Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Tesla Model S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Car was charging in the garage on Dec 30, 2020 when at 5:25 AM a message was sent to my phone that the charging had been interrupted but not completed. 12 minutes later at 5:37 AM a message was sent that the Alarm on the vehicle had been activated. 2 minutes later the second Tesla in the garage sent a message that the alarm had been activated. None of these messages were seen at the time since we were asleep in the back of the house, but the car alarm did wake us up. Hearing the alarm woke us and soon after we heard smoke alarms from teh garage and throughout the house. When we walked to the front of the house, we could see flames from the garage to the top of the second story. We immediately exited the house. The attached article and video describes the situation. …
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the parking brake seized while leaving a charging station, and the vehicle screeched into oncoming traffic and stalled. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle had not been charged prior to a snowstorm, and the battery became fully drained. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the main battery and 12-Volt battery needed to be replaced before the diagnostic test. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle failed to shift into drive or move. The jack mode was disengaged. While driving, the rear wheels were screeching. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB: SB-21-33-002). …
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the message "unable to drive, voltage supply" and "vehicle may not restart" was displayed. The vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the local service center who diagnosed that the drive unit was faulty and needed to be replaced, due to water ingress coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. In addition, while operating the vehicle, a warning alert was displayed regarding the battery system and that the battery would no longer recharge. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the HV battery pack had failed due to corrosion caused by condensation from the HVAC system. The HV battery was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the media control unit turned off and was unable to operate the windows or the Air Conditioner in the vehicle. The contact stated that the temperature inside the vehicle began to rise and had to park the vehicle for 30 minutes. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle and was able to access the windows and the Air Conditioner and some other features. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing to replace the old hardware to access the new updates. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated she had experienced the failure on multiple occasions. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The rear view camera did not deploy when I was backing out of a driveway and I was struck by another vehicle. The police determined it was a no-fault accident. My insurance company deemed me primarily responsible. I was unable to see any oncoming traffic because the camera was not working and there were obstacles to seeing oncoming traffic. The car was deemed totaled by the mechanic and my insurance company. The car battery died soon after the accident and the vehicle remains in my garage and is immovable. I sustained minor head, neck and back injuries.
I had a failure on my main computer. The MCU failed and the screen would not turn on. Tesla replaced a chip in my MCU but it did not fix all of my issues. I have to reboot my computer 95% of the time I am driving. Here are the issues: 1) 3g/GPS not activating. Leads to not being able to use GPS navigation. 2) Computer freezes. Usually while sleeping, computer does not wake up or the central screen does not respond leading to failures in many systems including: blinker, AC, radio, rear view for backing up, garage control, creep mode, etc. One time I left my computer in 'camp mode' so that it would keep cool on a hot day. While I was away from car, I checked on my mobile app to see the status of the car. The app could not connect to my car. When I came back, the computer had frozen up which meant that the AC was no longer working. …
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive and electrical power. A warning message stating that the vehicle was about to shut off was illuminated. The contact swerved to the right, attempting to veer to the side of the road on the right lane; however, the vehicle stopped midway and a semi-truck almost crashed into the rear passenger's side of the vehicle. The contact pushed the vehicle into a nearby parking lot with assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact that they had replaced the battery with a new battery; however, the failure reoccurred, and the battery was replaced for a second time. …
Tesla, Please assist me in the following: 1. I have LIFE Time charging, explain the $305.00 fee for a brand new battery Tesla charged/bill me and installed. 2. Tesla has a suggested billing of $100.00 to put air into a (1) tire. Or $100.00 to bring all tires to federal standards. Basically, no tire repair just air into tires. Please explain the charge. 3. Tesla called me at 9:21 A.M. inform me that my 27 March appointment was canceled (I had no say so). Then, I was instructed to have Tesla Roadside Assistance to tow my vehicle to your kearny mesa service station for $386.00 (Aaron - [phone]). 4. I was instructed that Tesla Roadside assistance memberships was not an option to me. 5. I have an appointment but was told parts for my vehicle might be available or might not be available for a 2021 Federal Recall, but today date is 22 March 2022. …
Battery packs on older Model S are dying WHILE driving. Puts the car non responsive and limp mode. No choice but to try and pull over. No acceleration and car dies. First occurrence warning happened, however went away upon charging the vehicle. Drove to a Tesla service center under its own power, left service center under its own power with no warning messages. Tesla is aware of the issue with older battery packs, demands 20k or to scrap your car, or they require a legal release pertaining to the battery pack. I was locked out of my vehicle and it was held without a mechanics lein. This legal release absolves them of all responsibility over the vehicle especially if you bring it to another shop. Owners have no right to repair their vehicles at shops with certified technicians. The second time this happened, luckily the vehicle was parked and died in a driveway. …
November 20, 2025 To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation Subject: Safety Defect Complaint - Tesla Model S I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious and dangerous safety defect involving my Tesla Model S. Safety Defect Summary: After the high-voltage battery failed, the vehicle would not enter Neutral. I had to use Tow Mode in the middle of a street on a hill to avoid blocking traffic. Once in Tow Mode, the car could not enter Park and the emergency/parking brake would not engage. The car became completely free-rolling, posing danger to myself, other drivers, and pedestrians. When Tesla returned the car to my home, their technicians also could not get the vehicle into Park or activate any emergency braking system. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights.
Remedy: Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.
Electrical system › ADAS › Driver monitoring › Software
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
NHTSA investigations
Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).
Fire - Propulsion Battery - Road Debris
The subject vehicles (SV), model years 2012-2013 Tesla Model S, are emerging technology electric vehicles using a high voltage battery (HVB) to provide propulsion energy. The HVB uses lithium-ion cells combined in 60 or 85 kWh capacities, and a control system that monitors the HVB and its liquid cooling system.
Autopilot System Driver Controls
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded PE21020 to EA22002 on June 8, 2022, to extend work and deepen the PE21020 crash analysis, to supplement that analysis with additional data, and to perform vehicle evaluations to understand how Tesla's Autopilot system may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver's supervision.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
On December 19, 2019, NHTSA received a petition from Mr. Brian Sparks requesting that the Agency recall all [Tesla] Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles produced from 2013 to the present due to sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). In his petition and follow-up submissions, the petitioner identified a total of 232 non-duplicative complaints to NHTSA, including 203 reporting crashes.
Battery Management Software Updates
In a letter dated September 17, 2019, Mr. Edward Chen petitioned the NHTSA to initiate a defect investigation of certain Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles that received revised battery management software in one or more over-the-air (OTA) updates from Tesla, beginning in May 2019.
Electrical complaints in other Model S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA has 195 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Tesla Model S, 42% of the model year's 461 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Tesla Model S electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 24V-051 (instrument cluster/panel, Jan 30, 2024); NHTSA recall 23V-838 (software, Dec 12, 2023). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Tesla Model S electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 14 fires and 11 injuries and 2 deaths to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.