Problems · by component

2015 Tesla Model S fuel/propulsion system problems

30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 Tesla Model S cite fuel/propulsion system, 5% of all 646 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
30
5% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the fuel/propulsion system

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The component that Tesla has stated is the part that is failing is the MCU (Media Control Unit) which was a recalled part at one point but then Tesla decided to replace only a single part of the MCU which was the eMMC (embedded MultiMedia Card). Luckily the vehicle was not driving when it completely shut down and would not start back up but I was stuck in a restaurants drive-thru for roughly 4 hours till I could get a tow truck to come tow it. The tow truck had to put the car on dollies as the vehicle would not enter tow mode nor would it enter its emergency neutral mode so the vehicle could be moved. The windows would not go up or down and luckily the trunk was able to open because if not then I would have been stuck outside my vehicle as the door handles did not come out after I got out of it and closed the door behind me. Please read the messages from the tech as you will see that they tried to act as if they did not know what was going on with my vehicle but then i asked something else and they stated exactly what the issue was but supposedly could not confirm it was that unless they charged me a diagnosis fee and "got hands on" which I'm sure that info of…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 18, 2024Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11583917
“The Model S, which was bought in 2015, had a sudden acceleration while I was trying to park near the entrance gate of the parking lot. The accident happened on May 25, 2023. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and the car was totaled. I feel strongly that this should be investigated, as this can be a very serious public safety issue. It was inspected by the insurance company. There were no warning messages prior to the failure.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 13, 2023Power train, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion systemCrash reportedODI 11560001
“My MCU (onboard computer system) glitched out and the screen began flickering. I lost all of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, navigation, music, phone link, sunroof venting, climate control, including defrost. The screen froze and I had no functions. This has happened 4 times, possibly a 5th time, while driving in the last 6000 miles. I put in a service request to Tesla and they ran a remote diagnosis, and told me that the old MCU1 is overwhelmed by the new software updates. Their solution was for me to upgrade to the newer MCU2 at my cost. I am afraid to drive my car as it will malfunction while I need the safety features, like basic defrost or AC in the 105 degree heat in Phoenix. Tesla acknowledged that the previous MCU1 failure due to the eMMC chip was a recall, but this is a new problem that has not yet been acknowledged by Tesla as a recall problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 10, 2023Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Visibility/wiperODI 11526350
“The car will issue a BMS_w035 warning which is connected to the battery heater failing/failed. In this case, the car may not restart, per Tesla's on-screen warning. If this occurs while driving, or in stop-and-go traffic, this could lead to a dangerous situation of not being able to remove the car from the road safely without a tow truck. From recent incidents online, this is occurring in many 2014-2016 Model S vehicles with the colder weather change.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 30, 2021Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11442097
“AFTER HAVING MY BATTERY COOLANT HEATER REPLACED ON FEBRUARY 22, 2021 I NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR STARTING UP SLOWLY. NOTE ERROR MESSAGES WERE NOTED ON MY VEHICLE HOWEVER. ON MARCH 10 WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A SMOOTH STRAIGHT FREEWAY THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN MY CAR FAILED CAUSING PROPULSION TO GO OFF LINE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TO LOCK UP AND BECOME NON-FUNCTIONAL UNTIL THE SYSTEM REBOOTED. FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30 SECONDS IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WASN'T REQUIRED. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE NOW SINCE I HAD MISTAKENLY BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS REDUNDANCY IN THE SYSTEMS THAT WOULD PRESERVE BRAKE FUNCTION IN THE MIDST OF A POWER FAILURE. THERE IS NO MANUAL HAND BRAKE. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT A SYSTEM FAILURE LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AS I AM APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, A SCHOOL ZONE OR GOING DOWN A STEEP DECLINE. I HAVE ATTACHED INVOICES FROM THE ORIGINAL SERVICE WITH THE BATTERY COOLANT HEATER THAT WAS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE SUBSEQUENT SERVICE AFTER THE INCIDENT WHERE THE TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED THAT THE DRIVE UNIT WAS IMPROPERLY CONNECTED”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 4, 2021Power train, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11415096
“ISSUE 1). EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT FELT COOKED CAUSING LOW BACK PAIN. EVENTUALLY THE SEATS POWER ADJUSTMENT WOULD ONLY RETRACT ONE SIDE SO IT COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED EVENLY AND I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE A WHOLE NEW SEAT REPLACED ISSUE 2). I HAVE THE 85 KW BATTERY AND AFTER AN UPDATE MY BATTERY CAPACITY WAS REDUCED 10%. I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO RISK OF OVERHEATING THE BATTERY FIRE RISK TESLA NEVER RESOLVED THE ISSUE AND NEVER REINSTATED THE MISSING 10% CHARGE CAPACITY 3). THE SUSPENSION HAD FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING OVER A SPEED BUMP LESS THAN 10 MPH AND THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR SCRAPPED THE PAVEMENT. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE THE SUSPENSION”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 25, 2021Suspension, Seats, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11413862

Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.