"How reliable is the 2016 Tesla Model S?"

"Based on 999 NHTSA complaints, the 2016 Tesla Model S has a median complaint mileage of 25822 miles. The most common issue is Suspension."

"What are common problems with the 2016 Tesla Model S?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Tesla Model S is Suspension, accounting for a significant portion of the 999 total complaints filed."

2016 Tesla Model S: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 999 complaints

999

Total Complaints

25,822mi

Median Mileage

Suspension

Top Issue

154

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

5,000 25th Percentile

25,822 Median Mileage

55,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension

206

Unknown Or Other

148

Electrical System

140

Steering

Vehicle Speed Control

Service Brakes

Exterior Lighting

Body

Visibility/Wiper

Adaptive Cruise Control

Severity Assessment

154

Crashes

Fires

115

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THIS IS A REPORT MADE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO ADDRESS THE CONTINUING PROBLEM OF SNAPPING TESLA MODEL S SUSPENSION COMPONENTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT FILING ANY FALSE INFORMATION, THIS IS A GENUINE REPORT MADE TO TRY AND SAVE LIVES. THE VIN BELONGS TO A TESLA WHICH IS IN THE WRECKING YARD BUT ..."

"THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE TESLA AUTOPILOT MADE IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THE VIN IS NOT THE ACTUAL VEHICLE INVOLVED. HERE IS A FRESHLY POSTED YOUTUBE VIDEO IN WHICH AN OWNER DRIVES HANDS FREE FOR ALMOST AN HOUR WITHOUT RECEIVING ANY "HOLD STEERING WHEEL" NAGS. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/..."

"THIS VEHICLE IS FOR SALE AS A SALVAGE WRECK. HTTPS://M.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETENC.ASPX?AUCTIONID=0&ITEMID=21970334&ROWID=1&PAGESOURCE=VEHICLERESULTS# THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS COMPLETELY TORN AWAY. THE WHEEL IS IN THE FRUNK OF THE CAR AND APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SLICED IN HALF. THAT IS INDICATIVE OF..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Suspension 206 complaints

25th: 3,000 mi Median: 10,000 mi 75th: 40,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 148 complaints

25th: 5,000 mi Median: 37,666 mi 75th: 59,000 mi

Electrical System 140 complaints

25th: 28,550 mi Median: 50,180 mi 75th: 65,932 mi

Steering 83 complaints

25th: 2,000 mi Median: 5,000 mi 75th: 10,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 75 complaints

25th: 2,000 mi Median: 5,000 mi 75th: 26,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 506 FL: 60 TX: 39 NY: 33 MD: 29 IL: 24 PA: 24 NJ: 22 GA: 20 OH: 20

Who Files Complaints?

1.2%

Original Owners

98.8%

Second+ Owners

Tesla Model S — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2012	86	65,000	Electrical System	4
2013	662	75,000	Electrical System	61
2014	536	57,800	Electrical System	74
2015	1045	51,000	Electrical System	114
2017	664	25,000	Suspension	94
2018	282	14,000	Unknown Or Other	60
2019	69	5,100	Suspension	10
2020	120	2,000	Unknown Or Other	25
2021	271	4,000	Unknown Or Other	28
2022	186	2,236	Unknown Or Other	4
2023	148	-	Unknown Or Other	11
2024	75	-	Unknown Or Other	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28