Lower Lateral Link detachment
PE26006
Still open preliminary evaluation · opened July 29, 2026 · the suspension
NHTSA safety record
Tesla
Every complaint, recall and defect investigation on file for a Tesla, model years 2012 to 2026.
42
Vehicles
13,346
Complaints
91
Recalls
123
Fires
216
Deaths
42Tesla year and model combinations have enough on file to be worth a page here, and between them their owners have filed 13,346 safety complaints with NHTSA. More of those name forward collision avoidance than any other system: 4,148 of them. The single most complained-about is the 2023 Model Y, with 1,129.
NHTSA holds 91 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 42 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.
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.
- FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4,148
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2,418
- SUSPENSION 1,702
- VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1,603
- STEERING 1,441
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.
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.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
26V507000 · August 5, 2026
Headlight low beams that are too bright can reduce visibility for oncoming drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, Inc. · up to 20,349 vehicles
Pages 2023 Model Y 2023 Model 3 2022 Model Y 2022 Model 3 2021 Model Y 2021 Model 3
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
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
26V283000 · May 5, 2026
A delayed rearview image reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, Inc. · up to 218,868 vehicles
Pages 2023 Model Y 2023 Model 3 2023 Model X 2023 Model S 2022 Model Y 2022 Model 3
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
26V255000 · April 22, 2026
Wheel stud separation can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, Inc. · up to 173 vehicles
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
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
25V699000 · October 15, 2025
Parking lights that are too bright can reduce visibility of oncoming drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, Inc. · up to 63,619 vehicles
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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
25V490000 · July 28, 2025
An inoperable horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers as needed, increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, Inc. · up to 6 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
42 vehicles across 5 models, newest model year first.
Built from NHTSA's complaint file published August 20, 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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst