2018 TESLA MODEL S Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Tesla designs a single piece headlight with no serviceable parts. This includes headlights, high beams, and namely daytime running lights. All of these components are on an LED strip that overheats and un-solders due to this high heat, which causes premature failure. Some owners have reported as little as 3 months of life before failing. The daytime running lights are essential for safety driving in low light situations. These daytime running lights are seemingly built to fail. The lights dim then eventually no longer work. Tesla's solution is to have the customer purchase a brand new headlight at $2,500. My vehicle is 2018 Tesla s with 43,400 miles and always kept in carnage. Tesla should either goodwill swap out these headlights for a non-built to fail component, or offer a repair for a quality LED strip with proper heat distribution. Without daytime running lights safety is a major concern on foggy, rainy, and low light situations. I have attached an image showing how the failure begins on top then slowly goes all the way down to the side of the headlight which fails later,.

I was entering my drive way waiting for the garage to open suddenly my car just accelerated and hit the wall.

Crash 2 injured

On February 11, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m., I picked up my Tesla vehicle from the Tesla Service Center located at 16955 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, Missouri following battery repair. After paying for the service and being told the vehicle was ready, I discovered in the parking lot that the hood was not latched and was misaligned. The hood had been opened during service. Prior to drop-off, the hood latched properly and securely. Releasing the vehicle in this condition created a significant highway safety hazard. At highway speeds, an unlatched hood can deploy and completely obstruct forward visibility, potentially resulting in a catastrophic collision. When I immediately reported the issue to service management, responsibility was dismissed and attributed to a prior front collision history, despite the hood functioning normally before service. The service center did not promptly correct the unsafe condition. I was forced to leave the premises, purchase mechanical tools across the street, and physically resecure/realign hinge hardware myself in order to safely operate the vehicle. I have preserved video documentation of the hood condition at the time of release, along with service records and receipts. This represents unsafe post-repair vehicle release and failure of final safety verification. I have video evidence of my vehicle after I paid $1170 service fee and inspected the hood not latching. It was too big to attach but I am more than willing to put on a flash drive and send. please call me and instruct where to send it. Thank you. [XXX] , concerned Missouri resident [XXX] cell INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was entering my drive way waiting for the garage to open suddenly my car just accelerated and hit the wall.

Crash 2 injured

I was entering my drive way waiting for the garage to open suddenly my car just accelerated and hit the wall.

Crash 2 injured

Steering the vehicle is extremely difficult leading to major safety concerns. When making turns, right or left, where the steering wheel travels greater than 90 degrees, the steering wheel becomes hard to push past that 90 degree mark (I am 6' 200lb man). Once past 90 degrees, the wheel will stay at that turning angles without correcting to straight. A few times I have had to "muscle" the steering wheel quickly back the opposite direction to keep from running into parked cars on the right side on a right turn. I appears the lower steering column U-joint has rusted and is binding every 90 degrees making steering unpredictable, dangerous and difficult altogether.

Recently right side blind spot monitor camera stopped working. As result, majority of safety features in vehicle has been disabled to include forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and many other safety features of the vehicle.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that whenever the rear door was opened, the window on the door rolls down approximately a half inch, and whenever the door was closed, the window automatically rolled back up. The contact stated that after the rear door was opened to place some leftover dinner in the rear seat, the contact closed the door and his finger was caught in between the window and the door frame. The contact was concerned and stated that there should be a sensor to prevent such a failure and any injury while closing the door. The contact stated that his finger was bruised and cut and was bleeding profusely. The contact removed his finger as quickly as possible, preventing even more injuries to his fingers and hand. Medical attention was not needed; however, the contact did clean and bandage the finger after arriving to the residence. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

1 injured

On 9/27/2025 while driving my Tesla Model S, I received the error EPAS_w001 – “Steering assist reduced”. Immediately afterward, the steering became extremely heavy and nearly impossible to control, even at low speeds.

Our doors completely locked inside our garage. We could not get in the car at all, even after a technician came to replace the low voltage battery. Only after replacing the low voltage battery was someone able to get into the car. However, that low voltage battery did not fix the core issue the car was having. It was a current leak in the high voltage jumper harness. This issue required us to get a very expensive tow of our car out of our garage (required dollys & a winch), and then a very expensive diagnosis & repair by Tesla. These doors should have a way to open if the car's battery or other electrical system malfunctions.

On [XXX], I was driving my recently purchased 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN: [XXX], mileage approx. [30,536]). The vehicle was purchased directly through Tesla’s app in late August 2025 and delivered to me the same day of the incident. Approximately 4.5 hours after delivery, while driving with my son, white smoke began to come out of the cabin air vents. Within minutes, the smoke turned black and rapidly filled the interior of the car. I immediately pulled over and evacuated the vehicle with my son. Shortly after, the car caught fire and was completely destroyed. No modifications had been made to the vehicle, and it was sold to me as inspected and certified by Tesla. The sudden appearance of smoke from the vents and rapid escalation to a full vehicle fire posed a severe danger to me, my child, and others on the road. I am reporting this to NHTSA to document the incident and to request that the agency investigate whether Tesla Model S vehicles have underlying defects that may cause dangerous cabin fires shortly after use. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fire

On [XXX], I was driving my recently purchased 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN: [XXX], mileage approx. [30,536]). The vehicle was purchased directly through Tesla’s app in late August 2025 and delivered to me the same day of the incident. Approximately 4.5 hours after delivery, while driving with my son, white smoke began to come out of the cabin air vents. Within minutes, the smoke turned black and rapidly filled the interior of the car. I immediately pulled over and evacuated the vehicle with my son. Shortly after, the car caught fire and was completely destroyed. No modifications had been made to the vehicle, and it was sold to me as inspected and certified by Tesla. The sudden appearance of smoke from the vents and rapid escalation to a full vehicle fire posed a severe danger to me, my child, and others on the road. I am reporting this to NHTSA to document the incident and to request that the agency investigate whether Tesla Model S vehicles have underlying defects that may cause dangerous cabin fires shortly after use. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fire

On [XXX], I was driving my recently purchased 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN: [XXX], mileage approx. [30,536]). The vehicle was purchased directly through Tesla’s app in late August 2025 and delivered to me the same day of the incident. Approximately 4.5 hours after delivery, while driving with my son, white smoke began to come out of the cabin air vents. Within minutes, the smoke turned black and rapidly filled the interior of the car. I immediately pulled over and evacuated the vehicle with my son. Shortly after, the car caught fire and was completely destroyed. No modifications had been made to the vehicle, and it was sold to me as inspected and certified by Tesla. The sudden appearance of smoke from the vents and rapid escalation to a full vehicle fire posed a severe danger to me, my child, and others on the road. I am reporting this to NHTSA to document the incident and to request that the agency investigate whether Tesla Model S vehicles have underlying defects that may cause dangerous cabin fires shortly after use. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fire

both vehicle displays have stopped functioning, therefore there is no indication of speed, remaining charge, blind spot protection, or back up camera. also, turn signals are non-functional. This is a safety concern to yourself and other drivers.

On [XXX], my 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN [XXX] ) experienced a complete brake system failure while in motion. The brake pedal was pressed multiple times, but the vehicle did not stop, resulting in a collision. The emergency brake also failed to engage. 1. Component/System Failure: The braking system, including both the standard hydraulic brakes and the electronic emergency brake, failed to operate. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: This put my safety and the safety of others at immediate risk, as I was unable to stop the vehicle to avoid an accident. 3. Confirmation of Problem: The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Tesla service center since the accident, but the vehicle previously had recalls in 2021 and January 2024 for brake and emergency brake issues that Tesla claimed to have remedied. 4. Inspection: The vehicle has been involved in an accident and has been documented by police and insurance representatives. Tesla has not yet inspected the car after the most recent failure. 5. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps or error messages on the dashboard prior to the failure. The brakes appeared normal until the moment they failed completely. This incident demonstrates that the recall-related brake defects remain unresolved and present a serious safety hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash 2 injured

On [XXX], my 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN [XXX] ) experienced a complete brake system failure while in motion. The brake pedal was pressed multiple times, but the vehicle did not stop, resulting in a collision. The emergency brake also failed to engage. 1. Component/System Failure: The braking system, including both the standard hydraulic brakes and the electronic emergency brake, failed to operate. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: This put my safety and the safety of others at immediate risk, as I was unable to stop the vehicle to avoid an accident. 3. Confirmation of Problem: The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Tesla service center since the accident, but the vehicle previously had recalls in 2021 and January 2024 for brake and emergency brake issues that Tesla claimed to have remedied. 4. Inspection: The vehicle has been involved in an accident and has been documented by police and insurance representatives. Tesla has not yet inspected the car after the most recent failure. 5. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps or error messages on the dashboard prior to the failure. The brakes appeared normal until the moment they failed completely. This incident demonstrates that the recall-related brake defects remain unresolved and present a serious safety hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash 2 injured

