2012 TESLA MODEL S

What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.

This is complaint data, not a random sample.

It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.

Component ranking

  1. #1

    infotainment head unit

    14 unsafe, 1 broken, 4 annoyance

    19
    incidents
    Typical range: 45,500–84,000 mi

    Median 65,000 mi, based on 25 reports (24% had no usable mileage)

    • "LOSS OF REAR VIEW CAMERA. THE MIDDLE TOUCH SCREEN OR MCU QUIT WORKING. THIS IS MY 3RD MCU. THE CAR HAS 41K MILES. THE LAST ONE LASTED JUST OVER 1 YEAR, JUST OUT OF A 1 YEAR WARRANTY. THE MCU CONTROLS ALMOST ALL FEATURES OF THE CAR, INCLUDING THE REAR CAME…"~39,916 mi, complaint #1671886
    • "The contact owns a 2012 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the center display screen failed to operate as needed. The dealer had be…"~51,000 mi, complaint #1769906
    • "EACH TIME THE TESLA S IS STARTED THE LARGE TOUCH DISPLAY SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE. NO FUNCTION ON THE SCREEN WORKS. THE REARVIEW CAMERA, CELL PHONE OR ANY FUNCTION-HAVE,SUNROOF,GARAGE DOOR CLOSE, ETC. THE SCREEN HAS TO BE RESET TAKING 5 MINUTES. THE CAR CAN BE DR…"~68,000 mi, complaint #1671565
    • "AROUND JUNE 2018 THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) OF MY MODEL S COMPLETELY FROZE BEFORE I LEFT MY HOME FOR WORK. THE SCREEN DID NOT UPDATE AND DID NOT RESPOND TO ANY TOUCH. I REBOOTED THE MCU WHILE DRIVING BUT THE SCREEN REMAINED BLACK. I COULD NO LONGER USE BACK-…"~83,100 mi, complaint #1672369
    • "THE TOUCH SCREEN ON THE TESLA IS BLACK AND WILL NOT TURN ON. IT'S AS IF THE COMPUTER IS DEAD. IT WAS WORKING I PARKED AT UPS DELIVERY GOT OUT, DROPPED OFF A PACKAGE GOT BACK I. THE CAR LIKE NORMAL WITH THE KEY FOB, SAT DOWN PRESSED THE BRAKE AND NOTICED NOTHI…"~114,938 mi, complaint #1676323
  2. #2

    control module

    7 unsafe, 2 annoyance

    9
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=6)

    • "WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE THE MCU RANDOMLY SHUTS DOWN I LOSE MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SPEEDOMETER AND OTHER FUNCTIONS UNTIL THIS REBOOTING TAKES PLACE I HAVE HAD IT INTO TESLA FOUR TIMES EACH TIME THEY PERFORM SOME COMPUTER UPDATE WHICH DOES NOT WORK TO SOLVE MY P…"~83,000 mi, complaint #1672910
    • "W MCU GOING OUT CONCERNING I CANNOT SAFELY OPERATE VEHICLE. NO WAY TO CONTROL DEFROSTING. ALSO DOOR HANDLES STICK AND PINCH MY FINGERS EACH TIME I OPEN DOOR. SCREEN IS STARTING TO BUBBLE, HASN'T FAILED YET. *TR"~85,009 mi, complaint #1673095
    • "MY MAIN COMPUTER WENT OUT AS I GOT HOME. SCREEN JUST WENT BLACK AS I PULLED IN GARAGE. AC RAN ALL NIGHT, WOULDN'T TURN OFF. HAD TO SCHEDULE AN APPT AT WESTCHASE SERVICE CENTER. DROVE THERE WITH A BLACK SCREEN."~121,500 mi, complaint #1673011
    • "ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO MY MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) AND TOUCHSCREEN FAILED, REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT. I JUST READ AN ARTICLE THAT YOU ARE INVESTIGATING THESE FAILURES AND WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE EXAMPLES IF DESIRED. AS YOU PROBABLY WELL KNOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE A…"~130,000 mi, complaint #1671781
    • "THE MAIN COMPUTER IN CAR - MEDIA CONTROL UNIT - MALFUNCTIONED... IT CRASHED AND CAUSED NO TURN SIGNALS, NO REAR VIEW CAMERA, AND NO HVAC. CONTROLS FOR HEADLIGHTS ALSO GONE"~249,000 mi, complaint #1673470
  3. #3

    ev drive unit or inverter

    7 unsafe

    7
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "MCU FAILURE. VEHICLE NOT SAFELY DRIVEABLE"~30,000 mi, complaint #1697459
    • "The contact owns a 2012 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal humming sound detected coming from the drive unit. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed…"~59,000 mi, complaint #1754421
    • "The contact owns a 2012 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding noise without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a service center where they replaced the drive unit under warranty…"~110,380 mi, complaint #1766134
  4. #4

    hv battery and range

    3 stranded, 1 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OVER THE HILL THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN ON ME AND IT WAS 43% ON THE BATTERY AND IT KEEPS SHOWING THE YELLOW ON THE DASH SAYING THAT BATTERY IS OVERHEATING"complaint #1741816
    • "I appears that Tesla had capped my battery. I have lost significant range for no reason and they have no explanation. "complaint #1783559
    • "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. Th…"complaint #1818650
    • "In October 2024, I brought my recently purchased used Model S to the Cincinnati Service Center for an antenna inspection, MCU upgrade, and general inspection to ensure the vehicle was safe and operating properly. During the inspection, I was informed that addi…"complaint #2216980
  5. #5

    suspension arms and bushings

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

    • "HERE IS A TESLA IN THE SALVAGE YARD. HTTPS://M.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETENC.ASPX?AUCTIONID=21921554&ITEMID=23249264&ROWID=16&PAGESOURCE=VEHICLERESULTS THE STEERING KNUCKLE HAS SNAPPED IN HALF. THE AIR-BAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED AND THERE IS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE…"~20,000 mi, complaint #1332811
    • "YOU ARE INVESTIGATING TESLA FRONT SUSPENSION FAILURES. YOU SHOULD ALSO INVESTIGATE TESLA REAR SUSPENSION FAILURES. HERE IS JUST ONE RECENT EXAMPLE.HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/38453571?ROWNUMBER=39 THE SUSPENSION LINK HAS SNAPPED LIKE A PRETZEL CAUSI…"~50,000 mi, complaint #1715152
    • "NOTICED THIS PROBLEM AFTER I WAS BACKING UP AND TURNING MY WHEELS AND WOULD HEAR A LOUD METAL ON METAL "CLUNK" OR "GRINDING" SOUND. IT WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT-LEFT SUSPENSION AND WOULD OCCUR CAUSING MY WHEEL AND STEERING TO FEEL LIKE IT WAS SKIPPING. I N…"~67,000 mi, complaint #1299426
  6. #6

    suspension struts shocks

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "I AM FILING THESE COMPLAINTS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. I AM NOT A TESLA OWNER AND I HAVE NO INVESTMENT IN TESLA NOR DO I HOLD ANY SHARES IN THE STOCK-MARKET. THIS CAR IS IN THE WRECKING YARD. THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS FAILED AND THE WHEEL IS PUSHED BACK AGA…"~5,000 mi, complaint #1231432
    • "ANOTHER TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLE?ITEMID=24890595&ROWNUMBER=53&LOADRECENT=TRUE SUSPENSION HAS COLLAPSED, WHEELS JAMMED UP IN THE WELLS. THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE COLLISION DAMAGE. WHY DOES THIS CAR NOT HAVE LIMIT STOPS ON THE SUSP…"~70,000 mi, complaint #1375235
    • "HERE IS A TERDSLA IN THE JUNKYARD HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/38424109?ROWNUMBER=4 FRONT SUSPENSION HAS COLLOLOPSED. TIRE HAS RUBBED AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE FENDER AND WORN A HOLE THROUGH IT. LUCKILY FOR THE OWNER HE WAS NOT DRIVING NEAR A CLIF…"~70,000 mi, complaint #1713758
  7. #7

    ev charging system

    1 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "As the car drains the battery pretty quickly, I have turned on energy saving mode. In this mode the car enters a deeper sleep, consuming less power. Sometimes in this mode when starting the vehicle, the turn signals will not work (this appears to happen when…"complaint #1772176
    • "I charge my Model S on a 30 amp circuit with the car location amperage set to 20 amps to avoid overheating the circuit. Around Sept 12 while plugged in to the 30 amp, the car pulled in 50 amps off the line causing a melting of the wires and a near fire base…"complaint #1846386
  8. #8

    hv system fault reduced power

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2012 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted to neutral. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate t…"~125,000 mi, complaint #1769829
  9. #9

