NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2015 Tesla Model S and owners have filed 646 complaints. The most-reported area is electrical system (256 complaints). 11 complaints describe a fire and 69 complaints describe a crash.
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2015 Model S.
What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.
| Month | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 2015 | 1 |
| Oct 2015 | 6 |
| Nov 2015 | 0 |
| Dec 2015 | 1 |
| Jan 2016 | 0 |
| Feb 2016 | 3 |
| Mar 2016 | 2 |
| Apr 2016 | 6 |
| May 2016 | 3 |
| Jun 2016 | 13 |
| Jul 2016 | 3 |
| Aug 2016 | 6 |
| Sep 2016 | 8 |
| Oct 2016 | 3 |
| Nov 2016 | 3 |
| Dec 2016 | 2 |
| Jan 2017 | 1 |
| Feb 2017 | 7 |
| Mar 2017 | 4 |
| Apr 2017 | 4 |
| May 2017 | 4 |
| Jun 2017 | 3 |
| Jul 2017 | 0 |
| Aug 2017 | 3 |
| Sep 2017 | 0 |
| Oct 2017 | 3 |
| Nov 2017 | 3 |
| Dec 2017 | 4 |
| Jan 2018 | 3 |
| Feb 2018 | 1 |
| Mar 2018 | 4 |
| Apr 2018 | 4 |
| May 2018 | 1 |
| Jun 2018 | 1 |
| Jul 2018 | 0 |
| Aug 2018 | 1 |
| Sep 2018 | 3 |
| Oct 2018 | 2 |
| Nov 2018 | 1 |
| Dec 2018 | 0 |
| Jan 2019 | 1 |
| Feb 2019 | 1 |
| Mar 2019 | 2 |
| Apr 2019 | 3 |
| May 2019 | 1 |
| Jun 2019 | 1 |
| Jul 2019 | 1 |
| Aug 2019 | 6 |
| Sep 2019 | 3 |
| Oct 2019 | 9 |
| Nov 2019 | 14 |
| Dec 2019 | 4 |
| Jan 2020 | 9 |
| Feb 2020 | 5 |
| Mar 2020 | 5 |
| Apr 2020 | 1 |
| May 2020 | 5 |
| Jun 2020 | 55 |
| Jul 2020 | 96 |
| Aug 2020 | 52 |
| Sep 2020 | 11 |
| Oct 2020 | 12 |
| Nov 2020 | 23 |
| Dec 2020 | 10 |
| Jan 2021 | 16 |
| Feb 2021 | 7 |
| Mar 2021 | 6 |
| Apr 2021 | 7 |
| May 2021 | 4 |
| Jun 2021 | 9 |
| Jul 2021 | 11 |
| Aug 2021 | 3 |
| Sep 2021 | 5 |
| Oct 2021 | 4 |
| Nov 2021 | 6 |
| Dec 2021 | 2 |
| Jan 2022 | 2 |
| Feb 2022 | 6 |
| Mar 2022 | 1 |
| Apr 2022 | 4 |
| May 2022 | 2 |
| Jun 2022 | 4 |
| Jul 2022 | 3 |
| Aug 2022 | 5 |
| Sep 2022 | 4 |
| Oct 2022 | 4 |
| Nov 2022 | 6 |
| Dec 2022 | 0 |
| Jan 2023 | 2 |
| Feb 2023 | 5 |
| Mar 2023 | 3 |
| Apr 2023 | 2 |
| May 2023 | 5 |
| Jun 2023 | 5 |
| Jul 2023 | 0 |
| Aug 2023 | 4 |
| Sep 2023 | 3 |
| Oct 2023 | 5 |
| Nov 2023 | 2 |
| Dec 2023 | 4 |
| Jan 2024 | 3 |
| Feb 2024 | 5 |
| Mar 2024 | 3 |
| Apr 2024 | 6 |
| May 2024 | 2 |
| Jun 2024 | 0 |
| Jul 2024 | 3 |
| Aug 2024 | 1 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 |
| Oct 2024 | 2 |
| Nov 2024 | 2 |
| Dec 2024 | 0 |
| Jan 2025 | 0 |
| Feb 2025 | 1 |
| Mar 2025 | 1 |
| Apr 2025 | 1 |
| May 2025 | 1 |
| Jun 2025 | 1 |
| Jul 2025 | 4 |
| Aug 2025 | 2 |
Aug 5, 2025SteeringA few times the steering control has shut off while I am driving. Steering failure lasts a few seconds and then returns to normal function. The car makes a VERY loud alarm sound when the steering is inoperable. I have not seen any failure messages on the screen or in the Service menu. I took the car to Tesla for service yesterday. They did some sort of remote scan of the fault codes and told me that there is nothing wrong. They told me to continue to drive the car and record when the steering stops working again. This sounds like ridiculously bad advice to me. While the steering control has…
Aug 2, 2025Electrical systemMany air bubbles are appearing towards the bottom of the instrument panel on our 2015 Tesla Model S. This started a couple of weeks ago and the bubbles are increasing in size and number and they are moving upwards. The bubbles don’t presently obscure important driver information such as the transmission mode (drive, park, reverse, neutral), remaining battery range (e.g. 80%), car speed (mph), parking sensor distance, brake light status, car door open, frunk open, tailgate open, time, outdoor temperature, car lights on/off, warning lights, etc. However, the bubbles likely will do so in the…
Jul 27, 2025Power trainLarge drive unit that has previously been replaced by Tesla failed due to coolant ingress leaking through rotor seal. Known issue per 3rd party technicians.
Jul 19, 2025Unknown or otherHi, my trunk won't open when I press the button. This is the second occurrence that jas happend. When inside the trunk compartment the emergency cable to open the trunk is also not responsive and can not open the trunk. I think this is a big safety concern as the safety cord is there for a reason and in both cases id did not worked.
Jul 5, 2025Steering, EngineSteering: While driving today (7/5/2025), all of a sudden and without warning, "driver assist" (power steering) became disabled. Steering wheel immediately became heavy in the sense that it was extremely difficult to turn. Motor: Also, on 02/22/2024, while driving on the freeway at freeway speed, all of a sudden and without warning, the rear LDU (large drive unit) failed and the car became inoperable. At that time, the car had approximately 45k miles on it.
Jul 4, 2025SteeringElectric power steering stopped working unexpectedly and making it very difficult to steer and drive safely.
Jun 1, 2025Latches/locks/linkages, StructureI 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…
May 2, 2025SteeringWhile driving and mid-turn, 2 alerts were announced (park assist not available; steer assist reduced) and I immediately lost the ability to turn the steering wheel (it was 100% stiff) mid turn and was almost t-boned by a vehicle in on-coming traffic. I was able to make the turn widely and pull car to the side while blocking the only lane of traffic. I had ZERO warning and ZERO ability to turn the wheel even into a simple driveway. There was a parking lot near and I couldn't turn the wheel just to turn into it. This almost caused a huge accident which I could have been killed in. Luckily my…
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.