There are 6 owner-reported tires & wheels complaints for the 2016 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
In December of 2023, my RIGHT rear axle broke when I accidently hit a curb. The car was repaired at the Tesla collision center. On last Tuesday, November 12, 2024, I heard a noise while braking. I continued to drive, but next time I needed to use brakes, I had a sensation that the brakes were failing, and I wouldn't be able to stop. The brakes eventually engaged, and I was able to stop the vehicle. I went on an expressway and drove as slowly as possible, maintaining a long distance from the vehicles in front of me and using regenerative braking as much as possible, being aware of a possibility of brakes failure. I got home safely on that day, however, the next day, when I was backing out of the garage, I heard a screeching noise. When I inspected the vehicle, I discovered that the LEFT rear wheel was misaligned, looking exactly like the right rear wheel after the right rear axle broke. Although this defect hasn't been inspected by a technician yet, I am virtually certain that it's the same problem that I had before, now occurring on the opposite side. This means that I was likely driving with a broken axle, which could've resulted in a serious accident. As I mentioned, this is the second instance of the same defect affecting my vehicle, which, in my opinion, is indicative of a serious manufacturing defect that needs to be addressed. The vehicle hasn't been repaired yet and is available for inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure.
Failure of L front fore link resulting in unstable wheel, contact of wheel with wheel well, difficult steering and inability to drive vehicle.
front suspension lower fore link broke; this led to a car that cannot be moved in the middle of the road; Tesla knows about it, they have 2 bulletins on it, but do not replace them, despite being a road hazard
PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE
AT APPROXIMATELY 9AM ON THE MORNING OF 1/4/18, I WAS DRIVING IN AUTOPILOT ON THE 405 HEADING NORTH TO MY OFFICE IN SANTA MONICA IN MY TESLA MODEL S AND THE CAR SIMPLY RAN INTO THE BARRIER WALL ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR POOL LANE AT 75MPH. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! I HAVE CONTACTED TESLA ABOUT THE ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT INTERESTED. I JUST READ ABOUT AN ACCIDENT THAT THE U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD IS INVESTIGATING WHERE THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND THE DRIVER DIED. I BELIEVE MY ACCIDENT COULD HAVE ENDED THE SAME WAY AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.
OUR 2016 TESLA MODEL S DROPPED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL COMPLETELY WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY 5 NORTH BOUND LAST SATURDAY NIGHT (08/19/2017) IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO AREA, RIGHT BEFORE EXIT 81. THE ROAD IS SMOOTH AND WITHOUT BUMP OR SHARP TURN. ALL OTHER CARS WAS ABLE TO RUN BY NORMALLY. THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL ALSO LOST A LOCKING NUT. THE ACCIDENT WAS VERY DANGEROUS, VERY SCARY! WE JUST HAD A ROUTINE SERVICE AT TESLA SERVICE CENTER THIS JUNE.
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