Tesla Model Y Complaints

4,325 consumer complaints on file.

#11750667July 15, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
SYSTEMIC POWERTRAIN SAFETY DEFECT: Catastrophic Loss of Propulsion & Failure of Dual-Motor Redundancy. 1. Incident & Safety Risk: While traveling in the far-left HOV lane of a 6-lane interstate highway, the vehicle experienced an uncommanded, unwarranted Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) intervention during a controlled lane change. This sudden deceleration instantly triggered a complete powertrain collapse and total loss of propulsion. The vehicle came to a dead stop in a live highway lane. The driver (me), passenger, and our [XXX] infant were stranded in lane 3 of a 6 lane highway for ~35 minutes until Highway Patrol units arrived to manually push the vehicle across live traffic to the shoulder. This near-miss was an immediate, severe life-safety crisis not just for the occupants but also to others on the road. 2. Symptoms & Alert Codes: There were zero warning symptoms prior to the incident. Immediately upon the power collapse, the touchscreen displayed critical faults. Active diagnostic telemetry confirmed alert codes: DI_a137 (No Capable Drive Units) DI_a063 (System Graceful Power Off) 3. Manufacturer Confirmation & Inspection Status: The failure was confirmed in writing by the manufacturer’s service center. The diagnostic invoice explicitly states: "The rear drive inverter experienced an unintended reset due to an error. Sudden power reduction and shutdown while driving." The vehicle is currently held at the manufacturer's facility and is fully available for inspection. 4. Engineering Assessment: As a mechanical engineer, my assessment is the surge through the AEB event to the inverter’s DC-link was unable to damp this load, forcing a hardware logic reset. Crucially, the software logic failed to partition this fault. In a dual-motor architecture marketed as having built-in powertrain redundancy, a localized rear inverter reset should be isolated, leaving the front motor operational to safely navigate out of traffic, this did not happen. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750529July 15, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
On July 10, 2026, my 2024 Tesla Model Y (approx. 22,440 miles) lost all power (main/12V battery) while parked next to a Supercharger stall on Level 3 of the Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino parking garage, Maricopa, AZ. Ambient temperature was approximately 110F. My dog and cat were inside the vehicle. With the vehicle powered off, the key card, Tesla app, and interior door releases did not function, leaving no way to open the doors from outside or inside. Unable to find or access a working manual door release in time, we broke the rear quarter glass and damaged a door to physically extract the pets before they suffered heat-related harm. Maricopa Police Department and Ak-Chin Fire Department responded to the scene. This represents a serious safety defect: a loss of vehicle power should not eliminate all means of entry/egress, particularly when children or pets could be trapped in extreme heat. The vehicle, damaged door, and glass are available for inspection. Photos of the incident are available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750494July 15, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Home link failure 1 Homelink was set to close the garage at 90 feet. Garage was open and I was parking manually going in reverse. Home link closed the garage as rear of my car was entering. Since tesla has a taller base and the wing like device projects beyond the car was damaged. 2 Homelink does not work consistently and this has put my home at risk because sometimes the garage door does not close as it is supposed to. 3 I had a service call. The technician saw the problem and claimed to have fixed it. He also said that he will tell the service manager about the damage and will see if they could fix the damage. 4 problem with this inconsistent behavior has continued. I have escalated the complaint with Tesla. I have called four times. All visited a service center in East plano. No one has contacted me to discuss the problem.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750293July 14, 2026
STEERING
Vehicle Safety Complaint On XXX, between approximately 9:45 PM and 9:52 PM, we were driving our Tesla Model Y eastbound on [XXX] and exited at [XXX] toward [XXX]. As my husband was making a left turn after exiting the freeway, the steering wheel suddenly became stuck or extremely difficult to turn. There was no warning, no unusual driver input, and no use of Autopilot or Full Self-Driving. The vehicle does not have Full Self-Driving capability. My husband had to use significant force to regain steering control to avoid striking the left side of the roadway/median. Because the vehicle did not respond as expected, the car behind us nearly rear-ended us. Our two children, ages [XXX] and [XXX], were properly restrained in the back seat. Fortunately, no collision or injuries occurred, but the incident could easily have resulted in a serious crash. This incident raises significant concerns about the safety and reliability of the steering system. I am requesting that this complaint be investigated and that Tesla review the vehicle’s logs from the time of the incident. The vehicle has also been reported to Tesla for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750233July 14, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla Full Self Driving has no way to limit the speed or lane changes, and even in its standard profile it keeps going 15+ over the limit. Chill mode occasionally goes 10+, and Sloth switches between -10 and +5 erratically. It's unsafe to use and there's no way to do anything about it without a manual speed limit, like it used to have
