2021 Tesla Model S defect investigations
Investigations by NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation that name the 2021 Tesla Model S. An investigation is how complaints can become a recall: complaints → investigation → (sometimes) TSB → recall.
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility ConditionsEngineering Analysis EA26002 · opened Mar 18, 2026 · still open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibil…
- Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engagedPreliminary Evaluation PE25012 · opened Oct 7, 2025 · still open
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" a…
- Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting RequirementsAudit Query AQ25002 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · still open
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes…
- Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.Preliminary Evaluation PE24033 · opened Jan 6, 2025 · closed Apr 3, 2026
On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone wit…
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility ConditionsPreliminary Evaluation PE24031 · opened Oct 17, 2024 · closed Mar 18, 2026
On October 17, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24031) of Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) to assess: the ability of the FSD system to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions; whe…
- Recall 23V838 Remedy EffectivenessRecall Query RQ24009 · opened Apr 25, 2024 · still open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE…
- Sudden Unintended AccelerationDefect Petition DP23002 · opened Jun 29, 2023 · still open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this inf…
- Defect Petition Interlock RequestDefect Petition DP23001 · opened Apr 7, 2023 · closed Mar 18, 2026
On March 21, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting a “recall of all Tesla cars” produced from 2013 to the date on which the petition was filed due to what Petitioner considers to be the increased likelihood of pedal misapplication. Attached to the Petition is a paper authored by…
- Front seat belt anchor detachmentPreliminary Evaluation PE23006 · opened Mar 24, 2023 · closed May 16, 2024 · led to recall 23V488
On March 24, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) after receiving 2 consumer complaints alleging the front seat belts had suddenly detached from the outboard lap pretensioner anchor while in motion in model year (MY) 2022-2023 Tesla Model X vehicles. In its June 19, 20…
- Pedestrian alert soundsDefect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pe…
- Autopilot System Driver ControlsEngineering Analysis EA22002 · opened Jun 8, 2022 · closed Apr 25, 2024 · led to recall 23V838
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded PE21020 to EA22002 on June 8, 2022, to extend work and deepen the PE21020 crash analysis, to supplement that analysis with additional data, and to perform vehicle evaluations to understand how Tesla’s Autopilot system may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety r…
- Unexpected Brake ActivationPreliminary Evaluation PE22002 · opened Feb 16, 2022 · closed Jun 29, 2026
On February 16, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22002) to investigate reports of unexpected deceleration while driving with the adaptive cruise control system engaged in Model Year (MY) 2021 – 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla. The subject systems…
- Tesla Passenger PlayPreliminary Evaluation PE21023 · opened Dec 21, 2021 · closed May 26, 2023
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-023) on December 21, 2021, to evaluate the driver distraction potential and use frequency / circumstances of in-vehicle game-play functionality referred to as ?Passenger Play? in certain model year (MY) 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y ve…
- Autopilot & First Responder ScenesPreliminary Evaluation PE21020 · opened Aug 13, 2021 · closed Jun 8, 2022
On August 13, 2021, NHTSA?s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-020) to assess the performance of Tesla?s Autopilot system (a system characterized by Tesla as an SAE Level 2 driving automation system designed to support and assist the driver in performing the driving task) availa…