On [XXX], my 2018 Tesla Model S (VIN [XXX] ) experienced a complete brake system failure while in motion. The brake pedal was pressed multiple times, but the vehicle did not stop, resulting in a collision. The emergency brake also failed to engage. 1. Component/System Failure: The braking system, including both the standard hydraulic brakes and the electronic emergency brake, failed to operate. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: This put my safety and the safety of others at immediate risk, as I was unable to stop the vehicle to avoid an accident. 3. Confirmation of Problem: The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Tesla service center since the accident, but the vehicle previously had recalls in 2021 and January 2024 for brake and emergency brake issues that Tesla claimed to have remedied. 4. Inspection: The vehicle has been involved in an accident and has been documented by police and insurance representatives. Tesla has not yet inspected the car after the most recent failure. 5. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps or error messages on the dashboard prior to the failure. The brakes appeared normal until the moment they failed completely. This incident demonstrates that the recall-related brake defects remain unresolved and present a serious safety hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash 2 injured

This is very comment of tesla not responding to customer about the power reduced in the car is safe concerns is lot of people with the same problem and tesla want Pay for all the repairs of the car even with my car still Warranty

The Instrument Cluster Freezes and has to be reset. When it freezes you have not knowledge of speed you are going. After bringing it into Tesla Service I was told that is a known defect. The only way to fix is to replace Infotainment system at a cost of $2,100. Infotainment system currently works fine. The rep informed me that the system does not have enough memory to run the computer correctly after all the updates that Tesla Makes you install.

I own a 2018 Tesla Model S. While it was still under warranty the passenger side door handle quit working and it was no longer possible to open that door. Tesla replaced the door handle at no change with a newly designed mechanism. It was explained to me that they redesigned the mechanism which had a high failure rate, and my car handles would no longer be installed in later cars. I asked if they would change all 4 door handles for me, and was told they would not. Now several years later, another door handle has failed. This time dangerously. The door pops open spontaneously, and therefore the car is not safe to drive. I have an appointment for repair, but at full cost. Should Tesla not cover the cost, as it makes the vehicle unsafe to drive, and they clearly knew about it when they originally sold me my car?

In July 2024 all the cameras on the Tesla Model S except the rear stopped working after a failed software update. This meant that all of the driver assistance systems as well as GPS, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, forward collision warning etc stopped working. The lack of availability of this system meant that the car no longer had any advanced safety features that came with the car. It took many months for Tesla service to diagnose and fix the problem, which they identified as a failure of the Auto Pilot computer. After I was finally able to get an appointment with the Service center, they replaced the Autopilot computer at a cost of over $1500. The failure first appeared in July 2024. The symptom was GPS location being stuck and Autopilot and all safety features being not available.

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.

While driving both North (in the evening) and also South (in the morning) on [XXX] between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA I have experienced an issue with Tesla’s Auto Pilot that can be very dangerous and scary. While using the navigation system and with Auto Pilot on while in the left most line on this divided highway, the car made multiple attempts to steer into the Express Lanes even when the large gates are closed and the red lights are on to indicate that the Express lanes are closed in the direction of traffic. To counteract this, it is necessary to quickly take control of the steering wheel and to get it to cancel Auto Pilot, otherwise the car would go into the gates and cause an accident. This has happened to me several times when I was traveling in the left most lane and when the gates were closed. This happened in November, December and in January. The system has not learned to handle this situation and to avoid steering into the barriers. I reported these incidents to Tesla’s Support Team by phone and after several weeks I received a phone call whereby the local service center (Rockville, MD) called me. Josh, the person that called me read a lengthy text to me that essentially reviewed the driver’s responsibilities when using Auto Pilot. I asked if there was any indication that they will work on fixing this issue and I was told that the explanation I got (which was no explanation at all, just a reminder of driver responsibilities) was the entire response. I informed him that I would report the incident to NHTSA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Operating the car on summon and it crashed into a curb and trashcan, causing extensive damage. I currently have a claim in with my insurance.