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750229July 14, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The passenger-side (right) headlight assembly suffered an internal mechanical failure and is stuck aimed too high. It cannot be calibrated or lowered to factory specification. This poses a severe safety risk by blinding oncoming traffic at night. The vehicle was inspected by a manufacturer service center on July 13, 2026. The factory technician confirmed in the official service notes that the right-side headlight is 'internally faulty and will not lower the headlight height to specification,' requiring a full assembly replacement. This is the second time this exact OEM component has failed under normal use; the entire assembly was previously replaced for a failure just over two years prior. No external damage, collision, or impact caused this internal mechanism to fail.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750033July 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed without the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature engaged, the steering wheel suddenly jerked to the right. While the FSD was engaged, the vehicle made erroneous turns at 51 MPH, forcing the driver to take control of the vehicle. The contact received several warnings about the brakes and other safety features. The steering wheel jerked to the right while driving with the FSD engaged. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla Service Center on July 9th. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 303.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749945July 13, 2026
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while pulling in and out of a driveway, and while coming to a stop or driving from a stop, the vehicle made an abnormal sound that became louder over time. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the service center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the front driver’s and passenger’s side upper control arms had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749855July 12, 2026
SUSPENSION
While driving, the front lower suspension lateral link (fore link) completely detached and separated from the subframe. The aluminum arm dropped down, pulling entirely free from its mounting bushing and shredding the plastic underbody aero shield. The failure caused a sudden and immediate loss of wheel alignment and camber control, making the vehicle entirely unsafe to drive and requiring an emergency tow. There was absolutely no impact, collision, or external road hazard that caused this failure; the component separated entirely due to structural or fastener failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749826July 12, 2026
STEERING
The electronic power assisted steering (EPAS) rack on my 2021 Tesla Model Y experienced an internal electronic failure. The failure first occurred while the vehicle was performing an automated parking maneuver (Autopark) at low speed. The vehicle displayed the warning "Steering assist reduced / Steering may require increased effort" (alert UI_a020_SteeringReduced). Using the vehicle's built-in Service Mode, I retrieved the underlying diagnostic fault: EPAS3P_a072_motFeedFwdError, described by the vehicle as "Motor control feed-forward correlation error," set when the difference between estimated motor torque and commanded torque exceeds 1.2 Nm. The vehicle's own diagnostic screen lists the clear condition for this fault as "Replace EPAS," indicating an internal hardware failure of the primary EPAS module. The listed potential impact is "Reduced steering assist and EAC inhibited." The fault initially cleared after approximately three minutes but returned and is now latched: it persists through vehicle reboots and multiple drive cycles. While the fault is active, power steering assist is reduced and lane keeping assistance / active safety steering features are inoperative. Safety risk: steering assist can degrade without warning during low-speed maneuvers, requiring sudden and substantially increased steering effort, and lane keeping assistance is disabled. The failure occurred while an automated driving feature was in control of the steering, with no curb impact, collision, or abnormal use.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749824July 12, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Tesla Y on the freeway, FSD on(Full Self Driving), driving at 70 mph. I saw the cars ahead are slowing but my car was not slowing, so I braked and held the steering wheel firmly. However, my car still hit the car in front at 36 mph. The airbag deployed and luckily I only sprained my thumb in both hands in holding the steering wheel very hard. If I didn't take over my car would have hit the car in front at 70 mph. I downloaded Tesla "Vehicle Data Report" and it shows that the "FSD was active, Cruise Control State was active, Driver Monitoring Detection was detected and I applied the brake. I used FSD for over 3 years and no problem at all, until the accident. The Tesla Data shows that the FSD malfunctioned that caused the accident but my insurance told me that it was my fault and they increased my insurance for $227 a month.