Tesla Model S owners have reported 20 seat belt related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common seat belt problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's seat belt (20 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seat Belt problems |
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v045000 (electrical system, seat belts); and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
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.
VIN: [xxx] 2022 Tesla Model S delivery: 10/27/2025 passenger seatbelt was cut/frayed — fmvss 209 + 208 violation. Tesla replaced belt but **ignored 8 other defects** (paint, body, sand, maintenance). Closed ticket early, **refused fsd goodwill**. Car still unsafe — **airbag system not recalibrated**. Loaner required. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
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.
Vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model S long range VIN: [xxx] I am reporting multiple safety-related defects that existed at delivery or developed shortly thereafter, and Tesla has refused to diagnose or repair them under warranty. These defects create an unsafe driving condition and risk of loss of control or collision. Defect summary: 1. Alignment defect at delivery: on the day I bought the car, the steering wheel pulled to the left and felt unstable. I reported this immediately to Tesla. They dismissed it as “normal. ” 2. Premature tire wear: within months, the left tire wore down to the steel belts on the left side while the right side had normal wear. An independent shop confirmed this was caused by suspension/bushing issues, not road damage. 3. Suspension/bushing failure: a third-party Tesla-certified shop confirmed that the suspension components are bent/tweaked and require replacement for safe driving. Tesla refused to inspect these components properly. 4. Unlatched rear seat at delivery: the rear seat was delivered unlatched, which is a major safety hazard during braking or collision. 5. Broken glass under rear seat: broken glass was found under the rear seat cushion at delivery, raising concerns about vehicle history and delivery inspection standards. 6. New defect while in Tesla’s custody: on Nov 17, 2025, moisture accumulated inside the left taillight while the vehicle was parked outdoors at Tesla’s stockton facility. This can cause electrical shorting or lighting malfunction. Tesla’s response: Tesla has repeatedly refused to inspect the suspension properly, dismissed my complaints, and produced an inaccurate service invoice that did not reflect what was discussed. They told me we are “at an impasse. ” these defects pose a serious safety risk (tire blowout, loss of control, lighting malfunction). I request NHTSA investigate these issues as they may indicate broader problems with Tesla’s suspension, alignment, and delivery inspection processes. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia),.
The rear seatbelt on the left stopped latching all of a sudden creating a safety issue to ride with family.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 24v051000 (electrical system), 23v838000 (electrical system), 23v862000 (latches/locks/linkages, electrical system) and 23v488000 (seat belts); however, the part to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the recall remedies were over-the air (ota) software updates, and ota updates had not been performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla service center, who informed the contact that he needed to pay the diagnostic test fee prior to the recall repairs. The contact declined to pay the fee because recall repairs were free of charge. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
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.
Rear passenger seat belt came unattached from receiver on braking. 7 year old in booster seat lunged forward.
The drivers seatbelt unlatches by itself, without pressing the release button. Effectively, the drivers side seatbelt is unusable. Tesla has repeatedly refused to correct the problem.
Oncoming vehicle suddenly turned in front of 2021 Tesla Model S resulting in collision at 34mph. Automatic braking did not engage, collision warning system failed to sound alert. Air bags deployed however seat belt completely spooled out causing the driver to strike the windshield and break the glass by contact with the top of the head. The vehicle was a total loss and the dealer never inspected the car.
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.
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.
It is still unknown, but I believe the brakes failed. My wife was driving and making a left turn into a residential neighborhood when she applied the brake and it didn't respond, even when pushing the pedal to the floor. All that resulted was a clicking noise. The brakes failing to respond, and the emergency braking not engaging did cause an impact with a curb and sidewalk. At the same time, the seatbelt did not lock on impact or when pushing the brake pedal to the floor. The safety of the my wife was put at risk as she could not stop the car. With the cars weight and the amount of power that it has, it creates a dangerous situation for anyone around, especially in a residential area. The vehicle is available for inspection and is currently at the Tesla service center. There was a warning light that said something regarding the "hold" not working and another for "regenerative braking. " I do have the four angle dash cam videos from the Tesla of both times that it did occur.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while pulling out of the garage without the seat belt securely fastened, the audible seat belt reminder failed to engage. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a Tesla service center twice, where it was diagnosed that the software needed to be updated; however, the service center advised the contact that they were unable to update the software on his vehicle for unknown reasons. Additionally, a Tesla mobile technician came to the contact's residence to repair the failure but was unable to update the software. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated upon contacting the Tesla service center he had previously taken the vehicle to, to inquire whether a recall was associated to the failure, he was referred to the NHTSA. Gov website. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 22v045000 (electrical system, seat belts) and 22v063000 (electrical system, forward collision avoidance). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 400. Parts distribution disconnect.
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.
2013 Tesla s p85 mcu will not boot up after over the air software update between October 2 t o October 9th while I was on a vacation. Ota software version 2020. 24. 6. 11.
When vehicle is stationary, front passenger uses a seat-belt to fasten. After it latches on and passenger leans forward, it locks and the passanger is no longer able to move forward no backward. The car is still stationary and not turned on. Passenger can no longer move. On a driver side it happens only when car is moving and the brakes are pressed; it locks the driver but always releases it. Any car that we own or driven does exactly that. That issue was brought up every visit to repair shop and every time it was not fixed. We were educated on how to buckle the seat-belt. From invoice: concern: seats - customer states: seat belt continues to locked. Can be reproduced. Customer demonstrated concern to technician. Found seat belt locking as designed when pulled all the way out. No repairs necessary or attempted. Correction: general diagnosis - no trouble found.
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.
On Aug 13, 2018 I went to the Tesla service center in seattle and requested an appointment to have several recalls done, including seatbelts, takata airbags, and aluminum steering bolts. I was told in no uncertain terms by service manager kasi smith, that my car is blacklisted by Tesla since it has a rebuilt title. That in order for the recalls to be done I must get the car "recertified" at a cost of between $5,000 to $32,000, depending on whether repairs are needed. So I called Tesla's national customer service line (877. 798. 3752) and reached louis escobar at Tesla's burbank, CA location. After he checked with the seattle service center (which I'd already told him refused me) and with his supervisor, hunter carlson, mr. Escobar informed me that my car is blacklisted by Tesla since it has a rebuilt title, and in order for the recalls to be done I must get the car "recertified". My car was professionally rebuilt, and has been registered with the state of washington and I've been driving it for two years. If we can all agree that wrecked cars are -going- to be rebuilt, then what should Tesla's policy be? I should think they'd want to protect their reputation and ensure the safety of their customers. So for recert do they charge high fees and take away all benefits that were paid for on purchase of the car, like navigation, autopilot, and supercharging? well the cost alone forces those of us with rebuilt cars to drive around with no inspections, except those done by the state patrol, which are only checking that we did not use stolen parts. So clearly their goal is not to protect their reputation and ensure the safety of their customers. What is the goal then? make money?.