2018 Tesla Model S problems
Owners have filed 288 complaints about the 2018 Tesla Model S with NHTSA. Forward collision avoidance accounts for 24% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 11.8%.
Complaints288
Crashes65
Fires9
Injuries43
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Forward collision avoidance 24.0% · 69
Unknown or other 12.5% · 36
Electrical system 11.8% · 34
Vehicle speed control 9.4% · 27
Service brakes 8.7% · 25
Suspension 6.9% · 20
Steering 5.2% · 15
Lane departure 4.9% · 14
Severity
Of those complaints, 65 describe a crash, 9 describe a fire and 43 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 10 model years of the Tesla Model S in this data, 2018 sits 6th by complaint volume. 2015 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 80 in the last three years against 135 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 14,000 miles.
In owners' own words
My car will randomly apply the brakes when driving on the highway for no apparent reason. I have noticed this to occur when going under overpasses especially on a bright sunny day, but also at other times. I do not find it to be predictable and it can be quite dangerous if traffic behind me is very close. This has occurred many times, most recently as yesterday. Forward collision avoidance
Door handle not working and not popping out as expected and driver canât go inside the car. A few complaints already from the internet and a lawsuit already filed by other owner and this seems to be recall already but nothing was mentioned yet Camera get blinded or get block easily with rain or sun. This is an issue if youâre using the autopilot. Forward collision avoidance
MCU will not keep up with basic standard features. Map would not load mid trip causing autopilot to fail during a turn causing car to veer wide and almost crash into a wall. Advised Tesla service and they said the only fix is to spend $2000 to upgrade the MCU. Forward collision avoidance
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…