There are 3 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2020 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My car (Tesla 2020 Model S) was broadsided ("t-boned") at about 35 to 40 MPH. The other car hit mine in middle, between front and rear doors, passenger side (after it ran a red light on a city street). Five airbags deployed in my Tesla ... two on driver's side (ok), and three on the passenger side. Since there was no one in the car other than the driver, and the car was aware of that (according to indicator light at start of trip), the passenger side bags should **NOT** have deployed. (Deployed, IIRC: front passenger side, front passenger headrest (?), and rear passenger side.) Result: driver lost almost all hearing, instantly. Needlessly. Accident date: June 2, 2022. Report date: Mar 9, 2023. Driver is on hearing aids for life, providing partial hearing (at best).
Stability control disabled, steering assist disabled, airbags disabled, brake system altered for weeks before service request. In addition, steering wheel moved uncontrollably while parked, with car off, and no one in it for over eight hours. Finally, entire system locked after a factory reset. Locking the doors, preventing entry, and showing the transmission in neutral. Tesla’s service model is inhuman, meaning they don’t allow conversation with a human, but instead require scheduling service through their phone app. The app recorded these issues and were attached to the service request. Tesla’s service center claims they resolved the issue by adding wiper fluid and checking the tire pressure. After two weeks, they cannot find anything in the car logs, after previously stating the car logs every aspect of operation.
Component and explanation - The right front passenger seat belt locks the passenger into place as if the seatbelt had been activated in a crash. That is, it no longer moves freely as it is supposed to under normal operation, rather, it locks and clicks to tighten. Passengers remove the seatbelt several times during each trip so that they are not being restrained so aggressively. Safety Risk - Passengers either will not ride in my car or refuse to wear their seatbelt because of the issue. Inspection and reproducing - the issue has been repeatedly inspected by Tesla and they were in ALL instances able to reproduce the issue almost immediately. There are no warnings to notify the passenger that the seatbelt is about to restrain them. Tesla has replaced a part of the seatbelt I believe 5 times although they have been repeatedly told by me that the repair was not in any way resolving the issue. Tesla has now refused any further evaluation or repairs to the seatbelt and though I have asked many times during the applicable period, Tesla has refused to lemon my car and replace it with one that works.
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