2024 Tesla Model S problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (3) · Lane Departure: Warning (3) · Visibility/Wiper (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Tesla Model S model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags 2025-03-19 · campaign 25V172000 · 91 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Model S and 2021-2025 Model X vehicles. An air bag with the incorrect horn pad may have been installed, preventing the horn from sounding.
Risk: An inoperative horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla service will inspect and install an air bag with the correct horn pad as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-20-001.
Back Over Prevention:software 2025-01-06 · campaign 25V002000 · 239,382 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the affected computers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:cushion 2024-12-23 · campaign 24V967000 · 487 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Model S and Model X vehicles. The driver's air bag could tear during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 212, "Windshield Mounting."
Risk: A torn air bag may not adequately protect an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Tesla service will replace the air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-20-001.
Electrical System:software 2024-07-24 · campaign 24V554000 · 1,849,638 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles. The hood latch assembly may fail to detect an unlatched hood condition after the hood has been opened.
Risk: An unlatched hood can fully open, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-012.
Seat Belts:front:warning Light/Devices 2024-05-28 · campaign 24V376000 · 125,233 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar 2023-11-03 · campaign 23V743000 · 194 vehicles
Defect: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Model S and Model X vehicles. An incorrect air bag may have been installed when the steering yoke or round steering wheel was replaced with a different style of yoke or steering wheel.
Risk: An air bag that is not designed to function with the replacement steering yoke or wheel may deploy incorrectly, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Tesla Service will inspect and replace the driver air bag as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-20-005.
Service bulletins (52)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-04 · SB-26-18-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on some model s and model x vehicles, the compression gap of the hvac drain funnel seal is wider than intended, which may cause water ingress. inspect the sponge area of the hvac drain funnel for water ingress. if water ingress is present, rework the hvac drain funnel seal.
Electrical System 2025-03-21 · SB-24-21-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some model s and model x vehicles with 1st generation global navigation satellite system (gnss) antennas might suffer from lower-than-expected navigation signal strength under certain circumstances.
Air Bags 2025-01-14 · SB-24-20-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on certain model s and model x vehicles with a round steering wheel, built between november 6, 2024 and november 27, 2024, the supplier assembly process might have damaged the driver airbag. coupled with a deep fold or crease in the airbag material or positioning of the heat diffuser, the damage cou
Electrical System 2024-12-11 · SB-24-21-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some model s and model x vehicles with 1st generation global navigation satellite system (gnss) antennas might suffer from lower-than-expected navigation signal strength under certain circumstances.
Structure:body 2024-12-10 · SB-24-14-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on some model s vehicles, the wood grain and color harmony of the instrument panel (ip) decor assembly may not match that of the door trim.
Unknown Or Other 2024-09-30 · fsd-12-5-4-1_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air
tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. this file c
Showing the 6 most recent of 52 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-20 · Wheels“2024 tesla model s. repeated rear tire and rear wheel failures with abnormal wear and possible rear alignment or suspension-related defect. tesla service history shows repeated rear tire replacements beginning at about 5,165 miles, a later four-wheel alignment, a right rear tire replacement for uneven tire wear under the basic vehicle warranty at a…”
2026-01-07 · Electrical System:software · 5,000 mi“the contact owns a 2024 tesla model s. the contact stated that after an update was performed over the air (ota), the scroll option changed, and the contact was unable to control the speed of the vehicle. there was no longer a maximum speed limit. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not…”
2025-10-03 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch:emergency Mechanical Release“the design of the emergency opening (no power to normal opening system) of the rear passenger doors is flawed, unsafe and should never have been approved for production. this rear door emergency opening requires an occupant to reach below the seat, remove carpet and pull a manual release cable. during a fire with smoke in the passenger compartment,…”
2025-09-16 · Steering“sometimes while making ordinary and safe traffic maneuvers the lane departure warning system sometimes emits a very loud, distracting, and startling emergency chime. in particular it does this while turning into parking garages or driveways, which are already high-workload moments with high likelihood of nearby pedestrians and other vulnerable roa…”
2025-07-25 · Seat Belts“my car is displaying a message that the "front left safety restraint issue". airbags are off. brought the car in for service, they said they fixed some low voltage pin. less than a week later the message appeared again. tesla did not take this issue seriously -- i'm driving around with no airbags? the next available appointment is a month out for t…”
2025-03-08 · Unknown Or Other“today while driving the screen behind the driver steering wheel suddenly shut off and went black. i was unable to see if i am in drive or reverse or what my speed is.…”
2025-03-03 · Unknown Or Other“while fsd was engaged. it made a sudden aggressive, swerving maneuver with no warning towards the cars next to us, sounded alarms, and then forcefully disengaged nearly causing an accident…”
2025-03-03 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“when parked behind another parallel parked car with no one behind me, it auto shifted into drive instead of reverse which caused me to collide into the parked car infront of me.…”
2025-03-01 · Unknown Or Other“speed offset is set to 10% but it keeps setting the max speed 40% higher, and then furthermore exceeds this max speed…”
2025-02-26 · Unknown Or Other“when turning right from [xxx] onto [xxx] using my blinker, it sounded three beeps and jerked the wheel left towards the pedestrians in the crosswalk and the turning cars coming from [xxx] onto [xxx]. i was allegedly driving manually, but the car decided to override my input autonomously. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.