Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Tesla Model S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The Model S, which was bought in 2015, had a sudden acceleration while I was trying to park near the entrance gate of the parking lot. The accident happened on May 25, 2023. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and the car was totaled. I feel strongly that this should be investigated, as this can be a very serious public safety issue. It was inspected by the insurance company. There were no warning messages prior to the failure.
Following a coolant rapid mate replacement performed by an authorized Tesla service center, the vehicle experienced a complete shutdown on a public road the same evening it was returned. The high-voltage cooling system was not properly purged of air following the service. This caused low coolant flow to the rear drive unit during a 63-mile drive in record heat. The fault cascade included a HIGH VOLTAGE ISOLATION FAULT (BMS_f123), drive inverter warning (DI_w126), and multiple battery management warnings. The instrument cluster displayed a red emergency warning: "Vehicle shutting down - PULL OVER SAFELY." The vehicle required towing. The failure was confirmed by the service center's own follow-up invoice, which documented "trapped air pockets in the coolant system following the most recent service" as the cause. …
My MCU (onboard computer system) glitched out and the screen began flickering. I lost all of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, navigation, music, phone link, sunroof venting, climate control, including defrost. The screen froze and I had no functions. This has happened 4 times, possibly a 5th time, while driving in the last 6000 miles. I put in a service request to Tesla and they ran a remote diagnosis, and told me that the old MCU1 is overwhelmed by the new software updates. Their solution was for me to upgrade to the newer MCU2 at my cost. I am afraid to drive my car as it will malfunction while I need the safety features, like basic defrost or AC in the 105 degree heat in Phoenix. Tesla acknowledged that the previous MCU1 failure due to the eMMC chip was a recall, but this is a new problem that has not yet been acknowledged by Tesla as a recall problem.
The car will issue a BMS_w035 warning which is connected to the battery heater failing/failed. In this case, the car may not restart, per Tesla's on-screen warning. If this occurs while driving, or in stop-and-go traffic, this could lead to a dangerous situation of not being able to remove the car from the road safely without a tow truck. From recent incidents online, this is occurring in many 2014-2016 Model S vehicles with the colder weather change.
was driving Tesla when warning light appeared " charging declined " . drove car home battery no longer charging . Tesla stopped working after only 68,000 miles . Tesla wanted $15000 to replace the battery more than the car is worth.
The component that Tesla has stated is the part that is failing is the MCU (Media Control Unit) which was a recalled part at one point but then Tesla decided to replace only a single part of the MCU which was the eMMC (embedded MultiMedia Card). Luckily the vehicle was not driving when it completely shut down and would not start back up but I was stuck in a restaurants drive-thru for roughly 4 hours till I could get a tow truck to come tow it. The tow truck had to put the car on dollies as the vehicle would not enter tow mode nor would it enter its emergency neutral mode so the vehicle could be moved. The windows would not go up or down and luckily the trunk was able to open because if not then I would have been stuck outside my vehicle as the door handles did not come out after I got out of it and closed the door behind me. …
On afternoon of November 23, 2020, 2015 Tesla Model s 85d was in motion with single occupant, turning right turn into residential area off city street. Driver heard loud and deep metallic sound and immediately slowed. Warning message similar to 'unsafe to drive, pull over safely' appeared on dash. Driver stopped car right away and heard 3-4 loud, identical sounds. Driver heard another sound followed by loud 'pop' and smelled something burning. Driver immediately exited and saw smoke billowing from below the vehicle. Driver moved away. There was another loud 'pop' sound and flames started visibly shooting outward and upward from the front passenger wheel well area, mid-cabin and rear passenger tire well, charring the curb and grass next to vehicle. Fire continued to burn through passenger door, front of car (frunk), and underside of the car. …
Here is a Tesla Model s in the junkyard: https://www.copart.com/lot/43880137/photos it has been totally destroyed by fire. Elon musk has claimed that teslas are much less likely to catch fire than a gasoline powered car and that they are now even safer than before due to the titanium battery shields and the (temporarily) raised suspension height. A google image search for burned Tesla or Tesla fire reveals that there have now been at least 20 teslas destroyed by fire which is a very large number in proportion to the number of cars on the roads. I believe that the 7 gallons of hot ethylene glycol in every Tesla is a high risk factor. If the lithium battery also becomes involved in a fire it burns intensely and is extremely hard to extinguish. …
Here is a Tesla in the junkyard: https://www.copart.com/lot/46203307/photos it has been involved in a fire. The aluminium bodywork has been melted and burned away. The battery pack appears to have been the source of the fire. The air-bags have not been deployed and there is no sign of collision damage. The investigation into Tesla fires was cancelled after Tesla fitted a lightweight titanium battery shield and released some very poor quality videos demonstrating the invincibility of the battery shield. The ride height was also raised (for a few weeks) but soon went back to ultra-low. A google image search for "Tesla fire" shows that many of these cars are still bursting into flames. Please investigate this problem before more Tesla occupants are incinerated. Thank you. Concerned citizen.
When I purchased my car less than a year ago, it came with a 50,000 mile, 4 year "new car" warranty although it was a used car with approx 25K miles. Within 6 months, an update came out over the air and changed my software, and ultimately lead to a range loss of approx 40 miles and an increase in charging time by approx 3x because Tesla, admittedly through their service texts, has limited the charging on my car to "preserve battery life." this is akin to selling me a 8 cylinder car, and limiting it to 6 to not have to change engine. The car has become almost unusable as it takes 3 hours to charge when it used to take 45 minutes. The car was able to get a full 116 kw for an extended period of time when the battery was below 15%-30% and the charging would gradually (over 45 minutes) drop to about 40kw. Now it starts at around 110 kw and quickly (within 5 minutes) drops to below 80kw. …
Fuel System complaints in other Model S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2015 Tesla Model S, 5% of the model year's 668 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 Tesla Model S fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2015 Tesla Model S, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2015 Tesla Model S fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.