TeslaS2020Electric/tesla/s/2020/electric/

2020 Tesla S

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2020 S.

Engine Electric

The 2020 Tesla Model S is a full-size electric sedan built on Tesla's proprietary platform, powered by dual electric motors with all-wheel drive capability, representing the brand's flagship luxury offering in the executive segment. As of available owner-reported data, this model year accumulated 80 total complaints, with Forward Collision Avoidance emerging as the most frequently cited concern among owners. Additionally, the 2020 model year is associated with 11 recalls, a figure that positions it among the higher-recall years in the Model S's production history and suggests that prospective owners or researchers should pay particular attention to these identified issues when evaluating this vehicle's long-term ownership profile.

Model year202320212020201920182017201620152014

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length184.6 in
Overall width72.8 in
Overall height56.7 in
Wheelbase113.4 in
Curb weight4072 lb
Track (front / rear)63 / 62.6 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)48/52

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2020 Tesla S top in one area — the forward collision avoidance, 10 of 80 reports (12%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 16 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the forward collision avoidance pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

11
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
64
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
13
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
80
Owner complaints
16 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 80 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Forward Collision Avoidance10
Suspension9
Unknown Or Other7
Steering5
Vehicle Speed Control5
Service Brakes,Forward Collision Avoidance4
Structure3
Wheels3

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 64 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
SB-25-16-0032025-06-03Electrical SystemOn certain Model S and Model X vehicles, the battery powered Pyrotechnic High Voltage…
2024.26.9_s3xy.pdf2024-09-30Unknown Or OtherTesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s…
2024.38_s3xy.pdf2024-09-30Unknown Or OtherTesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s…
fsd-12-5-3_s3xy.pdf2024-09-30Unknown Or OtherTesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s…
fsd-12-5-4_s3xy.pdf2024-09-30Unknown Or OtherTesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s…

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific S. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 2020 S have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 11 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.