The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while her son was driving 20 MPH, there was a loud pop coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle started veering to the right and crashed into a parked vehicle and then crashed into a second parked vehicle. The contact's son exited the vehicle and became aware that the passenger's side front tire was turned outwards. Additionally, the driver noticed significant damage under the wheel, and suspension component were loose. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the residence. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
Tesla Model S no deployment problems
26 of the 3,428 owner complaints about the Tesla Model S describe airbags did not deploy in a crash, most of them for the 2016 model year.
- owner complaints
- 26
- worst model year
- 2016
- typical mileage
- 20,000
Is there a fix? There are 8 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Sudden acceleration 4Engine failure 2Shudder 1Headlights 1Collision warning 1Brake failure 1
What owners say
The contact owned a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the vehicle exited into a tunnel. The contact stated that his hands were on the steering wheel and that the steering wheel did not move; however, the vehicle inadvertently made a sharp left turn, and the passenger-side headlight struck the tunnel wall. The vehicle spun rapidly, and the contact's head snapped to the right. The air bags did not deploy. The contact received medical attention for whiplash. Police were made aware of the crash but did not arrive on the scene. There was no police report filed. The contact pulled over on the shoulder of the road and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle had driven for a mile when the tire pressure dropped to zero. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to a tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Car auto accelerated in parking lot structure. Hit column; air bags did not deploy so no injury to me, the driver. Dealer refuses to confirm the data to support their conclusion that driver was at fault. Vehicle inspected by dealer owned collision center and dealer related insurance company. No warning or messages prior to auto acceleration.
I pulled into a driveway on a one lane road (due to construction) to allow a car traveling downhill to pass so they would not have to back up. I had come to a complete stop in the driveway with the car in drive. As I started to put the car in reverse it surged forward at a high rate of speed crashing into my neighbor's garage, tearing the door completely down pushing the door into the garage and my car entering the garage at least 15 feet hitting the car that was parked inside and pushing it with such force that the front end of the vehicle struck the garage cabinets tearing them down. My air bag did not deploy nor did the automatic braking system engage, it just sped up as it was doing the damage. The car has been deemed a total loss by my insurance company but i don't want this report to go unnoticed. To my knowledge the insurance company has not inspected the computer on the vehicle. I'm not sure how they will investigate this occurrence. I feel strongly that this was a malfunction with my car. The message that showed immediately was "driver assist unavailable", I have NEVER used driver assist.
I was involved in a significant vehicle crash with my Tesla Model S, the vehicle wa a complete write-off and was towed away. I was taken via ambulance unconscious from my injuries. The vehicle was struck by a perpendicular vehicle who ran a stop sign and hit the front driver's side firewall/door area. The impact was hard enough to drive my car sideways against all wheels into the curb, over the curb, onto the sidewalk, and into a pole. My head hit the drivers window hard enough to break the glass and render me unconscious. No airbags deployed, curtain/seat/otherwise - no side impact airbags even. Seatbelt was worn, I was extracted by first responders - I later spoke with Tesla regarding my complaint of no air bag protection, and was told they would take this seriously and investigate. I later found out the car was auctioned off (presumably for scrap) with no evidence of Tesla even attempting an investigation and zero response indicating otherwise. After reaching out again to Tesla seeking a response, they assured me that they have GPS coordinates, Police Reports, asked for pictures (which I did send), and they promised to respond - that was more than 5 months ago and still no answers.
The contact had rented a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while his wife was making a U-turn at a low rate of speed, the vehicle accelerated with her foot on the brake pedal and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that his wife heard two warning beeps prior to the failure which the contact stated it signaled that the autopilot had independently engaged. The air bags did not deploy during the accident. The contact's wife did not suffer any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The rental company had yet to receive a diagnosis as to the cause of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
The tesla full self driving was on and it turned my car into the guardrail in the middle of the highway all by itself for no reason at 70mph. It looked like a truck was turning into my lane and instead of stopping the car swerved into the grass and I hit the guard rail. The car was totaled. I have a video of the incident. This is one of the videos: https://www.veed.io/view/8e44fe01-a7ab-457c-90ee-4f7089bfe33c Full self driving was on the whole time. When I tried to take over it was too late to stop it and the brakes did not work or stop. The airbag did not go off. There had to be an error with the full self driving that decided I should go into the guardrail.
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S 75. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the brakes were seized while on autopilot. In addition, there was a warning error the contact was unable to remember. The contact mentioned the emergency brake engaged independently and the contact was unable to control the vehicle which caused the vehicle to crash into the guardrail. A police report was not filed. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a service center where a diagnostic was not attempted but the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 21v846000 ( forward collision avoidance). The approximate failure mileage was 54,504. Vehicle was not listed on the recall.
The contact owns a Tesla Model S. The contact stated while parking into a parking space, the vehicle started shuddering inadvertently. The contact stated the braking panel button was depressed but failed to respond, causing the vehicle to continue to move forward, hit the sidewall, and inadvertently accelerate on its own crashing into a wall. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact stated the vehicle was diagnosed however, Tesla had not informed her of the diagnosis. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Here is yet another tesla that has arrived in the junkyard because its wheel went whompy. Https://www.copart.com/lot/55641240/photos/2017-tesla-model-s-nc-china-grove there is no crash damage and no airbags deployed. This is a self inflicted injury caused by pitifully weak extruded monkey-metal suspension parts. Tesla admits to the weakness but claims it is not dangerous and will not lead to a loss of control. This is bullplop! China has ordered a recall because of these suspension breakages. All the teslas around the world have the same problem. What is wrong with your organisation that you are allowing this situation to continue. You have received hundreds of valid complaints about this. Contrary to what musk has tweeted out these complaints are not fake or fraudulent. Please get on with doing your job. Thank you. Citizen keef
Related recalls
Air bags
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Model S and 2021-2025 Model X vehicles. An air bag with the incorrect horn pad may have been installed, preventing the horn from sounding.
- Risk
- An inoperative horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla service will inspect and install an air bag with the correct horn pad as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-20-001.
Recall number 25V172000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: cushion
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Model S and Model X vehicles. The driver's air bag could tear during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 212, "Windshield Mounting."
- Risk
- A torn air bag may not adequately protect an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Tesla service will replace the air bag assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-20-001.
Recall number 24V967000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2022 Model S vehicles. The front bumper carrier structure may alter the vehicle's crash detection, causing the front passenger air bag to deploy incorrectly during certain low speed crashes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- A passenger air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will replace the front bumper carrier structure, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 19, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-10-006.
Recall number 22V526000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window: curtain: inflator
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Model S vehicles. The right or left side curtain air bag inflators may have been assembled incorrectly.
- Risk
- An incorrectly assembled inflator can cause a delayed or improper deployment of the side curtain air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service Centers will replace the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-20-001.
Recall number 22V104000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: cushion
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021 Model X and Model S vehicles. The driver's air bag cushion may tear during deployment.
- Risk
- A torn air bag may not adequately protect an occupant in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-20-007.
Recall number 21V868000 · Recall details
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
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2013 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 is expected to begin in March 2018. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-18-20-001.
Recall number 18V031000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling all 2012 Model S vehicles. These vehicles are 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 frontal air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Tesla will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752.
Recall number 17V023000 · Recall details
Questions about the Tesla Model S no deployment
Which Tesla Model S years have airbags did not deploy in a crash problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2016 (7 complaints), 2017 (5 complaints) and 2018 (5 complaints).
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