Check a vehicle VIN check Latest recalls Latest complaints Common problems Rankings Compare vehicles Recall roundups All makes Guides Share your experience
Theme

Lights

2021 Tesla Model S Lighting problems

Owners have filed 6 complaints about the 2021 Tesla Model S's lights with NHTSA - 3% of all its complaints, most recently on October 5, 2025. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals and interior lighting failures.

Complaints
6
Recalls
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Lighting complaints

Lights

The reverse lights are incredibly insufficient and pose a safety risk when backing up. The lights are so dim, they are virtually ineffective to the point that they illuminate nothing that may be behind the car. This is not a bulb issue as they came from the factory, new, in this condition and the service center said there is nothing they can do. Other owners I have spoken with report the same issue.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11691415
Lights

Passenger side headlight, daytime running light portion, is flickering, approximately 1-2 times a minute. I only noticed this as I parked in a dark garage with my lights on, seeing the light flickering against the wall. There is no warning from my car telling me this is happening. This is a safety issue because headlights are a safety feature. If my headlight is going on and off, it will affect my visibility, as well as the visibility of my car to other drivers/pedestrians on the road. I notified Tesla, they had...

Read the full complaint

mobile technician come to my house, he visually confirmed this issue, and he subsequently replaced the entire headlight. After the replacement, I noticed that this did not resolve the issue. I notified Tesla and they had me bring in my car to service center for inspection. Per tesla tech service summary: "identified customer concern as a known characteristic with no resolution available at this time. Please maintain regular WIFI connection to ensure timely downloads of future firmware updates. No repairs recommended at this time". I need this issue resolved, I do not feel safe driving my car. Tesla is not repairing the issue and has no clear timeframe as to when this issue will be fixed. I attached 2 photos from my video capture showing when the light is on and off.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11580942
Electrical systemLights

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side indicator was inoperable on the yoke steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 24,500.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11555470
Lights

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and attempting to switch lanes, he attempted to use the turn signals; however, the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 2,000.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11469222
Electrical systemLights

While driving with a fully charged battery, the car dash warned "pull over to safe location. Battery cannot support all functions". We were unable to fully pull over in the time before the car experienced a critical loss of functionality, as the car shut off in less than 1 minute from flashing the warning. The car lost all functionality, including loss of its flashers, putting us at significant risk since we were unable to alert other motorists to our presence on the side of the road as it was getting dark. The...

Read the full complaint

car is currently with the dealer and thus far they have been unable to identify the root cause of the issue but have acknowledged the existence of the problem. They've claimed the 12v battery died and the car does not have any safety redundancy built in to be able to access power from the main driving battery to power critical features such as the hazard lights. The biggest risk of safety is loss of indicators/flashers while on the side of the road. This feature in vehicles is meant to alert other drivers to the presence of a disabled vehicle. Consumer was told no physical problem was found with the car and a "firmware" problem is suspected. After repeated questioning, the Tesla dealer finally acknowledged that other 2021 Model S cars have experienced similar abrupt shut downs and the California engineers are aware of the problem. They cannot tell me when a firmware update will be available, but in the interim want to return the car to the consumer having done nothing to prevent the problem from recurring.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11469058
SteeringElectrical systemLights

My car has a " yoke " steering wheel that feels unsafe and should be illegal along with the touch turn signals and horn. I almost crashed today when I had to swerve to avoid a mother crossing the road with her child. I tapped on the honk, but unfortunately, it's not in the middle of the steering wheel as one one would expect, but it's a small touch button right next to the cruise control touch button. each time i need to engage it, I have to take my arms off the road and find this button. It's very distracting,...

Read the full complaint

especially in emergency situations. The turn signals are also " touch " only and there's no way to really know if you have them or not. When turning in a roundabout, the yoke steering wheel is almost upside down and trying to signal is nearly impossible. I think the yoke steering wheel and touch buttons are marketing gimmicks used to get people to talk about Tesla at the expense of the safety of the owners and other innocent users of the road. This is extremely dangerous in my opinion and I'm now officially scared to be driving my car. Please make Tesla recall these cars and retrofit a normal steering wheel with a regular horn and stalks for the turn signals. Thank you for reading you are our only hope. See more feedback from Tesla owners here: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/model-s-plaid-delivery-and-first-impressions.235117/ Excuse typos I'm on mobile.

Filed Incident Steering · Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11427096

Tesla Model S lighting complaints by year

Model S lighting problems, every year

Had a lighting problem with your 2021 Model S? Tell other owners.

Your experience goes live straight away and helps every owner and buyer who checks this vehicle. Anonymous, free, no account.

Overall, how would you rate it? *

0/4000 · Please leave out names, phone numbers and your full VIN.

By posting you confirm it's your own, honest experience and agree to the rules. Safety defect? Also report it to NHTSA - that's how recalls start.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

Owners helping owners

Know before you drive.

Every experience you share - good or bad - shows on that vehicle's page and helps the next owner and buyer. Two minutes, anonymous.

Share your experience