2019 Tesla Model S problems & reliability

43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Tesla Model S, alongside 10 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints

Recall campaigns

Fire reports

0 (0%)

Crash reports

4 (9%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating

Not rated

NHTSA 5-star program

EPA fuel economy

—

No EPA match

Service bulletins (TSBs)

Manufacturer communications on file

Defect investigations

NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2019 Tesla Model S vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. 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
Forward Collision Avoidance →	12	28%
Suspension	8	19%
Service Brakes	7	16%
Electrical System	4	9%
Steering	4	9%
Unknown OR Other	4	9%
Power Train	3	7%
Vehicle Speed Control	3	7%
Visibility/wiper	3	7%
Air Bags	2	5%

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Complaints by incident year

What owners report

“Received error message on screen that a left front seat belt error occurred with an error code of rcm2_a564. Indications are that this error then disables the airbag deployment and the seat belt reaction to an accident. Since this is a safety issue, it should be subject to recall.”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 1, 2026
“After a recent Tesla firmware update, the backup camera (FMVSS 111 rear visibility function) stopped working. When shifting into reverse, the display shows a black/blank screen instead of the required rearview image. However, the rear camera preview feed still functions, indicating the camera hardware is intact and…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Nov 27, 2025
“Tesla’s software updates have rendered systems useless the vehicle wants to hug and sometimes cross the left double yellow lines. It cannot hold a constant speed and since their implementation of “supervised” full self driving, have made my vehicle unsafe”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 19, 2025

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

66 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2019 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 2019 Tesla Model S has 10 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 2019 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.

Compare the 2019 Tesla Model S

2019 vs 2018 Model S 2019 vs 2020 Model S 2019 vs 2021 Model S Compare with any vehicle →

Other Tesla Model S years

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About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Tesla or NHTSA.