Table 1 shows one common seat belt related problems of the 2020 Tesla Model S.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seat Belt problems |
The vehicle has been taken to Tesla multiple times due to ongoing controllability and safety concerns. The autopilot system will occasionally brake unexpectedly at green lights or when another vehicle is passing on the right side. The vehicle has also experienced repeated drivetrain issues, including the half shafts failing at least four times within a short period. During acceleration, the vehicle can be difficult to control at times, and the wheels exhibit noticeable vibration. Despite replacing two full sets of tires within two years and completing multiple balancing and service attempts, the issue has not been resolved. These ongoing problems have contributed to premature tire wear and reduced stability, particularly in wet or rainy driving conditions. The vehicle has been serviced by Tesla at least 10 times, and each visit has resulted in replacement of half shafts or other drivetrain components. At one point, Tesla indicated that the drive module was “off center,” though no clear explanation was provided. These issues have been present since the vehicle was purchased in may 2024. In several instances, the vehicle was returned after service without the problem being resolved, requiring additional return visits. More recently, Tesla has suggested the issue may be related to tires and wheels. However, this contradicts earlier assurances that those components were not the root cause. All tires and two wheels have already been replaced, yet the same issues continue to occur. Months go by without any resolution and then when the tires go bad again, they tried to sell me on that when that never resolved the issue. They tried to force me to buy new tires and wheels for $8000 claiming that to be the issue. The main has fell twice in the last year and was replaced with a battery that was not of light kind. When the battery failed at a Tesla supercharger, the door would not open momentarily. I will estimate the date of the last service. Cannot open due to open ticket.
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. This time I applied the brake before pressing the park button, but again the instant I pressed the park button the car vaulted forward over both 3' mat risers and stopped only 1 inch from the workbench. I could feel the spiked of power to accelerator when I pressed the park. Button. I was truly relieved that I did hit the workbench. I backed up the car and just sat in it for 15 minutes and let the cooling fans run to cool the motors down. My wife took photos of the car in relation to the workbench. The right parking mat had been wedged under the front wheel. The left parking mat mat had been tossed back 4 feet. I know using the second parking mat from my gtr, which I recently sold, helped consume some of the forward energy and prevented the car from hitting the workbench. I feel that disconnecting the seatbelt contributes the trans sensor delay. I parked the car on the mats after it cooled down. There was no driver error involved. I contacted sarasota Tesla service the next day. I sent them a letter and photos which were forwarded to Tesla engineers who again downloaded my edr info. I have not yet heard from Tesla about my first incident. My Tesla has inexpensive defective components in it that make dangerous to drive. I will not let my wife drive the car until this problem is repaired if ever by Tesla.
Component and explanation - the right front passenger seat belt locks the passenger into place as if the seatbelt had been activated in a crash. That is, it no longer moves freely as it is supposed to under normal operation, rather, it locks and clicks to tighten. Passengers remove the seatbelt several times during each trip so that they are not being restrained so aggressively. Safety risk - passengers either will not ride in my car or refuse to wear their seatbelt because of the issue. Inspection and reproducing - the issue has been repeatedly inspected by Tesla and they were in all instances able to reproduce the issue almost immediately. There are no warnings to notify the passenger that the seatbelt is about to restrain them. Tesla has replaced a part of the seatbelt I believe 5 times although they have been repeatedly told by me that the repair was not in any way resolving the issue. Tesla has now refused any further evaluation or repairs to the seatbelt and though I have asked many times during the applicable period, Tesla has refused to lemon my car and replace it with one that works.