2013 TESLA MODEL S Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WINDOWS IN THE VEHICLE BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING SOLD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

SLOWLY PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT A STRIP MALL, I RELEASED MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS, LIGHTLY TAPPED BRAKE AND THE CAR "UNINTENTIONALLY ACCELERATED" INTO A PALM TREE IN FRONT OF A BRICK PILLAR AT A STRIP MALL. I BACKED OUT TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. HUSBAND WAS WITNESS IN DRIVER'S SEAT. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME, (LAST YEAR AT A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT) ALTHO THE FIRST TIME NO DAMAGE WAS DONE AND NO REPORTS WERE FILED. POOR DECISION IN HINDSIGHT! SINCE NO PERSON WAS INJURED, THE POLICE DEPT WOULD NOT TAKE A REPORT. INSURANCE WAS CALLED AS WELL AS TESLA. TESLA TOOK 6 DAYS TO PULL LOGS AND ASSURED US IT WAS BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND ESCALATED TO MANAGEMENT. WE RECEIVED A CALL YESTERDAY FROM TOSHA AT TESLA, RELAYING THAT THEY DETERMINED THAT T WAS DRIVER ERROR AND LOG REPORTS SHOW THAT AS THE CAR WAS PULLING INTO THE SPOT, IT WAS ON A 3 ON A SCALE OF 100 AND THEN IT ACCELERATED 87% AND THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. DOES NOT MAKE LOGICAL SENSE THAT THE CAR COULD ACCELERATE 87% IN A MATTER OF 2 FEET! I AM 150% SURE I DID NOT HIT THE ACCELERATOR. I AM 47, NOT A 90 YR OLD WOMAN WHO MAY HAVE PEDAL CONFUSION. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED WITH ANY OF OUR OTHER NON-TESLA CARS NOR IN MY 40+ YEARS OF DRIVING CARS OR MOTORCYCLES. THEIR RESPONSE IS SUSPECT AND WE ARE QUITE FRANKLY FEARFUL TO DRIVE THE CAR SAFELY. THIS STIP MALL HAS LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT WALK BY, ESP ELDERLY AND THE FACT THAT NO ONE OR THE PILLAR WAS HIT IS A BLESSING. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WILL BE ASKING TESLA FOR A WRITTEN REPORT OF THEIR FINDINGS BUT NOT CONFIDENT IT WILL BE PROVIDED. WE PLAN TO SEEK COUNSEL AS WELL ESP SINCE THIS IS CONSIDERED AN "AT FAULT ACCIDENT".

THIS ACCIDENT REPORT IS A PREVIOUS ACCIDENT INVOLVING THE SAME 2013 TESLA MODEL S 60 AS REPORTED IN THE NHTSA REPORT FILED ON AUGUST 24, 2015. ON ON MAY 7, 2013 WHILE DRIVING MY 2013 MODEL S 60, I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE IN THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO THE SPOT. AS I PULLED IN, I LET MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR,AND APPLIED THE BREAK. THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD, JUMPING A PARKING BLOCK, THEN OVER A CURB, AND FINALLY INTO A CEMENT LIGHT POST. THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND I WAS STUNNED. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TESLA WHO SENT A QUALIFIED TESLA TOW TRUCK. IT TOOK TWO HOURS TO GET THE CAR ONTO A FLAT-BED TRUCK BECAUSE THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND SHUT DOWN. IT HAD TO BE DRAGGED OVER TWO PARKING BLOCKS, SUSTAINING EVEN MORE DAMAGE. TESLA SENT THE CAR DIRECTLY TO THE BODY SHOP. I INSISTED THAT THEY RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST BECAUSE I WAS (AND STILL AM) CERTAIN THAT THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE VAN NUYS SERVICE CENTER REP SAID THAT THE CAR HAD TO BE REPAIRED FIRST BEFORE ANY DIAGNOSTIC TEST COULD BE RUN. AFTER THREE WEEKS I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TESLA. THE ENGINEERS REPORTED TO ME THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED TO 48%, SECONDS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AND 98.4% AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. I STILL BELIEVE THAT THE CAR ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT BY REPORTING THIS ACCIDENT (AND THE SUBSEQUENT ACCIDENT ON JULY 16, 2015) FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS CAN BE CONDUCTED BEFORE PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR WORSE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY (FARMERS) DOES NOT INTEND TO INVESTIGATE. IT IS LESS EXPENSIVE FOR THEM TO PAY FOR A REPLACEMENT VALUE THAN TO DETERMINE THE TRUE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT. FORTUNATELY, YOU AND YOUR AGENCY ASPIRE TO A HIGHER PURPOSE.

