Here Are The Tesla Model S Years To Avoid
Photo by Matt Henry on Unsplash
The Tesla Model S was the first mainstream vehicle for the breakthrough electric car company and featured autonomous driving technology when it debuted in 2012. Tesla produces the Tesla Model S as a battery-powered liftback vehicle. It was unveiled in Summer of 2012 and is Tesla’s top-of-the-line model. While widely considered to be a trailblazer for the electric vehicle movement, it still faces some challenges. Here are the Tesla Model S years to avoid.
The Model S is built in the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Tesla disassembles the battery pack, electric motor, and parts for the European market, then delivers everything to Europe, where it is reassembled at its European Distribution Center. The Tesla Model S, which is infamous for car fires and battery and power troubles, has hit some early roadblocks on its way to becoming a worldwide leader.
THE MOST RELIABLE YEAR FOR THE TESLA MODEL S
It might feel impossible to pick the best one - which is where we come in. Read on to learn more about the most reliable Tesla Model S year and other critical information.
With a range of 390 miles and a peak speed of 200 mph, it presently boasts the greatest range and fastest acceleration of any electric car in production. A Tesla Model S battery can last as long as 200,000 to 400,000 miles before it has to be replaced due to degeneration. This amounts to around 13 to 27 years of service based on an annual average of 15,000 miles, though most drivers will probably upgrade long before then. The body and motor unit are designed to endure hundreds of thousands of miles in theory.
Because the Model S comes with an 8-year 150,000-mile battery and drive unit guarantee, you can anticipate it to last at least 8 years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first). With low battery deterioration, the Model S will comfortably exceed 100,000 miles for most drivers. The batteries are designed to have as much as 70 percent to 80 percent of their original capacity after 300,000 miles, resulting in just a slight reduction in range. Despite several concerns about construction quality, the Model S’s drive units and batteries are fairly dependable.
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Navigating on the Tesla Autopilot system is meant to get you to your destination faster by actively driving your car from on-ramp to off-ramp, including lane changes, highway interchanges, and exits in a more efficient manner. When Autopilot is turned on, it’s meant to make finding and following the most efficient route to your destination even easier.
On most roads, Navigate on Autopilot may be activated by drawing the cruise stalk toward you twice in short succession on Model S and Model X vehicles made between 2012 and 2021.
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is also available and aligns your vehicle’s speed with that of the surrounding traffic. Autosteer has been in the news for some safety issues but is meant to assist in steering inside a clearly delineated lane while also employing traffic-aware cruise control.
Tesla Model S years to avoid - complaints by year according to carcomplaints.com
- 2020 0
- 2019 1
- 2018 0
- 2017 1
- 2016 6
- 2015 3
- 2014 4
- 2013 9
- 2012 0
In general, there are consistent issues that have been recorded over time in various Model S years. These are normally covered by the regular 4-year/50,000-mile warranty, but they can be costly to repair once the warranty term has expired. The most common issues drivers reported are:
- Door knobs must be replaced
- Errors in air suspension
- Sunroofs that leak
- Touchscreen malfunctions
The Model S is one of the few mainstream electric vehicles with enough model years to have hundreds of thousands of miles. Despite the concerns, overall owner satisfaction with the brand is quite high.
Many of the recalls and complaints have little bearing on the Model S’s drivability, but the Model S has still been recalled a total of 30 times, which is fairly high for a vehicle with less than 10 years of models. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database, the majority of recalls occur in the earlier model years.
Recorded recalls by model year
- 2012 5
- 2013 7
- 2014 5
- 2015 5
- 2016 6
- 2017 1
- 2018 1
- 2019 0
- 2020 0
The Tesla Model S should be quite inexpensive to maintain over time as long as you don’t have too many build quality concerns. It doesn’t require consistent oil changes which is the most common maintenance job for most other models, and it just requires routine maintenance to replace cabin filters and check brake fluid, both of which are inexpensive. Its drive units also have fewer parts than a regular vehicle and aren’t exposed to as much heat and friction, so they’re less prone to fail due to wear and tear.
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Tesla Model S years to avoid: 2013 model
It may not come as a surprise that the second model year faced the most complaints. It carried over many of the initial issues from the first model brought to market, and a few new ones as well. Most vehicles face growing pains in their first few model years and the Model S is no different. It faced 9 major complaints from drivers and consumers.
Common complaints
- Exterior Accessories Problems 3
- Electrical Problems 2
- AC & Heater Problems 1
- Interior Accessories Problems 1
- Suspension Problems 1
- Transmission Problems 1
While this model year didn’t face any major recalls, it did have several complaints with suspension failure around 50,000 miles, battery failure from the coolant and heater malfunctioning, and exterior accessory issues from the sensor and doors. These issues were commonly between $1,000 and $2,000 to repair.
Tesla Model S years to avoid: 2014 model
Common complaints
- Interior Accessories Problems 2
- Electrical Problems 1
- Transmission Problems 1
The 2014 model did face a pretty significant recall with the charging port, which defeats the main purpose of an electric vehicle. The other issues most drivers face revolve around the vehicle display screen.
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Car buying can occasionally be frustrating, especially if you’re purchasing your vehicle through a dealership. We’re here to tell you how to navigate a situation in which a dealer refuses to cancel your extended warranty.
Tesla Model S years to avoid: major recalls
2014: The adapter, cord, and wall outlet all faced malfunctioning and were susceptible to overheating. When charging inappropriate methods for connecting the striker to the bracket, there was commonly damage to the weld between the bracket and frame.
2015: Tesla voluntarily recalled all of its 90,000 Model S vehicles due to a fault in the front seat belt components, causing a major safety concern for the third model year.
2017: All Model S vehicles manufactured between 2012 and 2017 were recalled due to faulty Takata airbags. Cars built before 2017 have a lower risk, but are still recalled for safety.
2017: Tesla recalled 53,000 vehicles globally in 2017 due to malfunctioning or locking parking brakes on specific vehicles.
Overall, Tesla vehicles and the Model S are considered safe by most independent and public vehicle safety organizations, but these are fairly significant recalls to consider when looking at Tesla Model S years to avoid. It received 5 stars across the board from the NHTSA and is generally an excellent option for a vehicle.
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