There are 11 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2013 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
- Vehicle accelerated while I was pressing the brake on my 2013 Model S Tesla Car - My vehicle rammed into another vehicle waiting at the traffic light resulting in damage to both the cars as well trauma for the female driver in the other car - I see exact complaints have been filed by many others - Tesla has rejected these complaints and blamed it on the driver - There were no warning indications
Car when parked over time fails to move when engaged citing parking brake fault. I don't even use parking brake. Car is completely jammed. I looked up online and found a recall notice for the same issue where calipers were at fault.
Sept 30, 2022. Driving East bound on interstate 10 ,east of Tallahassee FL, car started flashing dash RED. Car applied brakes while going 70 mph. Car made me pull off the road because of applied braking. It would not release the brakes. I called Tesla Roadside assistance, "you have a flat tire". Attached are screenshots. I didn't have a flat tire. Had to get towed 300 miles home. Next day brakes released, drove car. I keep getting error codes everyday. Car has been in service, "nothing wrong". This a safety Hazzard, imagine in heavy traffic on a bridge.
I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT GOING UNDER 5MILES AND MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT FULL SPEED. THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED A FEW FEET LATER BEFORE DOING PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING. I HIT A TRASH CAN. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALLED THE CAR. TESLA HAS THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VEHICLE. IF I HAD BEEN THERE 2 HOURS LATER I WOULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE WHO WAS LINED UP OUTSIDE THE STORE TO BUY A PS5. TESLA'S POSITION IS THAT I MOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE AND HIT THE ACCELARATOR AT FULL SPEED. THAT'S RIDICULOUS. NO ONE WOULD DO THAT. MY TESLA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ONES IN DALLAS. IT IS A 2013. I LOVED THE CAR BUT NOW AM SCARED TO DEATH OF IT. I KNOW NHTSA HAS INVESTIGATED THIS. IT IS , HOWEVER, IMPROBABLE THAT THIS SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY DRIVERS AND IT IS DRIVER ERROR. ADDITIONALLY, THE TESLA"BLACK BOX" UPDATES EVERY 14 DAYS, SO THERE IS NO INVESTIGATION POSSIBLE AND TESLA CAN SAY "HUMAN ERROR" AS CAN NHTSA.
TAKATA RECALL : I HAVE MY USED 2013 TESLA MODEL S 85 SINCE LAST YEAR. AND SINCE LAST YEAR I'M HAVING A BIG ISSUE WITH THE VIBRATION COMING FROM THE BREAK PEDAL. EVERYTIME I USE MY BREAK THERE IS A ABNORMAL VIBRATIONS AND THIS ISSUE WAS NOT FIX. TESLA DUBLIN PERFORMED THE FIRST SERVICE THE VIBRATION FROM THE BREAK PEDAL ISSUE. AFTER A WEEK FROM THE SERVICE THE VIBRATION IS STILL THERE. THE ISSUE IS STILL ON GOING PROBLEM UNTIL NOW. TESLA DUBLIN PERFORMED FOUR SERVICE TO FIX THE VIBRATION FROM THE BREAK PEDAL ISSUE. I HAVE THE INVOICE FOR THOSE SERVICE. LAST MONTH APRIL 2019 I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THE AVAILABLE DATE AND TIME FOR ME IS MAY 17,2019 THIS MONTH AT 2PM. I WENT THERE TO TELL THEM THAT THE VIBRATION IS STILL THERE. I SPOKE TO THEIR MANAGER AT TESLA DUBLIN SHE AND THEIR MECHANIC DENIED THE VIBRATION ISSUE. THEY BOTH SAID THE VIBRATION FROM THE BREAK PEDAL IS NORMAL BECAUSE OF THE AGES OF MY CAR. BUT I TOLD THEM THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE TO DO THE SERVICE WITH THE SAME ISSUE WAS FEBRUARY 2019. I NEED HELP TO GET A FAIR ANSWER FROM TESLA. I WANT TO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. PLEASE SEE THE PICTURE ATTACHED BELOW.
Hello, I recently read this complaint #11394551. I experienced this same issue. It was shocking and scary - during wet weather, my brakes would not work for upwards of 3 seconds and the braking distance was worsening each month. My car literally was sliding through stop signs as though it was on ice - but it was not nor was there snow on the ground. Tesla service was able to fix this concern on my car by doing two things per Tesla: 1. New brakes/rotors all around 2. Installing a shield to which prevented water from constantly hit the brake components (I was told this constant water application is what caused the components to fail) I was fortunate and did not have an accident or injury. It saddens me to read compliant #11394551. I assumed Tesla would be fixing this concern on all cars as it clearly was a safety issue; however, it appears a recall or fix was not done on all cars. See attached invoice for the repair.
