2016 Tesla Model S Problems

What owners report

Owner complaints on this model year cluster around two themes: a clunking or popping front suspension and a centre touchscreen (MCU) that freezes, blacks out or reboots. Reports of the screen failure are widespread across the sample and come with long waits for parts; suspension reports tend to arrive earlier in mileage. Steering, brakes and unintended-motion complaints appear as well, but in smaller numbers.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Centre screen freezes, blacks out or reboots

   • 159 complaints (25%)
   • median 51,000 mi at 4.8 yrs old (95 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 27 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe the large centre display going black, freezing or restarting on its own while parked and while driving. Because so many functions run through it, complaints say they lose the rear camera, turn signal sound, headlight controls, climate and defrost control, navigation and audio, plus long boot times. Several owners say they were told the repair is a paid eMMC board or MCU replacement, and some describe waiting weeks for parts or being told a diagnostic window must be observed before anything would be done. Reports span roughly 20,000 to 110,000 miles, often clustered around four to five years of age and frequently recurring over many months.

   Recall 21V035000Recall 24V051000

   What to check: Ask whether the centre display unit has been replaced or upgraded, and whether the 21V035000 eMMC remedy was completed. During a test drive, watch for slow boot, reboots and an inoperative rear camera or turn signal sound.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2 weeks ago I was driving down the freeway at night. My infotainment unit turned black, I lost: 1.. Auto pilot 2. Hvac 3. Exterior lights 4. Radio 5. Maps, blinkers when I contacted Tesla, they said nothing was wrong with my car. We could have easily got into an accident losing these vital things. How do you get Tesla to fix this and what is the right fix?”

   NHTSA complaint #11374070, filed 2020-11, 68,000 miles

   “The main screen on my 2016 Tesla Model S has gone out and I am being told in his a known bad mcu issue. My car is 52 months old with 50,361 miles. This needs to be declared a defect so Tesla is responsible for fixing this issue. I have been told the repair is over $2,000. Consumer stated telsa refuses to repair the vehicle under warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #11341898, filed 2020-07, 50,361 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front suspension fore link breaks or clunks

   • 209 complaints (32%)
   • median 10,000 mi at 2.3 yrs old (147 state mileage)
   • 36 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,075 (median of 24 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners report a loud pop or clunk from the front end, often while reversing out of a driveway or going over a dip, followed by knocking over bumps. Several complaints describe the front fore link or control arm separating, in some cases leaving the wheel rubbing or jammed against the wheel liner and the car undrivable. According to the complaints, service centres replaced one or both front fore links; some owners say they were told the damage was from an impact rather than covered work. Mostly reported between roughly 25,000 and 70,000 miles, frequently at low speed while turning or reversing.

   What to check: Have a mechanic inspect both front fore links and ball joints, and listen for a single loud pop or ongoing knocking over speed bumps on a test drive. Ask for service records showing whether either fore link was already replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle was in motion at about 30-35 MPH in a highway construction zone, and I heard a bang, vehicle lost control and was sent off the road. When I inspected the vehicle after the vehicle came to a stop, I noticed the fore link/forward control arm was loose. The stud that held the ball joint to the steering knuckle had been sheered off.”

   NHTSA complaint #11377957, filed 2020-12, 49,073 miles

   “I was driving normally and had to apply brakes at a rail-road crossing intersection and my passenger front fore-link part of suspension broke. Vehicle became undrivable and had to be stopped in middle of road. I had to get my vehicle towed to Tesla service center in plano, tx and was informed that fore-link part of suspension is broken. It has been repaired now.”

   NHTSA complaint #11373580, filed 2020-11, 36,140 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or lurching at low speed

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the car moving off on its own during low-speed manoeuvres such as parking or entering a garage, and in some cases report a collision. Other reports involve cruise control failing to slow when the brake was tapped. Complaints say the vehicle was inspected afterwards with no fault found. Reported mostly below about 30,000 miles, typically during parking-lot or driveway manoeuvres and in cold, wet conditions.

   What to check: Ask for any service history related to pedal, throttle or drive-unit diagnostics. During a test drive, try slow parking manoeuvres and check that cruise control disengages promptly on the brake.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 1/18/20, I was travelling in my 2016 Tesla Model S p100d eastward on anderson hill road toward the intersection with purchase street. The stop light was red. I was driving 1mi under the speed limit of 35mph. The outside temperature was around freezing, and a wet snow had begun 5-10min earlier, with minimal accumulation. I know exactly how fast I was going because I had cruise control on. I was not on autopilot. Just cruise control. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300286, filed 2020-01, 20,000 miles

   “Please see the attached report I filed on safer car.gove and the letter I wrote to Tesla. I have not got response to any of those.. .this problem happened after I had successfully turned the car 90 degree to park headon. The car had to be at a very low speed at that time. Then when I as just a couple of feet from the curb, the car accelerated out of control. If you get the report from Tesla, you will find that car could not have accelerated this fast even if I had pressed the accelerator pedal by mistake. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11342364, filed 2020-07, 26,000 miles

Buying note. On a used example, budget for a possible centre display replacement and have the front suspension thoroughly inspected before purchase, since those two are the most frequently described problems. Ask the seller for recall and service paperwork, particularly for the 21V035000 display remedy and any fore link work.

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.