NHTSA Complaint #11019984 — 2016 TESLA MODEL S

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM issue reported to NHTSA

Check any vehicle history by VIN - Free vehicle history report

Fire 2 Injuries

Complaint Details

ODI Number	11019984
Vehicle	2016 TESLA MODEL S
Component	FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Date of Incident	August 25, 2017
Date Filed	August 27, 2017
Mileage	5,000 miles
Crash	No
Fire	Yes
Injuries	2
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	CA

Consumer Description

THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE FIRE DANGER IN TESLA VEHICLES. THE LATEST CRASH IN LAKE FOREST SHOWS THAT BURNING FLUID IS ESCAPING FROM BENEATH THE CAR AND IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO EXTINGUISH. HTTP://WWW.NBCLOSANGELES.COM/NEWS/LOCAL/TESLA-LAKE-FOREST-HOME-FIRE-441816433.HTML THIS SAME FLUID THAT BURNS WITH A YELLOW FLAME CAN BE SEEN ANY MANY OTHER TESLA FIRES. PICTURES ARE ATTACHED. THE TESLA CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 8 GALLONS OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL MIX IN ITS BATTERY COOLANT SYSTEM. THIS CIRCULATES THROUGH RADIATORS AT THE FRONT OF THE CAR WHICH ARE EASILY RUPTURED IN A CRASH. IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT ETHYLENE GLYCOL IS FLAMMABLE ESPECIALLY IF IS PREHEATED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES DUE TO SUPERCHARGING OR HARD DRIVING. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME KIND OF FIRES AS HAPPEN WHEN THE LITHIUM BATTERIES THEMSELVES CATCH FIRE. THEY BURN WITH A WHITE FLAME AND EXPLODE LIKE FIRECRACKERS. IT IS APPARENT THAT THE TESLA COOLANT CATCHES FIRE VERY EASILY AND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EXTINGUISH. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPHS FOR EXAMPLES OF THIS. THANK YOU. CONCERNED CITIZEN.

Related Complaints for the 2016 TESLA MODEL S

Other FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Complaints

#11594757 — June 17, 2024 — Received and OTA notice on the dashboard that states "Battery Fuse replacement" is required. The fuse is due to a Li-...

#11558021 — December 1, 2023 — Sudden unintended acceleration appeared to cause the Tesla while parking the car on the street in front of home accel...

#11521914 — May 14, 2023 — While driving reduced power light came on. On Highway speed reduced to a crawl.

#11463945 — May 9, 2022 — On April 9th, 2022, the vehicle in traffic went from the drive gear to the park. vehicles were coming behind me at 55...

#11372844 — November 3, 2020 — ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE CAR ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN. ON AUGUST 5TH 2020 IT ACCELERATED WHILE IT WAS BEING PARKE...

Recent Complaints for the 2016 TESLA MODEL S

#11717158 — POWER TRAIN — February 11, 2026 — I am reporting a safety-related defect involving sudden loss of motive power on my 2016 Tesla Model S. During the dr...

#11715871 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — February 5, 2026 — I was parking the car and gently tapped on the accelerator to inch forward. The car accelerated suddenly, crashed int...

#11711765 — BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING — January 18, 2026 — My 2016 Tesla Model S (45,500 miles) is experiencing a complete failure of the Media Control Unit (MCU1), resulting i...

#11711765 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — January 18, 2026 — My 2016 Tesla Model S (45,500 miles) is experiencing a complete failure of the Media Control Unit (MCU1), resulting i...

#11711765 — VISIBILITY/WIPER — January 18, 2026 — My 2016 Tesla Model S (45,500 miles) is experiencing a complete failure of the Media Control Unit (MCU1), resulting i...