There are 11 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2017 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
After the latest software update, the intermittent settings on the windshield wipers no longer work. At 10:15am on December 11, the Tesla Service group confirmed in a message that this is a known firmware characteristic. There is no ETA on a new firmware update to correct the issue. There notice states that it is an issue with the auto wiper feature, but the wiper does not work in manual mode either. Initially, they stated that they could inspect the car in a few days. Now they have pushed my appointment 2+ weeks.
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 $1438.33. My vehicle is 4 years old and has been through. 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.
Wiper motor failing
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, an unknown dealer informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated while driving 55-65 MPH, the navigation screen inadvertently turned blank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The contact also stated that the rearview camera would turn on with delay while reversing. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000. Parts distribution disconnect
PURCHASED A USED TESLA, TODAY (ON 2ND DAY) DRIVING ON LOCAL STREET, IT WAS RAINING A BIT, TURNED ON WIPERS, DIDN'T WORK, PULLED OVER AND ATTEPMTED FEW MORE TIMES, NO LUCK. TESLA ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE REMOTELY THROUGH BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING BUT NO LUCK. WHEN WIPERS WERE TURNED ON, IT WAS PULLING DOWNWARD INSTEAD OF GOING UP. THEY ENDED UP TOWING CAR, CURRENTLY IN SERVICE CENTER.
MY TESLA IS EXPERIENCING THE MCU PROBLEMS OUTLINED IN NHTSA EA20-003 FROM 13 JAN 21 AND PRIOR. WHILE IN MOTION, ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS, AND REGARDLESS OF SPEED, MY VEHICLE'S MCU WILL SPONTANEOUSLY AND AT RANDOM INTERVALS FREEZE. THIS RESULTS IN LOSS OF HEAT/COOLING, FRONT AND REAR DEFROSTERS, INFOTAINMENT/GPS, ADAS SAFETY FEATURES AND CONVENIENCE, ALL CAMERAS INCLUDING BACKUP CAMERA, AND TURN SIGNAL AUDIO INDICATORS. THE ONLY RESOLUTION IS TO STOP MY VEHICLE, ISSUE A REBOOT COMMAND, AND WAIT UP TO 10 MINUTES FOR SYSTEMS TO RESTORE. TESLA INITIALLY DENIED THE ISSUE, BUT THEN UNDER TESLA'S 9 NOV 2020 "WARRANTY ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM" REPLACED THE MCU DAUGHTERBOARD. THE REPLACEMENT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. TESLA NOW STATES THE MCU IS OPERATING NORMALLY BUT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT A FIX IS REQUIRED IN SOFTWARE THAT WILL, AT AN INDETERMINATE TIME, BECOME AVAILABLE AND THAT UNTIL SUCH A FIX IS RELEASED, SYSTEM REBOOTS SHOULD BE PERFORMED AS NEEDED. THE MCU CONTINUES TO FREEZE WHILE DRIVING WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS BEFORE THE DAUGHTERBOARD REPLACEMENT. THE RECOMMENDED SOLUTION TO REBOOT CANNOT BE PERFORMED WHILE DRIVING BUT MUST BE PERFORMED IMMEDIATELY TO RESTORE SAFETY FUNCTIONALITY. TESLA HAS OFFERED A $2,500 MCU REPLACEMENT/UPGRADE THAT PROMISES TO ELIMINATE THE ISSUE SINCE THE NEWER MCU HAS MORE STORAGE AND AN INTEL ATOM CPU INSTEAD OF A SLOWER NVIDIA CPU. TESLA REFUSES TO REPLACE THE EXISTING MCU WITH A SIMILAR PART IN THE MEANTIME, DESPITE INITIALLY ACKNOWLEDGING AN ISSUE AND ATTEMPTING A FIX BY REPLACING THE DAUGHTERBOARD, AND ERASING THE SYSTEM DUE TO POSSIBLE "CORRUPTION" TWICE.
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the center display would inadvertently turn blank and the dashboard lights would turn off. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to turn off the center display and turn it back on. The contact stated that the center display software was reset but failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the dealer informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
CENTER DISPLAY FREQUENTLY GOES BLANK OR DOES NOT ACTIVATE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, WHEN STARTING THE CAR, DISABLING THE DISPLAY THAT SHOWS THE BACKUP CAMERA. THIS HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN 30 TIMES. TESLA SENT A LETTER SAYING OWNERS AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM (EMMC FAILURE) ARE ENTITLED TO A FREE REPAIR, YET THEY DECLINED TO REPAIR MY CAR BECAUSE THEIR REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS COULD NOT DETERMINE THAT A PROBLEM EXISTED. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN THIS OCCURS, MOST VEHICLE COMFORT FEATURES ARE DISABLED, INCLUDING CLIMATE CONTROL. IT IS A VERY LARGE DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER WHEN THE SYSTEM COMPLETELY FAILS LIKE THIS WHILE DRIVING.
MCU SPORADICALLY FREEZES AND/OR REBOOTS (WHILE IN MOTION) WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM US. THIS RENDERS THE DEFROST CONTROLS AND THE BACKUP CAMERA INOPERABLE UNTIL THE SYSTEM RESTARTS, WHICH TAKES SEVERAL MINUTES. THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME. THIS IS A KNOWN MCU FAILURE DUE TO MANUFACTURING ERROR ON THE PART OF TESLA CAUSING MULTIPLE REPLACEMENTS AND RENDERING THE CAR INOPERABLE. *TR
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. 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 contact had experienced an unstated the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
RECENTLY REPLACED TESLA WINDSHIELD HAS GHOSTING ISSUES. WHEN REPORTED TO MANUFACTURER, TESLA SAYS ITS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS, NO TEST RESULTS OR THE TYPE OF TEST COMPLETED WAS PROVIDED AS PROOF.
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