Understanding the Tesla MODEL S recall history
The Tesla MODEL S currently has 12 recall campaigns indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.
The most frequent recall categories for the MODEL S in our dataset are air bag (5), steering (2), and software / sensor (1). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used MODEL S: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.
The tracked recalls span model years 2018–2025, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2021 and 2025. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular MODEL S is actually affected by any of these campaigns.
How to use this page
The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific MODEL S has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used MODEL Sbefore buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.
Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with Tesla or any U.S. government agency.