Tesla Model S 2012–2015 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin SB-19-11-001 · NHTSA communication 10153419 · issued Jan 3, 2019
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Exterior Lighting
component
2012–2015
model years
4
vehicle entries
Official summary
On certain Model S vehicles, the liftgate has plugs that do not allow water to drain, causing condensation to build up inside the tail light assembly. Tail light functionality is not affected. The retrofit of updated drain-type liftgate plugs allows water to escape the liftgate and keep the tail lights dry.
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.