2012 TESLA MODEL S Recalls — Canada & USA

The 2012 Tesla Model S has 14 recalls, the most serious involving the passenger frontal airbag inflator, which can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, causing serious injury or death. Two separate recalls address the front seatbelts: the belt anchor plate may not have been properly bolted to the pretensioner, and on some vehicles the belt itself may not be correctly connected to the pretensioner, either of which can leave occupants without adequate restraint in a crash. On the steering side, bolts attaching the power steering assist motor to the gear housing can corrode and fracture, causing partial or complete loss of power steering and requiring significantly more effort to steer, particularly at low speeds. The center display unit can also exhaust its internal memory over time, knocking out the rearview camera, defrost and defog controls, and exterior turn signals while driving. Related to this, on vehicles with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the same display functions can fail as the flash memory wears out. Vehicles equipped with Autosteer may not adequately warn drivers when the feature is canceled or monitor driver attention closely enough, raising the risk of a crash. There is also a charging adapter concern: certain separately purchased adapters can develop high electrical resistance during use. The parking brake caliper contains a gear that can fracture, leaving the vehicle unable to move. Rounding out the list are compliance-related issues: brake and ABS warning indicators may display incorrectly or in text rather than symbols, the seatbelt warning chime and light may not activate when a driver is unbelted,