2018 Tesla Model S Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe two broad themes: unintended or unexpected acceleration while maneuvering at very low speed, and repeated failure of the center touchscreen and instrument cluster, which can take away the speedometer, climate controls and driver-assist displays while driving. A further group of complaints describes front or rear suspension and steering components breaking, sometimes with the wheel visibly displaced, as well as phantom braking and false collision warnings while using cruise or Autopilot. Many of these reports come at low mileage, and several describe software updates or hardware replacements at the dealer that did not fully resolve the symptom.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration while parking or maneuvering

   • 57 complaints (34%)
   • median 7,657 mi at 2.2 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 21 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe the car accelerating on its own at very low speed, most often while pulling into or out of a parking space, a garage or a driveway, even with the driver's foot reported to be on or moving to the brake. Owners say the car then struck a wall, a building, a tree or another vehicle, and in many cases they state the brake pedal did not respond as expected. Several reports note that airbags did not deploy in the resulting impact, and a number say the cause was never determined or that the manufacturer attributed it to driver input. Reported from very low mileage up into the tens of thousands of miles, typically during parking-lot, garage or driveway maneuvers.

   What to check: Test the low-speed behaviour yourself in an empty lot, including creeping into a parking space, and ask the seller for any service history related to pedal, throttle or Autopilot-related repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “As I was turning right into a parking space going at a very slow speed, the Tesla suddenly accelerated to full speed. I did not press the gas or commit any other user error. I tried to apply the brake. However, because of this sudden unintended acceleration, I crashed into the building in front of me.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330211, filed 2020-06, 14,000 miles

   “The car unintended accelerated when I pulled into garage and wait for garage door open. The sudden acceleration is totally out of control, even my foot firmly step on the break pedal. The accelerated car went through the garage door towards right, and hit and lift the other parked SUV inside the garage. The speed and force push the SUV towards the back of garage wall, and totally damaged the part of my garage.”

   NHTSA complaint #11209483, filed 2019-05, 7,100 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Center touchscreen and instrument cluster freeze or go dark

   • 33 complaints (19%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 2.9 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe the large center screen and sometimes the driver display freezing, going black or becoming unresponsive while driving, taking away the speedometer, navigation, climate controls, rear camera and driver-assist displays. Many say the only recovery is a reset by holding the steering-wheel buttons, and that the screen then takes several minutes to return. Complaints frequently mention that the dealer reset or reflashed software rather than replacing hardware, and that the problem came back. Mostly reported between roughly 15,000 and 45,000 miles, but some complaints describe it within the first few thousand miles.

   Recall 21V035000Recall 24V051000

   What to check: Ask whether the center display has been replaced or reflashed and whether the instrument-cluster font update from the related recalls has been applied; watch the screen through a full drive cycle, including a reboot.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My september 2018 build Tesla Model S experiences the same screen failures (both the dash + media control unit) as the recalled versions, but mine falls outside of the recall period. The latest incident occurred while I was driving on a desolate highway traveling at 85 MPH. I lose my speedometer as well as features such GPS which occurred once in an unfamiliar area.”

   NHTSA complaint #11399238, filed 2021-03, 14,000 miles

   “1. Suspension problem, ongoing concern. 2. Excessive tire wear of unknown cause. 3. Driver screen for managing vehicle controls is faulty and hopefully being fixed via a warranty alert dated november 09, 2020. See attached document. My concern is that Tesla is not forthcoming in solving this suspension problem. I would encourage your agency to investigate claims into Model S vehicles produced through 2018 as well.”

   NHTSA complaint #11376712, filed 2020-11, 9,500 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Suspension and steering components breaking, wheel

   • 29 complaints (17%)
   • median 16,000 mi at 2.2 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe front suspension links, steering knuckles and rear subframe or wheel assemblies failing, sometimes with the wheel visibly collapsed or displaced outward and the car requiring a tow. Owners often report the failure happened at low speed or on ordinary roads without a major impact, and several note that the dealer replaced the rear subframe or suspension parts. Some reports also tie uneven or excessive inside tire wear to the rear suspension geometry. Reported from a few thousand miles to around 40,000 miles, with several cases at low speed and no reported impact.

