Need Roadside Assistance For Your Tesla?
A dead Tesla will not roll, will not shift to neutral, and on a flat 12V will not even open its doors. None of that is a broken car. It is a car that needs somebody who has done this before.
24/7/365 dispatch · Insurance-verified rescuers · Flatbed capable
Tesla roadside help, dispatched nationwide
Road Rescue Network dispatches 24/7 roadside help for every Tesla. These are the vehicles most often damaged during a rescue rather than before one, because the correct procedure is not obvious and the wrong one is expensive. Flatbed only, transport mode where the car can still be woken, the screw-in tow eye from the trunk, and a 12V battery that causes the majority of the calls that look catastrophic.
Who builds a Tesla, and why it changes the rescue
Tesla builds without a conventional key, without a mechanical release on several controls, and with the low voltage system running everything including the doors. A flat low voltage battery is the call that catches people out. It leaves a car that has plenty of range in the pack and still cannot be opened, released or rolled without the right procedure.
Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures, and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar shingles, and related products and services.Tesla on Wikipedia
What a rescuer has to know before they roll on a Tesla
These are the things that go wrong when a Tesla gets whichever truck was closest instead of the right one.
Flatbed only, and there is no rolling neutral once it is dead
Tesla motors are geared directly to the wheels, so towing with any wheels turning on the road can damage the drive units. The car has to travel with all four wheels off the ground. If it still has power it can be put into a transport mode that releases the parking brake and allows it to be pulled onto a bed. If it is completely dead it will not roll at all and it goes on skates.
A flat 12V locks you out of a full car
The doors, the handles and the screens all run off a small 12V battery. When that dies the exterior handles stop responding and the car will not open, even with a traction battery at eighty percent. There is a defined external access point to feed power in and get the front trunk open. Owners routinely book a tow for what is a jumpstart.
The tow eye screws into the bumper and lives in the trunk
There is no fixed hook. A cover pops out of the front fascia and a threaded tow eye, stored with the vehicle, screws in. Handing that over when the truck arrives turns a fifteen minute problem into a two minute one.
There is no spare tire in any of them
Not a compact, not a full size, and on many trims not even a proper jack. Low-profile tires on large wheels take pothole damage that sealant cannot fix, so a Tesla flat is usually either a correct-size tire brought to the vehicle or a bed to a service centre.
Features that watch the car also drain the small battery
Cameras and monitoring features left running while parked pull from the low-voltage system. A car left at an airport for two weeks with everything enabled is a common way to come back to a vehicle that will not open.
The Tesla calls we take
Dead 12V and doors that will not open
External power to wake the car, access to the front trunk, and 12V replacement on-site where it will not hold.
Flatbed transport
The only correct way to move a Tesla, using transport mode where the car can be woken and skates where it cannot.
Flat tire
Correct-size tires brought to the vehicle, since there is no spare aboard to fit.
Out of charge
Transport to a working charger or to home, with an honest answer about which chargers are actually up.
Winch-out and recovery
Recovery taken from the screw-in tow eye or rated points, never from suspension components.
How a Tesla has to be moved
Worth reading to whoever shows up, whether or not we sent them.
Flatbed with all four wheels off the ground, always. If the car has power, transport mode releases the parking brake so it can be pulled on. If the car is fully dead the wheels will not turn and it needs skates. The car is secured from the screw-in tow eye or the designated points. A Cybertruck is heavier than the cars and needs equipment rated accordingly.
Tesla models we cover
Owners whose vehicles are out of factory coverage, rideshare drivers running Model 3 and Y at high mileage, and anyone who has already had one truck arrive and admit it could not take the car. Every rescuer carries current general liability insurance and works to standardised response and pricing practices.
Tesla roadside assistance in major US metros
Tap a metro for local rescuers, response times and recent calls. New cities are added continuously.
Statewide coverage
Browse every metro we cover in these states.
Where a Tesla gets looked at
A tow ends somewhere. These are the businesses listed in our directory in the largest metros, with a direct-dial number on every one.
Repair shops
1,044 citiesIndependent garages in the directory, listed by city. Where the vehicle goes once it is off the truck.
Tire shops
639 citiesFor the flat that cannot be plugged, and for the makes that carry no spare at all.
Parts counters
2,936 citiesBatteries, bulbs, belts and fluids, close to where the vehicle stopped.
Body and collision
1,799 citiesAfter a recovery, for the panel damage the tow was not the worst of.
Tesla roadside questions
My Tesla is dead and the doors will not open. Is the battery pack gone?
Almost never. The doors run off a small 12V battery, and when that dies the car will not open even with a nearly full traction pack. There is a defined way to feed power in from outside and get the front trunk open. Call it in as a dead 12V and it is usually solved on the spot rather than towed.
Can my Tesla be towed with two wheels on the ground?
No. The motors are geared to the wheels, so wheels turning on the road can damage the drive units. It goes on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. If the car still has power, transport mode releases the parking brake so it can be pulled on cleanly. If it is fully dead, it will not roll and skates are used.
Where is the tow hook?
There is not one. A cover pops out of the front bumper and a threaded tow eye, stored in the vehicle, screws into it. If you can find that eye before the truck gets there, the hookup takes minutes.
I have a flat. Is there a spare?
No. Teslas do not carry one, and on many there is not even a usable jack. Read the size off the tire sidewall when you call so a matching one can be brought out, otherwise it is a flatbed to a service centre.
Tesla and its model names are trademarks of their owner. Road Rescue Network is an independent nationwide dispatch network and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorised agent of Tesla. We name the make because it is what our rescuers service.
Tesla down right now?
One number reaches a live dispatcher. Tell them the model and what it is doing, and the truck that leaves is the one that can actually take your car.