Tesla Model Y Complaints
3,785 consumer complaints on file.
- #11509060February 25, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When using the cruise control function (not hands free) we have experienced multiple disconnects from the cruise control which puts the car into a sudden breaking condition slowing the car until the cruise control reconnects automatically. On a recent road trip we narrowly avoided a serious accident when this happened and we had a big rig truck behind us. We reported this to Tesla and their emailed reply said the cause was "map data, speed limit data, GPS position inaccuracies or predictive position inaccuracies." We drove over 2,500, mostly interstate highways, and in our opinion, none of their reasons for this condition apply to what happened to us. We set up an appointment with Tesla to look at the car but their email response seemed to indicate that as we drive the car more, the system will correct itself. In our opinion, this apparent software glitch is serious and can have fatal consequences. We have spoken with other Tesla owners and they are also aware of this chronic problem. We are reporting this matter in hopes that it will be investigated and promptly correctly before lives are lost.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11509031February 25, 2023SUSPENSION, STEERING
On today’s day 2/24/23 approximately 13:18 hours. While I driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y ,the rear suspension failed. The steering wheel is not responding and I was unable to turn it or control it. This resulted in the rear tire and rim pointing to the left. This caused the tire to become unseated on the rim. The metal rim hitting the pavement and the angle of the Rim/wheel make me lose control of the vehicle and cross 4 lanes of traffic in a few seconds until I could get the car stopped. There was no prior noise or notice. It was raining lightly. I purchased the Tesla due to its reliability and all the safety features. As I know Tesla had been described as a high safety level with full automation engaged vehicle. However, I feel there is an issue with the suspension manufacturing defects of Tesla model Y which did not activate or warned me to avoid a simple collision. There was also no automatic breaking which occurred to avoid the collision. Luckily, there were no injuries on my accident. In fact, what if the driver had severe injuries, unconsciousness or even fatal during the impact of accident ? What if I was on autopilot? I am very concerned about the fact of Tesla manufacturing system. The dealership said this is common and caused by the rain which is an entirely dumb statement as I'm sure teslas are designed to be driving in all types of weather. I have seen numerous recalls and issues with the rear suspension and I am asking Tesla to take ownership of this issue and fix the problem. I look forward to your response on next steps to remedy this situation and repair my tesla. Thank you
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508956February 24, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his wife was driving in a parking lot, the vehicle independently accelerated as she depressed the brake pedal. The contact's wife crashed into another parked vehicle due to the failure. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact's wife experienced mental trauma due to the accident but did not need medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a safety feature known as "Sentry Mode", which recorded the movements of the vehicle. The contact stated that the feature recorded the movements except for the failure and the collision. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla service center where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the contact was not provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 363.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508807February 23, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving on highway with cruise control activated. No traffic around. Experienced phantom braking taking me from about 80mph to 65mph before I was able to react. Had this happened in traffic there is a good chance i would have been rear ended. No notifications or emergency lights appeared on my dash.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508675February 23, 2023BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
This 2023 model Y has no collision warning. This was not what I expected when I purchased.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508651February 23, 2023FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Twice while driving in early afternoon on very bright days in the direction of the sun I've received forward collision alerts for no apparent reason. Due to adrenaline I don't remember if I slammed on my brakes or not, but I hope I did. Given that there was nothing in front of me for a substantial distance sudden braking for the alert would have been like a brake check had another vehicle been tailgating me. Date is for most recent occurrence, first occurrence was a few weeks ago.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508485February 22, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While I was driving on the freeway, the screen/display froze. I was unable to see how fast I was going. I was unable to use my blinkers. Basically just driving with know knowledge of my speed or if people tell if I was changing lanes. Then the screen rebooted as I was driving and everything went back to normal. Just very concerning.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508476February 22, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving the all functionality was lost and the screen went black
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508441February 21, 2023FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
This “phantom braking” issue MUST be resolved! This happens 2-4 times during a 700 mile trip. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE. At highway speeds or less with only the cruise control on the car will abruptly slow down as if there was something in front of me but nothing is there. A member of my family no longer wants to drive the car because of this. It’s scary. When it happens, she screams! Fortunately, no one has been behind me close enough to cause an accident. Once we had AEB automatic emergency, braking turned off and it STILL happened! It happens day and night, dusk, and dawn and 40 mph or 80 mph. If you were using cruise control, it can happen at any time.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508305February 21, 2023FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On February 19, 2023, I was driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y on I-5 from LA to Sacramento on a clear afternoon. I was using adaptive cruise control (ACC) set at 78 mph, but not using auto-pilot, in the fast lane with a car following me. My car suddenly braked aggressively without anything in the roadway ahead of me. I then applied the foot brake and veered off onto the gravel left shoulder to avoid having the car behind me hit me. I saw in the rear-view mirror the following car swerve to the right to get around me, entering the slow lane. I believe that when I stepped on the brake, the ACC turned off and the car's automatic braking ceased. I then got back into the fast lane as there were no other cars approaching and resumed my drive. I didn't notice the speed my car had decreased to during the incident before I resumed speed, but I guess it may have been about 40 mph. Phantom braking happened one other time on I-5 on my way to LA from Sacramento two days previously (Feb. 17) also while in ACC, but there were no other cars around me and the automatic braking stopped when I tapped the brakes and I resumed my speed. In the year and a half we have owned the car, we have experienced approximately 10 instances of phantom braking, but fortunately, no accidents.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508154February 20, 2023POWER TRAIN
