2023 Tesla Model S

Watch out for

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

• Wrong airbag after a wheel swap All years One source so far

  What to check: If the yoke or the wheel has been swapped, confirm with Tesla that recall 23V743000 was done.

  The driver's airbag fitted after a swap may be the wrong one.

  Sources ¹⁰

• Door handles that do not extend All years One source so far

  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. In a crash that cuts the 12-volt power they may not open; the rear manual releases sit under the carpet below the rear seats.

  Sources 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 ⁴

• Battery capacity All years One source so far

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

  Tesla's battery warranty runs 8 years or 150,000 miles and passes to a new owner. It repairs a pack at 70 per cent.

  Sources ⁴

Recalls

• 23V085000 2016–2023

  Full Self-Driving Beta can behave unsafely at junctions and respond poorly to speed limit changes. Fixed over the air.^12,13

• 23V489000 2023

  The forward camera can sit at the wrong angle and turn off safety features without warning.¹³

• 23V488000 2021–2023

  The front seat belts may not be fixed properly to their pretensioner anchors and can come loose.^10,13

• 23V743000 2021–2024

  When the yoke or the steering wheel was swapped, the wrong driver's airbag may have been fitted.^10,14

• 23V838000 2012–2023

  Autosteer's checks may not do enough to stop a driver misusing it. Fixed over the air.^15,13

• 23V862000 2021–2023

  The doors can unlock in a crash. Fixed over the air.^16,13

• 24V035000 2023

  A software fault can stop the rear camera picture showing. Fixed over the air.¹³

• 24V051000 2012–2023

  The brake, parking brake and ABS warning lights are shown in letters too small. Fixed over the air.^15,13

• 24V376000 2012–2024

  The seat belt warning may not come on for an unbelted driver. Fixed over the air.^15,14

• 24V554000 2021–2024

  The car may not notice a hood left unlatched, which could fly open. Fixed over the air.^10,14

• 24V967000 2021–2025

  The driver's airbag can tear when it goes off.^10,17

• 25V172000 2021–2024

  A driver's airbag fitted with the wrong horn pad can stop the horn working.^10,14

• 26V283000 2021–2023

  On one software version, the rear camera picture can lag when reversing. Fixed over the air.^10,13

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: Better build quality All years One source so far

  Owners quoted by Jalopnik say 2021 and later cars are well built, with few rattles or creaks.¹¹

• Avoid: Yoke All years Less sought after One source so far

  Jalopnik and Road & Track called the yoke a step backwards, and Consumer Reports criticised it as a distraction.²

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

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