2016 Tesla Model S Tesla Model S 2016

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2016 Tesla Model S repairs by problem area

Engine (7%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)

Brakes and Traction Control (1%)

Suspension and Steering (6%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (48%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (27%)

Other (7%)

Chart based on 84 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2016 Tesla Model S.

2016 Tesla Model S repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (11%)

$500 - $999 (7%)

$100 - $499 (11%)

< $100 (70%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 27 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

532-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in New York, United States
Jan 2020 - Jun 2022
Sep 2020

41000 mi
Defective rear camera replaced 
Jun 2021

47000 mi
MCU motherboard replaced. Starting to fail. 
Sep 2021

48000 mi
Main screen replaced, had developed a glitch 
Oct 2021

49000 mi
Left headlight daytime running lights failed, entire headlight was replaced, 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

463-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in Ontario, Canada
Jan 2016 - Oct 2021
Oct 2016

8560 mi
Problem with front motor. 
Feb 2019

37820 mi
Replace Bolts In Steering Rack Housing And Apply Wax Sealant 
Tesla Model S in Texas, United States
Sep 2017 - Jun 2019
Mar 2018

10000 mi
PASSENGER WINDOW SWITCH 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

417-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in Massachusetts, United States
Nov 2016 - Jun 2021
May 2018

24000 mi
Screen needed to be replaced. 
May 2019 The entire MCU stopped working. The car was not functional. It took about 8 weeks to get the car to the dealer and another 3 weeks at the dealer. The dealer left their lunch in the trunk after they returned it to me. 
Tesla Model S in Minnesota, United States
Oct 2020 - Jul 2022
Dec 2020

52000 mi

US $425
Right rear door handle replacement due to failure 
Feb 2021

57000 mi

US $265
Truck latch/actuator failed & was replaced 
Apr 2022

84000 mi
2nd repair of right rear door handle 
Jun 2022

88500 mi

US $1728
3rd repair of right rear door handle & 2nd repair of trunk actuator 2nd repair of trunk actuator both lower control arms + alignment 
Jul 2022

89230 mi

US $1100
both upper control arms replaced 
Tesla Model S in New York, United States
May 2021 - Jun 2022
Apr 2022

69000 mi
Driver side rear passenger door handle would not present. Made mobile ranger appointment to diagnose and repair. Handle was replaced with the latest generation, but it didn't fix the issue. Total time took about 5 hours. I had to make an appointment to bring it into the repair facility for further diagnosis. 
May 2022

69000 mi
Passenger driver side door handle would not present when unlocked and door could not be opened from the outside. Mobile ranger replaced handle with newest model, didn't fix. I had to make another appointment, two weeks later. Turns out it was an undocumented fuse in the wiring harness which needed to be replaced. 
Jun 2022

71000 mi
LED running lights on headlights burned out. Both headlights replaced. Multiple errors in subsystems reported. Issue was the connector for the front bumper systems was not correctly connected during the headlight repair. Front bumper removed, connection cleaned and reseated and all was working again. Unfortunately I noticed several weeks after the repair was completed that they damaged the front bumper during the repair, but it is too late for me to make a claim. Rear hatch would not open. Latching motor replaced. 
Tesla Model S in California, United States
Mar 2016 - Nov 2020
May 2018

49000 mi
air suspension system was malfuctioning, rear left sagging. replaced sensors, possibly other parts. 
Tesla Model S in Ontario, Canada
Feb 2018 - Jul 2022
Apr 2018

24800 mi
Front right air strut replaced. 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

373-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic RWD

Tesla Model S in Ontario, Canada
Oct 2017 - Aug 2023
Sep 2018

26040 mi
Left headlight: LED "Brow" over headlight burned out and required entire unit to be replaced 
Mar 2020

48980 mi
S/W update to correct Internet Browser problem ... problem will be corrected later after Covid pandemic 
Jun 2022

118420 mi

C $960
Battery coolant leak. Replaced coolant pump, coolant, etc 
Jul 2022

74400 mi

C $1250
Replaced left. Main headlight assembly. Service man came to my driveway to make the change and hence fast turnaround. 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

328-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in California, United States
Feb 2016 - Jun 2021
Apr 2020

83000 mi

US $600
Transmission fluid leaked due to something with the pump or cooler being damaged. I’m guessing it must have been that road debris that took out my hood and bumper. Repair successful. Car runs like brand new now. 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

Tesla Model S in Florida, United States
Jan 2021 - Jul 2022
Dec 2021

64000 mi
Replace 12v battery 
Jul 2022

71000 mi
Instrumental cluster replaced due to adhesive leaking - known issue 

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2016 Tesla Model S 4-door

Engine not specified

Tesla Model S in Ohio, United States
May 2017 - Jun 2022
Jan 2018

31000 mi
Outside temperature reading on dash was 15 degrees off from actual outside temp. Auto-close mechanism on console would not stay open. It took two hands to retrieve an item. New spring is on order. 
Mar 2018

35000 mi
Just the replacement of a broken center console lid spring that was delayed in coming. There was also a replacement of a harness that had some corrosion that was leading to a false external temperature reading. 
Jun 2018

40000 mi
The door for the charging port would not open manually. 
Mar 2021

78000 mi

US $304
Driver door handle did not function. Would not open properly. 

