Visibility & wipers
51 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S's visibility & wipers. Windshields, wipers, defrosters, mirrors, backup cameras and glare.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021 Model S exterior side rearview mirrors, part numbers: 1622232-00-B and 1622233-00-B. The driver side exterior rearview mirrors are convex (curved glass) and the passenger side mirrors do not include the "Objects...
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Model 3, 2020-2022 Model Y, and 2021-2022 Model S and Model X vehicles. The window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. As such, these vehicles fail to comply...
Active safety recall (NHTSA Campaign 21V-035 / Tesla TSB SB-21-21-001) for touchscreen and Media Control Unit (MCU) failure remains unperformed due to service refusal and unlawful conditioning at the Tesla Authorized Service Center in [[redacted]]. Following a 6-week delay, an appointment was kept on [redacted]. After holding the vehicle for 4 hours, service staff explicitly conditioned execution of the mandatory safety recall upon authorizing ~$3,000 in unrelated retail repairs. When declined, the Service Manager...
publicly disparaged the vehicle in a crowded waiting room, falsely claimed "there is no recall," and threatened that "if we do the recall, the car may not operate or be drivable afterward," flatly refusing service. As a 40-year automotive industry veteran (former Service Manager), I recognize this as an egregious attempt to leverage mandatory safety recall work for retail service revenue, violating federal compliance obligations under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301. The unrepaired MCU failure creates an acute safety hazard, disabling critical functions including defrosters, climate controls, and rear-view display visibility. Logistics & Scope: Consumer refuses return to Franklin, TN facility due to hostility/obstruction. Requesting NHTSA record this non-compliance violation and compel Tesla Corporate to coordinate mobile service or transport to an alternative regional facility with loaner coverage, with full restoration of vehicle operability at zero cost to the owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
COMPONENT: The rear window glass has optical distortion in the zone viewed through the interior rearview mirror. Vehicles behind me visibly warp and change apparent size as they move across the affected area of the glass. The vehicle and component are available for inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The distortion impairs my ability to accurately judge the position, size, distance, and closing speed of following vehicles. A smaller vehicle, such as a motorcycle, could be misjudged or lost in the distorted zone...
during a lane change, creating a collision risk. The condition is present at all times while driving. REPRODUCED/CONFIRMED: Yes. Tesla Service (365 Caldwell Dr, Springfield, MA) confirmed during my service visit that the same distortion exists on multiple other newer Model S vehicles, characterizing it as a normal aesthetic of the rear glass. Tesla stated in writing on [[redacted]] that "mild distortion is still to be expected with curved glass." Tesla replaced the rear glass; the replacement exhibits the same distortion, slightly worse. At vehicle pickup on [[redacted]], the Tesla Service Manager verbally acknowledged the issue was not resolved and stated all such glasses are similar. Tesla later closed the case stating in writing that technicians confirmed no distortion exists, contradicting its prior statements. INSPECTED BY: The manufacturer (Tesla Service) inspected the vehicle twice, including a stated inspection and test drive after the glass replacement. No police or insurance involvement. I have date-stamped photo and video documentation of both the original and replacement glass. WARNING SIGNS: No warning lamps or messages; this is an optical defect in the glass itself. First observed shortly after delivery on [[redacted]]. Because Tesla states the distortion is consistent across newer Model S production, I believe this is a fleet-wide defect affecting rear visibility, not an isolated unit. No crash or injury has occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am the current owner of a 2014 Tesla Model S equipped with MCU1. While driving, including at freeway speeds, the center touchscreen has rebooted unexpectedly, showing only the Tesla logo before recovering. During these reboots, critical vehicle functions are unavailable, including the rearview camera, HVAC/defrost controls, and other essential features. This failure matches the exact safety defect described in NHTSA Recall 21V-035 related to the MCU/eMMC failure. I reported this safety issue to Tesla Service and...
provided photo evidence of the screen rebooting while driving. Tesla has refused to address this as a recall or safety repair. Tesla claims the recall was previously completed under a prior owner but refuses to provide any documentation proving that the recall repair was actually performed, citing prior owner privacy. Tesla has further stated that diagnosis of this active safety defect would be customer-paid due to the basic warranty being expired and has indicated that the only path forward is a paid infotainment upgrade. Tesla is effectively requiring payment to diagnose and resolve a known safety defect. As the safety defect is actively occurring while driving and Tesla has marked the recall as complete without providing proof or correcting the issue, I am requesting NHTSA review whether Tesla is improperly closing out recalls without ensuring the defect has been remedied and whether charging customers to diagnose known safety defects is appropriate. After entering my VIN into NHTSA's recall lookup, NHTSA shows Recall 21V-035 (MCU/eMMC failure) as Recall Incomplete for my vehicle. This directly contradicts Tesla's claim that the recall was previously completed. Tesla has refused to provide documentation and is requiring paid diagnosis and a paid infotainment upgrade despite the recall being listed by NHTSA as unresolved.
