Tesla Model Y Complaints

3,785 consumer complaints on file.

#11499223December 28, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Regarding a Tesla Y, 2021with 10,000 miles; Durging a recent cold spell, winter driving conditions, the A/C Compressor/Heat Pump failed causing the windshield defrost to cease functioning, causing the visiblity to become poor to none at all, requiring that the vehicle not be driven on the roads until the weather cleared and even then, the driver or pasenger (if avalailbe) has to wipe down the wet windshield from inside to acceptable visibility standards. We did not get in an accident as we quickly abandoned the Tesla Model Y and obtained a ride from another vehicle that had a working windshield defroster. We understand that this has been a problem in Canada and is the subject of a Canadian recall. We contacted Tesla, sent them the computer code "VC front-a447 Cabin Climate Control Issues-requires service" and were advised that they were familiar with this problem and scheduled a repair which included the removal and replacement of the A/C Compressor/Heat Pump and the 'Supermanifold' at a cost of $1,993.55. We were advised that no 'Recall' was associated with this pariticular VIN and nor was there any warranty but this would be a 'customer pay' repair. After exhausting all efforts at writing and calling in an attempt to have a clear defect leading to a safety violation addressed voluntarily by the manufacturer we feel we are left with no alternative but to ask the Goverment to look into this issue for the safety of others who may drive a Tesla with a heat pump in cold weather and very dependant on the proper operation of a windshield defroster (which the heat pump does) for safe visiblity, crucial to proper operations of a motor vehicle, on the public highways. Thanks in advance for looking into this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499156December 28, 2022
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2021Tesla Model Y. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact was stated that the driver’s side window would independently roll down while turning the steering wheel. A technician from Tesla reset the computer however, the contact was unsure if the repair addressed the failure stated in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499005December 27, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, SEAT BELTS
Seat belts are hitting the door and seat. Model y car seat belts are not installed properly. As per Tesla regenerative braking supposed stop the car but car is rolling. As per Tesla tech regenerative doesn’t work until the battery is heated up. They never provided this to customers and this could result in accidents for people who rely on regenerative braking
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498893December 26, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Tesla "Traffic Aware Cruise Control" occasionally unnecessarily applies brakes aggressively for no apparent reason when cruise control is in use. This presents a hazard to other driver's who may be behind the Tesla. This phenomena is well known to Tesla owners who have repeatedly posted about it in Tesla's Owners Forum. It is often referred to as "phantom braking". There is no option for the Tesla owner to disable the "Traffic Aware" aspect of Tesla's cruise control I believe Tesla could resolve this problem with a simple software update which would allow the Tesla owner to use cruise control normally without the "Traffic Aware" feature. The "Traffic Aware" feature is part of Tesla's problematic "Auto Pilot" feature. However, my Tesla is not equipped with "Auto Pilot". My Tesla is available for inspection upon request.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498842December 26, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Phantom braking
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498819December 26, 2022
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
When I purchased this vehicle, I was told that all ADAS features would be available once the cameras calibrated (approximately 50 miles). After 100 miles my wife bumped into a wall in our garage. I opened a ticket and Tesla said the ADAS features are unavailable until a software update is sent. The sales person who I spoke to were not aware of this. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. Drivers are reliant on warnings from features like this and to have the features off without a warning could get someone run over.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498727December 24, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car did a hard braking while going 75mph on autopilot, no car or obstacle in front when it happened. The car following me had to do an emergency lane switch maneuver to avoid collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498667December 23, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a Tesla 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH in the rain, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and stopped suddenly. The vehicle then veered to the right independently. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle spun out and crashed into a wall on the side of the road. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained bruises and significant pain to the left leg. The contact also sustained soreness of her fingers, arms and shoulders. The contact did not seek medical assistance. The contact’s sister transported her to her residence. The contact was unsure whether a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was then towed to a collision center. The contact was not using autopilot mode at the time the failure occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would need to repair the vehicle at her own expense. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11498659December 23, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving on the freeway, no one was near me (I had full control of the car, it wasn’t on autopilot) and the car’s brakes deadlocked while I was traveling high way speed and then made a sharp left turn which caused me to crash into the center divide and then hydroplane across the entire freeway uncontrollably
