Air Bag Problems of Tesla Model S - part 1

The vehicle developed a leak in the ac condensate drain. The leak is directly above the safety restraint control module. The module got wet deactivating the vehicle and causing havoc with the airbag system. Many electrical systems turned off such as the power to the steering wheel buttons( the left blinker, the right blinker, and the horn). Luckily this happened while my vehicle was parked but if this happened while someone was accelerating or driving on the highway they would lose control of the vehicle. I spoke to a Tesla service tech about the concern and he informed me that this ac leak happens very often in the 2021 and newer Tesla Model S vehicles and that Tesla is aware that the ac drain leaks onto the restraint contol module but has not created a technical service bulletin or a recall for the safety issue.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model S 🔎.

I was driving about 20mph, my airbag deployed for no reason. No recalls, no warnings, nothing. I had my [xxx] daughter in the car and it was all filled with white smoke. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2016 Tesla Model S 🔎.

-airbag warning light on -horn not working -steering wheel scroll buttons not working -clicking noise when turning wheel this failure occurred during normal driving. Airbags will not deploy and horn is inoperable, creating a safety risk myself and my family. I have never been into any accidents and have only driven normal. These safety systems should not fail. This is a manufacturing issue.

I have started receiving airbag & seat safety issue alert but recieved appointment after a month even considering major safety concern. Some of 2021 vehicles are serviced under the recall Tesla sent. But told me mine doesn’t qualify for same issue for same year, same model cars. It seems like issue is with all Tesla Model S 2021 but Tesla charging big dollar amount to repair the safety concern. They have also mentioned there is on going concern with air suspension and all Tesla starts giving problem between 60,000 miles to 90,000 miles. It costs around $6000 to fix that issue and told me these are not safety concerns.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model S 🔎.

In the evening of [xxx] of this year, the driver door airbag in my 2012 Tesla Model S self-deployed as I opened the car door to exit after parking in my garage. I brought the car to the Tesla dealer in buena park California, and they told me they could not fix it because the car’s warranty had already expired. I was not concerned about getting it fixed for free under warranty, but wanted Tesla to acknowledge that this was a serious safety hazard and what could be done to prevent this from happening again, seriously injuring me or someone else driving my car. My concern is that the dealership implied that the owner’s/driver’s safety is not Tesla’s responsibility after the warranty period ends. The dealership did not comment any further. A search on reddit shows that airbag self-deployments during normal driving situations (non-accident) is not an isolated incident, but Tesla‘s airbag problems do not seem to have been well-publicized so that other Tesla owners or potential buyers can be made aware of this potential safety hazard. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2012 Tesla Model S 🔎.

During a road accident, driver airbags were deployed and caused injuries to driver in left hand, left leg and right chest by flying debris’s due to airbag deployment.

See all problems of the 2017 Tesla Model S 🔎.

My car is displaying a message that the "front left safety restraint issue". Airbags are off. Brought the car in for service, they said they fixed some low voltage pin. Less than a week later the message appeared again. Tesla did not take this issue seriously -- I'm driving around with no airbags? the next available appointment is a month out for Tesla. I've uploaded my Tesla invoice where they fixed it and a photo from today when the message is back again.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model S 🔎.

What happened? while driving my 2015 Tesla Model S, the main touchscreen (mcu) began intermittently going black, disabling access to essential vehicle controls, navigation, climate settings, and rear-view camera display. At times when the mcu was functioning, the rear-view camera feed would still display a black screen upon shifting into reverse, leaving me without any rear visibility. Component or system that failed: media control unit (mcu1) / emmc memory failure rear-view camera and/or associated wiring harness safety risk: the intermittent blackouts of the mcu and loss of rear camera feed created significant safety hazards, especially when reversing or attempting to adjust driving settings while in motion. The loss of rear visibility increased the risk of collision with pedestrians, cyclists, or obstacles. The mcu failure also limited access to defrost/defog controls and turn signal audio feedback. Problem reproduction and confirmation: Tesla service has confirmed both the mcu1 hardware failure and the rear-view camera malfunction. The problems occurred repeatedly before being inspected. Inspection: the vehicle has been inspected by Tesla service center technicians, who diagnosed both the failing mcu1 and the defective rear-view camera. Warning messages or symptoms prior to failure: for mcu: slow system performance, frozen screen, then intermittent complete blackouts while driving. For rear-view camera: black or distorted camera feed when in reverse, even when the mcu display was otherwise operational. These issues began occurring in June 2025 and became progressively worse until Tesla inspection on July 6, 2025.

See all problems of the 2015 Tesla Model S 🔎.