FLOOR MAT GOT STUCK UNDER THE BRAKES PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STOPPING. VERY UNSAFE CONDITIONS. I HAVE INCLUDED PICS OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AS WILL TO SHOW THE PROBLEM. THE FLOOR MATS DO NOT STAY INPLACE...UPDATED 02/02/17 *BF
THIS IS A TELSLA MODEL S IN THE JUNKYARD THAT IS JUST ONE OF MANY WHICH HAVE RUN INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLE?ITEMID=22544553&ROWNUMBER=3&LOADRECENT=TRUE THERE APPEARS TO BE A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF TESLAS APPEARING IN SALVAGE YARDS WITH HEAVY FRONT END DAMAGE. IT SEEMS PROBABLE THAT THE HABIT OF "ONE PEDAL DRIVING" THAT TESLA OWNERS BRAG ABOUT ON THE FORUMS MAY BE PLAYING A PART IN THIS. NOT ONLY DO DRIVERS FAIL TO HAVE THE FOOT "COVERING THE BRAKE" AS TAUGHT BY DRIVING SCHOOLS BUT ALSO THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING IS REPORTED TO BE HIGHLY ERRATIC AND DEPENDS UPON THE STATE OF CHARGE OF THE BATTERIES AND IS ALSO SUBJECT TO ALTERATION BY EACH NEW RELEASE OF SOFTWARE. RELYING ON ERRATIC REGENERATIVE BRAKING IS PROBLEMATIC BUT ALSO IT IS LIKELY TO DEGRADE THE DRIVER'S MUSCLE MEMORY AND BRAKING REFLEX POSSIBLY LEADING TO PEDAL CONFUSION. THE FOLLOWING TWO THREADS SHOW HOW WIDESPREAD THE PROBLEM IS. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/COULD-1-PEDAL-DRIVING-LEAD-TO-UNINTENDED-ACCELERATION-INCIDENTS.83578/ HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/WHATS-WRONG-WITH-THE-TESLA-REGEN-OR-MY-CAR-CHART.87537/ PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. THANK YOU.
HERE IS A FORUM POST IN WHICH AN OWNER OF A TESLA CERTIFIED PRE OWNED CAR REPORTS THAT HE HAD 4 SEIZED BRAKE CALIPER PISTONS. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/4-BENT-WHEELS.75765/ CUBLDR97, THURSDAY AT 6:53 PM I PURCHASED A CPO 2013 MODEL S85 IN FEB OF THIS YEAR. LOVE THE CAR, BUT THE CAR SEEMED TO HAVE A WHEEL OUT OF BALANCE OR SOMETHING THAT CAUSED THE CAR TO VIBRATE AND SHUDDER A BIT AT 80MPH... 19 INCH WHEELS SWITCHED OUT THE BRAND NEW TIRES FOR WINTER TIRES, SEEMED BETTER BUT STILL SHUDDERED. WINTER TIRES WERE ON FOR ABOUT 4000 MILES, HAD REALLY UNEVEN WEAR, THEN PUT THE REGULAR TIRES BACK ON AND HAD AN ALIGNMENT DONE, CAR STILL SHUDDERS, HAD WHEELS BALANCED AGAIN, NO REAL IMPROVEMENT. FINALLY GOT THE CAR LOOKED AT TODAY FOR THE SHUDDER, AND SQUEAKY SUSPENSION. HERE IS WHAT I GOT IN AN EMAIL... "THE TECHNICIANS ARE WORKING ON YOUR CAR. THE CAR IS NEED OF ALL 4 WHEELS. THEY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BENT AND A COUPLE OF THEM IN MORE THAN ONE SPOT ON THE SAME WHEEL. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO NOTICED ALL 4 CALIPER PISTONS ARE SEIZED AND THE SWAY BAR LINK HAS EXCESSIVE PLAY." THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PICKED UP BY TESLA MECHANICS BEFORE THE CAR WAS SOLD THERE ARE REPORTS BY OWNERS ON OTHER THREADS REPORTING PREMATURE RUSTING OF BRAKE PARTS. EXAMPLE: HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/OUCH-FIRST-HUGE-REPAIR-BILL.70396/ IT IS OF CONCERN THAT THESE FAULTS ARE NOT BEING DETECTED BY TESLA SERVICE AND THAT IN MOST JURISDICTIONS THE TESLA FLEET IS STILL TOO YOUNG TO REQUIRE ANNUAL SAFETY INSPECTIONS. PERHAPS THIS IS A FACTOR CAUSING THE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF SALVAGE TESLAS SHOWING UP THAT HAVE HEAVY FRONT END DAMAGE PLEASE INVESTIGATE.
COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. ERROR MESSAGES CAME UP ON MY SCREEN. I WAS DRIVING INSIDE OF MY COMPANIES PARKING LOT AT 5MPH. WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO GET CHECKED OUT THE CAR STOPPED IT SELF. IT REQUIRED TESLA TO SEND AN UPDATE TO MY CAR TO HAVE IT BE ABLE TO GET TO THE DEALER. THIS HAPPENED WITH 42K MILES ON THE CAR.
SOME CUSTOMERS ARE REPORTING POOR FRICTION BRAKING PERFORMANCE AFTER RAIN, SNOW OR CAR WASHES. ALLEGEDLY THERE IS AT LEAST ONE ACCIDENT FROM REDUCED FRICTION BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS IN WET CONDITIONS. MANY ALLEGE THAT SOMETIMES IN WET CONDITIONS THE FRICTION BRAKES TAKE SEVERAL SECONDS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026