2015 Tesla Model S Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report the center touchscreen (often called the MCU) going blank, rebooting, or slowing down until many controls stop working, typically on cars with several years of use and tens of thousands of miles. Front suspension and steering complaints describe broken control arms, snapped steering knuckles and, in a few cases, loss of power steering. Door handles failing to open and the car not waking or charging are also commonly mentioned.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Center touchscreen (MCU) fails or goes blank

   • 267 complaints (40%)
   • median 58,499 mi at 5.8 yrs old (215 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 40 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Complaints describe the large center display going dark, rebooting on its own, or becoming very slow over weeks before failing outright, sometimes while driving. Owners report losing rear camera view, turn signals, climate control, charging controls, door locks and navigation with the screen, and several say the car would not start or charge afterwards. Dealers typically replaced the media control unit at the owner's expense, and some owners say they were told the behavior was normal for the older hardware. Mostly reported between roughly 35,000 and 105,000 miles, often after several years of use and sometimes following a software update or a 12-volt battery replacement.

   Recall 21V035000

   What to check: Ask whether the center display unit has been replaced or repaired and check that the screen boots promptly, that the rear camera and turn signals work, and that the car accepts a charge. A recall covering the display memory on some earlier cars exists, so confirm whether it was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The main vehicle screen stopped working. Complete loss of rear camera image display when reverse gear is selected, resulting in reduced rear visibility when backing. No control over battery charging commands. Many times when I place the vehicle in reverse the camera would not display a rear image. Now my screen is completely black and nonreponsive”

   NHTSA complaint #11338496, filed 2020-07, 36,000 miles

   “My media control unit (ipad screen-like) crashes, is incredibly slow and doesn't load internet feature that was promised. Took to Tesla multiple times and they said it's normal and their future updates will address this. This was said last year, and my internet still doesn't work (even under strong wifi). Crashes periodically and very slow.”

   NHTSA complaint #11331563, filed 2020-06, 43,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front suspension control arm or knuckle breaks

   • 147 complaints (22%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 3.2 yrs old (113 state mileage)
   • 37 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,500 (median of 13 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe a loud snap or pop while driving slowly, reversing, or going over a bump, after which a front wheel sits shifted in the wheel well and the car is hard or impossible to steer. Complaints mention broken control arms, fractured ball joints and, in some accounts, a cracked steering knuckle found after a tow. Dealers replaced the affected suspension parts, and owners frequently note the replacement parts looked different from the originals. Reported from very low mileage up to about 130,000 miles, often during low-speed maneuvers such as reversing or turning into a parking space.

   What to check: Have a pre-purchase inspection look closely at the front control arms, ball joints and steering knuckles for cracks, corrosion or play, and ask whether any of these parts have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Slow driving in the village. At a sharp turn to right (after the stop sign) I heard scratching the front right wheel on the chassis. It was dark and I did not find something strange so I drove slowly to my house, where I had a closer look: one photo is the good suspension on the left and the other is the broken on the right.”

   NHTSA complaint #11299567, filed 2020-01, 80,000 miles

   “Backing up in my driveway at 2 mile per hour, right rear suspension collapsed. Car transported by flatbed to Tesla cleveland. Extensive repairs including to right front suspension. I note 42 other complaints of similar to NHTSA on Tesla Model S 2015-7 year models.”

   NHTSA complaint #11378123, filed 2020-12, 121,000 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Power steering assist reduces or is lost

   • 69 complaints (10%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 5.3 yrs old (41 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,500 (median of 10 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Complaints describe grinding noises from the front of the car when turning, steering that becomes much stiffer than normal, and in some cases the wheel refusing to turn at all after a pop. Owners report the car being towed and the steering rack or assist assembly being replaced, sometimes tied to corroded mounting hardware. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 10,000 miles to around 70,000 miles, usually noticed during low-speed turns or parking.

   Recall 18V204000

   What to check: Ask whether the power steering assist mounting bolts have been inspected or replaced, and listen for grinding or feel for uneven steering effort during a slow test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Pulling my car out of my driveway, I attempted to reverse the car into the garage to charge it. After putting the car in reverse I heard a loud pop noise and the steering wheel refused to turn. Attempting to turn the wheel at all resulted in a grinding noise that made the car undriveble. After a tow truck was called, we noticed that the entire front driver side wheel was shifted backward and was resting on the rear of the wheel well liner. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11366291, filed 2020-10, 71,500 miles

   “Earlier today I sent in a complaint about steering rack/power steering qassembly failure. I made an error on the Tesla service bulletin #. It should have read correctly:sb-18-32-002 r3 january 11, 2019 (not sb-18-21-003) my error was in suggesting the TSB last 3 digits changed from 001, 002, and 003. They are actually all sb-18-32-002 r1 (and r2, and r3) sb-18-32-002 r3 january 11, 2019 the final TSB has vertical lines on the left margin to identify the revised note sentence. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11344246, filed 2020-08, 7,695 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Car does not wake, unlock remotely or charge

   • 131 complaints (20%)
   • median 52,889 mi at 5.7 yrs old (93 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,878 (median of 22 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the car becoming unresponsive to the phone app and key, owners locked out with no remote unlock available, and in some cases the vehicle refusing to power up or accept a charge. Several owners link this to the 12-volt battery or to a failed media control unit, and say support could not reach the car remotely. Reported across a broad range of mileages, generally on cars several years old, sometimes shortly after a battery replacement.

   What to check: Confirm the phone app connects and the car wakes and unlocks reliably, ask when the 12-volt battery was last replaced, and verify the car charges normally at a public charger.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The 12v battery on our 2015 Tesla Model S started failing last november. We were assured that Tesla that it would be safe to drive until they could replace the battery (which took about 2 months). We've come to understand that this is far from accurate. After that, our mcu (the main computer in the car) failed. This is apparently a well known problem that Tesla refuses to fix. When they replaced the mcu we immediately started having issues: 1. The emergency flashers did not work. 2. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11337955, filed 2020-07, 50,000 miles

   “After the 12v battery on our car died, it was replaced by Tesla service. After the battery was replaced, the center screen (mcu) would not come on. This screen controls almost everything in the car, including backup camera, park distance controls, auto-pilot, door locks, suspension, adjusting braking and collision warnings, opening and closing sunroof, charging (it's an electric car - nonfunctional if we can't adjust charging), climate control, remote communication, software updates, entertainment system, etc. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11344124, filed 2020-08, 73,000 miles

Buying note. On this model year, plan on checking the center display, front suspension and door handles carefully before buying, since these come up repeatedly in owner complaints and repairs can be costly outside warranty. Asking for service records on these specific items is more useful than the overall mileage alone.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.