2023 Tesla Model S

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

Wrong airbag after a wheel swap All years One source so far

What to check: If the yoke or the wheel has been swapped, confirm with Tesla that recall 23V743000 was done.

The driver's airbag fitted after a swap may be the wrong one.

Sources ¹
Door handles that do not extend All years One source so far

What to check: Walk up to the car with the key and watch every handle come out.

The handles can fail to come out, or break. In a crash that cuts the 12-volt power they may not open; the rear manual releases sit under the carpet below the rear seats.

Sources ²
Worn suspension All years One source so far

What to check: Look for a car sitting low at one corner, which on air suspension can be a leak.

The car's weight wears suspension parts, and air suspension can leak.

Sources ³
Battery capacity All years One source so far

What to check: Get a battery health report showing how much capacity is left.

Tesla's battery warranty runs 8 years or 150,000 miles and passes to a new owner. It repairs a pack at 70 per cent.

Sources ³

23V085000 2016–2023
Full Self-Driving Beta can behave unsafely at junctions and respond poorly to speed limit changes. Fixed over the air.^4,5
23V489000 2023
The forward camera can sit at the wrong angle and turn off safety features without warning.⁵
23V488000 2021–2023
The front seat belts may not be fixed properly to their pretensioner anchors and can come loose.^1,5
23V743000 2021–2024
When the yoke or the steering wheel was swapped, the wrong driver's airbag may have been fitted.^1,6
23V838000 2012–2023
Autosteer's checks may not do enough to stop a driver misusing it. Fixed over the air.^7,5
23V862000 2021–2023
The doors can unlock in a crash. Fixed over the air.^8,5
24V035000 2023
A software fault can stop the rear camera picture showing. Fixed over the air.⁵
24V051000 2012–2023
The brake, parking brake and ABS warning lights are shown in letters too small. Fixed over the air.^7,5
24V376000 2012–2024
The seat belt warning may not come on for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^7,6
24V554000 2021–2024
The car may not notice a hood left unlatched, which could fly open. Fixed over the air.^1,6
24V967000 2021–2025
The driver's airbag can tear when it goes off.^1,9
25V172000 2021–2024
A driver's airbag fitted with the wrong horn pad can stop the horn working.^1,6
26V283000 2021–2023
On one software version, the rear camera picture can lag when reversing. Fixed over the air.^1,5

Checked against NHTSA records on 21 October 2026.