Tesla Model Y Complaints

3,785 consumer complaints on file.

#11715417February 3, 2026
SEAT BELTS, SEATS
Safety complaint: intermittent uncommanded rear-seat folding while driving; rear (3rd-row) seat belt anchorage integrity. Issue 1 — 2nd-row right seat: Since the purchase, the right-most rear passenger seat in the 2nd row intermittently activates its seat-folding motor while the vehicle is moving. In each event, a passenger was seated in that seat with the seatbelt fastened. The motor engages (audible whirring), and the seat attempts to fold fully forward; the passenger’s body prevents a complete fold, so the seat partially collapses while occupied. This has never occurred when the seat is unoccupied. The most recent documented event times provided to the manufacturer for electronic log review (CST): • Fri Jan 23: 7:40 AM; 7:41 AM • Mon Feb 2: 7:26 AM; 7:29 AM; 7:53 AM; 7:54 AM The manufacturer requested these exact times to check vehicle logs, but reported they could not find evidence in the logs and could not reproduce the issue during service/test drive. Issue 2 — 3rd-row seat belts: During a service visit on Feb 3, 2026, the manufacturer found that the 3rd-row seat belt anchors were not secured to the vehicle (documented as a safety concern) and performed a repair/adjustment to secure the left 3rd-row seat belt, then validated its operation afterward. The manufacturer had also previously documented (March 17, 2025) that the 3rd-row seat belts were not properly mounted and were unsafe/operational for passengers, but took no action in March 2025. No crash, fire, or known injuries to date. Request to NHTSA: Please log and review this as a potential safety defect involving (1) uncommanded activation of a rear seat-folding mechanism resulting in partial seat collapse while the seat is occupied and the vehicle is moving, and (2) rear (3rd-row) seat belt anchorage/installation integrity, based on recurring real-world events and manufacturer service documentation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715375February 3, 2026
TIRES
A tire experienced a sudden bead-area blowout while the vehicle was traveling at freeway speed. There was no pothole, curb, debris, or roadway impact. The failure occurred approximately ten days after installation. Inspection shows failure at the tire bead adjacent to a wheel defect. The wheel was represented as new at installation but shows evidence of prior material removal and cosmetic reconditioning, including rounded aluminum exposure and surface striations inconsistent with fresh impact. The compromised wheel-tire interface caused sudden bead unseating and rapid air loss.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715085February 2, 2026
AIR BAGS
I am requesting an urgent review of the airbag non-deployment for my 2023 Tesla Model Y involved in a front-impact collision on [Jan 19th 2026]. Because the vehicle has been declared a total loss and may be released to salvage at any time, I urgently request that Tesla preserve and review the vehicle’s crash data (EDR/SRS) and confirm whether the restraint system performed as designed.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714919February 2, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 59 MPH with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated and attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle failed to decelerate or signal while making the turn. The contact manually made the turn and then continued driving and reengaged the Autonomous Self Driving feature. The failure had occurred twice on the same day. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure through the Mobile App. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714752February 1, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The incident occurred while the vehicle was being operated with Tesla driver-assistance features enabled, including lane assist and cruise control. The driver experienced unexpected vehicle behavior that felt inconsistent with normal steering response. Although the driver maintained hands on the steering wheel, the vehicle appeared to react in a manner that was not anticipated, contributing to loss of control and a collision resulting in total vehicle loss. No bodily injury occurred. After the incident, the insurer assigned fault to the driver but declined to investigate any potential vehicle system or software-related issues, directing us to the manufacturer. When attempting to report a potential malfunction to Tesla, the manufacturer declined to open a report because the totaled vehicle had been removed from the Tesla App, preventing further system or telemetry review. This report is submitted to document the incident and the lack of access to any system-level review following the loss.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714750February 1, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Tesla's full self-driving software continues to malfunction. On January 30th at 9:50 a.m. mountain standard Time I was parked at work and discovered my vehicle was left unlocked with a partial window unrolled. This was my first indicator of many faulty problems signaling the vehicle was not operating properly. The vehicle has a proximity sensor via Bluetooth that locks and unlocks the vehicle on the owners approach was not properly working. On January 31st I experience a catastrophic failure with the software of the vehicle as I was locked out of my vehicle after utilizing summons feature that stopped the vehicle in the middle of the intersection obstructing traffic. Police arrived on scene within 30 minutes and we were unable to put the car in any gear to either drive the vehicle or place it in neutral to roll it out of the way. I have detailed video of the incident which is a better accounting of the incident on both occasions, the 30th and 31st of January. This is roughly the third or fourth occasion of Tesla's system producing a catastrophic failure resulting in damage to the vehicle or property damage.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11714718January 31, 2026
