Tesla Service UK / Guides / Known Issues
Tesla known issues: what's commonly reported
A straight, sourced summary of what owners and independent bodies commonly report — not speculation dressed up as fact.
Last fact-checked: . General guidance — always check your own model's specifics and current official sources before relying on it for a decision.
How to read this
What this page is, and isn't
This is a summary of patterns reported by owners, independent garages and official recall notices — it is not a claim that any specific car will develop any specific fault, and it isn't a substitute for checking a specific vehicle's own history (MOT records, recall status via GOV.UK, and a pre-purchase inspection if buying used). Treat this as 'things worth asking about', not a diagnosis.
Common patterns
What comes up most often across models
Across Tesla's range, the issues most frequently mentioned by owners and independent specialists include: suspension wear (control arms and bushings, accelerated by weight and torque), the 12V auxiliary battery (see our dedicated page on this), door handle mechanisms on some earlier production years, and occasional infotainment/software glitches that are usually resolved by an update rather than a hardware fix. Panel gaps and paint finish issues have been more commonly reported on early production runs of a given model than on later ones, as is typical across the car industry generally.
Checking a specific car
How to check a specific car rather than relying on generalisations
Always check GOV.UK's vehicle recall checker using the specific VIN, review the car's full MOT history for repeat advisories, and — for a used purchase — see our full buying checklist. General patterns across a model line tell you what to ask about; they don't tell you the condition of the one specific car in front of you.