My 2018 Tesla Model S has a recurring safety-critical defect involving the steering system and the chassis can communication network. On October 20, 2025, the vehicle had to be towed to a Tesla service center because it would not power on and displayed multiple safety alerts (traction control disabled, stability control disabled, abs disabled, and reduced steering assist). Tesla documented that the steering rack was “bringing down the chassis can” and stated the issue might require a new steering rack and coolant pump if it returned. The warnings have now returned, and the vehicle is again showing active alerts for disabled traction control, disabled stability control, and previously reduced steering assist. This is a repeat of the same unsafe condition that Tesla attempted to repair. The car is unsafe to drive and could cause loss of steering control. This is a recurring steering/chassis can failure with major safety system disablement. I am reporting this because the defect affects vehicle control and increases the risk of a crash.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model S 🔎.

The cable harness (slip ring) connecting the steering wheel controls including the vehicle horn, steering wheel buttons, scroll wheels, and potentially the airbag (according to the service technician) failed on this vehicle in January 2025. The vehicle was inspected by Tesla’s mobile service and they acknowledged that the cable harness had indeed failed. It is available for inspection. We have been forced to drive this car without a functioning horn and airbag. There were no warning signs or messages on the vehicle computer.

I pulled into a driveway on a one lane road (due to construction) to allow a car traveling downhill to pass so they would not have to back up. I had come to a complete stop in the driveway with the car in drive. As I started to put the car in reverse it surged forward at a high rate of speed crashing into my neighbor's garage, tearing the door completely down pushing the door into the garage and my car entering the garage at least 15 feet hitting the car that was parked inside and pushing it with such force that the front end of the vehicle struck the garage cabinets tearing them down. My air bag did not deploy nor did the automatic braking system engage, it just sped up as it was doing the damage. The car has been deemed a total loss by my insurance company but I don't want this report to go unnoticed. To my knowledge the insurance company has not inspected the computer on the vehicle. I'm not sure how they will investigate this occurrence. I feel strongly that this was a malfunction with my car. The message that showed immediately was "driver assist unavailable", I have never used driver assist.

Full self driving did not show signs of slowing down at everett traffic slow down from about 60 miles to a standstill. I realized the speed not slowing down (about 5 car distance from stopped distance) I tried to apply the brakes that were completely nonresponsive, instead the car sped up. I avoided backend collision with the first car be maneuvering to the shoulder, however the next car was parked halfway into the shoulder that didn't leave enough room to not hit it. The car hit two other cars before coming to a full stop. While checking for any injuries for myself and passenger, after a delay and hitting 3 cars the airbags uselessly deployed. Total failure of brakes, auto emergency braking and airbag deployment. I have requested Tesla to look into the logs but havent gotten any feedback.

Tesla has refused to fix safety recall items. They asked me to replace the cluster own my own so I can receive updates.

Front safety system fault with complaints on Nov 21, 2023, Nov 27, 2033 and then on March 6, 2023 then Tesla service finally repaired and advised as follows: “technician notes verified customer concern alert was not present on drop off but when moving drivers seat through range of motion found faults appeared. Inspected pin fit of harness found no pin issues. Replaced the drivers seat harness and re tested during seat movement verified faults not currently present. ”.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model S 🔎.

I was involved in a significant vehicle crash with my Tesla Model S, the vehicle wa a complete write-off and was towed away. I was taken via ambulance unconscious from my injuries. The vehicle was struck by a perpendicular vehicle who ran a stop sign and hit the front driver's side firewall/door area. The impact was hard enough to drive my car sideways against all wheels into the curb, over the curb, onto the sidewalk, and into a pole. My head hit the drivers window hard enough to break the glass and render me unconscious. No airbags deployed, curtain/seat/otherwise - no side impact airbags even. Seatbelt was worn, I was extracted by first responders - I later spoke with Tesla regarding my complaint of no air bag protection, and was told they would take this seriously and investigate. I later found out the car was auctioned off (presumably for scrap) with no evidence of Tesla even attempting an investigation and zero response indicating otherwise. After reaching out again to Tesla seeking a response, they assured me that they have gps coordinates, police reports, asked for pictures (which I did send), and they promised to respond - that was more than 5 months ago and still no answers.

On Dec. 26, 2023, at approximately 6:30 pm while I was driving my 2019 Tesla Model S in fort lee, NJ. While navigating through congested traffic and executing a right turn from bridge plaza north to lemoine avenue south on a green light, the auto-pilot system was not using, my vehicle unexpectedly experienced sudden acceleration. Despite my immediate attempts to pump the brakes, the car failed to decelerate, resulting in a collision with a small bus at its rear side. Subsequently, the car continued at full speed, colliding with three additional vehicles before finally coming to a stop. Under such impact, no air bags opened. I would greatly appreciate further investigation and assistance in understanding the cause behind this sudden acceleration, as it not only endangered my safety but also resulted in damage to multiple vehicles. I do have a police report but cannot upload to this report, please let me know how to submit the report (fort lee police dept. Incident # I-2023-073265).