Crash

•I’m not sure what component was responsble for either the braking issue or the fire. It is available for inspection. •When driving the brake pedal had a frightening delay that almost caused 2 accidents and unfortunately my car was charging on the 24th of October which could have something to do with arching that led to my garage catching fire rendering the car unable to move or turn on after the incident. I’ve insisted Tesla insurance to look into possible causes because the Fire dept. mandated the a LADWP (power company) to install new transformers to our power supply a couple of days after the fire, which they did. Tesla insurance seems uninterested in finding the cause and wants to compensate me for the vehicle but I believe it’s in their best interest to find a cause and document it. The car had no issues prior, in fact the service center sent a mobile tech to replace the 12volt battery on the car not even 10 months ago. After the fire the car died and has a bunch of codes that make it inoperable. • Service center rejected looking at it because of the risk. They said since it was possible salvage they could not look at it which is understandable but they worked on it before in decem •Insurance has been unwilling to look at any of this they just want pictures of the car to settle the issue. In my opinion they are ignoring a bigger problem. Tesla is my insurer. •The car had no issues prior to the fire and none during the near misses were the brake delayed.

Fire

•I’m not sure what component was responsble for either the braking issue or the fire. It is available for inspection. •When driving the brake pedal had a frightening delay that almost caused 2 accidents and unfortunately my car was charging on the 24th of October which could have something to do with arching that led to my garage catching fire rendering the car unable to move or turn on after the incident. I’ve insisted Tesla insurance to look into possible causes because the Fire dept. mandated the a LADWP (power company) to install new transformers to our power supply a couple of days after the fire, which they did. Tesla insurance seems uninterested in finding the cause and wants to compensate me for the vehicle but I believe it’s in their best interest to find a cause and document it. The car had no issues prior, in fact the service center sent a mobile tech to replace the 12volt battery on the car not even 10 months ago. After the fire the car died and has a bunch of codes that make it inoperable. • Service center rejected looking at it because of the risk. They said since it was possible salvage they could not look at it which is understandable but they worked on it before in decem •Insurance has been unwilling to look at any of this they just want pictures of the car to settle the issue. In my opinion they are ignoring a bigger problem. Tesla is my insurer. •The car had no issues prior to the fire and none during the near misses were the brake delayed.

Fire

•I’m not sure what component was responsble for either the braking issue or the fire. It is available for inspection. •When driving the brake pedal had a frightening delay that almost caused 2 accidents and unfortunately my car was charging on the 24th of October which could have something to do with arching that led to my garage catching fire rendering the car unable to move or turn on after the incident. I’ve insisted Tesla insurance to look into possible causes because the Fire dept. mandated the a LADWP (power company) to install new transformers to our power supply a couple of days after the fire, which they did. Tesla insurance seems uninterested in finding the cause and wants to compensate me for the vehicle but I believe it’s in their best interest to find a cause and document it. The car had no issues prior, in fact the service center sent a mobile tech to replace the 12volt battery on the car not even 10 months ago. After the fire the car died and has a bunch of codes that make it inoperable. • Service center rejected looking at it because of the risk. They said since it was possible salvage they could not look at it which is understandable but they worked on it before in decem •Insurance has been unwilling to look at any of this they just want pictures of the car to settle the issue. In my opinion they are ignoring a bigger problem. Tesla is my insurer. •The car had no issues prior to the fire and none during the near misses were the brake delayed.

Fire

While driving in Autopilot mode, approx 70 mph in light rain the vhicle began to drift side to side almost crossing over the lane dividing line. Upon grabbing the wheel to take control the vehicle entered multiple 360 degree spins crashing into "K" rail. In the past I have noticed when taking control of the vehicle from Autopilot the wheel jerks.

Crash

While driving in Autopilot mode, approx 70 mph in light rain the vhicle began to drift side to side almost crossing over the lane dividing line. Upon grabbing the wheel to take control the vehicle entered multiple 360 degree spins crashing into "K" rail. In the past I have noticed when taking control of the vehicle from Autopilot the wheel jerks.

Crash

While driving in Autopilot mode, approx 70 mph in light rain the vhicle began to drift side to side almost crossing over the lane dividing line. Upon grabbing the wheel to take control the vehicle entered multiple 360 degree spins crashing into "K" rail. In the past I have noticed when taking control of the vehicle from Autopilot the wheel jerks.

Crash

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.

I own Tesla model S 2018. Last week in Florida there was a storm near the place where I live, (Tampa). I happen to drive in the flooded road only to realize that Tesla has a known manufacturing defect, which multiple customers have posted on the Internet about, related to seal in the trunk, which basically causes the flood water to enter into the trunk, I noticed that a lot of model S Tesla users are going through this issue but Tesla has failed to recall the car and provide a fix. Tesla is demanding that the customers pay for this fix, for cars which are out of warranty even though this is a quality/manufacturing issue. I Urge you to take action and provide a solution.