"How reliable is the 2017 Tesla Model S?"

"Based on 664 NHTSA complaints, the 2017 Tesla Model S has a median complaint mileage of 25000 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION."

"What are common problems with the 2017 Tesla Model S?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2017 Tesla Model S is SUSPENSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 664 total complaints filed."

2017 Tesla Model S: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 664 complaints

664

Total Complaints

25,000mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

9,350 25th Percentile

25,000 Median Mileage

48,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION

107

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

104

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

STEERING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SERVICE BRAKES

VISIBILITY/WIPER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"HERE IS A REPORT FROM AN OWNER OF A BRAND NEW MODEL X THAT HAS A CRACKED IN HALF A-PILLAR. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/HELP-A-PILLAR-DEFECT-FOUND.88657/ PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ATTACHED. SNIP "I PICKED UP MY S90D LAST FRIDAY AND WAS SUPER HAPPY ABOUT IT, THERE WAS SOME TRIM MIS-ALIGNMENT ON D..."

"THE COMPLAINT/ REPORT ALSO AS HTTPS://DOCS.GOOGLE.COM/DOCUMENT/D/1KZCESCBMBYWP_CTENVB7A51L-XX5TDBJCWZKB_NQVSS/EDIT?USP=SHARING 04/26/2017 15:06 I, AS A REGISTERED STRUCTURAL/ CIVIL ENGINEER/ ARCHITECT, DROVE MY TESLA MODEL S 60D (WHICH UPGRADED TO 75D) STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT AND LEFT TURN CASUAL..."

"ON JULY 13, 2017, MY TESLA WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE I-680 IN THE VICINITY OF FREMONT, CALIFORNIA. MY VEHICLE WAS IN SELF-DRIVE MODE TRAVELING IN THE LEFT-MOST LANE AT 65 MPH. MY HANDS WERE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. WE ENTERED A LONG CURVE TO THE RIGHT AND APPROACHED STOPPED CARS AHEAD OF US. THE SELF-D..."

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

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