RoadVitals

2011 Tesla Roadster

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
1
Latest Jun 13, 2016
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2011 Tesla Roadster, most frequently naming the suspension category. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 8 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Suspension1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

DP22005ClosedDefect Petition

Pedestrian alert sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023
Closed Aug 7, 2023

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEMLed to recall 22V063000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Suspension
Filed Jun 13, 2016

LEFT REAR SUSPENSION ROD FAILURE WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED (NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO OTHER VEHICLES) IN 2012 ON CITY STREET, RESULTING IN ABRUPT STOPPAGE OF VEHICLE, WHICH COLLAPSED ON LEFT REAR WHEEL- SUSPENSION ROD WAS REPLACED BY TESLA. NOW REPORTING AS HAVE READ RE CONCERNS FOR SUSPENSION RODS ON MODEL S. DATE IMPRECISE, CAN OBTAIN EXACT DATE FROM TESLA IF NECESSARY.

NHTSA ID
10873864
Incident
Jun 11, 2012
Mileage
10,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TN-13-44-003

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

TESLA: THE HIGH VOLTAGE INTERLOCK LOOP (HVIL) DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL BULLETIN. NO MODEL TYPES OR MODEL YEARS WERE PROVIDED. *JS UPDATED 10/21/14. *PE

TN-13-16-002

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

TESLA: WHEN REMOVING THE BATTERY PACK THESE PROCEDURES NEED TO BE FOLLOWED IN ORDER TO ENSURE PROPER SEALING OF THE HV RAPID MATE. NO MODEL OR MODEL YEARS GIVEN. *JS

TN-13-44-001

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

TESLA: DUE TO ISOLATION OF MODEL S HIGH VOLTAGE, A MONITOR IS INSTALLED IN BATTERY TO ENSURE NO ELECTRICAL CURRENT, BETWEEN VEHICLE AND HIGH VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR, IS BEING CARRIED AND IS MEASURED, PERIODICALLY, FOR RESISTANCE BETWEEN HIGH VOLTAGE CONDUCTORS AND CHASSIS. NO MODEL OR MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

SB-12-46-001

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

TESLA MOTORS: DURING THE SHIPMENT OF BATTERY PACK SHEETS, RESIDUAL COOLANT MAY LEAK EFFECTING SHIPPING CONTAINER INTEGRITY. *PE

SVC-11-40-014

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TESLA: INFORMATION PROVIDED IN REGARDS TO ASSEMBLING A NEW SEALED BEARING DUAL PEM/MOTOR FAN THAT IS RETROFIT DUAL DESIGN TO REPLACE TWO SEPARATE FANS WITH A SINGLE ASSEMBLY TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND FUNCTION IN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. *PE

SVC-11-40-015

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TESLA: INFORMATION REGARDING THE MOTOR AND PEM FANS WHERE CERTAIN TYPES OF WEATHER CONDITIONS, SUCH AS SNOW, MAY ACCUMULATE TOO CLOSE AND CAUSE ADVERSE AFFECT ON THE AIRFLOW AND COOLING EFFICIENCY. THIS MAY SHORTENED THE USEFUL LIFE OF EITHER FANS OR MOTOR. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Tesla Roadster by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2011Viewing101—
2010001—
2009001—
2008111—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.