   Recall 22V818000

   What to check: Have an independent shop inspect the front and rear suspension links, knuckles and subframe and check inner tire wear; ask whether any suspension or steering parts were replaced under warranty.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This a complaint about the Tesla suspension forelinks which are still snapping off and causing danger to the public. At least three new cases of failure have been reported within the last few weeks. Despite forum posters urging the owners to report their failures to NHTSA the owners have not done so. Pressure from Tesla supporters to support the mission and financial self-interest mean that these failures are being under-reported. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11257794, filed 2019-09, 5,000 miles

   “Design flaw on the rear suspension set up causes excessive tire wear on the inside of the tires. Very likely goes without being detected even by the service centers and can cause serious accidents due to tire blow outs specially on freeway drives.”

   NHTSA complaint #11310421, filed 2020-02, 34,000 miles
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   Phantom braking and false collision warnings

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the car slowing or braking sharply on its own with cruise control or Autopilot engaged and no obstacle ahead, sometimes describing the deceleration as accompanied by vibration or jerking. Others describe forward collision warnings or automatic emergency braking triggering without a hazard, and a few report the forward collision avoidance feature simply being unavailable when needed. Complaints commonly note no warning light and no dealer diagnosis. Often reported between about 15,000 and 45,000 miles, typically at highway speed with cruise or Autopilot engaged.

   Recall 21V846000Recall 23V838000Recall 23V085000Recall 22V037000

   What to check: Confirm which software version the car is running and whether recall-related Autopilot and forward-collision software updates have been installed; try cruise and Autopilot on an open road during the test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on the expressway, cruise control was engaged at 65-70 MPH for 3-5 minutes, until suddenly, the car slowed down all by itself to around 50mph with vibration and jerking. The brake was not depressed at all. No other cars were in front of me or around me at the time of incident”

   NHTSA complaint #11377444, filed 2020-12, 19,700 miles

   “I was driving my Tesla Model S in los angeles freeway using autopilot at approximately 60 mile/hour. Suddenly car stop tracking the road and turn left. Even though I tried to control the car I was too late and car hit the middle divider. I have reported this issue to Tesla.”

   NHTSA complaint #11321355, filed 2020-04, 19,514 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Autopark and Summon not stopping for obstacles

   • 23 complaints (14%)
   • median 16,000 mi at 2.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Several owners describe the automatic parking and Summon features moving the car into a wall or another vehicle instead of stopping, including one case where the car rolled forward from a stop. Owners say the dealer reviewed the logs and reported that the feature had operated without fault, which left them without a resolution. Related complaints describe door handles that would not open from outside and window glass behaving unexpectedly when doors close. Reported mostly in the first few thousand to around 10,000 miles, during low-speed parking and summoning manoeuvres.

   What to check: Ask the seller to demonstrate Autopark and Summon in a controlled space, and check that each door opens from the outside and that the windows drop and rise correctly when the doors are opened and closed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Multiple doorhandles are failing to be able to open the door from the outside when the door is unlocked I have a 2018 Model S Tesla and two of the doorhandles have failed already although the vehicle is unlocked when I pull on the door handle it's bears to open the door only way to open it is from the inside this could pose a potential safety hazard should I need to open the door from the outside”

   NHTSA complaint #11403100, filed 2021-03, 51,700 miles

   “My car was fully engaged in auto park and it hit a car. I quickly braked to stop a worse collision. I patiently waited for Tesla to review their logs. They insist the auto park was working without fault. The engineers have indeed said the autopark feature was operating without fault. I keep questioning them. If the vehicle comes into contact with another vehicle does not mean the autopark feature is operating with fault,' says Tesla. I reply, 1. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11180360, filed 2019-02, 5,000 miles

Buying note. Look for a car with documented recall completion, especially the center-display and Autopilot-related campaigns, and have the suspension and steering inspected before purchase. A long test drive that includes parking-lot manoeuvres, a screen reboot cycle and a stretch of cruise control will surface most of what owners in these complaints describe.

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.