There are 42 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2016 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Vehicle Error: Parking brake not applied/Vehicle may free roll. This issue appeared to be covered by the attached recall, but the service center indicated that it did not apply to my vehicle. Therefore, they charged me for the repair. I do not understand this as the recalled vehicle criteria seems to match my vehicle information. Are you able to evaluate whether this recall should apply to my vehicle? Thank you. Repair Notes: Installed Vehicle Set of Wheels. Replaced RH Park Brake Rear Brake Caliper. Replaced LH Park Brake Rear Brake Caliper.
1. The component that failed was the parking brake. This failure occurred immediately after leaving the Ballard Way Tesla Supercharger. Tesla in Lynnwood, WA, replaced one of the parts on [XXX]. I am unsure if the replaced part is available for inspection, as I did not retain it. The other brake caliper, which has not been replaced, has not shown issues but is available for inspection. 2. The safety risk was significant as the parking brake malfunction rendered my vehicle immovable, causing a traffic obstruction immediately after use and again on the road, potentially endangering myself, other motorists, and pedestrians due to the unexpected immobilization of my vehicle in traffic. 3. Yes, the problem was acknowledged by the Tesla service center in Lynnwood, WA, which replaced one of the malfunctioning parking brake components on [XXX], thereby confirming the malfunction. There was also confirmation of recall 17V-260 and that my vehicle was experiencing the same symptoms. 4. The vehicle was inspected and serviced by the manufacturer's service center (Tesla in Lynnwood, WA). There were no inspections conducted by police, insurance representatives, or other parties as far as I am aware. 5. Yes, there were intermittent issues with the parking brake being unresponsive when attempting to park the car a few days prior to the incident at Ballard Way. Although the physical brake had not locked up until the incident occurred, the parking brake fault warning did appear intermittently, indicating a potential issue before the complete failure experienced on the day of the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Similar issue to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V260000. Vehicle was in park. Shifted the vehicle into drive and the passenger side parking break seized and would not release.
Driving 75mph on cruise control. Car sensed a vehicle in front of me (which there were no vehicles in sight) my Tesla started flashing the red car light and making the alert noise. My vehicle automatically slammed on the brakes dropping me to about 40mph instantly. My greatest fear continuing to drive this vehicle is if I use cruise control, and it senses a vehicle in front of me without their actually being a vehicle and slams on the brakes again myself or someone is going to get hurt. This has the potential to cause death or cause severe injury.
The car was on enhanced auto pilot and was moving at about 50 mph, the traffic in front of me slowed down. The car failed to give an alert, it failed to slow down and stop. I applied the breaks, but by then the car crashed into the pick-up truck in front of me. The car came to a complete stop after the crash and the computer system in the car completely shut down. The car had to be towed to the garage. My safety and the safety of the driver in front of me were at risk due to malfunction of the enhanced auto pilot system We immediately filed a service ticket with Tesla and upon repeated requests we were told that car could not be inspected and the breaks or auto pilot system could not be tested as the car was not drivable. Police and car insurance company were notified. Tesla was able to provide us with a EDR There were no warning signs or messages prior to the malfunction.
We were entering our driveway to park the car at the garage As always, I drove towards the end of the driveway to reverse into the garage. I turned the wheel towards the right, pressed the break to stop the car to reverse, car lurched forward and went down the small hill (3-4 feet high) to the neighbors yard and when I pressed the break again the car stopped (after about 15 feet from the driveway). Damages : Car’s bottom hit the ground and all plastic parts came out. Also, some kind of fluid (likely radiator ) started leaking. Also noticed some scratches/damages to the bumpers
1) repeated incidents of Tesla ghosting braking on the highway in autopilot. Sometimes with no cars in sight 3) braking from a high speed to 35 or 40 mph - would have definitely caused a crash if auto close behind me 3) all incidents have been reported to teslas with time date stamps and they have never gotten back to me and ignored all my warnings that this will cause an accident ( which I now see it has ) I can get a date and time on some if needed. You can also search the Tesla support call log
A newer Tesla will come to a complete stop with the one pedal operation, however my older car does not. It will roll through a stop sign or red light. This has been fixed on full self driving cars but should be fixed on single pedal operation cars.