Vehicle has less than 5,000 miles. On three separate dates, a sudden warning appears "Rear Motor Disabled; Avoid Steep Hills; If problem persists contact Service. There is an image of a turtle icon, and vehicle speed is limited. This happens with a gradual reduction, first to around 65, in a few minutes it drops to 37 mph. I had to drive several miles on a limited access turnpike with no exits at 37 mph, including crossing some bridges with no shoulder lane. I was very concerned about being rear ended in this situation. Information below is on the most recent incident which happened today.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508107February 19, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I have been driving long distance 418 miles today from Phoenix, AZ through Las Vegas, NV and north. In my 6 hour journey today my breaks were applied randomly by the computer around 20 or more times on autopilot and on cruise control. It is an extreme safety hazard. I want this on record because this is day one of a cross country trip and in case anything happens. The phantom breaking was so frequent in the last hour I could not drive with autopilot on anymore for fear of a car following me would crash into me at highway speeds above 65mph.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508055February 19, 2023VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
In auto pilot mode , my Tesla suddenly applied emergency brake and brought my model y from 65 to 10 min in 287 Highway. Luckily they was no car or truck behind me. No car in front of me also.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508053February 19, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car did phantom breaking when I was driving with my wife, 2 kids and Niece from NJ to Pittsburgh, PA. I was driving on autopilot and There was no car in front or on side and yet it suddenly applied break and car went doen to appx 40 mph. Luckily the car behind was at distance and they managed their breaking well. I see it as a big risk to me and my family while being on long rides on autopilot.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11508048February 19, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Both side view mirrors on my Tesla Y model, fold and open up on their own , while the car is in motion. It always happens In Algonquin, Illinois, close to the intersection of Rote 62 and route 25
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11507938February 18, 2023VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was in 2 accidents with this car within a span of less than a year all with the same problem. I had not been in any accident over 40 plus years until this car. First incident was at a drive through when creeping up to the next window the car took off hyperaccelerating. I was able to avoid the truck in front of me from back ending her however scraped her tailpipe causing extensive damage to my car. She then hit the car in front of her. Second incident was approaching my home in my 20-30 mph neighborhood and went to go from 20-30 when car accelerated at a fast speed and was unable to control it being it happened so fast. Hit a tree. All the airbags went off. I could have been seriously injured as anyone who had been on bikes or walking .
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11507920February 17, 2023FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While in Traffic Aware Cruise Control (adaptive cruise control), the vehicle will brake hard suddenly with no objects anywhere near it. This has happened primarily on the freeway and luckily no cars were following close enough behind to cause a collision. This is very concerning as it is occurs in inconsistent situations and is completely unpredictable.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11507808February 17, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact's client owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while they were driving approximately 50-55 mph with the vehicle in self-drive mode, the vehicle veered to the left and crashed into a guard rail. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11507783February 17, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while in Autonomous Self Driving mode and in manual driving mode with the Adaptive Cruise Control engaged with speeds set to 70 MPH or higher, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There were no warning signs illuminated. The failure was self-corrected, but then recurred. The failure had occurred approximately 9 times. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,977.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11507556February 16, 2023FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On Saturday, February 11, 2023, my wife and I were driving on the highway. I was the driver and I was utilizing the adaptive cruise control set at approximately 75 mph, which is the speed limit. There were no vehicles or objects in the roadway in front of us when all of a sudden, the vehicle automatically braked hard. My wife and I were startled and thrust forward in our seats. I quickly pressed the accelerator and looked in my rear view mirror. I saw a red truck that had been behind me had to veer off into the shoulder of the road to avoid hitting me. Another vehicle was next to him in the passing lane and was also braking. This was very shocking and disturbing that we narrowly avoided a major crash. We had previously experienced this "phantom braking" during a roadtrip a few weeks ago. At that time, we reported the problem to our Tesla dealer and they sent a technician to our house on Feb 3, 2023. The technician told us that we were experiencing this phantom braking and all of the newer Tesla's had this problem. He assured me that the "engineers" were working on it and would have a solution soon. He further told me that there have been no reports of any accidents, injuries or deaths as a result of this phantom braking problem. That was reassuring at the time. With this latest incident, I find it hard to believe there have been no accidents. The only reason we did not have a bad wreck is because of the skill and attention of the driver behind us. We reported this latest incident to our Tesla dealer and were given the following reply: "As mentioned in the previous messages, unwanted slows do happen and are expected. As we develop the system and the firmware, this will get better over time. At this time, we do not have an immediate resolution for you." I have never experienced a safety issue with a vehicle to the caliber of this magnitude. I am shocked this is allowed and acceptable. I am truly worried for our safety.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0