2013 Tesla Model S: engine stalls while driving

Filed Mar 29, 2026 · Lights · CA

Vehicle lights turned off while driving home with my family. Pulling over and turning off and on the car reset the problem. When lights turned off I received a warning light identifying a faulty right headlight and faulty left headlight. No accident and vehicle is currently outside manufacture warranty.

Filed Feb 27, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · 108,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the parking brake seized while leaving a charging station, and the vehicle screeched into oncoming traffic and stalled. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle had not been charged prior to a snowstorm, and the battery became fully drained. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the main battery and 12-Volt battery needed to be replaced before the diagnostic test. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle failed to shift into drive or move. The jack mode was disengaged. While driving, the rear wheels were screeching. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB: SB-21-33-002). The vehicle was towed to another local dealer, Tesla Service Arlington-Glebe Rd (2710 S Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22206). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The battery was at 19 percent. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

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 Jul 6, 2021 · Driver assistance, Lights · 120,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) unit became inoperable causing the vehicle to stall. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the VCM unit needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated 18 months later, he received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 21V035000 (Back over prevention, Visibility, Exterior lighting). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed May 5, 2021 · Transmission · 24,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 tesla model s. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to los angeles-centinela (5840 w. Centinela ave los angeles, ca 90045 310) 649-5463) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the drive shaft. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

Filed Nov 23, 2020 · CA

Center console freezes, unable to control lights, air-conditioner, navigation, and audio.the screen also turns off while driving and while charging.

Filed Jun 24, 2020 · Electrical · 53,000 miles · CA

The middle console suddenly blacked out and would not reboot. This restricted drive functions including reverse camera, navigation, air conditioning on a hot summer day, no entertainment in the vehicle. The blackout occurred as I was at a stop sign in a residential neighborhood. I gravely feared the car would simply turn off in traffic as it felt like it was stalling / driving differently. I immediately took my car to a super charger to see if that would help. I was told by a remote tesla operator that the disruption was due to software attempting to update - which, was not prompted as it typically does. Completely blindsided by this malfunction, the next day the car would not unlock in the typical fashion by key detection. It also wouldn't connect to the app to unlock. I again called tesla and they attempted a remote unlock which was unsuccessful. They suggested having the car towed to tesla for a few. Fortunately, I was able to unlock the car by double clicking the key fob - why didn't the tesla agent make that suggestion rather than suggesting an expensive tow?? I ended up paying to replace the mcu.

Filed Oct 28, 2019 · Electrical, Fuel system · 64,611 miles · WA

Re: the federal safety agency action number: dp19005 - investigation subject : battery management software updates after most recent firmware update (exact date unknown -- sometime late this summer)-- supercharging speed appears to have been limited. It now takes 2-3x the amount of time to charge when traveling. I tested multiple superchargers for my trip which occurred on during the weekend of 9/2. I am fully aware of conditions that can slow the speed (stall sharing, high soc, low/high battery temp, etc). None of these conditions were present -- yet my charge speed was limited during all charging sessions and across multiple locations/dates/times during this trip. I've brought this concern up on 2 separate occasions: 1. 9/5/19 - was told "tested on supercharger and verified vehicle charging at expected rate, no further action required" 2. 10/3/19 - verbally - spoke to mobile service technician while performing service at my house. He did not confirm or deny my charge rate was limited. I am concerned that my battery charge rate is limited due to a fire risk, as the software update was released after cars caught on fire this year.

Filed Feb 15, 2019 · Acceleration, Electrical · 91,000 miles · CO · crash · 1 injury

It was a 2hr45min drive into work on an icy blizzardy morning, driving my 2013 model s rwd p85 with 90,000mi. Have owned this car for 4 yrs. Made it to work safely and the last 6 feet in the parking garage, going about 3 MPH pulling at a right angle into a parking stall. Had brake pedal depressed, shifted my foot to tap on the accelerator to inch forward and next thing you know, car is accelerating full throttle into a cement wall. Crashed head on and airbag didn't even deploy. Sat for a moment to catch my breath and try to process what happened. Sent "bug report" on to tesla central from the car. The dashboard had prnd lit up in red and the vehicle would not go into drive or reverse. Accelerator pedal was completely limp. Zero resistance. Thankfully, no other car was around me. Called tesla service and they told us to reboot the car. We did, but accelerator pedal remained completely unresponsive. Had to push out of the 5 story garage and tow it to an autobody shop. Filed police report. Reported to local tesla service center immediately. A few days later, we heard back from the tesla rep that said that report showed no malfunction. According to tesla accelerator went from 0% to 88% suddenly, implying "driver error." yet they also said the brake was tapped and then released prior to impact. This does not jive, why we a person accelerate, tap the brake then release? Skid marks from rear tires left on garage floor. Tesla won't release data. We do not want to accept this report and this is not what happened during the crash. Today the auto body shop informed us that they were curious why the car is not driveable. After being reset, they discovered the accelerator pedal is broken. Experience during the crash, combined with very unusual car behavior, and a broken accelerator refute tesla's claim of operator error.