2012 Tesla Model S

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Drive unit failure All years

  What to check: Ask for service records showing whether the drive unit has been replaced. Listen for noise from the motor while driving.

  Edmunds' early long-term car needed its drive unit replaced twice in about 17 months. Owners on Tesla Motors Club say motor replacements were common on early cars, and that most have had one by now.

  Sources ^8,9

• Door handles that do not extend All years

  What to check: Walk up to the car with the key and watch every handle come out. Ask whether the handles have been replaced.

  The handles were the top complaint in a 2014 Consumer Reports owner survey of 2012 to 2014 cars. Replacement handles helped, but owners say the problem was never fully solved.

  Sources ^10,9,11

• Touchscreen memory wear All years

  What to check: Confirm with Tesla that recall 21V035000 was done: the touchscreen's memory board replaced with a larger one.

  The touchscreen's 8 GB memory chip wears out. When it does, the screen goes blank and the rear camera, defrost settings and turn signals can stop working.

  Sources ^12,9

• Worn or replaced battery All years

  What to check: Get a battery health report showing how much capacity is left.

  Recurrent found battery replacements more common on 2013 to 2018 cars than later ones. InsideEVs counts capacity in the 90s per cent as excellent and in the 70s as near the point of repair; Tesla's warranty repairs a pack at 70 per cent.

  Sources ^13,14

• Worn suspension All years One source so far

  What to check: Look for a car sitting low at one corner, which on air suspension can be a leak.

  The car's weight wears suspension parts, and air suspension can leak.

  Sources ¹⁴

• Air conditioning All years One source so far

  What to check: Make sure the air conditioning blows cold.

  It also helps keep the battery cool.

  Sources ¹⁴

• Worn brake discs All years One source so far

  What to check: Brake firmly and feel for judder through the pedal.

  A buying guide calls worn discs a common problem.

  Sources ²

Rare catches

Rare options, colors and interiors to look out for, and whether finding one is good news.

• Rare Signature Red Color

  Limited availability. Discontinued January 2013⁷

Recalls

• 15V780000 2012–2015

  The front seat belts may not be fixed properly to the lap pretensioner.^15,16

• 17V023000 2012

  The front passenger airbag inflator can burst after years of heat and humidity.¹⁵

• 18V204000 2012–2016

  Aluminium bolts on the power steering can corrode and break, reducing or ending the steering assist.^15,17

• 21V035000 2012–2018

  The touchscreen's memory chip wears out, losing the rear camera, defrost settings and turn signals. The memory board is replaced.^15,18,12

• 23V838000 2012–2023

  Autosteer's checks may not do enough to stop a driver misusing it. Fixed over the air.^15,19

• 24V051000 2012–2023

  The brake, parking brake and ABS warning lights are shown in letters too small. Fixed over the air.^15,19

• 24V376000 2012–2024

  The seat belt warning may not come on for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^15,20

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: Free unlimited Supercharging All years

  Cars of this era came with free Supercharging for life. It can pass to a new owner, but Tesla has taken it away from some cars when they were traded in, and it is hard to verify. Confirm it before paying for it.^14,9

• Avoid: No Autopilot hardware Built before September 2014 Less sought after One source so far

  InsideEVs says cars from 2012 and 2013 cannot have Autopilot, which arrived in 2014.¹⁴

• Avoid: Slow first touchscreen computer All years Less sought after One source so far

  In one Tesla Motors Club thread from 2021, two owners call the original touchscreen computer too slow, and four posters suggest Tesla's paid upgrade to the newer one. One other owner says the original is fine for basic use.⁹

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.