I was driving about 20mph, my airbag deployed for no reason. No recalls, no warnings, nothing. I had my [XXX] daughter in the car and it was all filled with white smoke. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2016 Tesla Model S airbags problems
14 complaints (2% of all complaints for this car). 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Tesla Model S airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Tesla Model S airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2014-2016 Model S vehicles equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla Service Centers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began May 29, 2019. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-19-20-001.
Recall number 19V002000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.
EA21002
What 2016 Tesla Model S owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
-Airbag warning light on -Horn not working -Steering wheel scroll buttons not working -Clicking noise when turning wheel This failure occurred during normal driving. Airbags will not deploy and horn is inoperable, creating a safety risk myself and my family. I have never been into any accidents and have only driven normal. These safety systems should not fail. This is a manufacturing issue.
Tesla has refused to fix safety recall items. They asked me to replace the cluster own my own so i can receive updates.
So essentially I stopped for a charge about 30 minutes before, I charged it, then hopped back on the turnpike as I was heading to Outer Banks NC, while I was on the turn pike where I believe at the time I started to go around a curve not a sharp one but a curve right after coming off this bridge. Every 1 minute and 30 seconds you have to put your hands on the wheel and give it a jerk to keep it enable so it had to have popped up within the 1 minute and 30 seconds. As I was changing the album of the artists I was listening too I heard the BEEP BEEP BEEP which means you are approaching something and are about to hit it, As I looked up all I saw was blinking lights and really smacked the rear end of this traffic control truck, anywhere from 65-75 miles per hour with no time to react. If I remember correctly I had my car on 7 lengths away (maximum amount you can have away). As I hit the control I hit my head pretty hard on the steering wheel so the whole memory is blurry following when it happened and my adrenaline was very high but I didn’t wanna go to the Emergency room even though they suggested highly because I have no health insurance and that would have had to come out of my own pocket and I was stuck in Pennsylvania by myself and didn’t wanna get stuck in the hospital too. Thank you so much for taking your time to look at this it means a lot.
Tesla service center refuses to perform recall on my car: - Manufacturer Recall NumberTBD, the federal safety agency Recall Number21V035 - Manufacturer Recall NumberTBD the federal safety agency Recall Number17V-260 - Manufacturer Recall NumberTBDagency Recall NumberTBD - Manufacturer Recall NumberTBD the federal safety agency Recall Number21V-00B
The vanity mirrors can easily fell off from the sun visors. I got this problem, and found the heavy mirror is glued by white double sided adhesive tape which will loss adhesion at high temperatures. Then the mirror fell because of gravity. Although, there is a plastic mirror cover, the cover has very fragile thin spin axles. I did not witness the whole process, but since I do not use that mirror so the mirror cover should not be damaged before this happed. So I guess that in my case the fallen mirror smashed the cover, and the cover axles are broken and so the cover got opened automatically and let the mirror came out. There are airbags behind the sun visors, so the falling mirrors and covers are not only a risk factor for daily driving but also may cause severe injury when the airbags are activated. I do not use that mirror, I only use the sun visors, so this is definitely a car defect. The fallen mirror is not showed in my pictures. When I found the problem, the cover was not completely detached from the sun visor, since I cannot close it anymore and it seems like will falling soon, so I pulled it off.
Vehicle was tboned on the driver's side and neither the side nor curtain airbags deployed.
Received a safety recall letter and tesla has been unresponsive to correct safety recall code: 19v‑002
Tesla is offering this VIN for sale on its website, but is in non-compliance with 573.15 (b) 2 as there is no hyperlink on the manufacturer's main united states website. In order to access VIN recall lookups, the user must click 4 levels deep (main -> privacy and legal -> recall -> click here to check if your car is affected by a recall).
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2016 tesla model s. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v002000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Tesla (1200 old skokie valley rd, highland park, il 60035, (847) 579-0028) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Questions about the 2016 Tesla Model S airbags
Does the 2016 Tesla Model S have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the airbags of the 2016 Tesla Model S, 2% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2016 Tesla Model S airbags problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Tesla Model S airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 19V002000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Tesla Model S have bad airbags?
The Tesla Model S model years with the most airbags complaints are 2015 (22 complaints), 2016 (14 complaints) and 2014 (13 complaints).
Other 2016 Tesla Model S problems
Suspension 211Electrical 150Steering 87Acceleration 82Driver assistance 78Brakes 56Lights 49Visibility 39Body 31Transmission 18Fuel system 15Wheels 15Engine 6Locks 6Seats 3Seat belts 1Tires 1
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