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Electronic stability controlPart report

2018 Tesla Model S Electronic stability control Problems

Complaints
3about this part
Share
2%of 170 total for the year
Median mileage
5,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the electronic stability control of the 2018 Tesla Model S, 2% of the 170 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 5,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

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

“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

“On at least 2 occasions, while driving the car, the electrical system stopped working. One time, the car just shut down at a stop sign nearby my office; the second time, while driving on the highway, the car continued to run but all of the other electrons: speedometer, turn signals, radio stopped working. When I pulled over, the entire car shut down. Both instances required a hard stop to re-start the car. The dealer informed me that this can happen when the software has not been recently updated. …”

NHTSA complaint #11270166, filed 2019-10, 6,800 miles

“I drove to work on may 2, 2019, and was trying to park in my allotted parking stall on the 3rd level of my office parking garage. My parking stall was along the outer edge of the garage and the only barrier to the outside was a set of three (about diameter) cables strung between outside columns of the garage, besides a thin perforated corrugated metal sheet outside the cables, acting as a rain stop. I was trying to slowly turn right from the parking aisle to park between two pickup trucks on either side of my stall. …”

NHTSA complaint #11228597, filed 2019-07, 3,946 miles

Electronic stability control: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201912%
201832%
201710%
2016112%
2015203%
201451%
201361%

Other parts of the 2018 Tesla Model S

Forward collision avoidance
50 complaints
Other or unknown
36 complaints
Electrical system
35 complaints
Vehicle speed control
28 complaints
Brakes
25 complaints
Suspension
20 complaints
Steering
15 complaints
Lane departure
13 complaints
Body and structure
10 complaints
Exterior lighting
8 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
6 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Tesla Model S

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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