2018 Tesla Model S

Watch out for

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

• Touchscreen memory wear Built before March 3, 2018, 2017–2018 One source so far

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

  The same memory chip as the original cars wears out. Cars built up to March 3, 2018 are covered by the recall.

  Sources ⁸

• 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.

  The handles can fail to come out, or break. Owners say the problem was not fully solved on later cars.

  Sources ^9,3

• 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. Tesla's warranty repairs a pack at 70 per cent.

  Sources ^10,11

• 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 ¹¹

• 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 ¹¹

Rare catches

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

• Rare Silver Metallic Color

  Special order only in September 2018, then discontinued⁵

Recalls

• 21V035000 2012–2018

  The touchscreen's memory chip wears out, losing the rear camera, defrost settings and turn signals. The memory board is replaced.^12,13,8

• 21V846000 2017–2021

  On one software version, a communication fault can cause false collision warnings or sudden emergency braking. Fixed over the air.^14,15

• 21V00B000 2014–2021

  The front trunk latch can be out of line, so the hood's second latch does not catch and the hood can open.^16,15

• 22V037000 2016–2022

  Full Self-Driving Beta can roll through all-way stops without stopping. Fixed over the air.^17,18

• 22V169000 2018–2019

  On some cars with the 2.5 Autopilot computer, the rear camera picture can appear late when reversing. Fixed over the air.^13,19

• 22V818000 2017–2021

  Power steering assist can drop out on rough roads or after a pothole. Fixed over the air.^14,15

• 23V085000 2016–2023

  Full Self-Driving Beta can behave unsafely at junctions and respond poorly to speed limit changes. Fixed over the air.^17,20

• 23V838000 2012–2023

  Autosteer's checks may not do enough to stop a driver misusing it. Fixed over the air.^12,20

• 24V051000 2012–2023

  The brake, parking brake and ABS warning lights are shown in letters too small. Fixed over the air.^12,20

• 24V153000 2013–2021

  A factory reset can silence the sound that warns pedestrians of the car. Fixed over the air.^21,13

• 24V376000 2012–2024

  The seat belt warning may not come on for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^12,22

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

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