While driving the vehicle car shutdown and went into park for unknown reasons. The steering wheel became almost impossible to turn. I also experienced the regenerative emergency braking and brakes malfunction. Car rolled off into the street nearly hitting another vehicled parked in front of it. The malfunction was initially reported to Tesla on January 5, 2022. Appointment was made for January 26, 2022, but was later rescheduled for a later date due to the service centers backlogged. This pushed my coverage outside the warranty periord rendering my warranty claim useless. Tesla refused to make repairs for free citing, "vehicle is out of warranty period"
I was stopped at a red light, left signal on, when the car suddenly accelerated forward through the intersection in an aggressive 0-60 kind of start. I braked safely and was about to execute a U-turn a minute or two later when the car bolted forward again. There was no traffic other than the car behind me at the light, thankfully. There were no warnings or other signals and the car was not operating in AutoPilot. I reported the incident immediately to Tesla and the car is now out of state in their custody while an escalated investigation is conducted. They have, however, told us that the car is safe to drive and that it is not possible for this to have occurred. They also assert that all sudden acceleration cases to date have been related to AutoPilot and all have been driver error.
Sudden unintended acceleration: When pressing the brake on uneven paved roads the vehicle will suddenly accelerate while my foot is on the brakes. This has been an ongoing issue since I received the car and I was told this has to do with regenerative braking but it is definitely a safety issue. There are two commonly visited places on the freeway where this happens to me so I can definitely demonstrate the problem if needed.
WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED IN THE LEFT LANE OF 3-LANE I95 NORTH (~11 MILES NORTH OF FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA) AROUND 6PM ON 1/15/2021, THE CAR SUDDENLY GAVE A SHAKE AND LOUD NOISE, AND IMMEDIATELY, WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND WAS JERKING VIOLENTLY SIDE TO SIDE BETWEEN LANES. I WAS SOMEHOW ABLE TO MOVE THE UNSTEERABLE CAR ACROSS 3-LANE TRAFFIC AND BROUGHT IT TO STOP ON THE RIGHT SIDE MEDIUM. THIS HAPPENED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY BEFORE MLK LONG WEEKEND. THANK THE MANY DRIVERS WHO MANAGED TO AVOID HITTING US, MY WIFE AND I MIRACULOUSLY SURVIVED THIS INCIDENT BUT LEFT SEVERELY TRAUMATIZED. THE SHAKE AND LOUD NOISE ARE LIKE CAR GOING OVER A POTHOLE. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NOT ANY POTHOLE ON THE LEFT LANE AS I DID NOT SEE CARS IN FRONT OF ME MOVING LIKE GOING A POTHOLE. WHEN I WAS WAITING FOR MY TOW TRUCK FOR THE NEXT 2 HOURS, I WATCHED CARS PASSING BY AND DID NOT SEE ANY CAR MOVING UNUSUALLY. THUS, I AM CERTAIN THAT THERE IS NO POTHOLE ON THE LEFT LANE. I INSPECTED THE CAR ON SITE, I NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER REAR WHEEL TILTED INWARD. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TESLA SERVICE CENTER AND THEY CONFIRMED THE $3,000+ SUSPENSION DAMAGE AND DAMAGES TO BRAKE LINE AS A CONSEQUENCE. MY TESLA MS IS EXACT 4-YEARS OLD (MADE IN 01/2017) AND 60,224 MILES DRIVEN. TO HAVE THIS EARLY SUSPENSION FAILURE DURING NORMAL DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT ANY WARNING IS SIMPLY UNIMAGEABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE. THOUGH WE ARE VERY LUCK TO SURVIVE THIS, THIS SUSPENSION FAILURE CAN EASILY CAUSE MAJOR ACCIDENTS AND HAVE MANY PEOPLE KILLED. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, I FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT A SINGULAR INCIDENT. THERE IS A RECALL ON TESLA S/X SUSPENSION IN CHINA, TOO. IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR TESLA TO ISSUE A RECALL IN CHINA (A COUNTRY WITH WEAK CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS) BUT NOT IN USA. I SINCERELY THAT NHTSA TREATS THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY TO AVOID FURTHER LOSS OF LIVES. *TR
Brakes became 95% unresponsive after a car wash and near 0 degree F weather. This caused a low speed rear-end collision. Some ice build up on calipers, rotors were clean. Unsure of exact cause. Vehicle will be inspected ASAP, but I'm betting we find nothing after the ice dissipates. No warning lights. Contacted Tesla and remote diagnostics revealed no issues.
