Tesla Model S owners have reported 14 seats related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common seats problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's seats (14 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seats problems |
The front right door top hinge bolts fell out. Believe the bottom one is broke off. Also have vehicle has a seat belt warning alarm indicated. There is a vehicle appointment scheduled for the Thursday August 14, 2025. Did not notice any warning signs. The door separated in the parking lot of a food establishment.
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),.
Driver seat will no adjust leaving is in a position too far from the brake and steering wheel and too low to see over dashboard adequately.
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. ”.
Tried to get in Tesla evening of 12-11-23. Drive car seat pulled all the way forward and to the steering wheel where the driver could not breath easily. After opening the door was able to pull the seat back and pushed to go to pre-set driver profile. The driver seat repeated the same procedure while pinning the driver to the steering wheel and making it difficult to breath. Driver was able to retrieve barely the seat back. After some research online this has happened to very few owners/drivers. For one of them this occurred while they were driving on the highway. This continue to occur on new/er models as well. Extremely dangerous maneuver that could be fatal if occurred while driving. If occur while not driving can be extremely dangerous due to the suffocating space or lack of it for the driver, therefore causing severe back, chest, or stomach injuries.
The driver’s seat back will only rise partly from the reclined position. All other driver seat functions seem to be normal. I estimate the maximum upright angle to be 30 degrees from vertical, making driving difficult and sometimes painful. The manual states to not drive the car with more recline than 30 degrees as seat belts may not function as intended (driver may slip under belt during impact).
Drivers seat creaks during even moderate acceleration suggesting that it is not properly bolted to the frame and/or that the bolts are not properly torqued.
The drivers seat has a rocking issue. When braking and accelerating the seat rocks forward and backward which Tesla states they do not have a fix for and which their engineers claim is not a safety concern. I had to make a hard stop recently to avoid a collision and almost flew with my whole body into the steering wheel because the seat flung forward so far. I want to bring this to your attention before someone actually gets seriously injured because of this manufacturer turning a blind eye to something they believe is safe. I have never driven a vehicle that has had a seat fling forward when breaking and don’t believe this is safe. Tesla has refused to do any further work after 3 attempts to fix the seat and will not lemon or buyback the vehicle or replace the vehicle or seat. My final course of action would be to bring this to your attention as I believe your agency has the tools, resources, and ability to take on a car manufacturer who chooses blind negligence overt safety of their consumers. If necessary I can provide invoices / repair orders for the seat. They supposedly changed the seat to a new one (which I don’t believe happened), added an extra bolt to the frame, and finally did a test drive check and confirmed it’s a known issue and basically said too bad but another car.
Driver seat and passenger seat rocks when accelerating or braking. The seats can become loose in the event of impact from being loose in the housing. The problem has been inspected and acknowledged by Tesla service center and have unsuccessfully tried to repair the vehicle. The issue has not not been fixed after multiple visit to Tesla regarding the same issue.
Issue 1). Ever since I bought the car I noticed the drivers seat felt cooked causing low back pain. Eventually the seats power adjustment would only retract one side so it could not be adjusted evenly and I had to pay to have a whole new seat replaced issue 2). I have the 85 kw battery and after an update my battery capacity was reduced 10%. I was told it was due to risk of overheating the battery fire risk Tesla never resolved the issue and never reinstated the missing 10% charge capacity 3). The suspension had failed as I was driving over a speed bump less than 10 mph and the bottom of the car scrapped the pavement. I had to pay out of pocket to replace the suspension.
The center touchscreen display is failing. This display controls most functions of the vehicle from climate control to entertainment. Currently, I am unable to active the rear defroster or adjust the climate controls. This is a known issue and the problems will get worse over time.
Driver seat was replaced in earlier appointments however rod still hits bottom (underneath the thighs and butt). It's pains bad and later stop blood flow, numbs my legs. I had to continuously adjust myself to continue my driving; at that point I don't feel safe in the car. I tried several positions but it still hurts. Here is Tesla response: assistant service manager sat in the front driver seat and confirmed customer concern. Compared to multiple other service and inventory vehicles of the same model and found all comparable seats are similar. This is inherent to the design of the seat. Recommend customer adjust seat positions and/or lumbar support to a more comfortable position suited to their personal preference.
Door handle problems the handle fails every 6months should be a recall drive train issues.
Tesla driver seat bolster hurts my bottom after 10/15 mins of driving. The seat cushion behind the bolster to the back sinks so low; and fails to keep me lifted. As a result, eventually after driving 10/15 mins bolster starts hitting my bottom and it starts to pain; and also numbs my legs. At this point, I have to take a break, get out stress and start driving. I have driven many cars upto 500+ miles in a single day no issues. Having a comfortable seat is a basic requirement in any car. I have reported this issue many times to various Tesla service centers. The seats installed in my cars seems to launched very pre-maturely without proper testing. There are many complaints online forums on this bolster pain and how badly it hurts. Tesla wants me to pay for the seat and no guarantee that the new seat will not such issues. If the installed seat itself is defective, why should I been paying for another defective one. Tesla is not willing to own the issue. I have done upgrades and paid alot of taxes so not willing to sell and buy another car and pay taxes again. I want to report this issue as I foresee safety issues with this car and similar many other cars; and how Tesla is not doing their basic customer service and offering bad products at very high price.