2023 Tesla Model S Lighting Problems

The left turn signal is intermittent, it works most of the time, but many times the button on the yoke will not turn on the turn signal. Tesla wants $265 to fix it even though I still am under the factory warranty. After a quick internet search this appears to be a known problem. Because there is no turn yoke (which is a very poor design and that should be recalled) I have to rest my finger on the detent for the left and right switch. If I do not I am turning on the incorrect signal. This is either a button problem or software issue, I had to have my first yoke replaced on 4/22/24 as it was defective.

I was driving in dense fog about 9 am on December 2, 2024. It was about an hour after sunrise. I passed an approaching car without lights on and thought to myself how dangerous it was to be driving in dense fog without lights. I then realized that my automatic headlights were off! That means my fog lights were also off. They were on when I first left the house. The fog was dense enough that cars without lights appeared out of the fog with 10-15 feet warning. Very dangerous when turning left onto roads or at stop signs. The fog was dense enough that the driver assist cameras were complaining about being blocked or blinded, but the car had decided to turn off the headlights and fog lights without notification (except removing the lights on indicators on the dash). I have tried to contact Tesla support on their web support and haven't been able to figure out a way to provide comments. I only find a "help" section that provides answers to a few questions and seems to go in circles for anything else. I was able to move the headlights from Auto to On and solve the problem, but that required messing with the touchscreen while driving.

I have owned a 2023 Model S Plaid for 6 months. I like the vehicle overall but it has 2 features that are actually dangerous. 1) Horn - There is a small hepatic area on the right of the steering wheel that engages the horn. It is impossible to find and press in an emergency situation. One has to take their eyes off the road to find the area before attempting to press it. Even then it is small and can still be missed. Their have been multiple times my car was almost hit because I could not use the horn to warn people in time. Tesla has now moved the horn to the middle of the steering wheel but will not retroactively fix this for existing customers. This will 100% cause unnecessary accidents. 2) Turn signals These are also small hepatic spots on the steering wheel next to each other. You have to look down to find them and pressing the wrong side signal is a common occurrence. This is also dangerous and requires user to take their eyes off the road to find.

Left Turn Signal Button About 1 in 20 times, the left turn signal button on the steering wheel does not register a press. Pressing multiple times in multiple places on the left arrow icon makes no difference. If I click the right button and then the left it's fine. Or, if I try later, the left button will work again for a while This has happened many times over the past several weeks

The design of the car which uses turn signal buttons on the steering wheel instead of the traditional stalks creates a critical safety hazard. When attempting to use a turn signal while the steering wheel is turned (which happens when pulling out for circular driveways, making two very quick turns, or in emergency maneuvers), it is nearly impossible to find these buttons and be able to press the correct button. In fact, when the steering wheel is turned 180 degrees, the left and right buttons point in the wrong directions, and even if you can locate the buttons, it becomes very counterintuitive to press the correct position. There are so many times when I have had to take my eyes off the road just to see where the turn signal buttons are. Additionally there are multiple occasions when I have kept pressing the turn signal button but it does not turn on. It might be due to its capacitative nature. Turn signals need to be intuitive and easy to use. They should not require the driver to think where they are and guess the correct direction. This is such a fundamental safety feature. I am not sure how this design was approved in the first place. The NHTSA should require the manufacturer to replace the steering wheel with the traditional stalks instead of turn signal buttons on the steering wheel. Otherwise it creates a highly unsafe condition every time the vehicle is driven. The other safety hazard is the use of a tiny horn button on the steering wheel instead of the center of the steering wheel being the horn, as is the case with almost every car. So when is a horn used? Mostly in an emergency to warn other drivers. How does it make sense to take eyes off the road and look for that horn button on the steering wheel when even fractions of seconds are important to avoid a crash. I urge NHTSA to require Tesla to install stalks for turn signals and a center horn button, as these poorly thought of design elements jeopardize people's safety every time you drive the car.