I purchase my Tesla Model S in February 2026. Shortly after the purchase, My Tesla car drove through red light twice with its Full Self Drive (FSD) engaged. Recently my car crashed into a planter wall with its FSD system engaged while I was trying to take over. The car immediately caught fire following the collision. There are significant concerns that I would like to raise here: 1. After the crash, fire started immediately followed by two explosions, the exterior door handles did not deploy, creating a potential emergency rescue hazard. If I had not been able to use the manual release, I could have lost my life in the fire/explosions. I am a physician. After this accident, I tried to educate all my patients, coworkers and friends. I found out that more than half of the Tesla drivers in my patient population, coworkers and friends did not know where the manual releases were. 2. Tesla heavily promotes FSD, creating consumer expectations about its capabilities and safety. I believe that I was misled about how safe the system was. The sales representatives did not adequately inform me about potential risks that I now believe were important to my purchasing decision. My experience raises concerns about whether consumers are receiving clear, prominent, accurate, and understandable information about FSD's actual capabilities, operational limitations, and safety risks before purchasing or relying on the system. Consumers could be led to overestimate the system's capabilities and rely on it in ways that increase the risk of a crash.
Tesla Model S door locks problems
115 of the 3,426 owner complaints about the Tesla Model S describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2015 model year.
- owner complaints
- 115
- worst model year
- 2015
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 60,000
By model year
Often reported together
Key fob 4Headlights 4Fire or smoke 4Backup camera 4Lane assist 3Screen failure 3Wipers 2Collision warning 2
What owners say
The vehicle has suffered a catastrophic, intermittent low-voltage network crash caused by a failing Body Control Module (BCM), resulting in multiple dangerous safety-critical failure modes. On a previous occasion, the vehicle woke up with severe network faults and automatically forced itself into Neutral. When the driver stepped out to get the child and shut the door, the system crashed entirely and the exterior electronic door handles failed to present, trapping an infant child inside the running vehicle. Most recently, while driving in a rainstorm, the vehicle suffered a complete failure of the windshield wipers, a total loss of the high-beam headlights, a total loss of the horn, and a total loss of electronic communication to the electronic parking brake system. Most critically, the vehicle experienced an uncommanded propulsion hazard where it hard-locked itself in the 'Drive' gear and absolutely refused to shift into 'Park' or 'Neutral,' forcing the driver to physically maintain heavy hydraulic brake pressure to keep the vehicle from creeping forward. Because the horn failed and the parking brake was disabled, the driver was trapped in the driver's seat holding the brakes and was forced to call 911 for emergency first responders to come and physically block the wheels so the driver and infant could safely exit. Tesla Service has diagnosed the issue as a failed central Body Control Module (Part #1010906-00-D), but the cascading network failure modes present an extreme, life-threatening hazard regarding vehicle control and child entrapment.
2022 Tesla Model S Plaid purchased CPO from Tesla Florida Inc. Jacksonville on 8/29/2025 for $75,533.19. Multiple unresolved safety defects. (1) Trunk closure obstacle-detection failure 10/15/2025: key fob fell in gap between liftgate and roof; powered liftgate continued upward opening cycle and compressed fob against fixed roof glass until rear glass shattered. $4,100 repair. Same cycle on a child hand or finger would cause crush injury or amputation. Tesla Model X tailgate and falcon doors have obstacle detection; Plaid liftgate lacks it. (2) Passenger-side rear door handle requires extreme pressure to operate, raised 10/25/2025; iced over 1/19/2026 compounding egress hazard. (3) Center console haptic backup gear selector non-functional plus observed main touchscreen reset/blackout events: no manual gear control during foreseeable touchscreen failure event. (4) HV battery umbrella valves and flood port plunger required replacement 10/25/2025. (5) Rear spoiler bilaterally detached as of 5/13/2026 on 200mph-capable vehicle. (6) Front trunk latch unreliable; requires 2-3 commands to open; risk of hood opening at speed. (7) USB charging circuit melted a portable battery bank 11/2/2025; fire-risk overcurrent indicator. (8) Tire sidewall damage Tesla circled "OK" at CPO delivery; refused replacement 5 times; Tesla SMS 1/13/2026: "sidewall damage would need to be replaced." (9) Multiple unauthorized digital-access events: Track Mode created post-service; Charge Current set to 5A; Dog Mode disabled; pre-delivery key card 8/28/2025; phone key 3/14/2026; both front door reflectors found loosened 11/8/2025. Warranty defect notice sent certified 4/20/2026; Tesla declined 5/7/2026 without addressing any item. Full documentation, SMS thread, photographs attached.
