2020 Tesla Model S Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 8%of 80 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 1,625miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2020 Tesla Model S, 8% of the 80 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 1,625 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.
“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“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“In June of 2020 I reported a wobble noise coming from the front of the vehicle under normal acceleration. I took it to a Tesla repair shop, where the tech confirmed that they were aware of the issue, but Tesla was working on a fix for it and they would contact me when a solution was available. The issue was repaired in Sept of 2021, which happened without me initiating it as I had taken my vehicle in for another maintenance issue and re-reported the noise, and they replaced the half-shaft s on the front of the vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #11522290, filed 2023-05“The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started to vibrate in the shutter shaft unit. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with front CV axle failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. On a separate occasion, the vehicle started to shudder, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The vehicle was repaired for the most recent failure however, the contact stated the vehicle had been repaired three times, for the CV axle failure. …”
NHTSA complaint #11652390, filed 2025-04, 32,807 miles“Stability control disabled, steering assist disabled, airbags disabled, brake system altered for weeks before service request. In addition, steering wheel moved uncontrollably while parked, with car off, and no one in it for over eight hours. Finally, entire system locked after a factory reset. Locking the doors, preventing entry, and showing the transmission in neutral. Tesla’s service model is inhuman, meaning they don’t allow conversation with a human, but instead require scheduling service through their phone app. The app recorded these issues and were attached to the service request. …”
NHTSA complaint #11417545, filed 2021-05Related service bulletins
- 10251045Jan 18, 2024Some versions of Model S and X front drive unit halfshafts might cause excessive vibrations during hard acceleration at higher ride height settings. This is exclusively an NVH…
- 10212803Dec 10, 2021Some versions of Model S and X front drive unit halfshafts might cause excessive vibrations during hard acceleration at higher ride height settings. This is exclusively an NVH…
- 10181261Sep 8, 2020The front drive unit contains an inverter that did not go through internal reliability testing.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 33% |
| 2023 | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 | 3 | 2% |
| 2021 | 2 | 1% |
| 2020 | 6 | 8% |
| 2019 | 3 | 7% |
| 2018 | 5 | 3% |
| 2017 | 10 | 2% |
| 2016 | 18 | 3% |
| 2015 | 29 | 4% |
| 2014 | 27 | 7% |
| 2013 | 35 | 8% |
| 2012 | 5 | 8% |
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 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 29, 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