Tesla Model Y Complaints

3,785 consumer complaints on file.

#11733914April 26, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
### Summary: Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) from a stationary position. ### Vehicle Configuration: 2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD. Battery Type: NMC. ### Incident Details: On April 19, 2026, at approximately 10:00 a.m., the vehicle was stationary on a flat surface at 6722 Vista Del Mar Ave, San Diego. I was in the driver's seat with the vehicle "On" but stopped, conversing with two witnesses. My feet were completely clear of both the accelerator and brake pedals. ### The Event: Without driver input, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully accelerated forward. I immediately slammed the service brake with full force. The vehicle traveled approximately 20 feet before the brakes brought the car to a halt. ### Evidence & Gaps: Two eyewitnesses confirmed the vehicle moved autonomously without pedal interaction. A manufacturer data report was requested, but it showed a specific data gap for the exact seconds of the acceleration event, despite providing second-by-second logs for the rest of the day.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733278April 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My 2026 Tesla Model Y front trunk ("frunk"), an Austin, Mar 2026 build, lacks internal lighting & emergency release (unlike 2025 models; the change started Oct 2025). Frunk size/capacity remained unchanged, allowing child up to 4yo to fit & get trapped w/ no escape or signal, esp. in low light. Violates FMVSS 401 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subpart-B/section-571.401) which states: "Each passenger car with a trunk compartment must have an automatic or manual release mechanism inside the trunk compartment that unlatches the trunk lid, if the trunk is large enough so that the three-year-old child dummy described in Subpart C of Part 572 can be placed inside the trunk compartment, and the trunk lid can be closed and latched". Request recall/retrofit & investigate Model Y frunk complaints. (See attached picture of 2025 frunk vs 2026 frunk with changed features.)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733248April 23, 2026
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, while other vehicles were driving beside the vehicle, or when the wind was blowing, the vehicle unexpectedly moved to the left or right. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to a different dealer, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733101April 22, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I have been a user of Tesla's "Full Self Driving" technology for four years. In one of the last major updates, the company removed the ability of the driver to manually set a "cruise control set point" to maintain a safe speed. Instead, they employed a new system with five "drive profiles," which included "sloth," "chill," "standard," "hurry," and "Mad Max." The problem is that only two of those stay anywhere near the speed limit. "Sloth" will go the speed limit, "Chill" is about 2 mph over the speed limit, "Standard" is about 7 mph over the speed limit, "Hurry" is 12 mph over the speed limit, and "Mad Max" is probably 15-17 mph over. Sloth and Chill will remain in the right lane, rarely passing another vehicle, but all the others will include lane changes. And all of these profiles DO NOT MAINTAIN A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE. Users have been complaining about the cars tailgating, sometimes as close as 3 car lengths at 70 mph. However, sometimes conditions necessitate slower speeds...like Work Zones. I live near Denver, and I-70 has a work zone that will be in existence until 2029. The car doesn't recognize the 45 mph speed limit, bouncing back and forth between 45 and 65. FSD must be disengaged completely to follow the 45 mph speed limit. Which brings up the other problem. In many areas, THE SPEED LIMITS ARE WRONG. In Texas, there are areas where the speed limit is 70, and the car thinks it's 55. In New Mexico, the speed limit is 70, but the car thinks it's 60. THERE IS NO SPEED PROFILE THAT WILL MAINTAIN THE LEGAL LIMIT. Tesla also has a mechanism that's supposed to allow users to report problems, but some of these I've been reporting for over three years. They refuse to tell us where we can update the information (Grok says "HERE," Tom Tom, Open Street Maps), and they are NOT fixing the speeds on the maps.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733099April 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle in question is a 2022 Tesla Model Y with approximately 60,000 miles. Tesla has advised that four bushings on the rear transfer case require replacement. Given the relatively low mileage and age of the vehicle, this level of wear is highly concerning and suggests a potential manufacturing defect. Bushings in comparable vehicles are generally expected to last well beyond 100,000 miles, even under significant operating stress. The premature failure of these components raises serious concerns about durability and reliability. Tesla should promptly investigate this issue and consider issuing a recall or service campaign to address the defect. Failure to do so may result in further vehicle damage and increased safety risks for owners.