2017 Tesla Model S Problems and Recalls (423 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2017 Tesla Model S is Suspension (22% of 423 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 2026-09-07 423 complaints · 9 recalls
What problems show up on the 2017 Tesla Model S?
92 of 423 filings named Suspension (22% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Electrical (55 reports).
There are 9 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Rear camera / backup safety, Automatic braking / collision warning, Steering, Electrical, and Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2016 has 644 reports on file; this year has 423. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Suspension 92 complaints · 21.8% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 55
- Fires 4
- Injuries 23
- Deaths 0
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) | 92 | 21.8% | 14 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 55 | 13.0% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) | 51 | 12.1% | 6 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 26 | 6.2% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 20 | 4.7% | 12 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 19 | 4.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lane keeping (LANE DEPARTURE) | 17 | 4.0% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 12 | 2.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION) | 11 | 2.6% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 179 | 42.3% | 17 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 21V035000 was reported 73 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V846000 was reported 335 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V00B000 was reported 1,721 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 22V037000 was reported 1,655 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 22V818000 was reported 1,933 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V085000 was reported 2,039 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V838000 was reported 1,265 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 24V051000 was reported 1,314 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 26 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 33 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 42 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 31 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V035000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V846000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V00B000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 22V037000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 22V818000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V085000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V838000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V051000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V376000 | |
| 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 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE24031 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE24033 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | AQ25002 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE25012 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA26002 |
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 Rear camera / backup safety, Automatic braking / collision warning, Steering, Electrical, and Seat belts.
-
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 21V846000
Automatic braking / collision warning
- Report date
- Component:
- Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE)
- Consequence:
- Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.
-
Recall campaign 22V037000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.
-
Recall campaign 22V818000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update to recalibrate the EPAS system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 31, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-014.
-
Recall campaign 23V085000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.
-
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 5 of 423 complaints · page 1 of 17
CrashFireInjuryDeath
While using Tesla's Actually Smart Summon feature via the phone app in a hospital parking garage, my unoccupied 2017 Model S initiated an unexpected turning maneuver and struck a clearly visible parked SUV (a 2019 Toyota RAV4). I was within line of sight and actively supervising per Tesla's instructions, but the vehicle turned into the parked car without any meaningful opportunity to intervene before impact. The failure appears to involve the Summon system's object detection, path planning, or control logic. The incident occurred at low speed. Both vehicles sustained property damage; there were no injuries. The vehicle's own cameras captured the entire incident; full video is available on request and still frames are attached. I reported the incident to my local Tesla service center the same day; no investigation was performed. On 3/13/2026 I formally requested all data associated with my vehicle for the day of the incident, specifically including moment-by-moment vehicle system data: Summon session logs and command history, telemetry and event data recorder data, sensor and object detection outputs, and path planning/control decision data. Tesla provided only basic account-level data and did NOT provide any of the requested vehicle-level event data. A formal notice of defect and evidence preservation demand sent to Tesla Legal on 5/2/2026 received only automated replies. Although I have contacted Tesla many times by phone and email since the incident (first written claim 3/30/2026 went unanswered), Tesla has refused to follow up: apart from two brief emails from a corporate case representative on 5/4/2026 and 5/11/2026, my litigation hold and data preservation requests and all subsequent emails and calls have received no response. The vehicle remains unrepaired and available for inspection. My insurer has paid the other party's property damage claim.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Backing out of driveway, the steering wheel was very hard to turn. The dash indicated the steering assist feature wasn't working. After restarting the software and the problem persisting, I investigated the assist motor/pump and found that the ground to the chassis was very corroded. I attempted to remove the nut to clean contacts and it sheared off. The grounding post had corroded through (white galvanic corrosion). I attached the assist motor ground to another point on the chassis and the power steering worked again.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2017 Tesla Model S P100D. Vehicle received a paid MCU2 infotainment upgrade (MCU1 to MCU2), which replaced both the center touchscreen computer and the instrument cluster. The original MCU1 architecture used an independent computer for the instrument cluster, providing redundancy. The MCU2 retrofit consolidated both displays onto a single processor with no fallback mode. The first MCU2 replacement unit experienced a touchscreen digitizer failure — touch input stopped responding but the displays remained powered and the instrument cluster continued to function. Tesla replaced it with a second MCU2 unit. The second MCU2 unit has experienced three complete blackout events where both the center display and the instrument cluster simultaneously lose all power — no backlight, no image, no data. One of these events occurred while driving at speed on the road. I lost all instrumentation: speedometer, gear indicator, turn signal feedback, warning lamps, backup camera, and climate controls. I had to pull over with no way to confirm my speed or signal to other drivers. The vehicle remained mechanically drivable — steering, brakes, and motor continued to function. During the recent blackout a few days back, the vehicle had been stored in a closed garage and was not heat-soaked. I have video evidence of the car with both screens completely dead while the vehicle is in gear and moving. A scroll-wheel reboot restored the screens each time. This is my fourth service visit to Tesla for this upgrade. The MCU2 architecture provides no independent fallback display for critical safety information such as speed, gear state, or warning indicators during a processor crash. The prior MCU1 system maintained instrument cluster functionality independently of the infotainment computer.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My Tesla wouldn’t charge at Level 3, 2, or 1 charger resulting in the need for the tow and further service hours. Following the service I was told it was a software issue and that a power cycle resolved the issue which locked out the charging. It’s deeply concerning and baffling that this could happen at anytime resulting in days or weeks or down time for what is ultimately a software issue. This is my fourth hardware related software issue following a Tesla update.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Trunk latch fails, trunk latch safety mechanism also failed so manual release does not work. This is a safety issue
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2017 Tesla Model S?
Owners named Suspension most often — 92 of 423 reports (22%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2017 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA lists 9 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Rear camera / backup safety, Automatic braking / collision warning, Steering, Electrical, and Seat belts. 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 2017 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.