2016 Tesla Model S air bags problems
14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2016 Tesla Model S — 2% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I was driving about 20mph, my airbag deployed for no reason. No recalls, no warnings, nothing. I had my [XXX] daughter in the car and it was all filled with white smoke. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
filed Mar 15, 2026
“-Airbag warning light on -Horn not working -Steering wheel scroll buttons not working -Clicking noise when turning wheel This failure occurred during normal driving. Airbags will not deploy and horn is inoperable, creating a safety risk myself and my family. I have never been into any accidents and…”
filed Jan 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these…Campaign 19V002000 · Jan 7, 2019
Air Bags problems in other Model S years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Model S | 1 | 3% |
| 2023 Model S | 1 | 1% |
| 2022 Model S | 3 | 2% |
| 2021 Model S | 5 | 3% |
| 2020 Model S | 2 | 3% |
| 2019 Model S | 2 | 5% |
| 2018 Model S | 4 | 2% |
| 2017 Model S | 5 | 1% |
| 2015 Model S | 22 | 3% |
| 2014 Model S | 13 | 4% |
| 2013 Model S | 8 | 2% |
| 2012 Model S | 1 | 2% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2016 Tesla Model S
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.