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11498647December 23, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This new car model Y was picked up on December 20th around noontime. After my husband drove it home, I updated the required documents with insurance. Then we went out to a nearby store. I was the driver(>20 yrs experience). When we stopped on Smithtown Bypass/Moriche by the red light, during the waiting, the car suddenly took off, with an unbelievable speed. THANK GOD!! I don’t know what happened, but I was extremely calm at that moment. I heard my husband screaming and I knew both of us know we are going to directly hit the cars that drove from the left. To avoid such definite impact, I had no choice but quickly made a very aggressive left turn and stopped on the road of Moriche. To be safe, I drove the car back to Tesla around 2pm. The guy said it could be my mistake of accidentally hitting a button of cruise control. I truly doubted it. Is there a button can be unintentionally hit without warning? I asked him to look into the report. I told him I was fully stopped and waiting on the red light. My foot was completely off the pedal. My hands were on the wheel. My eyes were on the road rather than on the touch screen for any information displayed. No warning signs at all. I felt I might have heard some noise while the car shooting out but I am not sure. Even though this serious incident was reported right away and our car was parked in front of the service door, we were scheduled to get a service check on 23rd. And then we were informed by an email that the service check has been rescheduled to January 30th. I believe this incident must be reported and be awarded by other Tesla drivers as well. While Tesla bragging how safe their cars are, my personal experience told me a totally different story. Please investigate this incident ASAP because I think Tesla didn’t take it seriously. I wish there is a traffic footage can be obtained. I can’t imagine how many families would be destroyed if the accident happened! Praise the LORD for His mercy!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498530December 22, 2022
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
11/29/23: vehicle begins to flash warning alerts (e.g., traction control disabled, lane departure warning unavailable), then power steering stopped working, and brakes pulsed violently when used (almost like ABS was active). Software update was available shortly thereafter, assumed this would remedy the situation. 12/5/23: same problems recur (loss of power steering, odd braking behavior, vehicle alerts). Vehicle was towed to Tesla for service. Tesla was able to ID the alerts in the vehicle history but could not identify the root cause. Took the vehicle one extended test drives, but was unable to cause the problems to recur. Tesla is unable to identify any further actions to prevent recurrence.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498481December 21, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving with Autopilot engaged at approximately 65 mph the car suddenly decelerated to less than 40 mph and then accelerated back to 65. This happened again within a minute of the first occurance and I turned off Autopilot but left cruise control on. It then happened again and I turned cruise control off. Fortunately there were no cars following close behind me nor was I following close behind another car. In the first two cases there were intermittant shadows across the road cast by trees along the road side. In the third there was a large black programmable traffic information sign 20 ft or so off the side of the road that had no information displayed. There was no damage to the car or injuries to the occupants. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No warnings were displayed prior to the event.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498174December 20, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Interior Cabin Cameras prior to a certain build date around late May, for all models and trims, do not have the necessary Infrared (IR) Leds to see driver at night/and or dark environments, leading to system to disengage due to “being blinded or covered” if a user has their car in the FSD beta testing software. This issue was reproduced by the Mobile Service Technician and then replaced accordingly, with the new Interior Cabin Camera Fixture with the IR Leds fully solving and correcting the error from before. Their part was not inspected by any agencies and error is displayed before ADAS system disengagement. This issue is also known and reproduced across many different people, with this replacement correcting the issue. Necessary action would involve ordering a retrofit for all cars with the old interior cabin camera to the new interior cabin camera.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498152December 19, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
During a recent road trip, my TESLA 2022 MY experienced multiple "phantom braking" incidents. The worst one involved while driving at highway speed (77 MPH). On a clear day, with a dry road, with no traffic nearby, no shadows in the area, the vehicle suddenly applied the brakes. It was like it detected something in the road and jammed on the brakes. I used the accelerator to compensate, but, it tried to slow down for 20 seconds before resolving. My wife (passenger) has medical conditions that were exacerbated by being frightened. I also was frightened, which is dangerous while driving. If there was a vehicle behind us, there cold have been an accident. There was no warnings before, during, or after the incident. Multiple people online have described their situation. It is exactly the experience that I have had with my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498133December 19, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, STRUCTURE:BODY
