The short answer
A service bulletin is Tesla's instruction to its service centers for a known problem on some of its cars: the symptom, the fix, the parts and the labor time. It is not a recall, and its repair is not always free. Every Tesla model year has some. Before you buy a used one, find out which bulletins its model year has, then ask the seller which were done, and for the invoices.
Bulletins and recalls
A recall is for a safety defect. The repair is free, and nhtsa.gov/recalls shows which recalls are still open on a VIN. A service bulletin covers the rest of what Tesla tells its technicians about: a part that wears out early, a water leak, a noise, a warning that comes on when nothing is wrong, a better way to do a repair.
US rules make a carmaker send NHTSA a copy of what it tells its service network about a defect, safety-related or not, and NHTSA publishes the copies, so anyone can read them.
The two can meet. In 2020 a bulletin covered the 8GB memory chip in the media computer of early Model S and Model X, which can wear out and leave the touchscreen blank. In 2021 Tesla recalled cars for the same chip, and recall work is free.
How many each model year has
NHTSA lists the bulletins by model year. The table counts them for each Tesla line, as read from NHTSA on 18 October 2026. It can change after that date. The most are on the 2017 Model 3 (63) and the 2018 Model 3 (62). A bulletin names the cars it covers, often by build date or equipment, so not every one applies to every car of its year.
| Model year | Model S | Model X | Model 3 | Model Y | Cybertruck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 25 | ||||
| 2013 | 34 | ||||
| 2014 | 34 | ||||
| 2015 | 31 | ||||
| 2016 | 31 | 54 | |||
| 2017 | 26 | 39 | 63 | ||
| 2018 | 15 | 29 | 62 | ||
| 2019 | 10 | 15 | 29 | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 26 | |
| 2021 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 16 | |
| 2022 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 10 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 17 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 21 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
What a bulletin looks like
Some examples, as NHTSA summarizes them:
- SB-25-16-003, June 2025: On certain Model S and Model X vehicles, the battery powered Pyrotechnic High Voltage (HV) Battery Disconnect will reach the end of its battery lifespan in the near future, which will trigger alerts and may limit the vehicle’s performance.
- SB-20-21-002 R3, December 2020: For some Model S and Model X vehicles built before March 2018, an 8GB embedded MultiMediaCard ("8GB eMMC") in the Media Control Unit (MCU) might malfunction due to accumulated wear. This could result in a blank or intermittently blank touchscreen, or an alert on the touchscreen indicating that a memory storage device has degraded and to contact Service.
- SB-23-10-002 R2, April 2023: On some Model 3 vehicles, water may have leaked inside the trunk area through the trunk lid.
- SB-21-18-002, March 2024: Certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may be equipped with refrigerant pressure/temperature (P/T) sensors in the heat pump that can fault over time.
What to ask the seller
Which of the model year's bulletins apply to the car, which were done, and the invoices for them. No public record shows which bulletin repairs were done on a VIN, so the invoices are the proof. For one that applies and was not done, find out what the repair costs before you agree a price: unlike recall work, it is not always free.
What the report shows
The free check on this site gives the number of bulletins NHTSA has for the car's model and year, from its VIN. The $1.99 Factory Report lists them, newest first, each with its month, NHTSA's summary and a link to the bulletin, next to the recalls for the same model and year.
Common questions
What is a Tesla service bulletin?
It is Tesla's instruction to its service centers for a known problem on some of its cars: the symptom, the fix, the parts and the labor time. NHTSA publishes copies, so anyone can read them.
Is a service bulletin the same as a recall?
No. A recall is for a safety defect, and the repair is free. A service bulletin covers other known problems, and its repair is not always free.
How can you tell if a bulletin's repair was done on a used Tesla?
Ask the seller for the invoices. No public record shows which bulletin repairs were done on a VIN.