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Electrical systemPart report

2020 Tesla Model S Electrical system Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
9%of 80 total for the year
Median mileage
7,875miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the electrical system of the 2020 Tesla Model S, 9% of the 80 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 7,875 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 4 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

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.

“On sunday oct 11 at 4:15 pm, after a 1 hour ride, I had a 3rd unintended acceleration incident parking my Tesla in my garage. I drove my Tesla 4 times since having our last 2 unintended acceleration incidents on august 18. I had left my seatbelt connected for our last 4 rides and had no problems parking the car in the garage even when hot. This time I disconnected my seatbelt before parking on the two parking mats in the garage. My wife gave me the 'full sign' when both tires were against the 3 mat risers which meant my front bumper was 19 from the workbench. …”

NHTSA complaint #11366272, filed 2020-10, 1,250 miles

“Rear emergency release cable does not open the trunk. The latch mechanism failed with a trunk full of groceries, I pushed down the rear setts to access the trunk compartment and crawled back and popped open the emergency release cable and it did not function. I have a service for the car scheduled for Dec 2nd to repair/replace the latch mechanism.”

NHTSA complaint #11702039, filed 2025-11

“I have experienced 5 occasions where the Tesla Model S software and instrument panel has shut down and rebooted while driving. This also happened while waiting at an intersection. The vehicle would not operate properly. Traffic was blocked. All human sense of control is lost. This is a repeating occurrence. Twice I have reported to Tesla and Twice they said that they cannot and will not resolve it.”

NHTSA complaint #11458540, filed 2022-03

“While driving down the freeway at over 65mph, the instrument cluster screen and center display screen turned completely off without warning for approximately 90 seconds. This was very troubling and dangerous. I had no way of knowing how fast I was going, was unsure if my turn signals were working and basically just had zero information on how the car was functioning. During this time, the car did operate as normal though. I did not have the vehicle in autopilot at the time but if I did, I do not believe I would have been able to disengage it. …”

NHTSA complaint #11425298, filed 2021-07

“The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in the left lane on the highway, a vehicle approached on the right side of the roadway and the Forward Collision Avoidance: Emergency Automatic Braking feature activated and slowed the vehicle to 20 MPH. The contact disengaged the semi-autonomous auto pilot and brought the vehicle back up to highway speeds. The contact was not aware of any warning light being illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. …”

NHTSA complaint #11477398, filed 2022-08, 14,500 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024718%
202398%
20221712%
20212514%
202079%
2019511%
20183521%
201711427%
201614923%
201526640%
201413336%
201319542%
20123761%

Other parts of the 2020 Tesla Model S

Forward collision avoidance
23 complaintsOther or unknown
14 complaintsSuspension
14 complaintsSteering
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsLane departure
4 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2020 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