    airbag system

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "In the evening of [XXX] of this year, the driver door airbag in my 2012 Tesla Model S self-deployed as I opened the car door to exit after parking in my garage. I brought the car to the Tesla dealer in Buena Park California, and they told me they could not fi…"complaint #2161791
  10. #10

    battery and charging

    1 stranded

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "CAR WON'T START, COMPUTER PROBLEMS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, AFTER MULTIPLE CALLS TESLA HAD NO RECORD OF PRIOR COMPLAINTS AND NO REMEDY. LEFT STRANDED MULTIPLE TIMES. *TR"~29,000 mi, complaint #1672022
  11. #11

    door latch and hinge

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "THE RIGHT REAR DOOR HANDLE BECAME NON-FUNCTIONAL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE CAR FROM OUTSIDE THE CAR. AFTER SERVICE BY THE MANUFACTURER (TESLA), THE DOOR HANDLE BECAME EXTERIORLY FUNCTIONAL, ALTHOUGH TO A DECREASED AMOUNT COMPARED TO OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE, BU…"~70,000 mi, complaint #1361597
  12. #12

    driveshaft axle cv

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I HAVE A 2012 TESLA MODEL S P85 WITH 90,000 MILES. I NOTICED THE CAR FISHTAIL AGGRESSIVELY WHEN I ACCELERATED A FEW WEEKS AGO AT FREEWAY SPEEDS OF 55MPH AND ABOVE, TOOK IT IN TO TESLA SERVICE AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT I HAD A CRACK IN MY SUBFRAME. THE CAR HAS NE…"~90,300 mi, complaint #1566993
  13. #13

    engine mounts

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "SLOWLY BACKING UP AND REAR SUB FRAME MOTOR MOUNT BROKE. ON A CITY STREET UNDER 5MPH"~92,000 mi, complaint #1633762
  14. #14

    heater core and blower

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER STOPPED WORKING IN THIS COLD WEATHER AS WE WERE DRIVING HOME WITH MY SONS. THEY WERE FREEZING AND COLD. I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE CLEARLY RATHER VERY FOGGY WINDSHIELD DUE TO NON-WORKING CABIN HEATER AND DEFROSTER. THIS ISSUE HAD HAPPENED…"~56,700 mi, complaint #1716697
  15. #15

    other

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Tesla has rejected my claim for repayment for the emmc repair that I paid for that was performed by their Toledo, OH Service Center prior to the recall. I've tried contacting them as outlined in their recall correspondence but haven't received an explanation a…"complaint #1748973
  16. #16

    software or update

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I REACHED OUT TO TESLA ABOUT THE EMMC RECALL. I BOOKED AN APPOINTMENT, PROVIDED PHOTOS OF VARIOUS BLACKOUT, SCREEN FREEZING AND LOSS OF CONNECTIVITY ISSUES. TESLA INSTRUCTED ME TO UPDATE THE FIRMWARE (WHICH I DID) AND CANCELLED MY APPOINTMENT AND TOLD ME I DID…"~68,599 mi, complaint #1741090
  17. #17

    steering rack mechanical

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "HERE IS ANOTHER TESLA IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://M.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILIMAGES.ASPX?IMAGEURL=2&ITEMID=23306666 THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW THAT THE FRONT STEERING KNUCKLE HAS SNAPPED IN HALF AND THE WHEEL IS HANGING SIDEWAYS OUT OF THE WHEEL WELL. THE CAR HAS NOT…"~20,000 mi, complaint #1326920
  18. #18

    unintended acceleration

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "CAUSE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED JUST BEFORE ENTERING INTO A HEAD IN PARKING SPACE WHEN WITH THE BRAKE DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SUDDENLY AND UNCONTROLLABLY CAUSING IT TO JUMP THE CURB AND TAKE DOWN A RETAINING WALL. IT CONTINUED THROUGH THE WA…"~65,000 mi, complaint #1638526
  19. #19

    wheel or rim

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THIS IS THE STOLEN CAR WHICH CRASHED IN HOLLYWOOD. PHOTOGRAPHS AT THE SCENE SHOW 3/4 OF A WHEEL AND THE TIRE LYING ON THE GROUND. HERE IS THE LISTING AT THE SALVAGE AUCTION SITE. HTTP://IMGUR.COM/A/H7ROA THE CRASH SITE IMAGES HOW THE FRONT WHEEL BROKEN LO…"~10,000 mi, complaint #1236300

NHTSA investigations

Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for TESLA MODEL S directly.