Tesla Model Y Complaints

3,785 consumer complaints on file.

#11701703November 26, 2025
STEERING
Car seemed to have no power steering when I tried to leave this morning, brand new car less than 5000 miles and it’s glitching.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701582November 25, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The front trunk (frunk) on my 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper lacks both internal lighting and an emergency safety release mechanism. This design flaw creates an unnecessary and severe safety risk, as a small adult or child could easily become trapped in the frunk with no way to signal for help or escape. In low-light conditions—such as at night or in a garage without adequate illumination—the absence of a light would exacerbate disorientation and panic for anyone trapped. Without an internal release latch or glow-in-the-dark handle (standard in many vehicle trunks to prevent entrapment deaths), this could lead to a life-threatening suffocation or injury situation, especially if the frunk is accidentally closed on a person during loading/unloading. I discovered this issue while inspecting the frunk during routine cleaning and noticed that my four-year-old sat very comfortably inside the frunk listening to music while I cleaned the car. No incident has occurred yet, but the potential for harm is clear and warrants immediate investigation, as it violates basic entrapment-prevention standards observed in rear trunks and other vehicles. This defect compromises occupant safety and should be addressed through a recall or a retrofit that includes an illuminated emergency release. Please investigate similar complaints for this model year.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701470November 25, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On the day of the incident, I drove my vehicle into the charging station and activated the Tesla FSD autonomous driving and automatic parking functions. During the automatic parking attempt by the vehicle, the system exhibited the following severe loss of control behaviors: 1. The vehicle automatically collided with the vehicle in front without any human operation. 2. It paused for about 1 second after the collision. 3. Then, the vehicle suddenly accelerated in reverse at high speed, again without any driver operation. 4. It directly hit another Tesla that was charging behind my vehicle. The entire process is fully executed automatically by the vehicle system. I cannot intervene or stop the system through the steering wheel or brakes. II. Severe Security Risks When the accident happened, my friend was sitting in the passenger seat. If the vehicle had moved a few more inches, it could have caused serious injury or even a life-threatening situation. This system failure is a combination of Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) and the loss of control in autonomous driving decision-making, posing a significant systemic risk to public traffic safety. I immediately contacted Tesla and sent a complaint letter to the North Carolina Consumer Center. They accepted my complaint and sent an email to Tesla, but it has been over twenty days and I have not received a response from Tesla.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701417November 25, 2025
STEERING, SUSPENSION
Hi, its not really an incident but I found what have happened suspicious. I got my tesla from the delivery zone at the Giga factory in Austin, TX last Wednesday. Right after the delivery i found an issue with steering wheel alignment. Steering wheel was tilted right and car was pulling right in the road. I addressed this issue to Tesla and visited service center last Saturday Nov-22nd. Technician confirmed an issue. Wheels alignment was performed on the vehicle and it was returned to me on the same day. As soon as I got the the road I found that issue wasn't fixed. It went better but not fully fixed. I came to the service center again. Senior technician took a ride with me and confirmed the issue again. She also told me that they will probably will have to look into suspension because alignment didnt help last time and it could be more serious issue. The car was taken care of and returned to me in 90 min or so. Service advisor told me that suspension and steering were torqued and another alignment performed. When I took it to the road and I found that issue was fixed and I'm happy now but ifter that i recieved a message from the Service Center that I found suspicious. Despite the communication in person in the message afterwards was stating that no issues were found (See attach). I found this suspicious and decided to let you know as that may look like an attempt to hide some serious safety concern with steering. Please find screenshot in the attachment
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701237November 24, 2025
STEERING
My Model Y experienced a sudden steering assist failure while driving. The wheel became extremely stiff/locked even though Autosteer was off. Multiple thermal system faults appeared: VCRIGHT_a271_THSSensorFault, VCRIGHT_a257_THSMIA, GTW_w043_THSVersionMismatch, and HVACSystemNotNominal This was very scary as I was driving and had no control of steering wheel because it locked.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701083November 23, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While the car was in operation a message popped up with flashing red light and said drive unit issue car powering down. It went into neutral. Turns out the inverter and rear drive unit had to be replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701021November 22, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
