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2017 Tesla Model S problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2017 Tesla Model S has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 0safety recalls
- 379owner complaints
- 46crash reports
- 4fire reports
- 16%fail the UK MOT
379 complaints, against an average of 204 for the other 14 Tesla Model S model years.
Every Tesla Model S model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2017 Tesla Model S?
The components named most often in the 379 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2017 Tesla Model S owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 379 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2017 Tesla Model S been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2017 Tesla Model S as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.
Is the 2017 Tesla Model S recalled in the UK or Europe?
Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.
UK DVSAMisalignment of the hood latch may prevent latching of the secondary latch
Risk: Misalignment of the hood latch may prevent latching of the secondary latch.
Fix: Inspect the secondary hood latch on affected vehicles. If the hood is not properly retained by the secondary latch the latch mechanism will be reassembled and repositioned to assure proper alignment.
UK DVSAWhen the emmc reaches accumulated lifetime wear the customer may experience a blank centre display
Risk: When the eMMC reaches accumulated lifetime wear the customer may experience a blank centre display.
Fix: Ensure current software is installed and upgrade the VCM daughterboard to a 64GB Micron eMMC.
UK DVSAThe propellant in the front passenger airbag inflator may degrade over time
Risk: The front passenger airbag inflator could rupture in the event the airbag is deployed.
Fix: Replace the front passenger air bag on affected vehicles.
UK DVSAParking brake may not release correctly
Risk: An improperly manufactured internal caliper gear may fail. This may cause the EPB not to release and in some circumstances not to apply. An EPB warning light and message should appear.
Fix: On affected vehicles replace the brake caliper.
EU Safety GateOn some Model S vehicles, the latch assembly of the front hood may be aligned too far rearward.While this alignment does not impact latching of the primary latch with the hood striker, it may prevent latching of the secondary latch. If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood may open without warning and obstruct the driver’s visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. If the primary latch is inadvertently released, the driver will receive an alert on the user interface.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 20/01/2022
EU Safety GateThe cable controlling the adjustment mechanisms for the left-hand seat in the second row could be badly-adjusted.In the event of a crash, this could lead to the backrest moving forwards, increasing the risk of injury for the occupant of the seat.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
EU Safety GateDefects in the gas generator of the passenger airbag lead to uncontrolled unfolding when the airbag is triggered.The excessively high internal pressure can damage the airbag casing, metal particles can come loose, causing injuries to the vehicle occupants.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
How often does the 2017 Tesla Model S fail its MOT?
Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2017, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do 2017 Tesla Model S owners report?
12 of the 379 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
While merging onto the highway an error message showed up on the dash stating "Steering Assist May be Reduced" upon immediately after the steering froze and could only be moved slightly using significant force. Approx. 75lbs. I am athletic and work out and had trouble moving the car to the side. If my wife or daughter had driven the car they would not have been able to steer and this could have caused a significant accident, injury or death. Upon pulling over, I rebooted both computers on the Tesla Model S 75 D and the problem went away. I immediately drove to the Tesla dealer in Chesterfield…
The intermediate steering shaft is binding, causing difficulty turning the wheel and inconsistent steering wheel feel. It often will cause the full self driving to disengage during turns Tesla has revised the part that now includes a protective rubber bootyet has not issued a recall as the part accumulates debris and rust out and binding the universal joint
Software 2025.14.1, Full Self Driving 12.6.4 (FSD). Vehicle when using FSD continuously slows to 10 MPH below the speed limit. You can manually press the accelerator to speed up but FSD will not brake when doing so and warns you of the same. After a minute of being back at the speed limit, FSD again slows down. Repeat this process constantly. Very dangerous.
Using software version 2025.14.1 with FSD (Full Self Driving) version 12.6.4. About 50% of the time the vehicle attempts and fails to change lanes when using FSD. It will: 1. Turn on signal and not change lanes, confusing cars around me. Or more often 2. Swerve between lanes indefinitely. See example at [XXX] It drives like a drunk driver. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Stoped at intersection. While trying to engage signal lights, hit the stalk below that engages full self driving. Car immediately jumped into intersection .in front of another car and almost collided. Since the last update, Cars with my configuration wave been acting irradely and it is not safe to use FSD.
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V838000 (Electrical System) and 24V051000 (Electrical System); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Car rattles when driven and makes loud sounds when going over bumps. Took to Tesla with 50k miles on it and they said it needs new air spring modules on front left and right. Did not do repair as it was over $3000. My car was built in the Fremont factory, the same as the cars in china that were recalled for the same reason. My car was a Tesla fleet car when I purchased it May of this year. Tesla had to know there was a problem and that’s why they wholesaled it to a different car dealership to be sold.
I don't have this problem anymore because I had the circuit board replaced. The issue I have observed is the auto high beam feature doesn't work properly. They get stuck in the high setting and don't adapt to on-coming traffic. It's primarily in model y cars but all models have been observed. This might be as simple as needing the adaptive setting to be default or in my case a new control board replaced. The remedy before I got it fixed was to not have high engaged with the stock. I don't think there is a manual solution with the y or any newer teslas.
Approaching my garage door as it was opening when the car suddenly accelerated smashing through the garage door, through the back wall of the garage, through the laundry room and finally stopped in the main bedroom with the front wheels off the ground as the car rested on top of the washing machine.
Rear suspension control arm broke. Causing the rare right wheel to fold in.
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact was informed by the Tesla Service Center that the infotainment system hardware needed to be replaced for the…
While in autosteer, I pressed on the brakes which normally deactivates the autosteer while coming to a stop. In this particular case the car did not brake upon command and the car maintained acceleration thru a stop light and veered into a median causing a collision with a curb causing structural damage to the frame of the vehicle. I have put in a claim with both my insurance and Tesla and advise that the brakes did not activate in a timely fashion upon disengaging from Autosteer thus causing the collision and was advise by Tesla that I would be responsible to cover the damages when the…
2017 Tesla Model S: questions owners ask
Is the 2017 Tesla Model S reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 379 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Tesla Model S; the most common categories were electrical system (104, 27.4%), suspension (104, 27.4%), steering (42, 11.1%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 46 complaints mention a crash, 4 mention a fire, 22 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Tesla Model S?
Across 379 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are electrical system (27.4% of complaints), suspension (27.4% of complaints), steering (11.1% of complaints), forward collision avoidance (10.8% of complaints), vehicle speed control (8.7% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2017 Tesla Model S have any recalls?
As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2017 Tesla Model S. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What causes clunking or suspension noise in the 2017 Tesla Model S?
51 of the 379 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2017 Tesla Model S (13.5%) describe suspension clunks, worn parts or air suspension failures. One owner wrote: "Left lower rear control arm is broken. Luckily it happened as I entered the garage. Could have been catastrophic on highway driving. There was no warning message of light." (NHTSA complaint 11558223, December 2023). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does the infotainment screen freeze, reboot or go black in my 2017 Tesla Model S?
33 of the 379 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2017 Tesla Model S (8.7%) describe the infotainment or touch screen freezing, rebooting or going black. One owner wrote: "This is aTesla Model S electric car. The battery was 80% charged at the time of the incident. Under normal driving at a speed of around 40 MPH in a city road road, suddenly the car lost power. The steering wheel locked and I had no control over the car." (NHTSA complaint 11489769, October 2022). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Model S
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), DVSA vehicle recalls (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2017 only; combines NHTSA's entries for MODEL S 60, MODEL S 60D, MODEL S 75, MODEL S 75D, MODEL S 90D, MODEL S P100D and MODEL S P90D.