2013 Tesla Model S buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2013 Tesla Model S, built from 459 owner complaints, 11 recall campaigns, 102 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

11 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: electrical system (195), suspension (91), power train (35), steering (29), vehicle speed control (25).
Symptoms owners describe: stalling (24), rust / corrosion (15), overheating (8), hesitation / surging (6). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 286 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 40,000 and 100,646 miles (median 70,000). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
8 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
Crash-test rating: 5/5 stars overall from NHTSA. Full safety record.

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 286 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		21
20–40k		50
40–60k		49
60–80k		45
80–100k		43
100–150k		67
150k+		11

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.