2014 Tesla Model S: problems, recalls and reliability
9 recalls and 365 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (29% of complaints); the 2012 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 2 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2024
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 365 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Dashboard is leaking glue out the bottom center causing the computer screen and dash control panels to move. I'm not feeling safe driving as I'm not sure if they will drop down or stop functioning at any point. Tesla wants $1500 to fix, and I don't have that money being retired. How can Tesla glue their cars together, and it only last for about 10 yrs?? I feel like this is a safety issue that they should be fixing.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2026
“This issue appears to be related to a known MCU failure affecting early Tesla Model S vehicles. The touchscreen exhibits screen melting/discoloration and eventually goes blank or becomes inoperative. When this occurs, critical functions including occupant detection indicators, seatbelt warnings, and windshield defrost controls may become unavailable. The loss of these functions creates potential safety risks involving visibility, occupant protection, and driver awareness while operating the vehicle."”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2026
“Motor suddenly failed after a required update while driving, nearly causing a crash with multiple commercial vehicles and pedestrians, leaving brake lights dangerously always on and alarm sounding, killed 12v as well.”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The main touchscreen (MCU1) and instrument cluster on my 2014 Tesla Model S frequently freeze, reboot, or go blank while driving. When this happens, I lose access to defrost, turn signals, backup camera, and speed display. I contacted Tesla Service, but they refused to repair or replace the unit under recall EA20-003 or the extended warranty, even though the symptoms match the known eMMC 8GB memory failure. The black screen and frozen instrument cluster create a clear safety risk. Tesla should cover this issue under the recall or provide an equivalent MCU2 replacement if MCU1 parts are unavailable.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Oct 2025
“I was driving my car on the freeway on cruise control, when there was a sudden/automatic violent break of 65 MPH to 0 MPH. There was no car in front of me, and there was nothing above my car (no direction sign, no bridge, no FASTRAK billboard, nothing). This was a "phantom break" and it was violent and sudden. Tesla needs to fix this!”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Mar 2025
“The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000 (Electrical System); however, the OTA update had not been received. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the OTA update was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and it was confirmed that the OTA update was available. Later, the case was closed after the manufacturer confirmed the OTA update had been pushed to the vehicle. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2025
“Coolant ingress found on second Model S large drive unit in rear. After this leak destroyed my first vehicle, second was checked as a precaution and was found to have coolant leaking into drive unit as well.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2025
“My instrument cluster goes off while driving making it impossible to know my current speed. It also will cut off when i put it in park and the car will not move until it completely reboots. Sometimes it will just freeze and say the car is off and in park while the car is in Drive moving. One time the cluster showed that the car was in reverse but when i hit the accelerator, car moved forward. Cluster is constantly rebooting itself. 2014 Tesla models S 85. I have an attached video where all warning signs are illuminated,no speedometer and shows its in park while im driving”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2025
“Drivers door handle failed to operate, occupant was locked out of vehicle, safety of operator was compromised as elderly operator has to climb over passenger and center console to enter drivers area. Problem is ongoing as door handle will not operate at all. Vehicle has not been inspected yet. No symptoms, door handle failed and cannot be opened from the outside at all.”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2025
“The drive unit was leaking coolant into the electrical inverter space. The issue was verified by a mechanic who then repaired the drive unit to prevent additional coolant intrusion.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Oct 2024
When filing, owners marked a crash in 52 of these complaints and injuries in 19 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 9 campaigns
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Model S vehicles manufactured May 31, 2012, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver or front passenger seat belts that may be improperly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will inspect the driver and front passenger seat belts, correcting their connection, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-15-20-002.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with Bosch steering racks. The aluminum bolts that attach the power steering gear assist motor to the gear housing may corrode and fracture causing a reduction or complete loss of power steering assist.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts and add a corrosion-preventative sealer, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-32-002.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy: Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem, causing a failure in some of the center display functions.
Remedy: Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-21-001.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2014-2016 Model S vehicles equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began May 29, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-19-20-001.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and reposition the latch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 18, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-11-003.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016 Model S and Model X vehicles. The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during parking brake application or release.
Remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-17-33-002.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2014 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Model S by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2014 Tesla Model S reliable?
NHTSA has 365 owner complaints and 9 recall campaigns on record for the 2014 Tesla Model S. The most complained-about area is electrical system (29% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2014 Tesla Model S problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 54,500 miles or less.
Does the 2014 Tesla Model S have open recalls?
9 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning seat belts:front. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.