2023 Tesla Model S recalls & problems

Recent owner complaints

• Oct 24, 2026Service brakes
  While driving at freeway speed at about 9:15 PM with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged, the car suddenly jerked and told me to take over. Several safety systems then failed at once: ABS disabled (ESP_a025), stability control disabled (DI_a222), traction control disabled (DI_a223), Automatic Emergency Braking unavailable (APP_w009), Vehicle Hold disabled (DI_a245, DI_a246), steering assist reduced (UI_a020), and lane departure avoidance unavailable (APP_w264). Steering became very heavy and regenerative braking stopped, so the car coasted freely and would only slow with the brake pedal. I exited the freeway and drove slowly home. The alerts stayed active after a reboot. The car was…
• Sep 29, 2026Vehicle speed control
  Tesla removed speed control from their "full self-driving" product. They have removed the ability to conveniently switch to normal cruise control (have to pull over on freeway or get off freeway to park first) and speed profiles use outdated map data and frequently suddenly change speeds. Sometimes they go away faster than the speed limit and sometimes the car suddenly drops 20mp less in the middle of freeway traffic.
• Sep 5, 2026Service brakes
  Catastrophic structural failure of the rear driver-side (LH) brake caliper assembly on a 2023 Tesla Model S Plaid at approximately 18,036 miles. While driving normally on a public roadway, the factory-installed rear LH brake caliper bolts backed out completely due to improper assembly torque or a latent material defect. The unbolted caliper detached entirely from its mounting bracket and collapsed into the spinning wheel barrel. The caliper became violently wedged between the wheel rim and the rotor, instantly puncturing the wheel, flattening the driver-side rear tire, damaging the passenger-side (RH) rear tire, and causing an immediate loss of vehicle control. The loose caliper acted as an…
• Aug 23, 2026Steering
  My 2023 Tesla Model S has a horn activated by a small button on the right side of the steering wheel rather than by pressing the center of the steering wheel. During a recent dangerous traffic situation, I needed to use the horn immediately to warn another driver, but I could not locate and activate the horn button quickly enough while concentrating on avoiding the hazard. No collision occurred. The incident occurred approximately on August 23–24, 2026; I do not recall the exact date. I reported this to Tesla as a safety concern. Tesla confirmed that my vehicle can be converted to the newer steering wheel configuration with a mechanical center horn. Tesla initially quoted $1,177.34 for…
• Aug 8, 2026Unknown or other
  My Tesla Model S has a touch-sensitive horn button on the right side of the steering wheel. In urgent situations, I've often had difficulty quickly locating it to get another driver's attention. Tesla quoted me $1800 to replace the steering wheel with a model that has the horn in the center, like most other cars. This is a safety concern because owners shouldn't have to pay to move the horn for safety reasons. Tesla should be required to retrofit any model with a touch button for the horn to one with the horn in the center of the steering wheel.
• Aug 4, 2026 · 150,332 miles · crashElectrical system
  The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while exiting a supercharging station with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature engaged, the message "Take Over Immediately" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle abruptly accelerated into an intersection and crashed head-on with another vehicle. The air bags deployed as needed. The contact stated that a Police report was filed; however, the report number was not provided. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it remained undiagnosed and unrepaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 150,332.
• Apr 9, 2026Seats
  ​The driver's seat assembly on the vehicle suffers from a critical mechanical and software tracking defect that causes the seat to permanently jam into a mechanical lock, creating an immediate and severe safety hazard. ​The electronic calibration soft-stops for the driver's seat allow the mechanism to travel past the safe limits of the track when indexed or operated. When the seat reaches the absolute mechanical limit of the rear rail, the lead screw/worm gear mechanism binds tightly, resulting in a total mechanical lock where the motor lacks the breakaway torque to reverse direction. This causes the driver's seat to become permanently stuck in the fully rearward position. ​This…
• Jun 12, 2026Seat belts
  Repeated warning of failure of Front left safety restraint system. Now also a seatbelt warning light. Have already bright car to service three times. Tesla acknowledges inability to resolve recurrent issue. I think this was a recall issue for previous years of this model, Model S. Most recent yesterday, Friday, June 12, 2026.

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA26002 · opened Mar 18, 2026 · openFSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time to respond. ODI will evaluate the performance of FSD in degraded roadway conditions and the updates or modifications by Tesla to the degradation detection system, including the timing, purpose, and capabilities of the updates, and Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact. Tesla’s FSD is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that relies exclusively on vision-based cameras and the related FSD software to detect and respond to the roadway ahead, projecting a path forward based on…
• PE25012 · opened Oct 7, 2025 · openTraffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
  The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation system requiring a fully attentive driver who is engaged in the driving task at all times. Level 2 partial automation systems are designed to support and assist the driver in performing certain aspects of the driving task, requiring a driver to supervise and intervene as necessary. The driver remains fully responsible at all times for driving the vehicle, including complying with applicable traffic laws. ODI’s investigation will therefore focus, in particular, on whether certain driving…
• AQ25002 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · openCompliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
  The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of Tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, Tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis. Preliminary engagement between ODI and Tesla on the issue indicates that the timing of the reports was due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed. NHTSA is opening this Audit…
• PE24033 · opened Jan 6, 2025 · closed Apr 3, 2026Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
  On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private property. ODI analyzed complaint data provided by Tesla as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers to identify Summon incidents resulting in crashes. ODI's analysis indicates that almost all Summon reported crashes involved minor property damage claims with no reported incidents involving a vulnerable road user, injury, fatality, or major property damage as indicated by an air bag deployment or vehicle tow away. Out of millions of Summon sessions, a fraction of 1% resulted in an incident.…
• PE24031 · opened Oct 17, 2024 · closed Mar 18, 2026FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
  On October 17, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24031) of Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) to assess: the ability of the FSD system to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions; whether any other FSD crashes had occurred under degraded roadway visibility conditions that are similar in nature to the four SGO-reported crashes identified in the opening document, and if so, the contributing circumstances for each of those crashes; and any updates or modifications by Tesla to the FSD system that may affect the performance of FSD in degraded roadway visibility conditions, including the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, and Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact. Tesla’s FSD is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that…
• RQ24009 · opened Apr 25, 2024 · openRecall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Autopilot is the simultaneous engagement of Tesla’s Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) and Autosteer. In describing the safety defect, Tesla’s Defect Information Report (DIR) explained that “the prominence and scope of the system’s controls may be insufficient to prevent driver misuse,” and Tesla committed to the deployment of a multipart remedy aimed at improving system and engagement controls and reducing mode confusion. EA22002 (upgraded from PE21020) was opened to investigate whether Tesla’s Autopilot…
• DP23002 · opened Jun 29, 2023 · openSudden Unintended Acceleration
  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial. The petition and related materials can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ODI number: 11528471.
• DP23001 · opened Apr 7, 2023 · closed Mar 18, 2026Defect Petition Interlock Request
  On March 21, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting a “recall of all Tesla cars” produced from 2013 to the date on which the petition was filed due to what Petitioner considers to be the increased likelihood of pedal misapplication. Attached to the Petition is a paper authored by Petitioner. According to Petitioner, the differences in the operator controls between the subject Tesla vehicles and internal combustion engine powered vehicles promote driver pedal misapplication, leading to sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) incidents. To fix this alleged defect, Petitioner argues that the subject vehicles should be equipped with measures that require: (i) occasional removal of the driver’s foot from the pedals; and (ii) application of the brake pedal before fully stopping the vehicle. ODI evaluated the allegations by, among other things,…
• PE23006 · opened Mar 24, 2023 · closed May 16, 2024 · led to recall 23V488Front seat belt anchor detachment
  On March 24, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) after receiving 2 consumer complaints alleging the front seat belts had suddenly detached from the outboard lap pretensioner anchor while in motion in model year (MY) 2022-2023 Tesla Model X vehicles. In its June 19, 2023 response to ODI’s May 4, 2023 Information Request letter of the PE, Tesla reported that its review of field repair data identified 12 additional warranty claims of the subject condition in the affected vehicles. On July 14, 2023, Tesla filed a safety recall (NHTSA No. 23V-488) of 15,869 MY 2021 - 2023 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles. The recall remedy is an inspection of the 1st row seat belts for proper connection to the pretensioners. Service personnel will resecure the pretensioners or, if necessary, replace the seat belt retractor assembly. In its recall…
• EA22002 · opened Jun 8, 2022 · closed Apr 25, 2024 · led to recall 23V085Autopilot System Driver Controls
  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded PE21020 to EA22002 on June 8, 2022, to extend work and deepen the PE21020 crash analysis, to supplement that analysis with additional data, and to perform vehicle evaluations to understand how Tesla’s Autopilot system may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver’s supervision. To support this work, ODI collected additional crash information and assessed vehicle control authority, driver engagement technologies, and related human factors considerations associated with partial automation via analysis of peer vehicle data and hands-on vehicle evaluation, assessments from NHTSA human factors subject matter experts, and reviews of related publications dedicated to partial driving automation. Autopilot is the simultaneous use of the features that Tesla calls Traffic-Aware Cruise…