2015 Tesla Model S Airbags Problems

What happened? While driving my 2015 Tesla Model S, the main touchscreen (MCU) began intermittently going black, disabling access to essential vehicle controls, navigation, climate settings, and rear-view camera display. At times when the MCU was functioning, the rear-view camera feed would still display a black screen upon shifting into Reverse, leaving me without any rear visibility. Component or system that failed: Media Control Unit (MCU1) / eMMC memory failure Rear-view camera and/or associated wiring harness Safety risk: The intermittent blackouts of the MCU and loss of rear camera feed created significant safety hazards, especially when reversing or attempting to adjust driving settings while in motion. The loss of rear visibility increased the risk of collision with pedestrians, cyclists, or obstacles. The MCU failure also limited access to defrost/defog controls and turn signal audio feedback. Problem reproduction and confirmation: Tesla Service has confirmed both the MCU1 hardware failure and the rear-view camera malfunction. The problems occurred repeatedly before being inspected. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla Service Center technicians, who diagnosed both the failing MCU1 and the defective rear-view camera. Warning messages or symptoms prior to failure: For MCU: slow system performance, frozen screen, then intermittent complete blackouts while driving. For rear-view camera: black or distorted camera feed when in Reverse, even when the MCU display was otherwise operational. These issues began occurring in June 2025 and became progressively worse until Tesla inspection on July 6, 2025.

NHTSA ID

11680801

Incident

Jun 25, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11600212

Incident

Jan 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a fault in the seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ID

11550775

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

Mileage

138,000 mi

Hello, from what I’m told I need to replace the steering wheel controls, airbag and steering wheel harness for the horn to work.

NHTSA ID

11490674

Incident

Oct 24, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center where it was diagnosed that the front passenger’s side knee air bag was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,057.

NHTSA ID

11465762

Incident

May 20, 2022

Mileage

102,057 mi

I was behind a car at a stop light when a SUV hit me very hard from behind, I hit the car in front of me. My face hit the steering wheel, 2 teeth came out whole, ripped from the gums, one tooth pushed up into my upper jaw. I got a laceration on my lower lip. i hit my forehead left side of my mouth and nose (very swollen, deviates to the right).

NHTSA ID

11458352

Incident

Mar 14, 2022

No early alert before slamming on the brakes, only tapping a rear bumper on a 1999 Toyota Tundra. No damage to the Toyota but to my surprise, the insurance company said the Tesla's totaled. The airbags for the driver were deployed only, with no other passengers in the car. Quite a loud noise. I have an EDR report, not sure how to interpret it. Did not hear any warning lamps. Fortunately, both the other driver and I suffered no injuries. I would like to find out exactly what happened.

NHTSA ID

11444605

Incident

Nov 3, 2021

My vehicle was having issues during 2020 with the eMMC recall. I took the vehicle to the dealership to be repaired and paid for the repair out of pocket. After this repair took place, the NHTSA forced Tesla to do a recall for the part that failed. I subsequently was reached out by Tesla who denied a refund for the repair that I paid out of pocket and did not and has not (3 months of following-up with the company) explained the denial nor offered repayment as directed by the NHTSA. Unfortunately, I am not the only individual who has had this same experience. Many individuals online have ran into the same unfortunate circumstances. See instances linked below. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/emmc-recall-reimbursement.222189/

NHTSA ID

11420616

Incident

Jun 11, 2021

MY CENTER SCREEN THAT CONTROLS THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS AIR CONDITIONING, ALL VEHICLE SETTINGS, MAP, CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE COLLISION SENSORS, LDER, ETC ARE NOT FUNCTIONING BECAUSE THE MCU UNIT FAILED. THE EMMC CHIP INSIDE MCU FAILED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DOWNLOADING A UPDATE SENT FROM TESLA OVER THE AIR. THE CAR DOESNT WANT TO TURN ON HALF THE TIME AND VEHICLE DRIVEABILITY AND FUNCTIONS ARE VERY LIMITED. TESLA HASNT RESPONDED TO MY COMPLAINTS AND MY ISSUE. THE CAR WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY AND DOWNLOADING WHEN THE SCREEN QENT BLACK AND NEVWR TURNED BACK ON. I TOOK IT TO A TESLA 3RD PARTY SHOP AND THEY ADVISED ME TO KEEP CALLING TESLA TO NOTIFY THEM OF FAULTY MCU AND EMMC UNIT. THE DANGER IS THAT THE VEHICLE COLLISION AND SAFETY FEATURES ARE DISABLED AND ITS DNGEROUS DRIVING ON ROADS.

NHTSA ID

11362938

Incident

Oct 2, 2020

Mileage

131,191 mi

HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE CENTRAL TOUCH SCREEN PANEL GOING BLANK. THE EMBEDDED MULTI-MEDIA-CARD MEMORY (EMMC) IN THE MCU INS LIKELY THE ISSUE. THIS IS CAUSING THE CENTRAL TOUCH SCREEN PANEL (THAT CONTROLS AIR BAGS, NAVIGATION, MUSIC, HEATING ETC..). THIS SCREEN HAS BEEN CAUSING A PROBLEM FOR MANY MONTHS. WE GOT A 'TEMPORARY FIX' BY A RESET THAT COST 100S OF DOLLARS - BUT IT WENT BLANK AGAIN. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW WE DRIVE THE CAR - IT HAS GOT FIXED IN THE 2018 AND LATER MODEL S MODELS - BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS A SYSTEMATIC ISSUE IN MANY CARS PRIOR TO THAT.

NHTSA ID

11354363

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

TESLA HAVE THE VEHICLE FOR QUITE A WHILE BUT THEY HAVEN'T GIVEN A REASON WHY THEY HAVEN'T COMPLETED THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11307029

Incident

Feb 4, 2020

MY TERSLA EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ACCELERATION EVENT ON JULY 31, 2019. IT WAS BEING PARKED IN A TARGET PARKING LOT ABOUT TO BE PUT IN PARK WHEN IT SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED A FULL ACCELERATION. IT JUMPED OVER A 6 TO 8 FOOT WIDE CONCRETE MERIDIAN, TOOK OUT A BUSH AND HIT A PARKED PICK-UP, MOVING IT ABOUT 15 FEET AND TOTALING THE TRUCK. THE CAR HAD ALMOST $40,000 IN DAMAGE AND THE DRIVER WAS INJURED. TELSA FIRST SAID THEY WOULD HAVE THEIR READ OUT IN ONE WEEK THEN 3, THEN 4 - FINALLY AFTER ABOUT 4 MONTHS THEY SAID IT WAS DRIVER ERROR BUT THE DRIVER DENIES TOUCHING THE GAS OR BRAKE. SHE WAS ALREADY STOPPED AND IT HAPPENED SO FAST SHE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO REACT.

NHTSA ID

11302858

Incident

Jul 31, 2019

Mileage

33,033 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V002000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED OR LISTED IN THE NOTICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11279649

Incident

Jan 7, 2019

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V002000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. TESLA (746 AUAHI ST, HONOLULU, HI 96813, (808) 680-9260) 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.

NHTSA ID

11253264

Incident

May 1, 2018

TESLA WILL NOT RESPOND TO REQUEST TO REPAIR RECALLS THE NUMBER PROVIDED GOES IN CIRCLES IT ASK TO GO THROUGH APP WE ARE A DEALER AND CAR DO NOT HAVE APP I HAVE MADE SEVERAL REQUEST

NHTSA ID

11203325

Incident

Apr 24, 2019

TAKATA RECALL - I WAS NOT NOTIFIED IN A TIMELY MANNER. PROVISIONS WERE NOT MADE TO FIX MY AIRBAGS FOR MANY MONTHS. I HAD TO CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE REPEATEDLY AND APPOINTMENTS KEEP GETTING PUSHED. THIS DEFECT HAS EXISTED IN MY CAR FOR OVER 3 YEARS NOW, PUTTING MY FAMILY AT GREAT RISK

NHTSA ID

11192621

Incident

Nov 29, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V002000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11185899

Incident

May 9, 2018

A MALFUNCTION CAUSED THE SUDDEN DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS AND SUBSEQUENT UNINTENTIONAL UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO JUMP A CEMENT BLOCK AND VIOLENTLY SMASH INTO A POLE WHILE I WAS SLOWLY PULLING INTO A PARKING STALL AT A GROCERY STORE.

