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2016 Tesla Model S problems & recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2016 Tesla Model S and owners have filed 604 complaints. The most-reported area is suspension (204 complaints). 12 complaints describe a fire and 89 complaints describe a crash.

Recalls
0
Complaints
604
Crash reports
89
Fire reports
12
Injuries
64

Recalls (0)

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2016 Model S.

Owner complaints (604)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Suspension204
  • Unknown or other143
  • Electrical system137
  • Steering81
  • Vehicle speed control74
  • Service brakes52
  • Exterior lighting49
  • Forward collision avoidance28
  • Structure28
  • Visibility/wiper24
  • Back over prevention20
  • Wheels15

Complaints over time

Apr 2016: 2 complaintsMay 2016: 2 complaintsJun 2016: 5 complaintsJul 2016: 6 complaintsAug 2016: 10 complaintsSep 2016: 18 complaintsOct 2016: 9 complaintsNov 2016: 11 complaintsDec 2016: 11 complaintsJan 2017: 3 complaintsFeb 2017: 14 complaintsMar 2017: 5 complaintsApr 2017: 7 complaintsMay 2017: 2 complaintsJun 2017: 10 complaintsJul 2017: 7 complaintsAug 2017: 8 complaintsSep 2017: 1 complaintOct 2017: 5 complaintsNov 2017: 4 complaintsDec 2017: 6 complaintsJan 2018: 3 complaintsFeb 2018: 3 complaintsMar 2018: 9 complaintsApr 2018: 4 complaintsMay 2018: 4 complaintsJun 2018: 1 complaintJul 2018: 1 complaintAug 2018: 3 complaintsSep 2018: 1 complaintOct 2018: 4 complaintsNov 2018: 4 complaintsDec 2018: 2 complaintsJan 2019: 0 complaintsFeb 2019: 0 complaintsMar 2019: 3 complaintsApr 2019: 1 complaintMay 2019: 3 complaintsJun 2019: 4 complaintsJul 2019: 1 complaintAug 2019: 1 complaintSep 2019: 5 complaintsOct 2019: 9 complaintsNov 2019: 3 complaintsDec 2019: 4 complaintsJan 2020: 12 complaintsFeb 2020: 6 complaintsMar 2020: 2 complaintsApr 2020: 1 complaintMay 2020: 2 complaintsJun 2020: 22 complaintsJul 2020: 43 complaintsAug 2020: 14 complaintsSep 2020: 8 complaintsOct 2020: 5 complaintsNov 2020: 25 complaintsDec 2020: 12 complaintsJan 2021: 20 complaintsFeb 2021: 7 complaintsMar 2021: 2 complaintsApr 2021: 6 complaintsMay 2021: 10 complaintsJun 2021: 12 complaintsJul 2021: 4 complaintsAug 2021: 6 complaintsSep 2021: 4 complaintsOct 2021: 6 complaintsNov 2021: 7 complaintsDec 2021: 7 complaintsJan 2022: 7 complaintsFeb 2022: 6 complaintsMar 2022: 2 complaintsApr 2022: 2 complaintsMay 2022: 4 complaintsJun 2022: 3 complaintsJul 2022: 6 complaintsAug 2022: 8 complaintsSep 2022: 9 complaintsOct 2022: 6 complaintsNov 2022: 4 complaintsDec 2022: 8 complaintsJan 2023: 2 complaintsFeb 2023: 4 complaintsMar 2023: 1 complaintApr 2023: 1 complaintMay 2023: 4 complaintsJun 2023: 6 complaintsJul 2023: 4 complaintsAug 2023: 1 complaintSep 2023: 0 complaintsOct 2023: 3 complaintsNov 2023: 3 complaintsDec 2023: 8 complaintsJan 2024: 3 complaintsFeb 2024: 6 complaintsMar 2024: 2 complaintsApr 2024: 4 complaintsMay 2024: 1 complaintJun 2024: 4 complaintsJul 2024: 0 complaintsAug 2024: 1 complaintSep 2024: 4 complaintsOct 2024: 3 complaintsNov 2024: 3 complaintsDec 2024: 1 complaintJan 2025: 0 complaintsFeb 2025: 1 complaintMar 2025: 0 complaintsApr 2025: 1 complaintMay 2025: 0 complaintsJun 2025: 3 complaintsJul 2025: 3 complaints201720182019202020212022202320242025
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 43 in Jul 2020. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Apr 20162
May 20162
Jun 20165
Jul 20166
Aug 201610
Sep 201618
Oct 20169
Nov 201611
Dec 201611
Jan 20173
Feb 201714
Mar 20175
Apr 20177
May 20172
Jun 201710
Jul 20177
Aug 20178
Sep 20171
Oct 20175
Nov 20174
Dec 20176
Jan 20183
Feb 20183
Mar 20189
Apr 20184
May 20184
Jun 20181
Jul 20181
Aug 20183
Sep 20181
Oct 20184
Nov 20184
Dec 20182
Jan 20190
Feb 20190
Mar 20193
Apr 20191
May 20193
Jun 20194
Jul 20191
Aug 20191
Sep 20195
Oct 20199
Nov 20193
Dec 20194
Jan 202012
Feb 20206
Mar 20202
Apr 20201
May 20202
Jun 202022
Jul 202043
Aug 202014
Sep 20208
Oct 20205
Nov 202025
Dec 202012
Jan 202120
Feb 20217
Mar 20212
Apr 20216
May 202110
Jun 202112
Jul 20214
Aug 20216
Sep 20214
Oct 20216
Nov 20217
Dec 20217
Jan 20227
Feb 20226
Mar 20222
Apr 20222
May 20224
Jun 20223
Jul 20226
Aug 20228
Sep 20229
Oct 20226
Nov 20224
Dec 20228
Jan 20232
Feb 20234
Mar 20231
Apr 20231
May 20234
Jun 20236
Jul 20234
Aug 20231
Sep 20230
Oct 20233
Nov 20233
Dec 20238
Jan 20243
Feb 20246
Mar 20242
Apr 20244
May 20241
Jun 20244
Jul 20240
Aug 20241
Sep 20244
Oct 20243
Nov 20243
Dec 20241
Jan 20250
Feb 20251
Mar 20250
Apr 20251
May 20250
Jun 20253
Jul 20253