We were coming home from a local restaurant and a rain storm started and the wipers would not come on. We were able to pull in to a parking lot and went through all Tesla reset procedures and could not get them to work. There were no error codes and it was scary trying to find a safe place to stop when we could hardly see.During a break in the rain we were able to make it home. We are over 100 miles from the nearest service center and tried to schedule an appointment but the closest opening was 22 days away. We called and spoke to Teslas customer service and after much checking they said there was nothing they could do and told me to call the service center Monday morning. We have a trip scheduled starting Monday and I do not feel safe driving a car with no wipers Some of the other electronics would not work. The lights were on bright and would not dim and could not adjust temperature. The car is a few months old with 2901 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701019November 22, 2025
SUSPENSION
Control arm on the left side fell off while parking
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700791November 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The car has a feature called "curvature assist" that takes control of braking and steering at times when using cruise control. The incidents are at times surprising as there is no curvature present but the braking is suddenly applied. This is a surprise for both the driver and any following traffic. The car would be safer if this feature could be disabled but that is not possible.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700778November 21, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
My car installed update v12 (2025.38.8.7) last night. This morning I was driving to work using autopilot when alarms sounded, the hazard lights turned on, and the screen flashed a warning that I had to take over immediately. The message included a note that autopilot had failed due to a "systems error." The navigation and visualization screen froze, went blank, and took 10 minutes to come back on. I asked Tesla to roll back the update and they have told me that they cannot do that. I came very close to crashing into a concrete guard rail as the car was going around a turn when the system failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700767November 21, 2025
SUSPENSION, WHEELS
Concern: Passenger Side Front Wheel Trim - Fitment issue upon making right turns somewhere from passenger side front suspension area making loud noise started today around 5:30 to 6pm and wheel alignment is error started is showing on screen. Repair Notes: Technician inspected and road tested the vehicle, verifying a loud noise from the passenger side front suspension area during right turns, as reported by the customer. The issue was caused by loose bolts on the lower lateral link on the left side. The technician replaced the front lower lateral link assembly, along with the necessary bolts and nuts, and performed a four-wheel alignment check and adjustment. After the repair, the technician confirmed the noise was resolved and the vehicle's alignment error was no longer displayed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700754November 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My vehicle experienced multiple safety system malfunctions before a minor collision occurred. While driving, the car displayed warnings indicating that traction control had been disabled, followed immediately by a warning that the automatic vehicle hold/brake hold was disabled. These failures happened before any impact. At the same time, the vehicle’s cameras were not functioning correctly, and the vehicle did not provide any forward collision warning. The automatic emergency braking system also did not activate. Because these systems failed, the vehicle did not warn, slow down, or brake to avoid a collision. After the collision, the vehicle showed several additional safety system failures. These included automatic emergency braking unavailable, and repeated safety restraint system faults affecting both the front left and front right restraint systems. The airbags did not deploy even though conditions suggested they should have, and afterwards the vehicle displayed persistent airbag and seatbelt system error icons. The restraint system appears to have gone offline. The vehicle is currently unsafe to drive due to failures in braking, traction control, perception/camera systems, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and the airbag/restraint systems. These failures occurred before the collision, contributed to the collision, and continued afterward. The manufacturer’s service center has declined to provide towing or a loaner or rental vehicle while the safety defects are being investigated, which will take about 30 days.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700675November 20, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle appears to be giving off toxic fumes causing medical symptoms like headaches for multiple drivers over last 2 months since vehicle was purchased used, fumes have a sweet smell but source of fumes was unable to be identified by Tesla service center. Fumes appears to be coming from front vents of vehicle. Suspecting there is a coolant leak but source of leak is unknown. Tesla had indicated that coolant reservoir was slightly below expected levels. Tesla replaced cabin air filters but that did not resolve the issue, cabin air filters had already been replaced prior to tesla replacing the filters. Tesla service centers indicated they do not have the equipment needed to test what chemicals are in the fumes and have no idea what they could be.