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Vehicle speed controlPart report

2013 Tesla Model S Vehicle speed control Problems

Complaints
25about this part
Share
5%of 461 total for the year
Median mileage
40,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2013 Tesla Model S, 5% of the 461 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 40,000 miles. 13 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The driver of our car was parking our Tesla Model S p85+ and slowly moving into the parking spot nearing the final distance in to the spot, when the car suddenly lurched forward, hitting and knocking down a light pole. The driver did not cause this acceleration to occur and was quite surprised to have this happen. There were no injuries involved in the incident, but a light pole located 1.5 feet way from end of the parking spot was knocked down and we have minimal damage to the front of the vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #10958834, filed 2017-03, 30,100 miles

“It was a 2hr45min drive into work on an icy blizzardy morning, driving my 2013 Model S rwd p85 with 90,000mi. Have owned this car for 4 yrs. Made it to work safely and the last 6 feet in the parking garage, going about 3 MPH pulling at a right angle into a parking stall. Had brake pedal depressed, shifted my foot to tap on the accelerator to inch forward and next thing you know, car is accelerating full throttle into a cement wall. Crashed head on and airbag didn't even deploy. Sat for a moment to catch my breath and try to process what happened. …”

NHTSA complaint #11180431, filed 2019-02, 91,000 miles

“On november 1, 2019, I was slowly braking and start turning right into my driveway on the 2013 Tesla Model S. I felt a surge of the vehicle and 1 second later, the vehicle landed on top of the staircase of my house entrance and driveway. I did not press on the accelerator at all when I slowly turning into the driveway.the vehicle sped on its own for only a split second. I called Tesla roadside assistance. The representative contacted me and direct me to a repair shop and he told me that he would have the vehicle's information to be sent to the engineers to find out what happened. …”

NHTSA complaint #11302076, filed 2020-01, 7 miles

“Sudden unintended acceleration Tesla. I drove my Tesla from work, driving over 35miles during rush hour of the bay area. When I entered my subdivision, I was driving at 10 MPH, pulled into my driveway made 90 degrees turn at 5 MPH, applied the brakes. Instead of stopping, car sped up at extremely high acceleration. It drove through the garage door, hit maserati parked in the garage, and a motorcycle parked next to it. The maserati trunk was pushed in approx 3 feet, it slid sideways, hit the pillar, smashing driver door and window, slid to the front and hit the motorbike parked next to it. …”

NHTSA complaint #11082114, filed 2018-03, 48,000 miles

“I was at a full stop waiting to turn left into the parking garage. When it was clear of oncoming traffic for me to make the left turn, I released my foot off the brake pedal and the car instantly surged forward very fast and hit another vehicle parked in the front of the garage. This all happened so quickly that I did not have time to avoid the impact. The time of occurrence was in broad daylight at about 6pm pst. I have driven this car for almost 10000 miles prior to the accident and know how to handle the car and understand the torque this car has. …”

NHTSA complaint #10545488, filed 2013-09, 9,600 miles

Related service bulletins

Vehicle speed control: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026229%
202376%
202296%
2021169%
2020810%
201937%
20182816%
2017368%
20168112%
2015406%
2014226%
2013255%
201212%

Other parts of the 2013 Tesla Model S

Electrical system
195 complaints
Other or unknown
122 complaints
Suspension
92 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
35 complaints
Steering
29 complaints
Brakes
25 complaints
Fuel system
24 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
22 complaints
Engine
21 complaints
Body and structure
19 complaints
Exterior lighting
15 complaints
Air bags
8 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Tesla Model S

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology