Model year record
2026 Tesla Model S recalls & problems
The 2026 Tesla Model S has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 7 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (2 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2026 Tesla Model S.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2026 TESLA MODEL S 5 HB BEV AWD
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 5.7% |
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Range & efficiency
Model S EV
| Efficiency | 27.1 kWh/100 mi |
|---|---|
| MPGe city / hwy / comb | 132 / 116 / 124 |
| Charge time (240 V) | 9.7 h |
Automatic (A1) · All-Wheel Drive · about $600/year to charge
Model S Plaid EV
| Efficiency | 30.6 kWh/100 mi |
|---|---|
| MPGe city / hwy / comb | 114 / 105 / 110 |
| Charge time (240 V) | 12 h |
Automatic (A1) · All-Wheel Drive · about $700/year to charge
Model S Plaid (21in wheels) EV
| Efficiency | 36.2 kWh/100 mi |
|---|---|
| MPGe city / hwy / comb | 97 / 89 / 93 |
| Charge time (240 V) | 12 h |
Automatic (A1) · All-Wheel Drive · about $800/year to charge
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 2 | — |
| Forward collision avoidanceAdaptive cruise control | 2 | — |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | — |
| Service brakes | 1 | — |
| Lane departureAssist | 1 | — |
| Suspension | 1 | — |
| Wheels | 1 | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Unknown or otherCrashFire1 injury
I purchase my Tesla Model S in February 2026. Shortly after the purchase, My Tesla car drove through red light twice with its Full Self Drive (FSD) engaged. Recently my car crashed into a planter wall with its FSD system engaged while I was trying to take over. The car immediately caught fire following the collision. There are significant concerns that I would like to raise here: 1. After the crash, fire started immediately followed by two explosions, the exterior door handles did not deploy, creating a potential emergency rescue hazard. If I had not been able to use the manual release, I could have lost my life in the fire/explosions. I am a physician. After this accident, I tried to…
- Visibility/wiper
COMPONENT: The rear window glass has optical distortion in the zone viewed through the interior rearview mirror. Vehicles behind me visibly warp and change apparent size as they move across the affected area of the glass. The vehicle and component are available for inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The distortion impairs my ability to accurately judge the position, size, distance, and closing speed of following vehicles. A smaller vehicle, such as a motorcycle, could be misjudged or lost in the distorted zone during a lane change, creating a collision risk. The condition is present at all times while driving. REPRODUCED/CONFIRMED: Yes. Tesla Service (365 Caldwell Dr, Springfield, MA)…
- Suspension
Subject: Safety ConcernâModel S Plaid Rear Tire Wear I am submitting a formal complaint regarding severe premature wear on the inside edges of both rear tires on my Model S Plaid\. I have owned the vehicle since XXX, and it has only 11,980 miles\. Both tires appear to have exposed cords along the inside edges, while tread remains elsewhere\. I have attached a photo\. Approximately 99% of my driving is with FSD engaged\. This uneven wear raises serious safety concerns and may indicate an alignment or suspension issue\. I was advised not to use Low suspension mode or âMad Maxâ mode\. Please clarify which settings this refers to, explain the technical basis, and identify where this…
- Vehicle speed control
Speed profiles don't adhere to actual speed limits. Speed can be higher or lower than posted. I can be driving in a 55mph speed zone and it will drop to 35 then accelerate to 65. On roads that have no speed limit posted car tends to want to go 55 rather than a more sensible speed of under 30, especially at night on a dirt road with wildlife about. Car will also see access road speed signs and slow down in the middle of traffic. To me i don't feel safe and have to disengage the system which adds stress to the drive. Being able to set my own speed is the solution, not having the car set it.
- Vehicle speed control
Supervised FSD does not have a remedy if it assigns an incorrect speed limit to the current roadway. The only action available is to disengage FSD. This incorrect speed limit happens quite often, especially in construction zones with temporary speed limit changes. Tesla used to have a âmax speedâ setting that the driver could use to override an incorrect speed limit, but they removed that capability.
- Service brakes
Car will just brake on the highway with out warning. Cruise control will just randomly change speeds. I was traveling on an overpass and speed dropped to 35 then jumped to 60mph.
- Unknown or other
I was using Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised capability. We were turning left and the car took us into an oncoming turn lane. I had to take over to get us out of the lane.
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
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility ConditionsOpen
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Teslaâs Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the systemâs 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 Teslaâs assessment of their safety impact. Teslaâs 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…