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733045April 22, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving a Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving (FSD) engaged in Standard mode on a wet roadway post-rain. Shortly before the incident, my vehicle had completed a lane change on FSD and was traveling with traffic flow. A vehicle ahead braked suddenly after reacting to another vehicle merging unsafely near a lane split. The stopping occurred quickly, reducing available reaction time. The FSD system did not appear to respond with sufficient braking force or early enough given the conditions. A forward collision warning sounded shortly before impact, but there was limited time to avoid the collision. The vehicle ultimately rear-ended the car ahead. I am submitting this report because of the system’s delayed response in wet conditions, failure to ensure enough space on FSD- especially after a lane change and during a sudden/abrupt traffic slowdown may present a safety concern if experienced by other drivers.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732889April 21, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On April 16, 2026 around 7:30pm CT, I was driving a Tesla Model Y 2023 on I-35 near downtown Austin. There was an extreme traffic jam, I turned on the Auto Pilot so it can cruise by itself without touching anything. It worked for a while, but suddenly it veered off to a lane on my right side, crashing into a large truck on the front right. This damaged all the front and passenger side fender. The car had to be towed. I used this feature many times in the past, it always stayed within the lane. This time it acted erroneously. This should not be marketed as "auto pilot" that people may lose their lives due to insufficient safety guard in the system. Fortunately the traffic was moving very slowly, no one was hurt in my case. I got all incident data downloaded from Tesla to prove its fault. Based on the data, the Autopilot system had a fault starting at 12:50pm and 14:55pm, and was disabled at 15:59pm, but there were no warning as I turned it on when I drove on I-35 around 7pm. See the attached data file (highlighted rows, the claim system doesn't allow the original Excel file to be uploaded).
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732737April 21, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Lane Departure Aoidane is always enabled for each drive - the car menu states: “Lane Departure Assistance will be reset to Assist on the next drive” - you have to manually go 2 menus and scroll down to the bottom and turn it off every single drive every single transition to Park and drive. The feature is very intolerant. If you swerve around a pothole or a pedestrian or a bicycle, it freaks out and corrects the steering wheel startling the driver and causing a very unsafe situation. I have had several near misses due to this horrible feature. Tesla should design it to be able to be disabled and remember its default state. It’s not a safe feature. It has caused many near accidents and is especially bad in country road driving. The only time he would want such a feature as if the driver is asleep or heavily distracted of which no good driver should be. Tesla has a camera that could detect something like that. This is a safety feature that makes the vehicle significantly less safe. The default for this feature should be disabled for all Teslas. This is a ultra high priority item. It dramatically impacts by driving every day, and I don’t always remember to turn it off until the steering wheel jerks away from me and almost causes an accident!!! This stuff should not be enabled by default!!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732650April 21, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving using the ADS feature, the vehicle failed to slow down while making a right turn. The contact stated that when the vehicle came to the turn sign, the vehicle failed to yield and continued making the right turn. The contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front of the contact's vehicle. The contact had to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. No Police Report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The contact later received a warning that the vehicle's cameras needed cleaning. The technician came to the contact's residence and cleaned the cameras. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732596April 20, 2026
SUSPENSION
While driving, my vehicle released a loud pop and metal noise. After pulling over large bolts fell from the front of my car caused by a suspension issue. Tesla service later confirmed that the problem was due to improper torque in the suspension components, specifically the front lower links. This resulted in hardware failure, including bolts loosening or coming out of the suspension assembly. This is a serious safety concern, as it could have led to loss of control while driving. The vehicle required replacement of suspension components and hardware under warranty. This defect appears to be related to improper assembly or servicing rather than normal wear and tear. Tesla is now refusing to give me a detailed report of the manufactured defect cause.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732562April 20, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