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Today I parked my car front of my house after couple ours I heard the voice and when I come close to my car I see the airbag is deployed I want you know the car doesn’t have any impact any accident when the airbag is deployed the car was off.

I have had my Tesla to their shop four times to try to fix a safety airbag issue in the drivers side which they have had my car for weeks and weeks on end, only for me to get it back with the same issue after only a few days of repair! I asked them for a refund and other things and they have done nothing! they still make me pay full price for my lease even though they have had my car in their shop more than I have driving it.

Three separate reports from car to Tesla: traction control disabled stability control disabled automatic emergency braking disabled two hours later my car caught on fire while parked at my home. It was declared a total loss.

See all problems of the 2014 Tesla Model S 🔎.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a fault in the seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,000.

So essentially I stopped for a charge about 30 minutes before, I charged it, then hopped back on the turnpike as I was heading to outer banks nc, while I was on the turn pike where I believe at the time I started to go around a curve not a sharp one but a curve right after coming off this bridge. Every 1 minute and 30 seconds you have to put your hands on the wheel and give it a jerk to keep it enable so it had to have popped up within the 1 minute and 30 seconds. As I was changing the album of the artists I was listening too I heard the beep beep beep which means you are approaching something and are about to hit it, as I looked up all I saw was blinking lights and really smacked the rear end of this traffic control truck, anywhere from 65-75 miles per hour with no time to react. If I remember correctly I had my car on 7 lengths away (maximum amount you can have away). As I hit the control I hit my head pretty hard on the steering wheel so the whole memory is blurry following when it happened and my adrenaline was very high but I didn’t wanna go to the emergency room even though they suggested highly because I have no health insurance and that would have had to come out of my own pocket and I was stuck in pennsylvania by myself and didn’t wanna get stuck in the hospital too. Thank you so much for taking your time to look at this it means a lot.

Hello, from what I’m told I need to replace the steering wheel controls, airbag and steering wheel harness for the horn to work.

On hwy 156, a farm country road near hollister, California, a motorist travelling immediately behind a white Tesla reported that the Tesla suddenly and inexplicably accelerated from 55 mph to 65 mph and crossed the double yellow lines. It made no apparent attempt to cross back into the original lane. In less than 3 seconds -- 170 feet by chp ground measurement -- the Tesla collided head-on with a semi traveling in the opposite direction. All four occupants in the Tesla were killed instantly. The truck driver was injured, but not seriously. The four deceased occupants were my daughter (53), my twin granddaughters (14), and my grandson (12). According to the chp report, all wore seat-belts. The airbag for the driver did not deploy, but the other three did. My grandson was ejected and dismembered but the other three were not. His seatbelt status is therefore questionable. Her grief-stricken and angry ex-husband, father of the three children, accused the driver of deliberately committing suicide and took the lives of the three children with her. Yet from the chp investigation, the four had just enjoyed a pleasant outing in their favorite restaurant and shops for several hours with no sign of anyone distraught. The restaurant receipt shows no alcohol was consumed. They had texted people and showed nothing out of the ordinary. Forty minutes later, they all perished. Her mother and step-father, her boyfriend, her best friend, and other close acquaintances, were all surprised by her sudden death. No suicide note was found anywhere, not in her journal and not in her media posts. No despondent communication of any kind was conveyed to anyone. Her extreme devotion to the children would make her willfully taking their lives very uncharacteristic. If not suicide, what made the Tesla behave so strangely and deliberately? NHTSA has been investigating Tesla crashes involving sudden left turns into oncoming traffic. Please use your expertise and resources to investigate this.

The airbag module installed in the yoke has popped out while driving. It currently hangs by a wire. This makes the car completely inoperable safely. In fact had the airbag ever gone off in this condition it could cause serious injury and possibly death. Reached out to Tesla for repair and they are estimating 20 days to begin a repair. If cars with this problem get into an accident that activated the airbag I believe there could be very serious consequences for the driver.

My car (Tesla 2020 Model S) was broadsided ("t-boned") at about 35 to 40 mph. The other car hit mine in middle, between front and rear doors, passenger side (after it ran a red light on a city street). Five airbags deployed in my Tesla . . . Two on driver's side (ok), and three on the passenger side. Since there was no one in the car other than the driver, and the car was aware of that (according to indicator light at start of trip), the passenger side bags should *** have deployed. (deployed, iirc: front passenger side, front passenger headrest (?), and rear passenger side. ) result: driver lost almost all hearing, instantly. Needlessly. Accident date: June 2, 2022. Report date: Mar 9, 2023. Driver is on hearing aids for life, providing partial hearing (at best).

