There are 5 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2013 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE AND THE LEFT REAR END OF MY CAR HIT A CAR PARKED BEHIND ME. MY CAR IMMEDIATELY SPED UP IN FORWARD DIRECTION IN AN ARC CAUSING ME TO HIT JUST INSIDE GARAGE ON THE LEFT . I TRIED TO BRAKE AND TO PUT IT INTO PARK AND NOTHING WAS WORKING. IT FINALLY WENT INTO NEUTRAL AND QUIT HITTING THE GARAGE. THERE WAS LOTS OF SMOKE AND I THOUGHT CAR WAS ON FIRE. THERE WAS LOTS OF BURNED RUBBER UNDER MY LEFT REAR TIRE CAUSING THE SMOKE. NONE UNDER RIGHT SIDE. THERE WERE WORKERS AT THE HOUSE (CAR BEHIND ME) AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE CAR DOING IT. I WASN'T SURE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I CALLED TESLA THAT DAY AND A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES AND WAS TOLD I WOULD BE CONTACTED BY SPECIAL TEAM IN ABOUT 6 WEEKS AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD WHAT HAPPENED FROM COMPUTER. I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM TESLA. MY CAR WAS CHECKED OUT AT THE TESLA SHOP IN COUNCIL BLUFFS AFTER BODY WORK DONE AND THEY SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO CHECK COMPUTER AS TO WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT WOULD BE DONE BY TESLA ENGINEERS. MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANY INFORMATION EITHER. THEY ASKED ME TO REPORT UNEXPLAINED ACCELERATION ON THIS SITE. IT DID $23,000 IN DAMAGES TO MY CAR AND $25,000 TO MY HOUSE AND KNOCKED IT OFF FOUNDATION IN AFFECTED CORNER. IF BOTH TIRES HAD BEEN SPINNING I DON'T THINK I WOULD BE HERE AS I WOULD HAVE GONE STRAIGHT THROUGH GARAGE AND FLYING AS IT IS A ONE STORY DROP TO THE BACK. I WANT TO KNOW MY CAR IS SAFE BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT WHY INCIDENT HAPPENED.
THE BATTERY FOR THE 2013 MODEL S 60KWH 2013 IS NOT CHARGING ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAPACITY. CHARGING THE BATTERY TAKES HOURS TO GET TO NEAR 65% OF WHAT USE TO BE FULL CHARGE AND IS NOW CONSIDERED A 100% CHARGE. THIS IS UNDER WARRANTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ASAP. THIS HAS SEVERE IMPACT TO DAILY COMMUTE AND ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE CAR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS STARTING WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE IN MAY 2019, TESLA CAPPED THE MAX VOLTAGE THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY WOULD CHARGE TO. THEY CLAIM THEY DID THIS "OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION" AFTER SEVERAL NON-CRASH FIRES HAPPENED TO THESE MODELS. TESLA TOOK ACTION TO DOWNGRADE HORSEPOWER AND RANGE ALONG WITH ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE THROUGH A TOTAL VOLTAGE CAP AFTER CLAIMING TO BE RELEASING A FIRE-SAFETY UPDATE, BUT OFFICIALLY NO SAFETY UPDATE WAS RELEASED. THIS CHANGE HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND STATIONARY.
RE: NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: DP19005 - INVESTIGATION SUBJECT : BATTERY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE UPDATED THE BATTERY FOR THE 2013 MODEL S 60KWH 2013 IS NOT CHARGING ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAPACITY. CHARGING THE BATTERY TAKES HOURS TO GET TO NEAR 65% OF WHAT USE TO BE FULL CHARGE AND IS NOW CONSIDERED A 100% CHARGE. THIS IS UNDER WARRANTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ASAP. THIS HAS SEVERE IMPACT TO DAILY COMMUTE AND ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE CAR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS STARTING WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE IN MAY 2019, TESLA CAPPED THE MAX VOLTAGE THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY WOULD CHARGE TO. THEY CLAIM THEY DID THIS "OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION" AFTER SEVERAL NON-CRASH FIRES HAPPENED TO THESE MODELS. TESLA TOOK ACTION TO DOWNGRADE HORSEPOWER AND RANGE ALONG WITH ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE THROUGH A TOTAL VOLTAGE CAP AFTER CLAIMING TO BE RELEASING A FIRE-SAFETY UPDATE, BUT OFFICIALLY NO SAFETY UPDATE WAS RELEASED. THIS CHANGE HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND STATIONARY. *DT *BF*JB *BF *TR
DUE TO A FIRMWARE UPGRADE THAT WAS PERFORMED BY THE DEALER WHEN REPLACING MY MCU, MY TOTAL BATTERY RANGE WAS REDUCED FROM 249 MILES TO 213 MILES INITIALLY. THROUGH FURTHER UPDATES THE RANGE INCREASED TO 220 MILES AND THIS IS AN ACKNOWLEDGED ISSUE BY TESLA THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY BATTERY REPLACEMENT WITH A BATTERY THAT HAS AT LEAST THE ACTUAL RANGE I HAD BEFORE THE UPDATE (~250 MILES) OR BETTER. IF THE MODEL S 85 BATTERY IS A FIRE RISK AT THE RANGE CUSTOMERS WERE QUOTED, THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE THROUGH PURCHASE OF A VEHICLE, THE RANGE AND SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE GUARANTEED SIMULTANEOUSLY AND NOT THROUGH A FIRMWARE UPGRADE I DIDN'T EVEN REQUEST. SEE SERVICE RECORD ATTACHED.
ON JUNE 27, 2019 I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A TESLA SERVICE CENTER FOR MAINTAINANCE UNRELATED TO THE BATTERY OR DRIVE UNIT. DURING THE VISIT TESLA DOWNLOADED A NEW SOFTWARE REVISION TO MY CAR THAT IMMEDIATELY LIMITED RANGE, POWER, CHARGE RATE AND BATTERY CAPACITY. I NOTICED THIS AND BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO HAVE THE BATTERY CHECKED FOR DAMAGE, NOT KNOWING THAT TESLA HAD PURPOSEFULLY THROTTLED MY BATTERY. TESLA TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS LIMITED VIA SOFTWARE BECAUSE OF AGE AND OFFERED NO FURTHER EXPLANATION. I FELT THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR THE REASON TESLA WOULD LIMIT MY BATTERY. THIS IS WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT SEVERAL TESLA'S IN THE AGE RANGE OF MINE HAD SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE AND MANY OTHERS HAD BEEN LIMITED VIA THE SAME SOFTWARE UPDATE AS MINE. TESLA NEEDS TO REPLACE THESE FAULTY BATTERIES, NOT LIMIT THE USE. THAT IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE SOLUTION.
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