2017 Tesla Model S Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 36about this part
- Share
- 8%of 431 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 11,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 36 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2017 Tesla Model S, 8% of the 431 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 11,000 miles. 16 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 Tesla sped up and had a sudden unintentional acceleration. I was driving down the driveway slowly and the car suddenly accelerated to a very high speed. It almost went over a wall and I had to swerve the wheel to avoid going over a wall. When I slammed on the brakes, the car stopped fully only a few inches away from another parked vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11021371, filed 2017-09, 5,602 miles“There are challenges with the mcu1 and its integration with fsd hardware #3. This manifests as freezes on the central and drivers displays until the cars mcu does a full restart(speedometer is not affected). This restart can take as little as 5min or can stay off for the drive until manually force reboot initiated. During the freeze I experience loss of passenger airbag(warning comes on, I cant tell if other airbags are affected). The climate control system turns off no A/C or heat is available. …”
NHTSA complaint #11352297, filed 2020-08, 60,000 miles“I have reached out to Tesla 3 times to fix a sudden unintended acceleration issue. 11 days after I reported the issue and they told me my car was ok to drive I got into a accident. It took Tesla 5 months to give back the reports of the crash in which they said it was my fault. I have lost trust in the company and have seen that 127 other people have been affected by the same issue according to cnn please take care of this issue. Any Tesla owner is a pioneer of a future creation. After the accident they told me autopilot is on beta mode its not perfect yet. …”
NHTSA complaint #11307255, filed 2020-02, 35,000 miles“Stopped at a busy city street intersection for around 2 minutes waiting for the green light. My car was second car from the intersection on a slight up slope. Obviously the brake was fully engaged but my car suddenly creeps up slope and gently bumps into the car in the front. This impact pushes the other car forward and my car rolls back. The forward collision alarm went off but I could do little to stop the car other than try and press on the brake even harder. The car again rolls up again and gently bumps the other car again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11093835, filed 2018-05, 9,200 miles“Tesla Model S 2017 sudden unintended acceleration- 1/18/2018, morning 9:05 am. I was pulling in to my office parking spot where I parked for 6 years, I let the car slow to roll closer in front of the curb. All of a sudden the car accelerated, got on the curb, hit the office building. The car was still going until I applied the brake. The acceleration point was right before the curb, measuring from the point to the wall is only 7 feet. Tesla said I was on the pedal for a second long, I applied pedal from 0-18%, and quickly applied the brake. …”
NHTSA complaint #11064628, filed 2018-01, 1,969 milesVehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 29% |
| 2023 | 7 | 6% |
| 2022 | 9 | 6% |
| 2021 | 16 | 9% |
| 2020 | 8 | 10% |
| 2019 | 3 | 7% |
| 2018 | 28 | 16% |
| 2017 | 36 | 8% |
| 2016 | 81 | 12% |
| 2015 | 40 | 6% |
| 2014 | 22 | 6% |
| 2013 | 25 | 5% |
| 2012 | 1 | 2% |
Other parts of the 2017 Tesla Model S
114 complaintsSuspension
107 complaintsOther or unknown
96 complaintsForward collision avoidance
69 complaintsSteering
48 complaintsExterior lighting
28 complaintsBrakes
25 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
25 complaintsLane departure
24 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
20 complaintsBody and structure
14 complaintsWheels
13 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2017 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