Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Tesla Model S problems

Owners filed 128 complaints about the 2018 Tesla Model S with NHTSA between Jun 2018 and Jul 2025. The most-cited component is electrical system (32).

Complaints
128
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
29
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
15
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system32
  2. Forward collision avoidance23
  3. Suspension20
  4. Vehicle speed control19
  5. Service brakes11
  6. Steering10
  7. Lane departure8
  8. Structure7
  9. Exterior lighting7
  10. Power train5
  11. Latches/locks/linkages5
  12. Air bags3
  13. Electronic stability control (esc)3
  14. Visibility/wiper2

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

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20186
201915
202027
202118
202218
202324
202416
20254

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

32 reports7 crashes1 fire3 related recalls
“This is very comment of tesla not responding to customer about the power reduced in the car is safe concerns is lot of people with the same problem and tesla want Pay for all the repairs of the car even with my car still Warranty”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 1, 2025Power train, Electrical systemODI 11670670

Forward collision avoidance

23 reports4 crashes2 related recalls
“While driving in Autopilot mode, approx 70 mph in light rain the vhicle began to drift side to side almost crossing over the lane dividing line. Upon grabbing the wheel to take control the vehicle entered multiple 360 degree spins crashing into "K" rail. In the past I have noticed when taking control of the vehicle from Autopilot the wheel jerks.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 10, 2024Forward collision avoidance, Lane departureCrash reportedODI 11629913

Suspension

20 reports3 crashes1 fire
“Rear suspension on 2020 and older model s and x is not adjustable for alignment. Factory camber comes 2 aggressive which burns only the very inner part of the tire at a rapid pace. Upon checking tread depth with gauge you will not see this wear and tires will appear to be good. Tire wear is not visible unless you crawl under vehicle and inspect visually. Many Many reports of blow out tire due to this issue. Look it up. To top it off the vehicle does not come with a spare.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 24, 2023SuspensionODI 11523654

Vehicle speed control

19 reports13 crashes1 fire
“On freeway in traffic, autopilot is enabled. Vehicle is running perfectly fine in start stop traffic slowing down and speeding up as needed. Traffic starts to clear up, and as vehicle speeds up, there is a sudden slowdown again. Instead of braking/slowing down, autopilot turns off without an additional audible alarm (just the standard sound for turning off autopilot), instead the forward collision warning alert goes off. Able to brake in time to prevent accident.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 12, 2023Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11511387

Service brakes

11 reports3 crashes1 fire
“•I’m not sure what component was responsble for either the braking issue or the fire. It is available for inspection. •When driving the brake pedal had a frightening delay that almost caused 2 accidents and unfortunately my car was charging on the 24th of October which could have something to do with arching that led to my garage catching fire rendering the car unable to move or turn on after the incident. I’ve insisted Tesla insurance to look into possible causes because the Fire dept. mandated the a LADWP (power company) to install new transformers to our power supply a couple of days after the fire, which they did. Tesla insurance seems uninterested in finding the cause and wants to compensate me for the vehicle but I believe it’s in their best interest to find a cause and document it. The car had no issues prior, in fact the service center sent a mobile tech to replace the 12volt battery on the car not even 10 months ago. After the fire the car died and has a bunch of codes that make it inoperable. • Service center rejected looking at it because of the risk. They said since it was possible salvage they could not look at it which is understandable but they…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 27, 2024Electrical system, Unknown or other, Service brakesFire reportedODI 11632733

Steering

10 reports3 crashes1 fire2 related recalls
“The cable harness (slip ring) connecting the steering wheel controls including the vehicle horn, steering wheel buttons, scroll wheels, and potentially the airbag (according to the service technician) failed on this vehicle in January 2025. The vehicle was inspected by Tesla’s mobile service and they acknowledged that the cable harness had indeed failed. It is available for inspection. We have been forced to drive this car without a functioning horn and airbag. There were no warning signs or messages on the vehicle computer.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 22, 2025Steering, Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11644246
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026

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