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700663November 20, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When using cruise control (traffic aware cruise control and autosteer) the car acts dangerously and stops for no reason. I've been driving on open roads with no traffic in front of me on regular roads, the car will slam on the brakes and it causes the people behind me to need to slam on their brakes as well. I feel like I'm going to get into an accident constantly... I was on the freeway and no one around in front of me and the car slammed on the brakes to almost a stop on a 70 mph speed limit road. Today the same thing occurred in high traffic on a 55mph road, luckily the driver behind me wasn't to close and was able to stop in time ... There is no option to use regular cruise control or disable enough features to prevent this from occurring... It's incredibly terrifying. If they can't do traffic aware cruise, there should be the option to do regular cruise... And it shouldn't require passing Tesla $8000 for full self driving to be able to drive your car at a speed without the that of being rear ended. This feels like extortion... I've submitted feature requests to Tesla, talked to their bot about fixing this and I've currently been on hold for almost an hour without any response. This dangerous tech is unacceptable!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700649November 20, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When there is sustained rain, horn fills with water becoming inoperable. Tesla confirmed this is the normal operation of the horn.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700505November 20, 2025
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
I would like to report a significant incident involving the auto-corrective steering in my vehicle. While driving on the highway, the steering wheel experienced a strong jolt, which I believe was caused by the auto-corrective steering system. This resulted in the vehicle spinning three times and ultimately coming to rest on the grassy center divider. Fortunately, no damage occurred at that time, and I initially attributed the incident to road conditions. I continued driving for approximately 30 minutes in rainy weather without further incident. However, a few hours later, during my return journey, the same forceful jolt to the steering wheel recurred about 20 minutes into the drive. On this occasion, the car spun 1.5 times and subsequently collided backward with the concrete center divider. It is fortunate that no other vehicles were involved, given the heavy traffic and rainy conditions at the time. During both of the incidents, I had both hands on the steering wheel and was not able to correct steering due to the strong force from the steering wheel jolt. I did have a Police Report filed, but have to get number when I return home.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700424November 19, 2025
WHEELS
Tesla Collison Center Denver - returned vehicle with bent wheel after an accident They refuse to repair despite safety risk They are now Blocking my access to service of fixing my car for unrelated issues as well. This bent wheel may result in an unsafe vehicle on the road
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700389November 19, 2025
SUSPENSION
The front suspension on my 2021 Tesla Model Y developed progressive creaking and groaning noises during low-speed turning, especially in parking lots or when maneuvering. The noise began intermittently around 45,000 miles and became much louder by around 86,000 miles, which made me concerned about a potential safety issue before a long family trip. The sound comes from the front lower suspension area and indicates that something may be loose or failing. I am worried about the possibility of losing steering control if the suspension components separate or shift while driving, especially with my children in the car. The Tesla Service Center in Lisle, Illinois inspected the vehicle and informed me that both front lower lateral links and both front lower compliance links must be replaced (all four front suspension links). The repair estimate is about $1,600. This problem appears identical to the condition described in Tesla’s campaign/recall SB-21-31-003 / NHTSA 21V835, which involves improperly torqued front lower lateral link fasteners on 2020–2021 Model Y vehicles. My vehicle shows identical symptoms and identical components, but my VIN does not appear in the recall. I contacted Tesla corporate support by email requesting a safety/goodwill review, but I have not received any response. I believe this issue is safety-related and may indicate that more vehicles should be included in the existing recall. I am attaching the Tesla service diagnosis confirming the required replacement of all four front suspension links.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700358November 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Detailed Description of the Defect: Friday Incident: While picking up my son from school, the vehicle abruptly disabled multiple safety and driver-assist features. The car rolled backward on a slight incline, failed to display any surrounding vehicles on the FSD visualization, and retained accelerator input even after I removed my foot from the pedal. The vehicle continued to speed up slightly in Drive and Reverse without my input. Soft resets did not resolve the issue. Monday Incident (Collision Caused by Malfunction): On Monday morning, the same malfunction occurred. As I reversed into my garage with the door opening, the car again held the accelerator input after I lifted my foot, causing the vehicle to continue moving backward unexpectedly. The vehicle struck my garage door, causing property damage and a dent to the trunk. This was not driver error. It was unexpected propulsion after pedal release — an extremely dangerous condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700335November 19, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The latest version of Tesla FSD software does not let me fully control my speed. You can switch profiles or stop using Full Self-Driving, but you cannot set the speed to what you want. In the last version, you could use the right scroll wheel to increase or decrease the speed. Now that shifts profiles but even that does not give you control over what exact speed you are driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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