MY PARKING BRAKE ACTUATOR HAS FAILED. TESLA HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE IT UNDER THE RECALL. THEY CLAIM THAT MY CAR WAS BUILT ONE MONTH AFTER THE RECALL ENDED, AND IS NOT IMPACTED. HOWEVER WHEN ASKED FOR THE DIFFERENT PART#'S THEY DID NOT PROVIDE HOW THEY DETERMINED MY PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT AFFECTED. I TRIED TO WORK WITH THEIR MANAGEMENT AND THEY CONTINUE TO DECLINE REPLACEMENT. MY CAR WAS BUILT IN 2016 NOVEMBER. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT A CUT IN AT THE FACTORY OCCURRED THAT QUICKLY THAT THEY DIDN'T USE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS DURING THIS TIME.
TESLA MCU (MEDIA CONTROL UNIT) HAS WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED EMMC CHIP THAT WILL FAIL ON ALL MODEL S AND X CARS FROM 2012 TO SUMMER 2018. THIS WAS A RESULT OF TESLA ENGINEERING WRITING THEIR LOGS TO THE EMMC WHICH HAS LIMITED NUMBER OF WRITE CYCLES, TESLA HAS SINCE RESOLVED WHERE LOGS ARE WRITTEN BUT THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE. TESLA REFUSES TO ACCEPT THIS MISTAKE AND WILL CHARGE USERS $1300+ TO REPLACE. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS THE FOLLOWING SAFETY ISSUES HAPPEN BLINKERS DO NOT WORK. DRIVE AFTER A 30 SECOND TIMEOUT NO AEB (ADVANCED EMERGENCY BRAKING) NO CONTROLLING SUSPENSION HEIGHT NO MANUAL CONTROL OF HEADLIGHT LIGHTS NO BLINKER SOUNDS STEERING MODE DEFAULTS TO SOME SETTING (E.G. IF I HAVE IT SET TO SPORT, DURING REBOOT OF MCU IS CHANGES TO STANDARD OR COMFORT, NOT SURE BUT I CAN FEEL THE STEERING WHEEL TAKE LESS EFFORT TO TURN THAN MY NORMAL SPORT MODE) NO HVAC (HEAT, COOL, VENT) NO DEFROSTERS NO SEAT HEATERS NO STEERING WHEEL HEATERS NO RADIO/STREAMING NO APP CONNECTIVITY TO CONTROL THE CAR NO ABILITY TO SEE THE CAR CHARGE STATUS FROM APP TRIP A/B PROFILES USER SETTINGS HOMELINK BLUETOOTH PAIRINGS NO REAR VIEW CAMERA THIS ISSUES HAPPENING TO ALL MODELS WORLD WIDE REFERENCE THIS POST TO SEE THE HUNDREDS OF USERS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS AND FORCE TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF REPAIR THAT IS NOT TESLA APPROVED. AT WHICH AT ANY POINT TESLA COULD REMOVE FEATURES FROM CARS FOR NOT USING ONE OF THEIR APPROVED SERVICE CENTERS. WHICH APPOINTMENTS ARE OVER ONE MONTH OUT, FORCING MOST USERS TO DRIVE THEIR CAR IN UNSAFE MANORS
THE MAIN COMPUTER PANEL FAILED, GIVING NO ACCESS TO CONTROLS, CAMERA, HEAT AND AIR, AUTO BRAKING. AFTER THE 3RD TIME OF FAILURE THE MAIN COMPUTER PANEL STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. LEAVING IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE IN THE FIRST 2 INSTANCES FAILED WHILE DRIVING AND A HARD RESET OF THE COMPUTER FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE 3RD TIME IT STOPPED WORKING UPON STARTUP WHERE I HAD A 100 MILE DRIVE HOME AND DID HAVE TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE USE OF THE MAIN COMPUTER SCREEN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TESLA AND HAD TO HAVE THE ENTIRE MODULE REPLACED FOR OVER $2000.00. *TR