STEERING, WHEELS
While making a left turn at normal turning speed, the steering system became unresponsive. The steering wheel was able to move; however, there was no corresponding movement of the front tires/wheels. The front wheels appeared to remain stuck at approximately a 45-degree left position and did not return toward the straight-ahead position despite steering input. It is also possible that the steering wheel itself became locked or partially locked during this event. As a result, the vehicle could not be corrected and collided with the median and a pillar. The collision caused the airbags to deploy and resulted in severe front-end damage, with an estimated repair cost exceeding $40,000. This steering failure occurred without warning and resulted in a sudden loss of vehicle control, creating a serious safety hazard to the occupants and surrounding traffic. The vehicle was subsequently declared a total loss.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714217January 29, 2026
STEERING
The front lower lateral links or control arm that is used to steer the wheels has bolts that dropped on the ground causing loss of steering to the car. This happened when parking the car at home and luckily not on the highway or street during faster speeds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714093January 28, 2026
SUSPENSION
Front suspension makes knocking and rattling noise - Tesla's solution was to remove structural braces from the car that transmit the noise - the car has not been recertified with the braces removed, I am concerned about adverse safety, especially in small frontal overlap collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713921January 28, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, SEAT BELTS
A few weeks ago my seatbelt censor started acting up, and then two weeks later that my heater quit. They blamed Chewed wiring because of soy based coatings, and set its not in the warranty and accused rodent damage since the rear seat was eaten. I got the call during diagnosis demanding i bring the loaner car because they wanted $1,349.07 which i did not have because a 9/11 first responder and don't have other insurance accept mandated state minimums, they told me bring the loaner back, on the way home FSD worked till i got towards my putnam county rural route 22 when power steering FSD and power breaks died. I skidded at 25 mph managed to get to park and plug it and leaving it this. So the tech put the plugs together and made the situation worse by plugging chewed harness together. No heat, transport, no car, no door dash money for me, no medical appointment and cant risk losing all steering. When TESLA works, it works very and great car. had they refused to use soy coatings and stayed with rubber coatings this issue would not be here. how Many FSD crashes are result of rodent damage?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713780January 27, 2026
STEERING
Lower front control arms are bad. Was told by tire company they need replaced. Quote about 2k
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713702January 27, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
We are currently experiencing single-digit temperatures here in Pittsburgh. I placed my vehicle in “defrost” mode, and while it did clear the windshield, it also caused the glass to crack. I contacted Tesla and brought the vehicle in for an assessment, at which point I was informed the damage would not be covered. My car has only 14,000 miles and will be one year old next month. It is essentially brand new and has been meticulously maintained. There were no prior flaws or damage to the windshield. Despite this, Tesla refused coverage for what is a known issue: windshield cracking caused by defrost mode in extreme cold temperatures. This issue is widely documented online. Customer service confirmed that Tesla does not cover glass damage, even when it cracks spontaneously as a result of using defrost mode as intended. The quoted repair cost is $1,500. This experience reflects a lack of accountability and failure to stand behind the product.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713624January 27, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Vehicle equipped with Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised v 14.2) software exhibits unsafe automated following behavior. The system maintains following distances that are too short at steady speeds, including behind stable lead vehicles with no braking or traffic disturbances. Tesla’s own Safety Score system flags this behavior as “following too closely,” indicating elevated collision risk. However, the driver has no available control to adjust minimum following distance or impose safer headway while using FSD This represents unsafe autonomous tailgating behavior with loss of driver control authority over safe following distance, creating increased risk of rear-end collision and hazardous automated driving conditions. Tesla offers several controls (Sloth, Chill, Standard, Hurry, and MadMax) modes, none of which solve the issue if the driver in front is driving the speed limit. My car under FSD will crowd (or tailgate) the front car regardless of the mode. In one instance, I was following a car under FSD in sloth mode and it made the car in front of me pull over just to get me off their tail.... this is certainly now how I wish to drive, and don't want my car driving this way. Failure mode: automated headway policy dominance, lack of driver override, unsafe autonomous following distance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713621January 27, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When driving with cruise control engaged the car randomly brakes and shows a "curvature assist " indication. The car quickly slows from 55 to 35 with no warning. This primary happens on a straight road, not a curve. I am concerned about the traffic behind me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713614January 27, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Vehicle equipped with Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised v 14.2) software exhibits unsafe automated behavior due to removal of driver speed control. The system infers speed limits and driving speed without allowing the driver to set a safe maximum speed. In residential neighborhoods with children, pedestrians, and shared social spaces, the vehicle drives at model-inferred speeds that are socially and physically unsafe. Driver is unable to impose a lower safe speed limit without disengaging. Tesla removed previous option for driver to adjust speed. In a state park campground, the system failed to detect a posted 15 mph speed limit and inferred a 55 mph limit. The vehicle accelerated to unsafe speeds on narrow, pedestrian-heavy roads, with no driver ability to cap speed while under FSD. This represents a loss of human override authority and unsafe autonomous system behavior, creating pedestrian hazard and safety risk. Failure mode: automated speed inference dominance, map prior misclassification, lack of driver override, unsafe autonomous acceleration in pedestrian environments.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713398January 26, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On January 17, 2026 the vehicle self-accelerated when put in reverse and crashed into a parked truck. This was the second time this occurred. The prior incident occurred on November 29, 2025 when backing out of the garage at our home. The new incident occurred the FIRST time we put the car in reverse after receiving it back after repair from the prior accident (we received it on January 15. 2026 and this was the first time we drove it since then). We had driven the car forward with the full self driving feature turned on and engaged (part of the time and part manually) without incident. However when placed in reverse with the full delf driving turned on but not enagaged the car "took off." It is only through good fortune no one was seriously injured or killed. Self acceleration in reverse only occurred after the vehicle was serviced by Tesla to repair the full self driving system which, at that time, would only engage intermittently.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713351January 26, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On full self driving, there is no way to change the follow distance and it follows way too close very often. This generates incidents that the car reports to Tesla insurance and we are penalized for something we can't always control. We also can't change our speed but I'm more concerned about the follow distance on highways. Last incident at 7:46PM on 1/25/2026.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713306January 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
All safety and most computer related features in the vehicle have failed. Cruise control, backup cameras, all other cameras, the navigation (assuming this is also impacting the projection of remaining battery life as my car always thinks it is at my home), warning signals for approaching obstacles/dangers, cruise control of any kind does now work, lane departure warning has failed, and automatic windshield wipers do not work. This happened without warning and was not related to an update. On January 13, 2026, the car worked in the morning and then all of these issues started happening. I made a Tesla service appointment, but they are not able to see me until February 3, 2026.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713177January 25, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Any time you drive my vehicle there’s either violent shaking in the brake pedal, steering wheel, tires. When you try to brake it stutters. Using FSD it failed to stop instead almost hit a pedestrian on scooter and reported the time and date to Tesla. It stuttered and thank god I was able to jam in brakes. After 9 service visit the admitted they missed something and wheel alignment was off and tires were cupped. Along with a bracket for suspension. Which has not solved issues. It scary driving this vehicle especially as a single father who has to make long trips in the weekend for hockey
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713129January 24, 2026
SUSPENSION, STEERING
There is a rip in the lower control bushing making steering difficult to control. I see that this is a common issue but no recall yet. My car has only 28k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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