Problems · by component

2015 Tesla Model S vehicle speed control problems

39 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 Tesla Model S cite vehicle speed control, 6% of all 646 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
39
6% of all complaints
Crashes
15
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the vehicle speed control

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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
“The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while he, his wife, and his son were in the vehicle he had begun veering right pulling into the driveway, at approximately 5 MPH, he had begun slightly releasing the brakes when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at accelerated high speeds. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal however the vehicle speed continued to accelerate. As a response, the contact attempted to maneuver the vehicle to avoid crashing into the garage. The contact crashed into a nearby tree, jumped the curb, and became airborne crashing into the side of the home. The driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the side of the home where the laundry room was located ricocheting hitting the kitchen and bedroom windows and eventually coming to a stop. Due to the home being on a slope, the vehicle ended up falling into a nearby embankment after coming to a stop. All air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed. The contact was informed by insurance the vehicle would more than likely be totaled however this had not been confirmed. A police report was filed. The contact received emotional distress, cuts, and bruising to their…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 11, 2023Vehicle speed control, Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11559471
“My instrument cluster is delaminating in my tesla model S. When I took it to the service center for the recall service the service center stated that the main screen was also delaminating. Service tech told me that the instrument cluster (and main screen) would eventually fail because of the delamination. I have had the car for less than 8 years. both the instrument cluster and the center screen have a lot to do with safe operation of the vehicle so I believe they should be replaced for free under recall or at least have a much cheaper upgrade option. It is extremely rare for any car to have a common problem of the intstument cluster delaminating and this should be a recall since it is an ongoing, common issue. This is a problem Telsa knows about and hasn't done anything to remedy for a reasonable price. They want $1,750 for the upgrade of the instrument cluster and the main center screen. I bought the car when they were talking about self driving features that are not even possible for this car so I was mislead on that too. Here is other documentation of this issue. https://www.carproblemzoo.com/tesla/models/instrument-cluster-panel-problems.php”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 5, 2023Vehicle speed control, Unknown or otherODI 11525419
“The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently swerved in and out of the lane and accelerated unintendedly for approximately 8 to 10 seconds and then performed as designed. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that no failure was detected and informed that a report would be filed. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 23, 2023Vehicle speed controlODI 11523468
“When driving with autopilot engaged, the vehicle sometimes gives alerts even when there is no vehicle or obstacle in its path. Immediately once the driver takes control, the autopilot does not disengage but continue as usual. The autopilot suddenly brakes or slows down even when there is no obstacle on a freeway.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 11, 2023Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11506804
“Instrument cluster not powering on or crashes/glitches while operating the vehicle. This makes the vehicle unsafe to drive while auto pilot is engaged because the auto pilot system stops operating which could lead to a serious accident. The vehicle speedometer and all other instrument cluster warning systems are unavailable because the screen is off/not working. Tesla has performed a remote diagnostic and claims no issues are identified. They then proceed to upsell me the new infotainment system that will rectify this problem for $3,000 dollars.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2022Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11481478

Showing 6 of 39 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.