ON JULY 16, 2015 WHILE DRIVING MY 2013 MODEL S 60, I MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN INTO A PARKING SPACE IN SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. AS I PULLED INTO THE SPACE, I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR AND APPLIED THE BREAKS. INSTEAD OF STOPPING, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD OVER A CURB AND A BERM, STOPPING WHEN IT HIT A FIRE HYDRANT, PROPELLING IT OFF OF ITS BOLTS, GENERATING A HUGE GEYSER OF WATER. BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WATER GUSHING OVER MY CAR, I HAD NO VISIBILITY AND ELECTED TO STAY IN THE CAR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DIAL 911. MOMENTS LATER, A MAN WHO HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE CAR NEXT TO THE SPACE WHERE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK, OPENED THE BACK DOOR TO ASK ABOUT MY CONDITION. I THEN EXITED THE CAR. I WAS NOT INJURED AND THANK GOODNESS THE CAR HAD NOT HIT ANOTHER PERSON OR ANOTHER CAR. IT TOOK A TOW TRUCK ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO ARRIVE AT THE SCENE. ALL THE WHILE THE TORRENTIAL WATER SURGED AROUND, UNDER AND OVER MY CAR AND NOW FLOODED THE INTERIOR. ACCORDING TO TESLA, EITHER THE CAR SHORTED-OUT CAUSING ALL OF THE WINDOWS TO ROLL DOWN OR THERE IS A SAFETY FEATURE THAT CAUSES THE WINDOWS TO ROLL DOWN IF THE CAR PERCEIVES IT IS UNDER WATER. THE MAN WHO BRAVED THE FLOOD OF WATER FROM THE FIRE HYDRANT TO CHECK ON ME SAW THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT AS HE WAS SITTING IN HIS CAR. HE SAID THAT MY BREAK LIGHTS WERE ON AS MY CAR WENT OVER THE BERM. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CAUSED THE CAR TO ACCELERATE BY ITSELF AND I AM CERTAIN THAT MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE NEXT DAY, I HEARD FROM BOTH MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE BODY SHOP THAT TESLA WANTED THE CAR AT THEIR SERVICE CENTER IN VAN NUYS. SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, THE CLAIMS ADJUSTER CALLED TO SAY THAT DUE TO THE HEAVY WATER DAMAGE, THE CAR HAS BEEN TOTALED. I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT ON THE NHTSA'S WEBSITE BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAR. ALSO, SEE NHTSA REPORT OF PREVIOUS 2013 ACCIDENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING TO ITS MAXIMUM ACCELERATION RATE AND CRASHED INTO FIVE PARKED VEHICLES. THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AWAY BY AAA. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT WAS UNABLE TO ADVISE THE CONTACT OF THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,021.

TIMOTHY DEVINE WAS KILLED AFTER DRIVING HIS VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND DOWN THE CANYON. THE TESLA STARTED A BRUSHFIRE THAT WAS SO BAD THAT 180 FIREFIGHTERS WERE CALLED IN AND MALIBU CANYON ROAD WAS CLOSED FOR OVER 9 HOURS. TANG, A SPOKESMAN FROM THE HIGHWAY PATROL SAID THAT TIMOTHY DEVINE WAS SO BADLY BURNED HE WASN'T RECOGNIZABLE AS A PERSON AND THAT FIRE HAD MELTED THE CAR DOWN TO NOTHING. WAS THIS SUICIDE OR DRIVER ERROR? WAS THIS KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH STEERING, UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, BRAKE FAILURE, ETC. WAS THIS FATAL CRASH, FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS THE THE FAULT OF THE DRIVER AND OR THE FAULT OF THE VEHICLE?

