ERROR BECAUSE OF USE CYCLES, MAKING SO MANY ISSUES ON COMPUTER : SCREEN HANGS (NNED REBOOT), AUTOPILOT ISSUE, ENTERTAINEMENT MEDIA LOADING OR USE ISSUE, MAPS FOT GPS SLOW OR LOCKED, LONG TIME BEFORE STARTING CAR (MORE THAN 2 MINUTES SOMETIMES) UNTIL THE TIME MEMORY IS DEFINITLY DEAS SO THE CAR REMAINS UNUSABLE. IN THIS CASE AGAIN, THIS IS AN PROBLEM FROM ORIGIN AND SHOULD BE REPLACED FOR FREE EVEN AFTER THE 4 YEARS WARRANTY BECAUSE PROBLEM COMES WITH TIME. TESLA ASKED 2500 FOR WHOLE REPLACEMENT WITH COMPUTER, SCREENS, 4G CHIP... WHEREAS THEY DON'T BUILT IT CORRECTLY ! * WHEEL BROKEN NO AIRBAG, HORN, COMMANDS...

NHTSA complaint #11365862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Tesla Model S SAN Jose, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TESLA CPU FAILURE IS CAUSING CAR TO HAVE ISSUES. BLUETOOTH WILL NOT CONNECT, CAR WILL NOT UNLOCK, LIGHTS DO NOT WORK- EITHER ARE STUCK ON OR OFF, BLINKERS DO NOT WORK, BACK UP CAMERA DOES NOT WORK, AIR CONDITIONING IS STUCK ON WHICH DRAINS BATTERY, CANNOT CHARGE THE CAR WHEN IT IS NOT RESPONDING AS CHARGING PORT WILL NOT UNLOCK. CAR HAS ESSENTIALLY TURNED INTO A BRICK WITH <60,000 MILES. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TESLA. THESE HAPPEN BOTH WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING AND STATIONARY.

NHTSA complaint #11363349 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 52,000 miles Campbell, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE CENTER SCREEN OF MY TESLA STOPPED WORKING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR ONE DAY (CAR WAS PARKED), RESULTING IN A LOSS OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND ACCESS TO MANY DRIVER SETTINGS, SUCH AS REGENERATIVE BRAKING, AUTOMATIC LIGHTS, ETC. REBOOTING THE UNIT DID NOT HELP, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT OFF ONCE THE ISSUE OCCURRED.

NHTSA complaint #11351484 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 25,000 miles Melbourne, FL

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

MCU ON TESLA CRASHED AGAIN. LAST YEAR IT WAS REPLACED, AND THIS YEAR CRASHED AGAIN. TESLA KEEPS POSTPONING REPAIR. SAYING THEY ARE TOO BUSY. WITH THE MCU CRASHED, TURN SIGNAL DOES NOT WORK AND MAKES CAR NOT DRIVEABLE. I UNDERSTAND YOU ALL ARE INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE? THE DATE IDENTIFIED BELOW IS THE SECOND TIME. THIS HAPPENED LAST YEAR AS WELL.

NHTSA complaint #11350703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 31,800 miles Sunnyvale, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

RANDOM FAILURE INCLUDING LOSS OF CONTROLS USING MCU1. FREQUENT RE-SETTING / RE-BOOTING REQUIRED TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE USING MCU 1 CONTROLS.

NHTSA complaint #11348577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 31,000 miles Lake Oswego, OR

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

COMPLETE FAILURE OF MCU WHEN STARTING THE CAR AFTER ONLY 31K MILES, CAUSING BLACKOUT OF AL SCREENS, DRIVER INFORMATION, CONTROLS, ETC. TESLA HAD ME DRIVE IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER IN THAT CONDITION AND CHARGED $1,462 TO REPLACE WITHOUT ANY INDICATION THAT IT IS A KNOWN DESIGN PROBLEM. (NOTE INCIDENT DATE IS APPROXIMATE.)

NHTSA complaint #11348590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 54,000 miles Dallas, TX

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THIS COMPLAINT IS ABOUT TESLA'S FIRST GENERATION MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU). THE MCU IS THE BRAINS OF THE CAR AND CONTROL THE BIG CENTER SCREEN THAT THE TESLA MODEL S IS KNOWN FOR. WHEN IT FAILED NOT ONLY DID I LOSE THE ABILITY TO USE THIS BIG SCREEN BUT I ALSO LOST KEY SAFETY ITEMS SIGNALS, BACKUP CAMERA, CRUISE CONTROL, AUTOMATIC BREAKING, AND AUTO PILOT. ALL THE SOUND FEATURES ARE ALSO DISENGAGED AS WELL AND THIS WAS EVIDENT IN THE LACK OF SOUND FOR THE TURN SIGNAL AS WELL AS THE LACK OF SOUND FOR THE ALERT IF YOUR SEATBELT IS UNDONE. SPECIFICALLY IN REGARDS TO THE TURN SIGNAL FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU PUT THE TURN SIGNAL DOWN TO AS IF YOU ARE TURNING LEFT THE NOB WILL LOCK INTO THE DOWN POSITION LEADING YOU TO BELIEVE YOUR TURN SIGNAL IS WORKING BUT UNLESS YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE CAR YOU HAVE NO AWARENESS TO THE FACT THAT THE SIGNALS ARE NOT BLINKING. IN ADDITION TO THIS MY CAR LOST ITS CONTROL OF THE AIR CONDITION AND ANY MILLAGE TRACKING FEATURES WERE LOST. THE MCU COMPLETELY FAILED ON ME 3 TIMES. THE FIRST TWO TIMES IT CAME BACK AFTER A FEW HOURS AND THE THIRD TIME IT NEVER CAME BACK (WAS DRIVEN TO THE SERVICE CENTER AFTER 3 DAYS AND IT STILL HADN'T COME BACK). THE FAILED MCU ALLOWS YOU TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR AND YOU HAVE NO AWARENESS TO THE SAFETY FEATURES THAT ARE DISENGAGED. ALSO, ALL THE SENSORS ARE DISENGAGED TO ME THE USER WHICH STOPS THE CAR FROM ALERTING ME TO OBJECTS AHEAD, BEHIND AND TO EITHER SIDE OF ME. THERE ARE ENDLESS ARTICLES ABOUT THE FIRST GENERATION MCU FAILURES. THE CHIPS INSIDE THESE CARS ARE KNOWN TO FAIL AFTER A CERTAIN NUMBERS OF CYCLES AND TESLA HAS YET TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWN ISSUES LEAVING THE CONSUMER TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THESE ISSUES AND HOLD TESLA ACCOUNTABLE.

NHTSA complaint #11348502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 52,889 miles Fremont, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND THE SCREEN WAS BLACK. ALL THE CONTROLS WERE STUCK...FAN/AC...BACK UP CAMERA DID NOT WORK. MY TURNING SIGNALS DID NOT WORK. TESLA SERVICE CENTER WAS CLOSED SO ALL THE AC DID NOT TURN OFF AND DRAINED THE BATTERY ALL THE WAY TO 0 RANGE. TOOK A LOT OF TROUBLE TO GET TO THE SERVICE CENTER THE NEXT DAY. THEY CONCLUDED THE MCU WAS DEAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED CLAIMING THAT IT WAS WEAR AND TEAR. WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE MCU CRASHED AND COMPRISED SAFETY OF THE CAR WITH THE TURNING SIGNALS, SUSPENSION AND REAR BACK UP CAMERA NOT WORKING AMONGST OTHERS SINCE THE MCU CONTROLS EVERYTHING. WE BELIEVED TESLA KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND PUT IT ON OWNERS TO REPLACE AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE IF OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN AROUND WHEN THE WARRANTY ENDS. WE HAVE 2 TESLAS AND BOTH THE MCUS DIED A LITTLE OVER 50K. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY RECALL AND THE MCUS REPLACED AT NO COST. TERRIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICE AND SERVICE FOR SUCH EXPENSIVE CARS. WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TESLA.

NHTSA complaint #11344076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Tesla Model S Placentia, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TESLA MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) DEAD OR WON'T TURN ON DUE TO POOR DESIGN OF THE EMMC MEMORIES. THE UNIT EVENTUALLY DIES ONCE THE MEMORIES ARE FULL AND THE UNIT WON'T TURN ON ANYMORE. SINCE THIS MCU IS THE HEART OF THE TESLA VEHICLE, ALL THE SAFETY FEATURES WILL BE DISABLE LIKE COLLISION SENSORS, HAZARD ALERT/NOTIFICATION, UNLOCK THE DOOR/WINDOWS FROM THE INSIDE, MOST OF THE GAUGES ON THE DASHBOARD ARE DISABLE, EVEN THE LANE TURN SIGNALS ARE DISABLE AND THE BACKUP CAMERA. MY UNIT WENT OUT SINCE MAY 2020, TESLA WILL NOT COVER THE DEFECTED UNIT, IT THEY WILL CHARGE ME OVER $1700 TO REPLACED A REFURBISHED ONE. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THEY RESCHEDULE MY REPAIR SINCE THEY CLAIM THEY DON'T HAVE ALL THE PARTS IN STOCK. I'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR WITH A DEAD MCU FOR ALMOST 3 MONTHS. IT IS VERY UNSAFE WHEN I DRIVE THE DISABLE CAR ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA complaint #11343973 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 57,000 miles Sherman Oaks, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE MCU THAT OPERATES THE CAR FAILED.

NHTSA complaint #11343614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Tesla Model S at 70,000 miles SAN Gabriel, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

MY INFOTAINMENT (CENTER LCD PANEL) SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED WHILE DRIVING. THIS SUDDEN FAILURE TOOK MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE ROAD AND REPEATEDLY ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE SCREEN WAS ALSO A HAZARD FORCING ME TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT WAS STILL UNABLE TO RESTART THE INFOTAINMENT CENTER. WITH THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM DOWN, THE MAJORITY OF THE FEATURES IN THE VEHICLE ARE CUT OFF FROM ME. I LATER READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AFFECTING TESLAS BUILT BETWEEN 2013 AND 2018.

NHTSA complaint #11343553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 114,000 miles Thaxton, VA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE MCU FAILED WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING, WHICH BASICALLY LOCKED THE CLIMATE CONTROL, ACCESS TO SUSPENSION, SPEED CONTROL, AUTOPILOT, NAVIGATION, RADIO, TURN SIGNALS, AND BACK UP CAMERA.

NHTSA complaint #11343085 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Tesla Model S Hilliard, OH

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

MY MAIN CENTER DISPLAY WENT BLANK. FAILED TO COME BACK AFTER MULTIPLE REBOOT ATTEMPTS. CLIMATE CONTROL, GPS, SUSPENSION, BACKUP CAMERA, AND MOST FUNCTIONALITY LOST. FIRST NOTICED WHEN STATIONARY IN MY GARAGE.

NHTSA complaint #11342834 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Tesla Model S at 108,130 miles Ladera Ranch, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

MCU1 FAILURE. NOT ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO CONTROL PANEL FOR AC, POWER CHARGING, MAIN CONTOL SCREEN IS BLACK AND UNRESPONSIVE

NHTSA complaint #11342524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Tesla Model S at 26,000 miles Centerport, NY Crash

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED REPORT I FILED ON SAFER CAR.GOVE AND THE LETTER I WROTE TO TESLA. I HAVE NOT GOT RESPONSE TO ANY OF THOSE.. .THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AFTER I HAD SUCCESSFULLY TURNED THE CAR 90 DEGREE TO PARK HEADON. THE CAR HAD TO BE AT A VERY LOW SPEED AT THAT TIME. THEN WHEN I AS JUST A COUPLE OF FEET FROM THE CURB, THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. IF YOU GET THE REPORT FROM TESLA, YOU WILL FIND THAT CAR COULD NOT HAVE ACCELERATED THIS FAST EVEN IF I HAD PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BY MISTAKE. MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY. I ASKED TESLA TO GIVE ME THE REPORT OF THAT TIME AND THEY DID NOT GIVE. WE ALL FEEL THAT TESLA HAS BECOME SO MIGHTY THAT IT DOESN'T CARE. WE DEPEND UPON YOU FOR OUR SAFETY. SO PLEASE DO FULL ENQUIRY.*DT

NHTSA complaint #11342364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 32,000 miles Dacula, GA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TESLA MODEL S MAIN SCREEN DIED. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE ON EARLY MODEL S WITH MCDU VERSION 1. A CHIP ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD CAN ONLY HANDLE XXX AMOUNTS OF WRITES, OR WRITE OVERS, THEN GIVES UP. SCREEN GOES BLANK. MOST MODEL S CAR FUNCTIONS ARE CONTROLLED ON THE MAIN SCREEN. MY SCREEN FAILED WHILE DRIVING. UNABLE TO SET OR CONTROL CHARGING. UNABLE TO TURN OFF A/C. UNABLE TO HEAR TURN SIGNALS. UNABLE TO TURN ON OR CONTROL HEADLIGHTS. UNABLE TO CLOSE SUNROOF. UNABLE TO CHANGE SUSPENSION SETTINGS. UNABLE TO CHANGE STEERING SETTINGS. UNABLE TO CHANGE LIGHTING ON THE DASH. MOST FEATURES IN THE MODEL S ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint #11341230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Tesla Model S at 47,000 miles White Plains, NY

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE MCU1 OME, CAUSING INTERMITTENT MAIN SCREEN BLACKOUT, TURN SIGNAL MALFUNCTION, A/C DISABLING. REBOOTING REQUIRED MCU TO BE UPGRADED/REPLACED OUT OF WARRANTY

NHTSA complaint #11341083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Tesla Model S at 84,000 miles Thornhill ONT Canada L3T7E7, NY

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE MAIN COMPUTER TURNS RIGHT OFF A COUPLE TIMES A DAY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING, MOST SAFETY FEATURES ARE DISABLED AND THE CARS ELECTRONIC STOP WORKING. THE CPU IS KNOWN TO HAVE ISSUES BECAUSE A CHIP INSIDE GETS OVERLOADED AND DOES NOT CLEAR ITSELF PROPERLY. A RECALL SHOULD BE HAD TO REPLACE THIS CHIP THAT DOES NOT REMOVE THE CASHE PROPERLY.

NHTSA complaint #11341047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Tesla Model S at 209,000 miles LAS Vegas, NV

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHILE ARKED IN MY GARAGE MORNING THE CENTER SCREEN DIDNT TURNED ON THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT KNOW AS MCU WHICH IS THE CENTER SCREEN FAILED AND THE CAR WASNT ABLE TO CHARGE, TURN ON A/C AND MANY OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR WHERE DISABLED IT IS A VERY ESCENCIAL PART OF THE VEHICLE IF IT FAILS VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE DRIVABLE AT ALL AFTER BATTERY IS DEPLETED

NHTSA complaint #11340878 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Tesla Model S problems