The main touchscreen (MCU1) and instrument cluster on my 2014 Tesla Model S frequently freeze, reboot, or go blank while driving. When this happens, I lose access to defrost, turn signals, backup camera, and speed display. I contacted Tesla Service, but they refused to repair or replace the unit under recall EA20-003 or the extended warranty, even though the symptoms match the known eMMC 8GB memory failure. The black screen and frozen instrument cluster create a clear safety risk. Tesla should cover this issue under the recall or provide an equivalent MCU2 replacement if MCU1 parts are unavailable.
The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the digital screen intermittently blacked out and several safety features were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the resort block remained at 90%, and the same EMMC ID that should have been covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the message "Climate Control System Service Required" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local Tesla Service Center however, the vehicle was not repaired due a lack of available Service Techs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 59,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
All of a sudden my 2 driver side windows wouldn't fully close yesterday. I reported it to Tesla via the app and they thought it was their existing safety recall due to software issue, but service rep said it wasn't. Instead the window trim off the vehicle is very fragile and typically they noticed it needs to be fixed within 12 months of ownership. This is an obvious defect that can cause many issues with flooding, theft, and more if left as is. Getting a service appointment typically takes a week currently but I...
stressed the issue and that I don't have covered parking so they moved up my appointment. Regardless this needs to be addressed ASAP and customers shouldn't have to lose a work day or pay for resolving the defect... which I did reluctantly.
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the center display screen malfunctioned, causing the rearview camera to intermittently fail. Additionally, the failure caused a delay while switching gears to drive(D) and to park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined through the Tesla App that the VCM daughterboard needed to be replaced with one containing...
an enhanced eMMC controller. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 95,500.
Tesla has, by design, altered a safety feature in existing cars (via a software update) that decreases safety when defogging is needed. When I purchased my 2014 Tesla Model S, the defog could be turned on or off with the press of a button that was always visible on the touchscreen. Recently, Tesla made a major change to the user interface (version 11), that cannot be reverted, which removed the defog button. It now takes about 4-7 steps to activate and then turn off the defog. The new system also requires viewing...
pop-up window(s) while driving. Now, when you notice visibility is decreasing due to a fogged up windshield, you have to press the temperature (e.g. "70") twice, which brings up the full climate control window (if you press slightly high/low, a "Climate Popup" instead appears, with button located in different locations). You then have to scan for the defog button and press it. To turn it off, if it has been less than 10 seconds since you turned it on (often all you need), the window will still be there, and you can press the "climate off" button to turn it off. After 10 seconds, you have to repeat the same 2-3 steps used to turn it on. However, if the Climate Popup appears rather than the full window, you need to start over again to turn the climate control off (otherwise, a bug causes the climate control to stay on when you turn the defog off). A new version (not available for my car) reportedly has a workaround, but the defog button needs to have a permanent location on the screen like before, by default. My concern is that this software update will get people into (or has gotten people into) "distracted driving" accidents as they have to look at the screen about 4-7 times while driving, rather than the minimal 2 times that the old user interface allowed.
I tried to start the car and got the "Center Display unavailable" message. Reset the computer doesn't help. I have to wait for more than 5 minutes for the system to be on.
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the recall repair was performed twice however, the vehicle experienced an unknown computer failure. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the seats moved independently. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The contact stated that the driver's side seat would revert to the seat settings of the...
second driver independently while the vehicle was in motion. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the eMMC controller needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure occurred again and the eMMC controller was replaced a second time. The failure persisted. The failure mileage was 123,864.
The contact's wife owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that after his wife entered the vehicle and closed the driver's side front door, the driver's side front window exploded. There was no impact on the window that could have caused it to explode. The contact's wife did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a claim with the insurance company. The failure mileage was approximately 10,700.
17 inch main Screen is bubbling and leaking fluid
Wiper motor linkage on these vehicles break, leaving only the driver side wiper functional.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data
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