VehicleVerdict

2020 Tesla Model S driver assistance problems

The 2020 Tesla Model S has 37 driver assistance complaints filed with NHTSA — 30% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

37

Driver Assistance complaints

30%

Share of year

7

Crash-involved

4

Related recalls

Driver Assistance complaints by year

Model S driver assistance complaints by model year132 complaints2012: 3 complaints2013: 17 complaints2014: 17 complaints2015: 73 complaints2016: 89 complaints2017: 132 complaints2018: 84 complaints2019: 20 complaints2020: 37 complaints2021: 77 complaints2022: 51 complaints2023: 32 complaints2024: 34 complaints2026: 3 complaints
Model S driver assistance complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

24V153000Driver AssistanceFebruary 27, 2024 · 6,557 units

Defect

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

Consequence

Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.

22V235000Driver AssistanceApril 12, 2022 · 594,894 units

Defect

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

Consequence

Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, including Summon and Smart Summon, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall supersedes recall 22V-063. Vehicles configured with Summon or Smart Summon and already remedied under 22V-063 will need to have the new remedy software installed.

22V063000Driver AssistanceFebruary 4, 2022 · 578,607 units

Defect

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

Consequence

Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V-235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.

21V846000Driver AssistanceOctober 29, 2021 · 11,728 units

Defect

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.

Consequence

Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.

What owners report

Vehicle was tested for concern about self driving after test drive with tech told ok 3 days later Summoned car and immediately turned into adjacent vehicle all captured on video in 1-2 seconds. No issues with summons for over 4 years $2200 damage to adjacent vehicle but Tesla no damage left front…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · February 10, 2025 · crash

Common questions

How many driver assistance complaints does the 2020 Tesla Model S have?

NHTSA has 37 complaints about the 2020 Tesla Model S driver assistance — 30% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2020 Tesla Model S driver assistance?

Yes — 4 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the driver assistance: 21V846000, 22V063000, 22V235000, 24V153000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.