INCIDENT SUMMARY On April 16, 2026, at approximately 2:06 PM local time, my 2022 Tesla Model Y was traveling on a multi-lane divided roadway in the Austin/Lakeway, Texas area with Autopilot engaged. Traffic in my direction of travel was heavily congested and traveling with 32 mph. Without warning, alert, or any input from me, Autopilot commanded an uncommanded left steering maneuver. The vehicle veered left out of its lane and into a painted buffer separator area. The direction of travel pointed directly toward a building, an electrical transformer/utility box, and a landscaped area containing mature trees. I immediately recognized the unexpected maneuver and manually gripped the steering wheel to override Autopilot. I steered the vehicle to avoid collision with the building and the electrical box, both of which posed serious collision and electrocution risks. In the approximately 1.5 to 2 seconds available to me, I successfully redirected the vehicle away from the building and the transformer. The vehicle came to rest after striking a tree in the landscaped area adjacent to the road. The vehicle was totaled. Driver and curtain airbags deployed. I was wearing my seatbelt, was alert, and sustained no major injuries as a result of my intervention and the successful redirection of the vehicle.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732416April 20, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, STRUCTURE:BODY, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On April 11 2026, I was involved in a serious accident involving my 2026 Tesla Model Y. At the time of the incident, I was returning home from my daughter’s event in downtown and had just entered my residential driveway. As I approached the driveway, I applied the brakes and slowed the vehicle. While momentarily stationary or near-stationary, I spoke to my wife, who was seated in the front passenger seat, advising her to secure the food she was holding due to the uneven surface of the driveway. Upon removing my foot from the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated without any input . The vehicle proceeded forward and collided with my garage door. Notably, no collision warning alerts were issued, and no automatic emergency braking system engaged prior to or during the impact. Following the initial collision with garage door, the vehicle failed to stop and instead continued to accelerate into the garage, striking a refrigerator. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the refrigerator and caused extensive structural harm to the property, affecting the garage, adjacent living space, floors, and interior walls. The severity of the collision triggered deployment of the front airbags. At the time, my wife was seated in the front passenger seat, and my [XXX] daughter, along with her friend, was seated in the rear of the vehicle. Emergency services were called, I have forehead bruises and a burn on my hand from airbag deployment. My wife is advised physiotherapy for severe back pain and my daughter has since experienced ongoing emotional distress, nightmares.I am dealing with car and home claims issues for damages I am seeking a formal investigation into the cause of this incident, specifically addressing: 1)The unexpected and unintended acceleration of the vehicle 2)The failure of the vehicle to stop after the initial collision with the garage door 3)The absence of forward collision warnings and failure of automatic emergency braking . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFO
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11732247April 19, 2026
POWER TRAIN, SEAT BELTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I am reporting multiple safety-related failures with my Tesla Model Y, purchased December 18, 2025. Within four months of ownership, the vehicle has experienced escalating issues: On April 19, 2026, while driving approximately 70 mph on a freeway in heavy rain, the vehicle suddenly lost power and decelerated to approximately 20 mph. Multiple safety systems became unavailable simultaneously, including automatic emergency braking, traction control, stability control, and vehicle hold. I was able to pull to the side of the road, but the vehicle would not restart and required towing. This created a dangerous situation and significantly compromised my ability to safely control the vehicle. On April 9, 2026, a rear seatbelt unlatched under braking while in use. This is a serious safety concern, as the passenger was not properly restrained and had to brace themselves. On February 10, 2026, the vehicle experienced repeated software failures causing lockouts. In one incident, I was locked out while my [XXX] child was inside the vehicle. On January 2, 2026, the vehicle required service for a cracked window shortly after delivery. The vehicle has been taken in for service multiple times, and although repairs were performed, new and increasingly serious failures have continued to occur. I am concerned about the safety of operating this vehicle, particularly due to the loss of power at highway speed and failure of safety systems. 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
#11732198April 19, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
I was driving home with Tesla FSD engaged, and my right turn was approaching. Since the Tesla did not activate the right turn signal on its own, I turned on right indicator manually while FSD was still engaged. But FSD changed the lane to the left and accelerated, and rear-ended the vehicle in front of me.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11732139April 18, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