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2015.5 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

532-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in Manitoba, Canada
Aug 2015 - Jun 2022
Aug 2017

6200 mi
Replaced driver’s side control arm. 

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2015.5 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

463-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in Great Britain
Sep 2017 - Apr 2022
Dec 2017

16000 mi
Window bracket not properly aligned, this meant it did not seal properly causing wind noise Trim around inside rear view mirror came off, clips replaced Led light on retractable door handle failed due to faulty seal and water ingress 
Apr 2018

24000 mi
Seat belt retractor failed. Shown by airbag warning light. Tesla replacing whole seat Window seal out of alignment causing wind noise 
Jun 2018

26000 mi
12v battery needed replacing. Possibly caused by spending 3 months at the dealer for other repairs 
Jan 2019

30000 mi
Headlight unit seal failure, water ingress. Lights continued to work but condensation on inside of glass. Whole unit replaced under warranty 
Dec 2019

50000 mi
MCU unit failed. This is a known issue where the flash drive wears out because of the excessive logging that goes on. Whole unit replaced including screen. However bonus for me is the new unit works on 4G instead of 3G. So theoretically faster download of maps etc. 
Dec 2020

56000 mi
Parking brake calliper seized Clicking sounds lubricated half shafts 
Mar 2021

56000 mi
12V battery replaced, probably earlier than normal due to using the car less because of lockdowns 
Nov 2021

63000 mi

£50
Retractable door handle broken, front passenger side. Paddle gear broke, found a replacement on eBay. Time spent removing unit and distmantaling it to fit replacement part. 

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2015.5 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

417-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in California, United States
Nov 2016 - Jan 2021
Jan 2020

40000 mi

US $289
12v battery died. 
Oct 2020

45000 mi

US $5000
MCU (Computer) replacement 
Tesla Model S in Pennsylvania, United States
Mar 2015 - Jan 2021
Oct 2015

1500 mi
Driver door handle intermittently misbehaved, replaced Re-aligned passenger window 
Tesla Model S in California, United States
Sep 2015 - Oct 2019
Dec 2015

1000 mi
Replaced sill that had glue on it from manufacturing Front Driver Seat Leather not clipped into bottom of seat Decrease in Rated Range since delivery of 7 miles USB Music intermittently skips tracks or is unable to play at reentry to vehicle 
Apr 2016

3200 mi
Front Center Console flip top does not stay open Driver seat leather clips are unattached and leather hanging Passenger windows found down 1/2", continues to go down as door opens. Requires reset. Unable to recreate at Service Center. Will report if happens again to correlate to log data. Navigation and USB voice occasionally stutters and won't stop until vehicle is turned-off or rebooted. Found low MCU memory; Performed Hard reset and firmware update. Upon starting vehicle, CID will display, but controls are unresponsive for 20-30 secs. If you push a button on the screen during that time, nothing happens, then all happens at once. Performed hard reset, but problem remains. Rated Range not achieving expected web site numbers. Found no issue. Told that I need to cycle battery from 80%-30% (despite this not being in any manuals or other Tesla documentation) 
Oct 2016

6000 mi
Front leather was unhooked again from lower seat rail Passenger side wind noise at higher speed Autosteer veers to the right. The camera and radar were checked and realigned. 
Mar 2017

8367 mi
Drivers seat ticking coming loose at airbag location. New seat ordered - ETA 4-6 weeks when it will be swapped-out. Rear passenger door rubber seal is loose Front passenger window/pano wind noise Touchscreen is intermittently unresponsive and does not function until reboot. Tesla unable to recreate and provided most recent firmware. If problem persists, further diagnosis needed. 
Jun 2017

9000 mi
Replacement drivers seat finally arrived, but after taking the car in for service, they found the wrong seat (actually the wrong connectors to connect it with the multiple wiring harnesses) was delivered, so the special order process for a replacement seat has to begin again. 
Oct 2017

9000 mi
Main battery max charge continues to decline more than normal. Tesla accepted the report this time; removed original battery to be sent in for reconditioning and repair; Temporary loaner battery pack installed until original is returned Homelink occasionally forgets location and does not automatically close garage door as it should (hardware tested ok; new firmware applied, but occasional problem still exists) 
May 2018

13000 mi
After 14-months, this concluded original seat problem reported March 2017 using Tesla's Mobile Service. New seat back installed to resolve stitching coming loose where side airbag deploys from. 
Oct 2018

14000 mi
Put tape on both rear door gaskets again to reattach to door (3rd time) 

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2015.5 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch

328-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic AWD

Tesla Model S in Oregon, United States
Oct 2015 - Nov 2017
Dec 2015

1000 mi
Small indentation in front bumper on delivery Ultrasonic sensor giving false reading Rear driver side window belt trim brightwork was misaligned. 
Jan 2016

1800 mi
Creaking / rattle in driver door window sill area. Front trunk washer fluid cable scraping against body when opening front trunk. Added padding to prevent scraping. Rattle in interior instrument cluster panel area driving on freeway at speeds > 55mph Driver side mirror squeaking when automatically folding mirror Driver side panoramic roof front aplique uneven across from the front of the car. Driver seat has a lot of play when hard acceleration or braking -- seat rocks. 

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2016 Tesla Model S Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2016 Tesla Model S problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.