ON 1/18/20, I WAS TRAVELLING IN MY 2016 TESLA MODEL S P100D EASTWARD ON ANDERSON HILL ROAD TOWARD THE INTERSECTION WITH PURCHASE STREET. THE STOP LIGHT WAS RED. I WAS DRIVING 1MI UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT OF 35MPH. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND FREEZING, AND A WET SNOW HAD BEGUN 5-10MIN EARLIER, WITH MINIMAL ACCUMULATION. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW FAST I WAS GOING BECAUSE I HAD CRUISE CONTROL ON. I WAS NOT ON AUTOPILOT. JUST CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN THE INTERSECTION AND STOP LIGHT CAME INTO VIEW, I TAPPED THE BREAK TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, AND THEN DEPRESSED THE BREAK TO SLOW THE CAR. NOTHING HAPPENED. THE BREAKS WOULD NOT ENGAGE. AND NEITHER DID THE REGENERATIVE BREAKING. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I WAS SKIDDING OR SLIDING. IT SIMPLY FELT AS IF THE CAR HAD NO IDEA I WANTED TO BRAKE. IT WAS VERY VERY STRANGE. IN THOSE FEW SECONDS IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE I WOULD BE DEAD SHORTLY. AS IT HAPPENS, I WAS STRUCK BROADSIDE BY A LARGE SUBURBAN TRAVELLING NORTHBOUND ON PURCHASE STREET PERHAPS 25 MILES AN HOUR. BOTH HE AND I SEEM TO HAVE EMERGED RELATIVELY UNSCATHED (PHYSICALLY, ANYWAY) THANK GOD. BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. CAN YOU PLEASE CONTACT TESLA AND DEMAND ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE CARS COMPUTERS - AND THEIR COMPUTERS AT HQ - SO WE CAN FIND OUT??? WHAT HAPPENED WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, AND COULD HAVE KILLED BOTH ME ND OTHERS. TO SUMMARIZE: BRAKE FAILURE, BOTH MANUAL AND DEGENERATIVE, IN 2016 TESLA MODEL S CAUSED MASSIVE COLLISION WITH BOTH CARS TOTALLED.
THERE IS A PENDING RECALL FOR THIS VIN. I WAS DELIVERED THIS USED VEHICLE BY TESLA IN APR 2019. I ASKED THEM TO COMPLETE THE RECALL AT THAT TIME. I WAS TOLD THE PART IS BACKORDERED. SEVERAL REMINDERS AND 9 MONTHS LATER IT SEEMS TESLA IN NOT INTERESTED IN ADDRESSING THIS RECALL.
REFERENCE COMPLAINT ID #11142878 FOR MORE DETAIL. THIS IS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE COMPLAINT ID#11142878. I BELIEVE THAT MY VEHCILE FAILED TO STOP IN A REASONABLE DISTANCE AS FOUND IN SEVERAL DRIVE TESTS OF MODEL S BY AUTOMOTIVE REVIEW SITES. MANY SITES LIST THE BRAKING DISTANCE FROM 60-0MPH AS ABOUT 110 FEET. I AM CERTAIN I WAS WELL BEYOND THIS DISTANCE WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES AT 57MPH, YET THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND IN FACT THE ANTILOCK BRAKES KICKED IN FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE STOP. THE DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND TEMPERATE AT THE TIME OF THIS CRASH. I HAVE A VIDEO AVAILABLE OF THE INCIDENT.
FAILURE OF VEHICLE TO ENGAGE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING OR APPLY ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL BRAKING IN REPSONSE TO A VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STOPPING AHEAD. VEHICLE HAD ADAPTIVE CRUISE ENGAGED AT 57 MPH ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND AN ACC SENSITIVITY OF 2. VEHICLE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING DID ALERT. THIS FAILURE RESULTED IN A REAR-END COLLISION WITH THE CAR AHEAD.
Showing 1–20 of 42 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026