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exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (8)
Over-the-air fixSeat belts: front, warning light/devices
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk and remedy
Risk: A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk and remedy
Risk: Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.
Electrical system: adas, driver monitoring
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature.
Risk and remedy
Risk: In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008.
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem, causing a failure in some of the center display functions.
Risk and remedy
Risk: The eMMC controller wear-out condition can cause the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-21-001.
Steering: electric power assist system
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with Bosch steering racks. The aluminum bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fracture causing a reduction or complete loss of power steering assist.
Risk and remedy
Risk: Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts and add a corrosion-preventative sealer, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-32-002.
Parking brake
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles. The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during parking brake application or release.
Risk and remedy
Risk: If the gear breaks during parking brake release, the vehicle will not be able to be moved. If the gear breaks during parking brake application, the parking brake may not adequately hold the vehicle, potentially resulting in the vehicle rolling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-17-33-002.
Air bags: frontal, passenger side
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2012 Model S vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk and remedy
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
Seat belts: front
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Model S vehicles manufactured May 31, 2012, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver or front passenger seat belts that may be improperly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner.
Risk and remedy
Risk: If the seat belt is not correctly attached to the pretensioner, it may not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will inspect the driver and front passenger seat belts, correcting their connection, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-15-20-002.
Canadian recalls (7)
Show 7 Canadian recalls
Over-the-air fixLights and instruments
2024-05-21 · campaign 2024-283
Issue:
A previous over-the-air (OTA) software update could cause the vehicle not to display the correct visual warning indicators when there are problems with the brake system or when the parking brake is applied. As a result, the BRAKE, PARK, and antilock brake system (ABS) visual indicators would display as text instead of symbols.
Safety Risk:
While there is a low risk to safety, Canadian regulations require visual warnings to use common symbols, instead of words, to avoid driver confusion.
Corrective Actions:
Tesla will notify affected owners by email. Tesla has released an over-the-air software update to fix this problem. There is no further action required if your vehicle has software release 2024.3.25, 2024.14.5, or a release later than 2024.14.5.
Over-the-air fixAccessories
2023-12-12 · campaign 2023-657
Issue:
On vehicles equipped with the Autosteer advanced driver-assistance feature, when using the feature, the vehicle may not provide strong enough warnings or monitor the driver closely enough to prevent misuse of the feature.
Safety Risk:
A driver that doesn't pay close attention while using the Autosteer feature or who doesn't react quickly when Autosteer is canceled could have an increased risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
Tesla will notify owners by email and supply an over-the-air software update to improve driver monitoring and alerts while using the Autosteer feature. Tesla advises that you must always pay attention and be ready to take control of the vehicle at any time while using the Autosteer advanced driver-assistance feature.
Electrical
2021-01-29 · campaign 2021-038
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the internal memory for the media control unit (MCU) could run out of storage capacity over time. If this happens, the center display can turn off while driving and cause some of the car's systems not to work properly. This includes the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting.
Safety Risk:
A rearview camera image that does not display could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. A windshield that cannot be defrosted/defogged could reduce visibility. Turn signals that do not work could cause a following driver not to recognize that a vehicle ahead intends to turn. These conditions could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
Tesla advises owners to ensure that their vehicle software is up to date. Tesla will notify owners by email, including when parts are available to schedule service to upgrade the internal memory in the MCU.
Lights and instruments
2020-10-20 · campaign 2020-497
Issue:
On certain vehicles, when switching the distance display setting from kilometers to miles, the speedometer displays the vehicle speed in miles per hour (mph) only. Canadian regulations require that speed be displayed in either kilometers per hour (km/h) or in both km/h and mph.
Safety Risk:
This small error does not affect vehicle safety.
Corrective Actions:
This is not a recall. Tesla has made changes to ensure that all new vehicle speedometers display mph and km/h when the display distance is set to miles. In addition, this change was sent to all vehicles in firmware update 2020.36.11.
Steering
2018-03-29 · campaign 2018-149
On certain vehicles, the bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fracture. This could allow the power steering gear assist motor to move, causing the belt to slip which could result in a loss of power steering assist. A loss of power steering assist would require additional steering effort which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Tesla service centers will replace the aluminum mounting bolts with coated steel bolts and will apply a corrosion-preventative sealer around the gear housing and connecting bolts. If bolts are found to be broken or break during the removal process, Tesla will also install a new steering gear.
Electrical
2016-12-08 · campaign 2016-614 · 280 vehicles
*** This notice is provided for information purposes only as the subject equipment is not regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act ***
The NEMA 14-30, NEMA 10-30 and NEMA 6-50 electrical adapter that could have been separately purchased as an accessory for the universal mobile charging connector on certain Tesla Motors vehicles may be impacted by higher than normal electrical resistance due to a potential manufacturing defect. This could cause the adapter to overheat, potentially increasing the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: impacted owners will be supplied with a redesigned NEMA adapter. Updated adapters will be sent by Canada Post or commercial carrier once available.
Seats and restraints
2015-11-19 · campaign 2015-553
On certain vehicles, the driver and front passenger seatbelt anchor plate may not have been properly bolted to the pretensioner anchor plate during assembly. In the event of a crash, the seatbelt may be unable to provide sufficient restraint force, which could increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Tesla Service Technicians at authorized locations will inspect and affect repairs as necessary.
Owner complaints (61)
Owners filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Tesla Model S (4 crashes, 1 fires, 6 injuries, 1 deaths reported). Among 15 model years of this model, it ranks #11 for the most complaints (median 139).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Electrical system | 37 | |
| Unknown or other | 12 | |
| Suspension | 9 | |
| Power train | 5 | |
| Visibility/wiper | 5 | |
| Exterior lighting | 5 | |
| Equipment | 3 | |
| Structure | 2 | |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2012 Tesla Model S version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Model S Automatic (A1) | 88 | 90 | 89 | $850 |
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Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.