Tesla Model S

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Official safety data

NHTSA

Recalls 8

Show 3 older recalls Show fewer recalls
  • Apr 2017 Parking Brake 2012 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.

    Risk 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 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.

    Applies to Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles.

    NHTSA campaign 17V260000

  • Jan 2017 Air Bags 2012 These vehicles are 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…

    These vehicles are 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 frontal air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy Tesla will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

    Applies to Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2012 Model S vehicles.

    NHTSA campaign 17V023000

  • Nov 2015 Seat Belts 2012 The affected vehicles are equipped with driver or front passenger seat belts that may be improperly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner.

    Risk If the seat belt is not correctly attached to the pretensioner, it may not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

    Remedy Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will inspect the driver and front passenger seat belts, correcting their connection, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-15-20-002.

    Applies to Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Model S vehicles manufactured May 31, 2012, to November 12, 2015.

    NHTSA campaign 15V780000

Complaints 59

Owners have filed 59 complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the 2012 Tesla Model S. 1 mention a fire and 4 a crash.

Electrical system 36 Other 11 Suspension 9 Exterior lighting 5 Visibility/wipers 5 Powertrain 4

“I tried to start the car and got the “Center Display unavailable” message. Reset the computer doesn’t help. I have to wait for more than 5 minutes for the system to be on.”

NHTSA complaint #11495377 · 2012 model year · Electrical system · Nov 2022

“Both the 12 volt system and High voltage battery system or a component communicating between the two failed. I received a warning message that my vehicle may not restart and within 30 seconds it completely shutdown while driving in the middle of the road. The vehicle was essentially dead weight at…”

NHTSA complaint #11468855 · 2012 model year · Electrical system · Jun 2022

“MCU failure after 12 months replacement that I paid for at time of replacement. Service center cannot schedule a service for 2 weeks.”

NHTSA complaint #11441219 · 2012 model year · Electrical system · Nov 2021

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — official recalls and owner-filed complaints, shown as reference data, separate from KnownCars community posts. Had one of these problems yourself? Create a free account and post it.