INCIDENT: On April 17, 2026 at ~8:30 AM, my 2024 Tesla Model Y was operating on FSD (Supervised) approaching Wunderlich County Park parking lot entrance, Woodside, CA. Clear daylight, 11-12 MPH, turning into the parking lot. WHAT HAPPENED: A stationary metal W-beam guardrail (~2-3m long, ~1m tall) was directly in the forward path, clearly visible. FSD failed to detect the obstacle, then silently disengaged 2 seconds before impact. TIMELINE FROM IN-VEHICLE REPLAY: - 08:30:23: Vehicle fully aligned with guardrail, direct collision course - 08:30:24: FSD actively engaged (Self-Driving indicator displayed), 12 MPH, guardrail clearly visible - 08:30:25: FSD disengaged - 08:30:27: Impact TWO FAILURES: 1) DETECTION: For ~2 sec (08:30:23-08:30:25), FSD in active control with clearly visible stationary standardized guardrail directly in path. System failed to detect, decelerate, or alter course. 2) SILENT DISENGAGEMENT: FSD disengaged at 08:30:25 with no audible alert, no haptic feedback, no visual alert in driver's forward field of view, no "Take Over" prompt. Only indication was center display change, outside driver's forward line of sight required by Tesla's Owner's Manual to keep eyes on the road. DRIVER STATE: I was monitoring road per Owner's Manual. I received no warning of FSD handoff. I had no awareness FSD disengaged. I took no manual action (no brake, no steer) because I was not notified. I discovered disengagement only upon reviewing in-vehicle dashcam replay the following day. The 2-sec interval was insufficient reaction time even for an informed driver (below AAA/NHTSA 1.5-sec baseline). Research on automated handoff indicates 3-7 sec needed even when notified. I was not notified at all. CRASH: Yes, vehicle collided with the guardrail. INJURIES: None. THIRD-PARTY DAMAGE: None. FIRE: None. CONSISTENCY WITH NHTSA PROCEEDINGS: Pattern matches concerns in Investigation PE21-020, Engineering Analysis EA22-002, Recall 23V-83
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732043April 18, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I am reporting a serious safety concern involving my Tesla Model Y. While driving, the vehicle’s main center screen (MCU) suddenly failed and entered a continuous reboot loop. This resulted in the loss of critical driving information and controls, including navigation, camera display, and vehicle system status. The issue occurred without any warning and nearly caused a serious accident, as I was unable to safely monitor essential driving information. This failure made the vehicle extremely unsafe to operate. The problem appears to be related to a known MCU system failure affecting some Tesla vehicles. I am concerned that this issue may present a broader safety risk for other drivers. Please investigate this matter for potential safety defects.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732040April 18, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My driver side headlight assembly stopped working. The headlight assembly includes the driving lights, high beams, and turn signals. I am open to having this product inspected upon request. This impacts the safety of me and others due to decreased visibility and the inability to appropriately indicate when I am turning. The dealer has not reviewed this yet, but I have a scheduled appointment on Friday, April 24. Vehicle has not been inspected by any third-party, improving manufacturer, police, insurance, or other representatives. There were no warning, lamps, messages, other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. The failure first appeared at around 55,000 miles, which was 5000 miles beyond my warranty. I believe that Tesla is pushing out updates that intentionally cause light assemblies and other high priced items to stop working after the warranty. there are multiple instances people replacing the same fixture after their warranty period has expired. Tesla charges $2000 to replace one light fixture. I believe this is fraudulent and corrupt business practices by Tesla.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732025April 18, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
while traveling at approximately 80 mph with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged, my vehicle experienced a simultaneous failure of the Full Self-Driving computer and the Media Control Unit (MCU) touchscreen. Without any prior warning, the touchscreen went completely black, and the vehicle immediately executed an uncommanded, sharp steering maneuver into the right lane. It was very apparent that if I didn’t take over it was going to continue crossing highway lanes and go off road. I have around 45k miles specifically on FSD and never has it failed in such an extreme manner. This sudden steering input put myself and other motorists at extreme risk of a high-speed collision or roadway departure. I was forced to physically overpower the steering wheel to maintain lane integrity and prevent a crash at highway speeds. The failure appeared to be a total loss of the vehicle’s primary visualization and automated steering systems, leaving me with no digital feedback regarding speed or surrounding traffic while the car was still in motion. Prior to this event, there were no warning lamps or symptoms such as GPS drifting or screen lag. I have since attempted a hard reset and a full power cycle, but the critical nature of this uncommanded steering at 80 mph suggests a systemic defect in how FSD manages hardware or software failures. The vehicle and its internal data logs are available for inspection upon request. This incident has been documented in the Tesla App under a service request for a full log review.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731962April 17, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While in Self driving the car veered into a driveway and hit a house.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731779April 17, 2026
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the trunk release button was removed. The contact stated that the manufacturer no longer produced vehicles with a trunk release. The contact was concerned that a child might become trapped in the trunk. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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