I PREVIOUSLY FILED A COMPLAINT TO NHTSA ON 9/24/2013 WITH NHTSA ID NO. 10545230. I NOTICED SIMILAR ISSUE WAS REPORTED BY 3 OR 4 OTHER TESLA OWNERS: (1) 9/26/2013 NHTSA ID NO. 10545488, (2) 9/29/2014 NHTSA NO. 10639849, (3) 9/29/2014 NHTSA NO. 10639935, AND (4) 6/8/2015 NHTSA ID NO. 10723925. THERE WAS ANOTHER SIMILAR CASE IN CAMARILLO CA AS REPORTED BY VENTURA COUNTY STAR ON 3/29/2013 BUT APPARENTLY WAS NOT REPORTED TO NHTSA. THERE WERE SO MANY SIMILAR INCIDENCES HAPPENED WITH ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF 2013 AND 2014 TESLA MODEL S ON THE ROAD, SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THE MODEL S. TESLA CANNOT KEEP BLAMING THE DRIVERS BEING AT FAULT.

LEFT REAR SUSPENSION INTEGRAL LINK COMPLETELY BROKE AND THE ATTACHED PIECE LODGED IN THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE RIM CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE TIRE RIM. *TR

WAS REPLACING THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AND NOTED AN ODD "NOTCH" IN THE LEFT REAR SUSPENSION ALUMINUM UPPER CONTROL ARM. CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE UPPER CONTROL ARM WAS PARTIALLY SEVERED WITH APPROXIMATELY 1/2 OF THE LOWER PORTION CROSS SECTION, AND 1/3 TO 1/4 OF THE UPPER PORTION CROSS SECTION, CUT THROUGH BY THE LOWER SHOCK ABSORBER ATTACHMENT BOLT. IT APPEARS THAT THE BOLT WAS MOUNTED BACKWARDS, WITH THE SHARP TIP OF THE BOLT FACING FORWARD INSTEAD OF REARWARD, AT EITHER THE FACTORY, OR WHEN THE POWERTRAIN WAS REPLACED BY THE TESLA DENVER SERVICE CENTER (AS REPORTED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER). EXTENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE AND, FRANKLY, THEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO ACCURATELY DEPICT THE SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC NATURE OF THIS SUSPENSION DAMAGE. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE UPPER CONTROL ARM, A MAJOR SUSPENSION COMPONENT WHOSE FAILURE WOULD LIKE RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND POSSIBLY A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT, WAS AT OR NEAR THE POINT OF FRACTURE DUE TO THE MASSIVE LOSS OF CROSS SECTIONAL MATERIAL FROM THE FREQUENT IMPACTS (ON SUSPENSION COMPRESSION) BY THE MUCH HARDER/STRONGER BOLT TIP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BOLT TIP ACTED AS A LATHE, CUTTING INTO THE SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM WITH EACH SUSPENSION CYCLE. IN THE SHORT TERM, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND AN IMMEDIATE INSPECTION OF THE TESLA MODEL S FLEET, BEGINNING WITH MODEL S'S THAT HAVE HAD THEIR POWERTRAIN LOWERED AND REINSTALLED, TO SEE HOW MANY OTHER MODEL S'S HAVE THIS IMPENDING CATASTROPHIC DEFECT. WHILE IT COULD HAPPEN, I WOULD BE HIGHLY SURPRISED IF THIS VIN WAS THE ONE AND ONLY CASE OF THIS BOLT BEING INSTALLED BACKWARDS. IN THE LONGER TERM, I RECOMMEND THIS BOLT BE REDESIGNED SO AS TO PREVENT INCORRECT INSTALLATION. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHS. *TR

NEEDED TO REPLACE DRIVE MOTOR, 85KW BATTERY IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS AND CURRENTLY HAVE FAULTY ONBOARD CHARGER AND NOT ABLE TO CHARGE. THESE FREQUENT CHARGING PROBLEMS HAVE REALLY ANNOYED ME. TESLA SERVICE HAS BEEN REALLY NICE AND RESPONSIVE, HOWEVER, I DECIDED TO REPORT THESE BECAUSE THE ISSUES ARE BEYOND WHAT'S EXPECTED FROM A NEW CAR, LET ALONE A TESLA. THIS IS LESS THAN RELIABLE FOR A 1+ YR OLD CAR. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE EXTENSION OF TESLA DRIVE TRAIN AND BATTERY WARRANTY (UNLIMITED MILES) THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. *TR