First my car was having issues charginging at the charge stations. Then as soon as that issue occurred, I had to replace the car battery. Then I noticed that the windows would randomly retract while I was driving my vehicle. My child had pointed out that his window was down, when he did not roll it down. Then I noticed some leakage from underneath my vehicle. My main concern of fluids leaking from my vehicle was my main concern. The Tesla dispatcher confirmed that concern by stating that fluids should not be leaking from my vehicle. When he started accusing me of having a car accident that caused me to be even more concerned. He told me that the Tesla service center on 1100 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, Ca. would find out if I did have an accident by running a diagnostics. When I had my car towed to the Tesla service center, their main concern was a hole in my tire and their professional opinion was to just patch up the tire and not replace the damaged product. Crystal, a representative from the Service center said that she would address the main concern of the leakage which she never did. She told me that my car was ready for pickup. I was again confused because she never addressed my main concern. Then I asked what I was paying for and she simply said that it was on my estimate and that it’s a patch for my tire. She was very adamant about me picking up my car before the Service Center closed at 5:30 but told me at the last minute to do so. She did not explain the details of the leakage until I inquired about it. I did not receive the diagnostics that were promised to me by your Tesla dispatcher. Her explanation to my main concern was, “ No leak was detected under the car so just recommend monitoring and definitely taking a pic when it happens. If the leak is by my left front tire, it’s more likely to be my AC and can be normal.” That did not make me feel like Tesla’s Supplier Code of Conduct was being followed. Now I am being told that the only liquid coming fro
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498077December 19, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I had the adaptive cruise control (Autopilot) engaged on I95 and had it set to 60 MPH. Twice between a minute, the Model Y lowered the cruise speed to either 40 MPH and 25 MPH while on the interstate. No obstacles were in front of me to affect the cruise control system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498051December 19, 2022
AIR BAGS
The front passenger seat airbag does not properly arm when occupied by an adult female weighing between 120-125 pounds. According to the vehicle's Owners Manual, it should arm at any weight in excess of 100 pounds. There is an indicator on the main display that clearly displays when the passenger airbag is armed and when it is unarmed. This is an intermittent issue, occurring more than 50% of the time the seat is occupied. The best we can do to characterize the behavior is as follows: 1) The passenger airbag is more likely to arm correctly if the passenger gets into the car at the same time as the driver. 2) It is less likely to arm correctly if the passenger gets in after the driver has started the car and/or driven it a bit. Two examples: Driver gets in to set the temp or navigation before a trip and passenger gets in a few minutes later, or driver retrieves car from a parking place and then drives a short distance to pick up the passenger. In both cases, the airbag is unlikely to arm correctly. 3) Even after a successful drive (in which the airbag armed), say to the grocery store, it is unlikely to arm when the driver and passenger get back in together a few minutes later. In all cases above, the longer it is driven in a single trip, the more likely it is to randomly arm/disarm itself multiple times during that trip. By failing to correctly and consistently arm when occupied by a 120-pound adult passenger, it leaves said passenger unprotected in case of an accident. Tesla Service performed static, calibrated-weight tests, and confirmed that it takes greater than 125 pounds to consistently arm the front passenger airbag. They have replaced the passenger seat twice so far, and claimed that the most recent seat installed passed the 100-pound test, but the issue persists. The car was serviced for this issue on November 28th, and again from November 23 to December 7. This issue remains to this date (December 19).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497992December 19, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance system was erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The contact stated that during each failure, the cruise control was activated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,300.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497935December 18, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While in autopilot, the Tesla has been phantom braking repeaters. We noticed many time while driving at high speeds on the freeway, the Tesla model y will slam on the brakes for no apparent reason. There are no police reports
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497881December 17, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
No clearing of recall once OTA / Software update was completed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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