2015 Tesla Model S Problems and Recalls (666 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2015 Tesla Model S is Suspension (20% of 666 owner reports). There are 9 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Suspension — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 666 complaints · 9 recalls
What problems show up on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
133 of 666 filings named Suspension (20% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Electrical (125 reports).
There are 9 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts, Steering, Airbags, Rear camera / backup safety, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2014 has 363 reports on file; this year has 666. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Suspension 133 complaints · 20.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 70
- Fires 12
- Injuries 29
- Deaths 4
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 133 | 20.0% | 30 crashes · 5 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 125 | 18.8% | 4 crashes · 1 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 41 | 6.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 27 | 4.1% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) | 20 | 3.0% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 20 | 3.0% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 17 | 2.6% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 17 | 2.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 16 | 2.4% | 11 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 247 | 37.1% | 18 crashes · 2 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 18V204000 was reported 895 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V035000 was reported 99 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V00B000 was reported 2,062 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V838000 was reported 2,994 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 24V051000 was reported 3,043 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 24V376000 was reported 2,804 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 22 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 28 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 61 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 158 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 45 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 29 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V780000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V260000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V204000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V002000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V035000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V00B000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V838000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V051000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V376000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE16007 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP19005 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP20001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE20010 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA20003 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE20020 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE21020 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA21002 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA22002 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP22005 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP23001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP23002 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ24009 |
Safety Recalls (9)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts, Steering, Airbags, Rear camera / backup safety, and Electrical.
-
Recall campaign 15V780000
Seat belts
- Report date
- Component:
- Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
- Consequence:
- If the seat belt is not correctly attached to the pretensioner, it may not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will inspect the driver and front passenger seat belts, correcting their connection, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-15-20-002.
-
Recall campaign 17V260000
Safety recall 17V260000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- If the gear breaks during parking brake release, the vehicle will not be able to be moved. If the gear breaks during parking brake application, the parking brake may not adequately hold the vehicle, potentially resulting in the vehicle rolling, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-17-33-002.
-
Recall campaign 18V204000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts and add a corrosion-preventative sealer, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-32-002.
-
Recall campaign 19V002000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began May 29, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-19-20-001.
-
Recall campaign 21V00B000
Safety recall 21V00B000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla Service will inspect and reposition the latch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 18, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-11-003.
-
Recall campaign 21V035000
Rear camera / backup safety
- Report date
- Component:
- Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION)
- Consequence:
- The eMMC controller wear-out condition can cause the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-21-001.
-
Recall campaign 23V838000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008.
-
Recall campaign 24V051000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.
-
Recall campaign 24V376000
Seat belts
- Report date
- Component:
- Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
- Consequence:
- A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy:
- 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.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 4 of 666 complaints · page 1 of 27
CrashFireInjuryDeath
In Nov 2019, while driving at night, the center touchscreen (MCU) of my 2015 Model S went blank and would not recover after restarts. I lost access to nearly all vehicle controls. The daytime running lights remained on, but the headlights did not illuminate despite being set to auto, and I had no way to turn them on manually because the headlight control is on the failed touchscreen. Climate control was inoperative and the windshield began fogging, reducing visibility. I could not open the charge port despite a low battery. I avoided the freeway and took local roads home. This is the failure covered by Recall 21V035 (8GB eMMC wear-out). Tesla service confirmed via diagnostic logs an internal fault within the MCU and replaced it with a remanufactured unit. I paid $2,045.47 out of pocket (invoice uploaded). The defect was not remedied. The remanufactured MCU contains the same 8GB eMMC; since the 2019 replacement the screen still goes blank 2-3 times per year, recovering only after 10-15 minutes of holding the reboot buttons. As of Aug 2026, NHTSA's VIN lookup shows Recall 21V035 as "Recall Incomplete": Tesla has never performed the free remedy (64GB eMMC daughterboard). Component available for inspection. In Feb-Mar 2021, Tesla notified me my vehicle was covered and invited a reimbursement claim per its NHTSA-filed plan (49 CFR 573.13). I submitted the claim through my Tesla account within the claim period. Tesla's portal confirms this: it displays "You have already submitted for the reimbursement" and blocks resubmission (screenshot uploaded). The plan commits to a decision within 60 days. Five years later: no decision, no payment. In Feb 2026, Tesla Support confirmed it has no mechanism to check or process reimbursement claims. I am reporting Tesla's non-compliance with its filed reimbursement plan and its failure to remedy this recall.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
●Odometer at time of failure: approximately 204,078 miles ●Date of failure: XXX ●Location of failure: Owner's residential driveway, [XXX] Component Suspension — Front — Lower Control Arm / Front Fore Link / Front Aft Link (right side) Description of the Incident On XXX, at approximately 1:00 PM, I began backing my 2015 Tesla Model S out of my residential driveway. The vehicle was moving at less than five miles per hour. There was no impact with any curb, pothole, road debris, or other object. As the vehicle moved rearward, there was an audible pop from the right front, and the top of the right front tire visibly sank inward (negative camber) as the wheel well collapsed. The vehicle became nearly undriveable and had to be moved slowly to a repair facility approximately 7 miles away. No crash occurred. No injuries occurred. No emergency response was required. However, had this failure happened at highway speed rather than in the driveway, the safety consequences could have been significant. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Parking brake on my TESLA MODEL S will not release. My understanding is that this is from a defective parking brake caliper that was under a recall by TESLA. However, TESLA refuses to acknowledge or repair this issue which is a huge safety problem especially if the parking brake does not engage / release when on an uneven surface. Also, from looking at forums and speaking to other owners, this appears to be a very common issue.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, and approaching a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the braking system became inoperable. The vehicle eventually regained braking functionality. During the failure, the regenerative braking and stability control warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
Owners named Suspension most often — 133 of 666 reports (20%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2015 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA lists 9 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts, Steering, Airbags, Rear camera / backup safety, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2015 Tesla Model S?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Listen for clunks over bumps and look at tire wear for alignment issues. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.