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Chart based on 47 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2013 Tesla Model S 4dr Hatch
416-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic RWD
56100 mi
battery contacts fused causing a catastrophic failure of the powertrain; car gracefully shut down, but would not operate until serviced; had to flatbed it from the freeway where it broke to dealer for service which was covered under warranty
98000 mi
A fourth drive unit was swapped mere days before full warranty expiry. Took considerable escalation with Tesla to get them to commit to it, but they eventually did. The "milling noise" associated with bearing wear had become increasingly severe, and while Tesla service centers repeatedly dismissed it as a non-issue, I later learned that not only was this a known problem, but they even had dB thresholds of noise that would trigger repair. This is quite a change from proactive swapping they did early in the life of the car.
60000 mi
Drive unit replaced due to water intrusion
31000 mi
Battery pack failed, reporting 0 charge when it was nearly full. Tesla towed the car to their shop and sent us home in an Uber. The battery pack was replaced with a loaner pack while ours is headed to California for repairs.
32000 mi
Tesla has a "charger" in the car which converts 240VAC from the power mains to DC for charging the battery. Mine failed. Tesla diagnosed this remotely and said it was safe to drive the car to the shop. The charger was replaced under warranty.
37000 mi
Our original battery, shipped to the factory after a defect, finally returned home and was reinstalled in the car. Curiously, the "loaner" battery gave 2.5% more range at the same charge level.
44000 mi
US $200
The drive unit (motor) was making a "milling" noise, commonly attributed to bearings wearing down. Also, there was some play in the connector from motor to drive shaft resulting in clunking noises. The motor was replaced with a remanufactured unit under warranty.
51000 mi
US $200
Louver doors in the cooling system (used for both in-cabin and battery cooling) we're stuck, and the fan was spinning much faster as a result. Parts replaced, but no details provided.
28500 mi
Subtle friction noise coming from the rear of the car. Intermittent and apparent at highway speeds only. Tesla replaced the "drive unit" under warranty. So far the noise has not reoccurred.
12000 mi
Replaced drive train motor
23000 mi
Replaced drive unit as it had developed a clunking noise when getting on and off the accelerator at low speeds.
98000 mi
US $200
Motor replaced due to difficulty in getting alignment done properly. Under warranty
111000 mi
US $8000
Electric Motor required replacement.
74000 mi
US $2300
This is an electric vehicle and the on board charging mechanism was not working so it was replaced.
81000 mi
US $3600
On board charger.
46000 mi
DC Converter replaced
21000 mi
Computer operating system updates. Power rectifier/battery temperature control. Hi power battery connection modifier.
22000 mi
Drive unit replaced
44000 mi
Onboard charger replacement
51000 mi
Primary Charger replacement
64000 mi
US $200
Drive unit replaced for minor gear lash clunk
47000 mi
Main battery needs to be rebuilt, so a loaner 85 kWh battery was put in while they rebuild it. 12V battery replaced.
6000 mi
85 kWh Battery Pack, tripped Circuit Breaker. Reduced Car Performance, Notified to Pull over and Call Tesla. Rangers came and took care of business. Replaced Battery Pack
22000 mi
Drive Unit failure
16720 mi
Drive unit was louder than normal at speeds between 80 and 100 km/h. Reported to Service Center. SC diagnosed and found faults with inverter, replaced complete rear drive unit.
49600 mi
High Voltage traction battery complete failure. Ran from 80% charge down to 0% overnight and subsequently would not accept charging. Reconditioned replacement battery installed under warranty.
Problem with charging cable not locking in port while charging.
38000 mi
Drive unit replaced for noise.
37200 mi
Replace motor/drive unit under warranty
42160 mi
Replace main propulsion battery under 8 year warranty. The battery failed to only 77km of capacity from the normal 400km. It was technically drivable, but it would not have made it to the service center without at least two charging stops. Tesla recommended not even trying and covered the towing and ferry costs.
77000 mi
Rear drive unit failed and was replaced under warranty
140000 mi
US $1800
High voltage to Low voltage converter replaced
42000 mi
US $2000
replaced battery coolant heater
44000 mi
main battery pack replaced
44000 mi
Drive unit replaced. This was the third trip in for what appeared to be the same issue ("car may not restart" warning), and finally appears to have fixed things.
11780 mi
Loading 2 of 3 chargers that convert AC to DC failed and needed to be replaced. So it loaded only slow with normal plugs but normal at superchargers
143000 mi
Battery to drive motor Contactors replaced. Half shafts repacked, rear suspension bushings replaced.
101000 mi
US $3500
DC-DC converter replacement ($2250)
53100 mi
New rear electric motor. Tesla replaced the motor to reduce the noise. Car was perfectly functional before and after repair. Amazing service!
60140 mi
Battery heater failed.
94240 mi
C $820
Coolant pump for the battery conditioning system.
Behaviour was inability to charge car ("refuel") or precondition battery in cold temperatures.
64800 mi
Traction battery display symptoms of failure. Traction battery serviced and reinstalled. The vehicle was picked up by Tesla and a loaner was provided.
68000 mi
Noisy electric traction motor
11300 mi
The dealership contacted me to warn me that one of the battery cells had an abnormally hi drainage. I was unaware there was a problem with the car. They sent a tow truck and a loaner car. The drive battery was replaced.
7840 mi
Would not charge using a third-party cable, only with Tesla's cable, which doesn't fit public outlets in Norway. Malfunctioning master charger replaced.
Rear drive unit started making a high pitched whining noise when accelerating at low speeds (up to 30mph). Volume/intensity progressed over several months until noise was distracting.
113063 mi
Car said it might stop, Tesla sent a flat bed took to service center replaced drive motor under warrenty
35000 mi
Louder than acceptable inverter whine.
104000 mi
US $975
Valve within cooling system replaced.
5000 mi
DC to DC converter failed, causing the 12V battery go below its operating range.
65000 mi
US $200
Battery management system, high voltage contactors needed to be replaced. The car would not come on or stay on when jumped.
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently 2013 Tesla Model S problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.
