CSR

NHTSA safety record

Tesla

Every complaint, recall and defect investigation on file for a Tesla, model years 2012 to 2026.

45

Vehicles

13,679

Complaints

92

Recalls

126

Fires

216

Deaths

45Tesla year and model combinations have enough on file to be worth a page here, and between them their owners have filed 13,679 safety complaints with NHTSA. More of those name forward collision avoidance than any other system: 4,227 of them. The single most complained-about is the 2023 Model Y, with 1,167.

NHTSA holds 92 recall campaigns naming Tesla vehicles, across every model year the agency records rather than only the ones shown here. 8 defect investigations into these vehicles are open and unresolved. A death has been reported in 18 of these 45 vehicles.

Most complained-about Tesla models

Complaints for every published model year of each model added together. A model that sold in larger numbers collects more complaints, and nothing here divides by sales because NHTSA does not publish them.

Model Worst year Complaints Deaths
Model 3 2018 4,336 16
Model Y 2023 4,200 109
Model S 2015 3,391 32
Model X 2016 1,546 53
Cybertruck 2024 206 6

What goes wrong on a Tesla

The systems named most often across every Tesla complaint on file. One complaint can name more than one system, so these add up to more than the complaint total. "Unknown or other" is excluded: it is what the intake form records when an owner cannot place the failure.

Open investigations (8)

NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining and has not closed the file. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Lower Lateral Link detachment

PE26006

Still open preliminary evaluation · opened July 29, 2026 · the suspension

FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions

EA26002

Still open engineering analysis · opened March 18, 2026 · the electrical system

Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged

PE25012

Still open preliminary evaluation · opened October 7, 2025 · the electrical system

Electronic door handles become inoperative

PE25010

Still open preliminary evaluation · opened September 15, 2025 · the electrical system, the latches, locks and linkages

Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements

AQ25002

Still open audit query · opened August 20, 2025 · the electrical system

Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness

RQ24009

Still open recall query · opened April 25, 2024 · the electrical system

Sudden Unintended Acceleration

DP23002

Still open defect petition · opened June 29, 2023 · vehicle speed control

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA21002

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021 · the air bags

Most recent Tesla recalls

The newest campaigns naming a Tesla, by the date the manufacturer's defect report reached NHTSA. Each one covers a build range, which may be narrower than the model years listed.

SUSPENSION:CRITICAL FASTENERS

26V558000 · September 1, 2026

A lateral link separation could shift the wheel alignment, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 19 vehicles

Pages 2026 Model Y

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS

26V445000 · July 7, 2026

A noncompliant vehicle may have reduced occupant protections, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 15 vehicles

Pages 2026 Model Y 2024 Model 3

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

26V315000 · May 19, 2026

Missing weight information provided by the label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 14,575 vehicles

Pages 2026 Model Y 2025 Model Y

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

25V735000 · October 28, 2025

A detached light bar may fall, creating a road hazard for other vehicles and increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 6,197 vehicles

Pages 2024 Cybertruck

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:FUSES, RELAYS, CONTACTS, AND SHUNTS

25V690000 · October 10, 2025

A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 12,963 vehicles

Pages 2026 Model Y 2025 Model 3

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

25V658000 · October 1, 2025

Reverse lights that fail to illuminate reduce visibility and may not alert pedestrians or other drivers that the vehicle is backing up, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. · up to 260 vehicles

Pages 2026 Model Y

Every manufacturer's latest recalls, or check a single car with the VIN lookup.

Every Tesla page on this site

45 vehicles across 5 models, newest model year first.

Built from NHTSA's complaint file published October 2, 2026, its recall campaign API and its defect investigation file. A complaint is one owner's unverified account, not a finding of fault. How this is counted. · All makes

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst