RoadVitals

2015 Tesla Model S Interior & seats Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Interior & seats reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Jun 1, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
1%
of 667 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Tesla Model S submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming interior

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Body & structureInterior & seats
Filed Jun 1, 2025

I parked my 2015 Tesla Model S and found the rear door on the passenger side would not open from the outside even though the door handle was extended. This is a safety concern as we could not open the door to remove our pet dog from the car. It would also not be possible to open the door from the outside to remove a child in a car seat next to the door or an elderly or disabled person sitting next to the door who is unable to open the door from the inside. This could be life threatening in the case of a car crash. It is a major safety defect that should be repaired at no cost by Tesla for the entire lifespan of the car. The problem persists and is reproducible.

NHTSA ID
11664240
Incident
Jun 1, 2025
Interior & seats
Filed Mar 14, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that three door handles had been replaced over the years. The contact stated that the door handles were not responding, and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that several attempts were needed before the door before being able to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's side door handle and the passenger’s side door handle were malfunctioning. The contact stated that there were no messages on the phone App, or on the instrument cluster. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to the local dealer for the driver’s and passenger’s side front door handles. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 280,000.

NHTSA ID
11648345
Incident
Jul 14, 2020
Mileage
280,000 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Jul 28, 2024

Issue is with the rear hatch (trunk) latching mechanism. The rear trunk latch has partially disengaged but will not completely release and open the trunk. This is a safety concern because the emergency release inside of the trunk (pull cable) does not fully release the trunk either. If a child or person were to be in the trunk they could not escape either from inside the trunk (emergency latch) or externally (unable to close or open physically or with electronic release).

NHTSA ID
11604982
Incident
Jul 28, 2024
Body & structureInterior & seats
Filed Jan 6, 2024

The front trunk flew open without any warning and smashed the front windshield. We could not see. We never received any info on recalls.

NHTSA ID
11563907
Incident
Jan 3, 2024
Body & structureInterior & seats
Filed Nov 16, 2023

The hood (frunk) lid disengaged while driving at highway speed and obstructed the windshield. I had to make an emergency exit. The car did not indicate that the latch was released and it did not slow as the manufacturer claims will occur with this problem. I was not notified of the known recall for this defect. As of now, Tesla collision is not taking responsibility and sent me to a third party for repair of the hood.

NHTSA ID
11555550
Incident
Nov 12, 2023
Interior & seats
Filed Nov 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the passenger’s side rear door inadvertently opened. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ID
11494689
Incident
Oct 20, 2022
Mileage
86,000 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Nov 15, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model-S. The contact stated that he was unable to open or close the driver's side door due to the door handle not operating as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver's side door handle was replaced by a Tesla mobile Technician; however, the failure reoccurred on the rear passenger's side door handle. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger's side door would consistently open while shifting into park and would also pop open inadvertently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ID
11493709
Incident
Nov 15, 2016
Mileage
25,000 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Nov 30, 2021

Driver seat and passenger seat rocks when accelerating or braking. The seats can become loose in the event of impact from being loose in the housing. The problem has been inspected and acknowledged by Tesla service center and have unsuccessfully tried to repair the vehicle. The issue has not not been fixed after multiple visit to Tesla regarding the same issue.

NHTSA ID
11442132
Incident
Jan 1, 2021
Interior & seats
Filed Oct 17, 2021

Trunk states it's open, but it's closed. I can't reset it. When I crawled into the area to use the safety pull cord to open it, nothing happened! Well, the pull cord broke. What if I'd been kidnapped and put in there?? I cannot open the hatch and it looks like an expensive repair from what I've read online. Surely this is a safety issue and should be covered under a recall.

NHTSA ID
11437086
Incident
Oct 16, 2021
Fuel systemInterior & seatsSuspension
Filed Apr 25, 2021

ISSUE 1). EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT FELT COOKED CAUSING LOW BACK PAIN. EVENTUALLY THE SEATS POWER ADJUSTMENT WOULD ONLY RETRACT ONE SIDE SO IT COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED EVENLY AND I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE A WHOLE NEW SEAT REPLACED ISSUE 2). I HAVE THE 85 KW BATTERY AND AFTER AN UPDATE MY BATTERY CAPACITY WAS REDUCED 10%. I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO RISK OF OVERHEATING THE BATTERY FIRE RISK TESLA NEVER RESOLVED THE ISSUE AND NEVER REINSTATED THE MISSING 10% CHARGE CAPACITY 3). THE SUSPENSION HAD FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING OVER A SPEED BUMP LESS THAN 10 MPH AND THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR SCRAPPED THE PAVEMENT. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE THE SUSPENSION

NHTSA ID
11413862
Incident
Nov 11, 2020
Mileage
92,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .