Free. Instant. No signup. Pulls recalls and complaints for your exact vehicle.
Couldn't find that VIN. Check the digits and try again.
1 active recall campaign on file, only 1 owner complaint in the NHTSA database. Often that means the recall caught it before the field did.
Limited NHTSA data — only 1 complaint on file. The score reflects what's reported, but a small sample skews easily. 1 active recall on file.
Only 1 NHTSA complaint on file — too few for a confident call. The 1 active recall above remain authoritative; read those first.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
The vehicle is prone to 'sudden acceleration' problems where the driver loses control of the vehicle when the traction control system engages and forces the regenerative engine breaking system to disengage. The Tesla roadster uses very aggressive engine regenerative breaking so,…
If the problem is not addressed promptly, the driver could lose control of the vehicle, which could lead to a crash.
Limited NHTSA data. Only 1 owner complaint has been filed for the 2008 Tesla Roadster, which is not enough for a meaningful reliability score. Active recalls (if any) are listed on this page and remain authoritative — those are verified defects regardless of complaint volume. For a confident reliability read we look for at least 10 owner complaints in the federal database.
Only 1 NHTSA complaint on file — too few for a confident call. The 1 active recall above remain authoritative; read those first. We don't issue a buy/avoid verdict on the 2008 Tesla Roadster without a meaningful complaint sample — doing so off a handful of filings would be guesswork.
No problem area has crossed our reporting threshold yet, which is a good sign for this vehicle.
Major repair items haven't been flagged often enough on this vehicle to single one out.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Hard to say from NHTSA data alone with only 1 complaint on file. A quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. The decision comes down to your specific situation: vehicle cost, miles on it, how long you plan to keep it, and whether you can absorb a $3K–$8K repair without straining cashflow. With limited public data on this vehicle, lean on the recall list above and check owner forums before committing.