2020 Tesla Model S Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 6%of 80 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 3,745miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the body and structure of the 2020 Tesla Model S, 6% of the 80 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 3,745 miles. 1 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.
“When driving and accelerating onto entry ramp of highway, the front hood flew open blocking vision. I was probably doping about 60 MPH when it came open. The Tesla diagnostic claimed a message was on my screen telling me hood may not be closed correctly. There was no noise notification telling me the hood was open. I had not touched the hood in any way. I had been driving for about 8 minutes before it opened. I must have clicked to open the hood in error when opening the car to unlock my car. There was no manual latch to unlock like other cars. …”
NHTSA complaint #11394778, filed 2021-02, 6,500 miles“On august 18 at 4:30 pm, I had positioned my right front tire against the parking mat riser in my garage. I removed pressure on the accelerator and 'hold' to engaged. I pressed the park button and the car accelerated 3' forward over the parking mat riser into the workbench. I put the car in reverse, and backed up about 2 feet and stopped. The car was in reverse but I mistakenly pushed the stalk down and put it in drive instead of reverse. I backed up, put the car in drive, moved forward and pressed park, again the car accelerated 2' forward into the workbench. …”
NHTSA complaint #11359750, filed 2020-09, 990 miles“The rear doors have emergency release cables in case the power is cut during a collision. These cables are hidden, not glowing, and have a small square pull on the end that is difficult to find and pull. I had great difficulty in testing the function to ensure the emergency cable pulls worked. They need to have a glowing T-handle on the end to facilitate location and movement, and the emergency cable location should be marked and visible in the car, just like the emergency hood and truck release are.”
NHTSA complaint #11703010, filed 2025-12“The front hood flipped open while driving at about 40 miles an hour without any warning, totally obstructing the vision of the driver who happen to be my wife, causing her to pull over suddenly fortunately no one was hurt during the accident. The front hood, however, has been creased and damaged. This could have caused a very serious accident had she been driving at high speed on the highway. The Tesla seems to lack a double latching hood mechanism found in most other cars which would prevent this from occurring. This needs to be sorted out permanently.”
NHTSA complaint #11552453, filed 2023-10Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 | 8 | 6% |
| 2021 | 9 | 5% |
| 2020 | 5 | 6% |
| 2019 | 2 | 5% |
| 2018 | 10 | 6% |
| 2017 | 14 | 3% |
| 2016 | 30 | 5% |
| 2015 | 30 | 4% |
| 2014 | 27 | 7% |
| 2013 | 19 | 4% |
| 2012 | 2 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2020 Tesla Model S
23 complaintsOther or unknown
14 complaintsSuspension
14 complaintsSteering
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsElectrical system
7 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 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