2017 Tesla Model S problems & reliability
421 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Tesla Model S, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
14 complaints report injuries (23 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Tesla Model S vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 112 | 27% |
| Suspension | 107 | 25% |
| Unknown OR Other | 95 | 23% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 66 | 16% |
| Steering | 46 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 35 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 26 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 25 | 6% |
| Lane Departure | 22 | 5% |
| Back Over Prevention | 19 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 24,750 miles (middle 50% between 9,425 and 46,757 miles), based on 200 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My Tesla wouldn’t charge at Level 3, 2, or 1 charger resulting in the need for the tow and further service hours. Following the service I was told it was a software issue and that a power cycle resolved the issue which locked out the charging. It’s deeply concerning and baffling that this could happen at anytime…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 22, 2026
“Trunk latch fails, trunk latch safety mechanism also failed so manual release does not work. This is a safety issue”
Structure · filed Jun 23, 2026
“This happens about 30%to 40% of the time when using Full Self Driving Supervised on HW3, FSD version 12.6.4, software version 2026.14.6. When changing marked lanes to the right, either initiated by FSD or the driver asking FSD to move to the right by engaging the right turn signals, it will do one of 2 things: 1…”
Steering · filed Jun 14, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
Engineering Analysis EA26002 · opened Mar 18, 2026 · open
- Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
Preliminary Evaluation PE25012 · opened Oct 7, 2025 · open
- Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
Audit Query AQ25002 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · open
- Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
Preliminary Evaluation PE24033 · opened Jan 6, 2025 · closed Apr 3, 2026
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
Preliminary Evaluation PE24031 · opened Oct 17, 2024 · closed Mar 18, 2026
- Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
Recall Query RQ24009 · opened Apr 25, 2024 · open
- Sudden Unintended Acceleration
Defect Petition DP23002 · opened Jun 29, 2023 · open
- Defect Petition Interlock Request
Defect Petition DP23001 · opened Apr 7, 2023 · closed Mar 18, 2026
Technical service bulletins
92 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Tesla Model S. The 10 most recent:
On certain Model S and Model X vehicles, the battery powered Pyrotechnic High Voltage (HV) Battery Disconnect will reach the end of its battery lifespan in the near future, which will trigger alerts and may limit the…
SB-25-16-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2025
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4-1_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-3_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
2024.38_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
2024.26.9_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4-1_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-3_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
2024.38_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2017 Tesla Model S has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2017 Tesla Model S?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 24,750 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.