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11749812July 12, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Tesla's FSD system has ZERO opportunity for the driver to adjust what the car believes is the speed limit. My car often has no idea what the speed limit is. More often than not, it believes the speed limit is lower than it actually is, by as much as 30 MPH. This causes the car to impede traffic if I do not intervene. I can press and hold the accelerator to force the car to drive the speed limit, however I am then faced with a warning that the car will not automatically brake in an emergency. I run my car in "Sloth" or "Chill" 99% of the time to prevent speeding (something you should actually enforce), and this is really where the issue becomes somewhat problematic. If I'm on a 55 MPH road driving 55-57 and the car suddenly decides the speed limit is 30, in sloth, it will decelerate aggressively, making people behind me think I'm nuts... could potentially be dangerous. Recently I was on a "new" road into a campground, a couple days after school ended and there were children around, the speed limit on the road is posted at 20... the car said [XXX], and proceeded to accelerate aggressively of course I terminated the FSD session and just drove the car myself. But no matter which way it is, it's insane that I cannot adjust the speed limit to whatever the speed limit actually is. I own this car, and I pay for FSD for one reason, I'm getting older [XXX], and my driving skills and reflexes are not what they used to be. I'm spending my money to increase safety... please insist that Tesla allow us to adjust the speed limit, or provide a way to get them to do it in a timely manner. I report these situations to Tesla often... not once have they adjusted whatever they use in the background... same problems on the same roads over and over and over, day after day. Please force them to do the right thing! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749760July 11, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, WHEELS
I purchased a used 2023 Tesla Model Y from Tesla in Austin, Texas. Upon and after delivery I discovered the following safety defects that were not disclosed to me prior to purchase: the front left door is completely off its hinges and scratching, the rear right door does not shut properly, the passenger side window is not seating correctly in its track, the front left tire is damaged, and both wheel rims have visible chipping and damage. Tesla's own delivery managers documented all of this in their system at the time of delivery. I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I have escalated to Tesla executive leadership and filed complaints with the BBB and Texas Attorney General.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749701July 11, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
Recurring front passenger safety restraint system fault causing incorrect occupant detection for airbag deployment. Failed and was ‘repaired’ 3 times since 2024, including 2 consecutive failed repairs of the same part within the last 3 months. Tesla service advisor also mentioned informally this is a common issue. Tesla is now refusing further no-cost repair despite both recent repairs remaining under Tesla’s own parts warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749672July 10, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
A Tesla vehicle passed by me and my kid while we are trying to get into the car, it just stopped in front of my parking spot to block my car. Then I got down and checked there is a no driver. I took a picture of the license plate and side view of car where no one is there in the car. It was terrifying since no one is in the parking lot we came after a movie and entered the parking lot to get our car. This smart driving needs to be banned or restricted without driver.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749426July 9, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
June 30, I was driving an highway, PA 376 during a rain storm, FSD 60 MPH 4-5 PM. The rain was heavy, vehicles in front of me flashing their emergency lights, I attempted several times to slow down, Acceleration Modes, towards me. Vehicle would not slow down, heavy rain and puddles blurred my vision, thinking I would rear end the vehicle in front of me. Traffic was light due to the rain, FSD needs better software to slow down during weather conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749374July 9, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Supervised self driving. The latest software requires drivers to divert attention from the road to enter information on the screen whenever self driving is disengaged. This is potentially dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749310July 9, 2026
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Error ui_a020 "steering assist reduced" appears without any noticeable steering changes at the moment, but with a warning that steering may become increasingly harder and harder. There were recent recalls on other models of Tesla.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749176July 8, 2026
SEATS
The left back seat actuator engaged twice in the same day and the seat back dropped down unexpectedly on the passenger. It’s done it to my grandchild twice and hurt him. No injuries but the surprise and shock of the seat coming down on him was painful. I've had this with other passengers in the same seat. Tesla inspected it for this problem, but found nothing at the time. The problem is intermittent.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749156July 8, 2026
STEERING
The vehicle pulls or "snaps/clicks" when wheel is moved at all speeds while driving manually. It is more prevalent at higher highway speeds. Tesla stated steering gear mechanism may need replacement and it is considered normal wear and tear. There are no alignment, nor wheel, problems. The steering issue has become a hazard on the highway due to the sudden "jerk" reaction from steering wheel input. I am concerned the steering wheel input may become completely unresponsive in the near future when vehicle is being driven. Steering components should be a safety problem and not a typical "wear and tear" component. Car has never been in an accident or incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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