The vehicle has been taken to Tesla multiple times due to ongoing controllability and safety concerns. The Autopilot system will occasionally brake unexpectedly at green lights or when another vehicle is passing on the right side. The vehicle has also experienced repeated drivetrain issues, including the half shafts failing at least four times within a short period. During acceleration, the vehicle can be difficult to control at times, and the wheels exhibit noticeable vibration. Despite replacing two full sets of tires within two years and completing multiple balancing and service attempts, the issue has not been resolved. These ongoing problems have contributed to premature tire wear and reduced stability, particularly in wet or rainy driving conditions. The vehicle has been serviced by Tesla at least 10 times, and each visit has resulted in replacement of half shafts or other drivetrain components. At one point, Tesla indicated that the drive module was “off center,” though no clear explanation was provided. These issues have been present since the vehicle was purchased in May 2024. In several instances, the vehicle was returned after service without the problem being resolved, requiring additional return visits. More recently, Tesla has suggested the issue may be related to tires and wheels. However, this contradicts earlier assurances that those components were not the root cause. All tires and two wheels have already been replaced, yet the same issues continue to occur. Months go by without any resolution and then when the tires go bad again, they tried to sell me on that when that never resolved the issue. They tried to force me to buy new tires and wheels for $8000 claiming that to be the issue. The main has fell twice in the last year and was replaced with a battery that was not of light kind. When the battery failed at a Tesla supercharger, the door would not open momentarily. I will estimate the date of the last service. Cannot open due to open ticket
The outside passenger front door handle stopped working and no longer allows the door to be opened from the outside. The handle does present and retract but does not respond when you pull it. This handle has been replaced once before by Tesla. Now, when the vehicle goes from being locked to unlocked the passenger front door pops open without any user interaction whatsoever.
Rear Door handles are inoperable again after repairs made by dealer. The fault is due to design fault with the wiring harness on the door handles. Manufacturer refuses to make repairs under warranty
multitude of electrical problems: Fuel/Propulsion System, Lighting, and body controls along with all ADAS: Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance systems are impacted by random intermittent glitching as computer screen bubbling progressed with goo leaking out of the bottom of the main computer. Most recent symptom was disabling of ALL ADAS systems along with automatic high beam headlight switching. Long ago as screen began to bubble and express fluid the low windshield washer alert came on and remains even when the tank is full. Then the charge port responsiveness degraded and stopped automatically functioning requiring user to bypass by clicking the "open charge port", then waiting 3 seconds, then tapping "unlock charge port". User must perform this as remote manual operation from a NACS charging handle button push will FAIL. Long ago the computer controlled 'home link' module would have excessive time delays on the order of hours or days from when the user would program and or operate the function. I even had a "phanthom" car appear by the computer calculations with E-Braking before the ADAS system failed fully, a 1.0 Tesla system should not have that... Windows have randomly rolled down and the driver side rear door will unlock and open on its own as the door handles present themselves. The safety risk class is unknown unknown; if the root problem is the screen filling leaking on electronics any number of unknown, unplanned, unstudied risk failure modes exist that can not be predicted. Schematically the HOMELINK is on connector X429 sharing CANBUS connections impacting safety: Driver "Instrument Cluster", DAS systems connected to "Power Steering ECU", "iBooster ECU", "ABS / Stability ECU", "Passive Restraints Controller"... see CAN Network - Chassis drawing page 11 , "Energy System - Charger Logic Connections" "Instrument Cluster / LIN" pg35
The rear door handle has failed and now the door pops open when parked.
I have a 2013 Tesla Model-S, I have so far spent thousands on this car for door handle related problems over its lifetime. And Tesla still keeps charging for any door repairs. As of now, the driver side door doesn't open from outside and this is a serious safety hazard in case of an accident
The retracting door handle on my Tesla Model S failed, creating a dangerous situation where I could not enter the vehicle when needed. This defect poses a serious safety risk because if this failure occurred during a medical emergency, a crash, or a fire, neither I nor first responders would be able to access the vehicle quickly. In real‑world scenarios — such as needing to reach a child in the back seat, assisting an injured passenger, or evacuating the vehicle in traffic — a non‑functional door handle can cause delays that lead to injury. The failure also increases risk in cold‑weather regions, where being locked out of the vehicle can expose occupants to freezing temperatures. This is not a cosmetic issue; it is a critical safety hazard.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
- Risk
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will inspect and reposition the latch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 18, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-11-003.
Recall number 21V00B000 · Recall details
Questions about the Tesla Model S door locks
Which Tesla Model S years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2015 (34 complaints), 2014 (22 complaints) and 2013 (19 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Tesla Model S?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 23 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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