2013 Tesla Model S body problems

Filed Jul 6, 2025 · Body · MD

Front impact bumper separated from mount on one side due to rust. Noticed a noise from front of car when going over small bumps in the road. If we had been in an accident, the impact bumper would not have provided adequate protection for the passengers or vehicle components near the drivers front where the mount had separated from the bar. No other inspections have occurred. Pictures and info can also be found here: [XXX] Issue found during replacement of upper control arms. (image has an upper control arm that was removed from the same car at the same time with little/no rust) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 7, 2024 · Body · CA

When parked and opening the drivers door or rear passenger doors, the front passenger door will unlatch. Something is setting off the relay to open the front door when other doors open. Does not happen 100% of the time, but 50%+

Filed Jul 3, 2023 · Body · CA

First the passenger door handle broke and Tesla fixed it, now the driver door handle broke. Seems like a safety issue and these things are just designed to break.

Filed Jun 29, 2022 · Body · IL

The Model S door handles extend/retract. The handle mechanism involves a gear that extends the handle out and a spring of sorts that retracts the door handle. The door handle can be programmed to automatically extend when in proximity to the key fob or be programmed to extend only when the car is physically unlocked with the key fob. Over the course of ownership (9 years) I have needed at least 7-8 door handles replaced because of a failure of the door handle to extend. When the door handle does not extend, the door cannot be opened from the outside. It can be difficult to pry open the door handle if the door handle cannot extend. If the driver door handle does not function, and if the driver becomes unconscious or incapacitated, there is no easy way for an individual outside the car to open the driver door without breaking the window or climbing into the car via another door that can be opened with a functioning door handle. This represents a significant safety concern and could render the door unusable and impede the efforts of rescue personnel from intervening on behalf of the driver. These door handles seemingly have a shelf life before failure, and I have been told by Tesla that they consider door handles to be "consumables," which suggests that they, like belts, brake pads, tires, etc. simply need to be replaced after a certain time. Over 30 years of owning and driving automobiles, I have never had to replace defective door handles at all, and certainly not once every year or two. Not to mention the safety issue, but Tesla also charges for parts and labors every time a door handle needs to be replaced.

Filed Dec 30, 2021 · Body, Electrical · 45,000 miles · CA

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. The Department of Auto Motor Repair of California investigated and informed the contact that the dealer had kept his original battery and the third battery that the dealer installed in the vehicle was not new. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the third battery with the original one; however, the failure reoccurred. The dealer replaced the original battery with an upgraded battery. The contact also stated that the hood would not close securely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer; Tesla (7077 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89117) who repaired the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door would fail to close. The vehicle was towed twice to the second dealer and was finally repaired. The contact stated that the center display of the vehicle would inadvertently turn off while driving. The contact stated that the failure had prevented him from using the rearview camera or have control of the door switches and some features of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

Filed Dec 16, 2021 · Body · PA

When driving out of parking lot I turned on to the main road and was going about 20 mph when the front hood of car ( Tesla calls this the frunk) came open and raised up to a vertical position completely blocking my view. Fortunately I was going slowly and was able to pull off to the right shoulder and stop. I then was able to close this hood and continue home. Nothing appears damaged. I have no idea how or why this happened. There is no safety catch on this hood to keep it from flying open if the latch fails for some reason or another. Further more on the screen there is a button that can be pushed to open this front hood. I have not opened this front hood for several months. Further I don't know if this button will open the front hood if the car is in motion. If this front hood had come open while the car was moving at a high speed I could have lost control and been killed. I have owned many cars and have never seen one that did not have a safety catch on the front hood to prevent it from opening if the main catch was unlocked. This is a serious safety defect and Tesla should be required to recall any of its cars that do not have a safety catch feature holding the front hood from coming up unless released by a person standing in from of car and unlatching it by hand. Further the button on the screen should not be able to release the front hood if the car is moving. Lastly if this release button is pushed there should be some kind of audible warning to the driver that the front hood is not latched properly or the car should not be able to move forward if this front hood is not properly latched.

Filed Apr 22, 2021 · Body · 84,000 miles · WA

Driver's front side door handle failed to present and required repair. Repaired with latest generation handles. This is not the first time a handle has had issues on my car (it is the 3rd time a handle has been replaced). This is concerning as it is difficult to get into the vehicle. I was without a working handle for about 2 weeks before I could get it fixed. If an accident were to occur during this time - and someone was trying to open the door and unable to due to this defect - this could easily cause a delay in extraction and potentially a loss of life.

Filed Jan 26, 2020 · Acceleration, Body · 7 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

On november 1, 2019, I was slowly braking and start turning right into my driveway on the 2013 tesla model s. I felt a surge of the vehicle and 1 second later, the vehicle landed on top of the staircase of my house entrance and driveway. I did not press on the accelerator at all when I slowly turning into the driveway.the vehicle sped on its own for only a split second. I called tesla roadside assistance. The representative contacted me and direct me to a repair shop and he told me that he would have the vehicle's information to be sent to the engineers to find out what happened. I had my vehicle towed but to repair shop but tesla support team has been ignoring all my calls and email. My vehicle was considered to be total loss by my insurance company.

Filed Jan 11, 2020 · Body · FL

Tesla model s door pops open when you select the doors to unlock. Many times, it doesnt even show on the dash board, so you dont know its open unless you notice it or hear noise coming from outside. You go check and thats when you realize it is open. Very unsafe. Someone can just roll out of the car.

Filed Oct 2, 2019 · Body · 38,000 miles · CA

The driver's door handle (exterior) will not present, which makes it impossible to open the driver's door from the outside. The vehicle is 6 years old with less than 40k miles on it. The tesla customer service rep said this was a known defect, but they are still charging over $400 to fix it. This happened when the car was stationary. I pulled over on the side of the freeway to help someone, and when I tried to get back into my car, the handle would not present and I had to enter from the passenger side which was very dangerous with oncoming traffic. The handle has not worked since. Many other tesla owners have reported this problem. Door handles are a necessity for all vehicles, and should last a reasonable lifetime for a car. Not being able to enter your car is a safety issue.