24 recalls covering model years 2021. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
When you shift into reverse, the picture from the backup camera may take too long to appear on the screen. During those moments you cannot see what is behind the car — a child, a pet, a post — so you could back into something you never saw. This is a software problem on one particular software version, not a broken camera, and it means the car does not meet the federal rear visibility rule. Tesla is sending a free update.
Some Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles were built with the wrong horn pad on the driver's airbag. The horn pad is the part you press in the center of the steering wheel. Because the wrong piece was installed, pressing it may not make any sound at all. Your horn is how you warn another driver who is drifting into your lane or backing toward you, so a silent horn takes that warning away.
Tesla says the driver's airbag in these cars may tear open as it inflates during a crash. The airbag is the cushion in the steering wheel that is supposed to catch you before you hit the wheel or the windshield. If it rips instead of holding air, it will not cushion you the way it should. The cars do not meet federal crash-protection rules because of this. Tesla will replace the airbag unit at no cost.
After the hood has been opened, the latch may not notice that the hood is still unlatched, so the car does not warn you. If you drive off that way, the hood can swing all the way open and block your view of the road. Tesla fixed this with a free over-the-air software update sent to the car, so there is nothing to schedule. Check that your car has taken the update, and always make sure the hood is shut.
On these Teslas, the reminder that tells you to buckle up may not work. If the driver is not wearing a seat belt, the warning light on the screen and the chime may fail to come on. The recall covers only the warning system, not the belts themselves. The problem is that the car may not remind you, so an unbelted driver could pull away without noticing. Tesla fixes this with a software update sent to the car.
Electric cars are quiet, so they are required to make a sound at low speeds to warn people walking nearby. On these Teslas, doing a factory reset turned that warning sound off. With no sound, someone crossing the street or walking through a parking lot may not hear your car coming. Tesla fixed this with a free over-the-air software update, version 2023.44.30.14, that your car downloads and installs on its own.
The Brake, Park, and Antilock Braking System warning lights on the dashboard display are printed in a font that is too small. The lights still work, but the small size can make these important warnings hard to read while you are driving, and it does not meet federal safety rules. Tesla has been sending a free over-the-air software update to the car to correct the size, so the fix can install without a trip to the shop.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles have Autosteer, a feature that helps steer the car but still requires the driver to stay in charge. Tesla says the on-screen controls and warnings for Autosteer are not clear or strong enough to keep drivers from misusing it, and a driver may not notice when Autosteer has shut off or was never turned on. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent over the internet.
Some 2021-2024 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles had their steering yoke or round steering wheel swapped for the other style, and during that work the wrong driver airbag may have been fitted. An airbag that was not made for the steering wheel or yoke now on the car may not open the way it should in a crash. That means it could fail to protect the driver properly, or even cause injury itself. Tesla Service will inspect the car and replace the driver airbag if needed, at no cost.
The front seat belts in these cars may not have been attached correctly to their anchor points at the factory. The anchor is the part that holds the belt to the car and pulls it tight in a crash. Because that connection may be wrong, a front seat belt can come loose or pull away from the car. Tesla will inspect both front belts, connect them properly, and replace the belt assemblies if that is needed.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles running Full Self-Driving Beta software, or waiting for it to be installed, may behave unsafely at intersections. The car may drive straight through an intersection from a turn-only lane, roll through a stop sign without fully stopping, or enter an intersection on a steady yellow light without slowing. It may also handle speed limit changes poorly. Tesla sends a free software update over the internet.
Driving over rough pavement or hitting a pothole can knock out the power assist that makes the steering wheel easy to turn on these Model S and Model X cars. You can still steer, but the wheel becomes much harder to turn, especially at low speeds like parking or tight turns. If it happens suddenly, you may not turn as quickly as you expect. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent to the car over the air.
Some 2021 Model S cars left the factory with the wrong outside mirrors. The driver's side mirror is curved instead of flat, and the passenger side mirror is missing the etched warning that says objects are closer than they appear. Both fall short of the federal rules for seeing behind you. Curved glass makes other cars look farther away than they really are, so you could pull out or change lanes in front of traffic. Tesla Service replaces both mirrors.
Tesla found that the automatic reversal feature on the power windows may not react correctly. Normally, a window that hits your hand or arm while closing should stop and go back down. On these cars it may not respond the right way, so the window can press harder than it should before it reverses. This does not meet the federal safety rule for power windows. Tesla fixes it with a software update sent to the car over the air, so no dealer visit is needed.
The computer that runs the large center screen can overheat while the car is preparing for or using fast charging. When it gets too hot, it slows down or restarts. During that time the screen may not show the rearview camera picture, which gear the car is in, the defroster and wiper settings, or warning lights. Losing that information while driving or backing up makes a crash more likely. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent to the car over the air.
These vehicles have a "Boombox" feature that plays sounds through an outside speaker. The problem is that it can play while the car is moving, drowning out the quiet electric car's required warning sound that alerts people walking nearby. Someone on foot may not hear the car coming. Tesla is fixing this with a software update sent over the air, which turns Boombox off whenever the car is in drive, neutral, or reverse, including Summon.
Certain 2021 and 2022 Model S cars were built with side curtain airbags whose inflators, the part that fills the bag with gas, may have been put together incorrectly. These airbags drop down from above the side windows to cushion heads in a side impact. If the inflator is wrong, the bag can open late or not open the way it should, so it may not protect you as designed. Tesla will replace the airbags.
These vehicles have a Boombox feature that plays sounds through a speaker on the outside of the car, and it can play while the car is moving. Electric cars are required to make a warning noise at low speed so people walking nearby can hear them coming. Boombox sounds can cover up that warning noise, which is why the vehicle does not meet the federal rule. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent to the car.
A software error can leave a valve in the heating system open when it should be closed. Refrigerant gets trapped in the wrong place, and the defroster does not clear the windshield as well as it should. With fog or ice sticking around longer, the driver cannot see clearly. Affected are certain 2021-2022 Model 3, Model S and Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y cars. Tesla fixes this with a free over-the-air update.
When you start one of these Teslas and the driver's seat belt is not buckled, the chime that should sound may not go off. Federal rules require that reminder, so the car does not meet the standard. This recall covers only the missing warning sound. Without it, a driver could start off unbuckled without realizing it, which matters if there is a crash. Tesla sends a free software update to the car over the air.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Beta) software had a setting called 'rolling stop.' With it turned on, the car could go through an intersection where every direction has a stop sign without ever coming to a complete stop. That is not how a stop sign works, and it can lead to a crash. Tesla sent out a free over-the-air software update — one your car downloads by itself — that turns the rolling stop feature off.
The front trunk on these Model S cars has two latches: a main one and a backup. On the affected cars the latch assembly can sit slightly out of place, so the backup latch never catches. If the main latch lets go while you are driving, nothing holds the hood down and it can swing up and block your view of the road. Tesla will check the latch and move it back into the right position, free of charge.
The driver's airbag is the cushion built into the steering wheel. On certain 2021 Model S and Model X cars, that cushion can rip as it inflates during a crash. A torn airbag cannot cushion the driver the way it is meant to, so the driver may not be properly protected in a collision. Nothing feels wrong day to day — the flaw only shows up at the moment the airbag is needed. Tesla will replace the airbag.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y cars running software version 2021.36.5.2 have a communication error in the camera-based crash-avoidance system. The car may warn you about a collision that is not actually happening, or apply the automatic emergency brakes on its own when nothing is in the way. A hard, unexpected stop can catch you and the driver behind you by surprise. Tesla corrects the problem with a free over-the-air software update sent to the car.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 176 | 13 | 2 | 4 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: