Tesla Model Y Complaints

4,325 consumer complaints on file.

#11544629September 14, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla Incident 9/8/2023 My Tesla Y started moving backwards suddenly while I was driving forward after I accidentally flicked the right drive lever, mistaking it rain wipers. I driving on Henry Hudson parkway in NYC. It was back to back traffic on HHP. The Tesla started racing backward despite my foot off the gas, and I barely had time to brake . Luckily, traffic was very slow due to rain and carbehind had stopped and it was not damaged at all. However, my Tesla trunk was damaged. I am very worried that the car could go from moving forward to backward with accidental flick on the drive lever
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544558September 14, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 12-volt battery in the vehicle unexpectedly failed without any prior warning, contrary to Tesla's assurance that a warning should appear on the dashboard screen in advance to indicate the need for replacement. In our specific case, no such warning was given, resulting in the vehicle becoming inoperative. This situation could pose a significant safety hazard if the car had stopped in the middle of the road. On September 12, 2023, my son experienced an incident where he could open the driver's side door, but the dashboard screen went completely blank. Despite attempting to reboot the system, there was no response. After exiting the car and closing the door, we observed that the window did not behave as expected in typical situations, as it did not slide down when the door was closed. This unexpected malfunction led to the window breaking without any prior indication or warning from Tesla. The absence of any alert regarding this electrical failure is concerning, especially considering the potential danger if such an incident occurs on a busy highway. Regrettably, Tesla's service center has firmly asserted that the vehicle is no longer covered under warranty and has declined to provide any assistance or resolution for this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544552September 14, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving west on John McCain road (after turning off of I-26 S) in Colleyville, TX. Numerous times, with no oncoming traffic, no cross traffic and clear conditions / visibility PHANTOM BRAKING caused speed to drop (while on cruise control @ ~35 MPH) down to 18-19 MPH. There was NO REASON for it to brake / stop and there was a car behind me, which was forced to stop. I'm sure they thought I was crazy / brake checking them. Clearly the Tesla Adaptive Cruise / Front Sensors (uses only cameras on my model now I believe) caused the braking for now reason. This is a huge issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544382September 13, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was turning right from a residential street onto a busy street during rush hour. I heard a sound, which made me think I might have run over something. Immediately following the sound, an alert showed up on the car’s touch screen with the message: “Vehicle May not restart: Service required”. The car was immediately inoperable - the car could not move and it could not shift into neutral to be pushed off the road. The 12V battery of the car continued to function for roughly 10 minutes after the car became stuck, which I knew because I was able to exit my vehicle normally, the touch screen remained illuminated and I was able to turn my hazards on. It did eventually die and I became locked out of the car at that point. I was in the middle of a busy intersection with no hazard lighting at that point and the car could not be moved, so I called emergency services and requested a police officer for traffic redirection while I waited around an hour and a half for a tow. Regarding the initial sound that I heard, I checked under the car as well as in the street around it, and there were no signs of debris or any visible evidence of damage to the undercarriage of the vehicle. I can only assume that the sound that I heard was whatever failure that had occurred internally in the car. At the time of this incident, the car was charged to around 85% of battery, was only a few weeks old, had never been in any type of collision, or required any service. Tesla has inspected the vehicle and identified the malfunction as a failure of the front and rear drive inverter. The situation that I was in was dangerous to myself and to the other drivers on the road with me. A sudden and complete stop on a busy road or in a location without cell coverage could be life threatening. The fact that there were no warning lamps, messages or any warning symptoms of the failure is extremely concerning and puts drivers and others on the road with them at a high risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544339September 13, 2023
STEERING
lost all power steering today on model Y 2023 tesla.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543764September 11, 2023
SEAT BELTS
Passenger rear seat seatbelt stopped working abruptly. Buckle will not click to secure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543955September 11, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Many occurrences of phantom braking have occurred since I purchased the vehicle several months ago. I was driving on I-5 in California with the cruise control set at 70mph, then changed lanes from left lane to right lane with about 5-6 car links from the semi truck to the rear in the right lane. The emergency braking feature engaged with no vehicles in front of me in either lane for at least 500 yards. The semi truck locked up its breaks to avoid rear ending me. I applied the accelerator as quickly as possible and when I did the semi was approximately 3 feet from crashing into the rear of my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543933September 11, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Brand new vehicle, the vehicle cameras do not seem to be conveying the correct information to the control systems resulting in all related safety features like forward collision, parking assist, lane departure, automatic wipers, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, green light chime, etc are not working. In the last few months these features have not been operational for more than a few days. This is a major safety flaw with this vehicle and the local dealer is unable or unwilling to help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543817September 11, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving with cruise control on the car would suddenly brake for no reason. Sometimes it was just a quick brake for a second or two but multiple times the car braked hard enough to have things in the car fly off the seats. These incidents happened on 9/5/2023. Needless to say we didn't use the cruise control after that, we are just glad no cars were behind us at the time. If this helps, we did use cruise control on a trip on 6/24/2023 with no issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543774September 11, 2023
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that as his wife attempted to park the vehicle in their garage, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning and crashed into a concrete wall. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact stated that his wife suffered from neck pain for a week after the accident but did not seek medical treatment. A police report was filed. The garage was damaged as a result of the accident. The vehicle was towed to an independent body shop where the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11543656September 10, 2023
AIR BAGS
Airbag did not deploy / system failed at the time of the car accident happens. My safety was at risked during the time of accident. There were no indications, warning, messages or symptoms of the problems when the accident occurred.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11543636September 9, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The incident occurred because the car in front of me made a sudden stop (there was a 3-car accident ahead of the car in front of me). In response to the sudden stop I hit the brakes hard on my car but my car failed to completely; it kept moving forward until I hit the car in front of me. I was not tailgating the car in front of me and had plenty of room to stop as I braked. Video recording from the Tesla showed the sufficient distance between my car and the car in front of me. I re-recorded using my phone, I can upload it for your review but the size is about 30MB and in .mov format
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543562September 9, 2023
STEERING
During driving this vehicle on road, this steering wheel wheel was suddenly locked, and cannot be turned. This caused the vehicle stopped making any turns. There was no any warning/messages/symptom before this incident happened. I had to go straight and stopped/parked the vehicle on roadside. After several power off and restarting, the steering wheel was still locked. Called Tesla tech support, the problem cannot be solved. Then had the vehicle been towed to Tesla service center. Tesla technician confirmed seeing error log info. It is under investigation now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543509September 8, 2023
STEERING
I got the dreaded ul_a020 error - "Steering assist reduced" today while driving our model Y - barely 3 months old with 2K miles. The steering became very stiff and I could barely move it, had to use all my forrce to rotate the steering wheel and move the car to the side. it very scary, I parked, got out and then drove again, it happened again. Thankfully I was not too far away from home, so somehow got back. The steering is not smooth anymore now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543464September 8, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While on cruise control on US-93 North bound on between mile marker 116 and 110 ghost breaking occurs. Can cause an accident. It happened multiple times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543411September 8, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On Wednesday, our 2021 Tesla Y - which we have LOVED driving for the last 3 years - took off on its own while I was sitting in traffic - where traffic was at a standstill, and the max speed was probably 4 MPH. Construction ahead had closed a lane, so there was a massive back-up and cars were creeping along each time the traffic light ahead turned green.) As any Tesla owner will tell you, the best way to slow down is to remove your foot from the gas pedal, and the car will slow down and come to a stop on its own. That had always been the case for our vehicle until Wednesday. Shockingly, for no reason at all, the car massively accelerated. I slammed on the brakes, but the brakes did not slow or stop the car. Luckily, the car in front of me was only 2 - 3 car lengths away, so my Tesla which was rapidly gaining speed stopped only when it crashed into that car. I have relatively minor injuries, but I am sure I would have been killed and/or killed others if not for the vehicle in front of me forcing my car to stop. After the crash, we flat-bedded the car to a Tesla-approved auto body shop. Our insurance adjuster will be inspecting the car on Monday. We will make the vehicle available for inspection. I am still shaken from this traumatic experience. I have never had a car accident (but for a fender bender over 40 years ago). Moreover, I have spent my life working in public service (govt, elected officials and nonprofits). I am determined to make sure that this safety problem is fully investigated and repaired - as our roads are not safe until it is fixed.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11543331September 8, 2023
WHEELS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Vehicle Fire - model y performance 2021, XXXXXXXXXXX Dear Tesla Customer Relations & CarMax, I am writing to express my deep concern and file a formal complaint regarding a serious incident involving my Tesla [model y performance ,, 2021, XXXXXXXXXXXXX], which caught fire on August 1st 2023 while in operation. This incident has raised significant safety concerns for me and my family and requires immediate attention and resolution. The vehicle fire occurred under normal driving conditions, and thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. However, the fire resulted in substantial damage to the vehicle and posed a significant risk to nearby properties and individuals. The incident has left me shaken and worried about the safety of Tesla vehicles. I have attached the following documents and information for your reference: I have been a loyal Tesla customer and have appreciated the innovative features and benefits that your vehicles offer. However, this incident has eroded my confidence in the safety and reliability of your products. I kindly request a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and an explanation of the circumstances that led to this incident. Additionally, I request information on any recalls, technical bulletins, or potential issues associated with the model of my vehicle. Furthermore, I urge you to take immediate action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in other vehicles. Safety should be the utmost priority for any automobile manufacturer, and I hope Tesla will take swift measures to address any potential risks. I understand that accidents can happen, but it is essential that Tesla demonstrates transparency, accountability, and a commitment to ensuring the safety of its customers. I expect to be kept informed about the progress of the investigation and any steps that will be taken to prevent future incidents. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and expect INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
1
#11543298September 7, 2023
STEERING
Power steering appeared to be off when trying to drive car. Could not turn wheel at all. Car was towed to tesla service and told the power steering rack has an internal issue and needs to be replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543120September 7, 2023
STEERING
Steering wheel locked after only 9k miles on the car. Won’t turn so cannot drive the car. Brand new car. God forbid this happens while driving the car on road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543107September 7, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Our Tesla seems to be experiencing regular phantom braking events. We just had an event today while traveling on the freeway. Our Tesla unexpectedly applied the brakes without warning as if it was trying to avoid a collision. No objects were in sight. Our cruise control was active and we don’t have autopilot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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