Recent owner reports

Jul 31, 2025Unknown or other

THE CENTER TOUCHSCREEN IS LEAKING A STICKY GLUE-LIKE SUBSTANCE AND HAS VISIBLE BUBBLES FORMING INSIDE THE SCREEN. THIS AFFECTS VISIBILITY AND OPERATION OF ESSENTIAL VEHICLE FUNCTIONS LIKE HVAC, NAVIGATION, AND DEFROST CONTROLS. THIS ISSUE IS WORSEN WITH HEAT EXPOSURE. THE SCREEN ALSO FREEZES RANDOMLY.

Jul 26, 2025Suspension

I was backing out of a parking space and the front driver side fore link broke. Internet search reveals this is a known issue associated with Tesla Model S during the period mine was manufactured (February 2016), caused an investigation & service bulletin from the NHTSA, and a recall in China, hence I wanted to report this occurence.

Jul 14, 2025Electrical system, Unknown or other

While the car is parked and locked the rear driver side door opens in its own. The door handle does not present itself and is scheduled for repair. This is new and started happening today. Despite how many times I close it. It opens on it own. The door is locked when this happens. Door sitting still. Plugged in to charge and locked. The door opens on its own. It unlatches, Does not fully open.

Jun 19, 2025Electrical system, Unknown or other

My driver's side of the vehicle looks like it's melting. I was informed by the service advisor at Tesla that this is a common issue, and the computer needs to be replaced at my expense.

Jun 14, 2025Suspension, Wheels, Unknown or other

on 5/20/25, I had my Tesla repaired as I had suspension issues. They repaired my car to rectify my suspension for both my front and rear tires. Then on 6/12/25, I was driving on the highway and going about 70-75 mph when I heard a huge pop. No warning indicators came on and something did not feel right. I figured nothing else came of it. I was about 30 miles away from home and when I got home, my tire was pushed inward. I was concerned on whether this was related to a bad repair since it was so soon to my previous repair and they indicated that they did not touch that area. After they saw my v…

Jun 8, 2025Power train

I wanted to bring a situation to your attention, report an incident and understand why model years 2012-2020 Tesla Model Ss have not been recalled for a defective drive unit. This is a known defect - known by Tesla. There have been no recalls for mine - VIN number [XXX] . On [XXX], my 2016 Tesla Model S suddenly lunged and jerked down to less than 5 mph from about 45 mph in 5-10 seconds as a result of a defective and failed drive unit, here in San Ramon , CA. NO WARNING. We forced the car to lunge and hop over to the median with traffic stopping, building up, honking, braking....truly a mirac…

Apr 7, 2025Steering, Service brakes, Hydraulic, Electrical system

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact depressed the brake and the vehicle kept rolling forward. The contact opened the door for the vehicle to come to a stop. On another occasion, the contact stated that the ADAS feature engaged and while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle failed to recognize stop signs, traffic lights, or pedestrians. The contact stated that the function was a paid feature; however, the system failed to op…

Feb 26, 2025Electrical system⚠ Fire

Component Failure: The Tesla NEMA 14-50 charging adapter for my 2016 Model S malfunctioned, causing overheating that melted a prong and led to an electrical fire. The defective adapter appears identical to those in Tesla's November 2016 recall, though mine was designated "not affected." The damaged adapter and charging cable are available for inspection. Safety Risk: This malfunction created a serious fire hazard endangering myself and my property. The electrical fire damaged both my vehicle and charging equipment, and the fire could have spread to my home, potentially endangering my family an…

Tesla Model S news

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.