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model S 🔎.

1) lower drivers knee airbag panel improperly installed. Photos available. 2) this could cause malfunction of the airbag in an accident 3) no response from Tesla service when reported in the Tesla app, and in person. 4) no, but I have photos and the epc identifies the parts in question. 5) loose trim panel made the problem apparent, noted at delivery. Noted loose and broken lower dash trim panel under the steering yoke. Upon investigation, noted the panel was designed to be held in place by 4 circular magnets, two on the panel and two on the lower dash support. However, in this case, a 10mm high strength steel bolt with a torque stripe was inserted into the mating magnet on the lower dash structure. The strength of the magnet was such that the bolt was apparently fully seated. The problem was, where did this bolt belong? it was found the adjacent lower panel was the knee airbag panel was designed to be secured by two 10mm bolts, and one was missing! the errant bolt was placed into the proper hole and torqued per the sm. The passenger side panels and bolts were found to be properly installed, and torque striped. I believe the placement of the yoke makes it difficult for assembly personnel to ensure the airbag bolt is placed into the proper hole, and the magnet keeps the bolt in position when it is incorrectly placed. The problem is this leaves the lower knee airbag secured by a single bolt, and that is a potential safety concern. Please contact me for photos and supporting documents.

Tesla service center refuses to perform recall on my car: - manufacturer recall numbertbd, NHTSA recall number21v035 - manufacturer recall numbertbd NHTSA recall number17v-260 - manufacturer recall numbertbdnhtsa recall numbertbd - manufacturer recall numbertbd NHTSA recall number21v-00b.

The left headlight does not work and the airbag compartment is protruding out at a weird angle. This has been like this since delivery.

I hit a deer on interstate. Airbags and pretensioner deployed. After vehicle shut down no doors can be opened from inside or outside. No injuries but could have been disaster if someone was trapped inside.

I was behind a car at a stop light when a SUV hit me very hard from behind, I hit the car in front of me. My face hit the steering wheel, 2 teeth came out whole, ripped from the gums, one tooth pushed up into my upper jaw. I got a laceration on my lower lip. I hit my forehead left side of my mouth and nose (very swollen, deviates to the right).

Safety restraint system malfunction. On January 18, 2022 this brand new car, only 3 days old with 1,000 miles, suffered a malfunction with the safety restraint system and displayed the following warning: "safety restraint system fault - service is required. " this is a safety issue that should be investigated by the NHTSA.

Tesla service center canceling appointments to repair driver airbag recall. Numerous attempts to have recall accomplished with Tesla service center in palm springs, CA. Unsuccessful since November 2021 (3 months).

No early alert before slamming on the brakes, only tapping a rear bumper on a 1999 Toyota tundra. No damage to the Toyota but to my surprise, the insurance company said the Tesla's totaled. The airbags for the driver were deployed only, with no other passengers in the car. Quite a loud noise. I have an edr report, not sure how to interpret it. Did not hear any warning lamps. Fortunately, both the other driver and I suffered no injuries. I would like to find out exactly what happened.

My vehicle was having issues during 2020 with the emmc recall. I took the vehicle to the dealership to be repaired and paid for the repair out of pocket. After this repair took place, the NHTSA forced Tesla to do a recall for the part that failed. I subsequently was reached out by Tesla who denied a refund for the repair that I paid out of pocket and did not and has not (3 months of following-up with the company) explained the denial nor offered repayment as directed by the NHTSA. Unfortunately, I am not the only individual who has had this same experience. Many individuals online have ran into the same unfortunate circumstances. See instances linked below. Https://teslamotorsclub. Com/tmc/threads/emmc-recall-reimbursement. 222189/.

The vanity mirrors can easily fell off from the sun visors. I got this problem, and found the heavy mirror is glued by white double sided adhesive tape which will loss adhesion at high temperatures. Then the mirror fell because of gravity. Although, there is a plastic mirror cover, the cover has very fragile thin spin axles. I did not witness the whole process, but since I do not use that mirror so the mirror cover should not be damaged before this happed. So I guess that in my case the fallen mirror smashed the cover, and the cover axles are broken and so the cover got opened automatically and let the mirror came out. There are airbags behind the sun visors, so the falling mirrors and covers are not only a risk factor for daily driving but also may cause severe injury when the airbags are activated. I do not use that mirror, I only use the sun visors, so this is definitely a car defect. The fallen mirror is not showed in my pictures. When I found the problem, the cover was not completely detached from the sun visor, since I cannot close it anymore and it seems like will falling soon, so I pulled it off.