NHTSA ID

11132094

Incident

Sep 27, 2018

ON AUG 13, 2018 I WENT TO THE TESLA SERVICE CENTER IN SEATTLE AND REQUESTED AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE SEVERAL RECALLS DONE, INCLUDING SEATBELTS, TAKATA AIRBAGS, AND ALUMINUM STEERING BOLTS. I WAS TOLD IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS BY SERVICE MANAGER KASI SMITH, THAT MY CAR IS BLACKLISTED BY TESLA SINCE IT HAS A REBUILT TITLE. THAT IN ORDER FOR THE RECALLS TO BE DONE I MUST GET THE CAR "RECERTIFIED" AT A COST OF BETWEEN $5,000 TO $32,000, DEPENDING ON WHETHER REPAIRS ARE NEEDED. SO I CALLED TESLA'S NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE (877.798.3752) AND REACHED LOUIS ESCOBAR AT TESLA'S BURBANK, CA LOCATION. AFTER HE CHECKED WITH THE SEATTLE SERVICE CENTER (WHICH I'D ALREADY TOLD HIM REFUSED ME) AND WITH HIS SUPERVISOR, HUNTER CARLSON, MR. ESCOBAR INFORMED ME THAT MY CAR IS BLACKLISTED BY TESLA SINCE IT HAS A REBUILT TITLE, AND IN ORDER FOR THE RECALLS TO BE DONE I MUST GET THE CAR "RECERTIFIED". MY CAR WAS PROFESSIONALLY REBUILT, AND HAS BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE STATE OF WASHINGTON AND I'VE BEEN DRIVING IT FOR TWO YEARS. IF WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT WRECKED CARS ARE -GOING- TO BE REBUILT, THEN WHAT SHOULD TESLA'S POLICY BE? I SHOULD THINK THEY'D WANT TO PROTECT THEIR REPUTATION AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. SO FOR RECERT DO THEY CHARGE HIGH FEES AND TAKE AWAY ALL BENEFITS THAT WERE PAID FOR ON PURCHASE OF THE CAR, LIKE NAVIGATION, AUTOPILOT, AND SUPERCHARGING? WELL THE COST ALONE FORCES THOSE OF US WITH REBUILT CARS TO DRIVE AROUND WITH NO INSPECTIONS, EXCEPT THOSE DONE BY THE STATE PATROL, WHICH ARE ONLY CHECKING THAT WE DID NOT USE STOLEN PARTS. SO CLEARLY THEIR GOAL IS NOT TO PROTECT THEIR REPUTATION AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. WHAT IS THE GOAL THEN? MAKE MONEY?

NHTSA ID

11119877

Incident

Aug 13, 2018

Mileage

16,550 mi

HERE IS A REPORT OF A TESLA INVOLVED IN A CRASH. HTTP://BGR.COM/2017/05/23/TESLA-CRASH-PHOTOS-WALK-AWAY/ I AM FILING THIS REPORT AS A CONCERNED CITIZEN BECAUSE I THINK THE OWNER WILL NOT MAKE A COMPLAINT HIMSELF SINCE TESLA OWNERS ARE OFTEN TSLA SHAREHOLDERS AND ARE UNWILLING TO MAKE ANY CRITICISM. TWO THINGS TO NOTE: THE BACK WHEEL FLEW OFF AND NEARLY KILLED A BYSTANDER. THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND A PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED FILES FROM A FACEBOOK PAGE IN WHICH THE OWNER DESCRIBES THE CRASH.

NHTSA ID

10991523

Incident

May 22, 2017

Mileage

10,000 mi

I DROVE THE CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE AT THE SCHOOL (DESERT CHRISTIAN ELEMENTARY) IN TUCSON ARIZONA ON SEPT 16TH ABOUT 11:05 AM, WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN (UNINTENDED ACCELERATION) AND CRASHED INTO 2 PARKED VEHICLES AND AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND I SUSTAINED A FRACTURE OF MY RIGHT ARM REQUIRING SURGERY. ALSO MY CAR (THE TESLA MODEL S) WAS DAMAGED AND THE TWO OTHER PARKED CARS.

NHTSA ID

10910065

Incident

Sep 16, 2016

Mileage

11,000 mi

HERE IS A TESLA MODEL S IN THE WRECKING YARD. THE FRONT TIRE IS WRENCHED OFF THE RIM AND THIS APPEARS TO HAVE HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL ROLLING FORWARD. EVEN THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR COLLISION THE AIR-BAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED. I HAVE PUT TOGETHER A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF STEERING AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS FROM TESLA CARS. HTTP://TESLABEARS.CLUB/T/NO-WONDER-THE-WHEELS-SNAP-OFF/68 THE STANDARD OF CONSTRUCTION IS IN MY OPINION ABSOLUTELY APPALLING. TESLA HAS GAINED THE REPUTATION OF BEING THE SAFEST CAR IN THE WORLD. I AM CONVINCED THAT REPUTATION IS MERELY THE RESULT OF TESLA PR HYPE AND THE MYTH IS PERPETUATED BY TESLA ENTHUSIASTS AND INVESTORS. THE NUMBER OF CRASHED TESLAS SHOWING UP IN THE SALVAGE YARDS IS OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ON THE ROADS. PLEASE START AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF ALL THESE CRASHES.

NHTSA ID

10893767

Incident

Jul 20, 2016

Mileage

5,000 mi