Tesla Model Y Complaints (2023)

1,136 consumer complaints on file.

#11529103June 27, 2023
AIR BAGS, WHEELS
The car suddenly crossed the double yellow line on a local road and hit another car coming from the opposite direction on a local road (Adams Lane, North Brunswick, NJ). The wheel joint was faulty that broke (see attached pictures) and pull the car to the other side of the road without warning. Even the airbag in this car is not deployed. The vehicle was towed by police to a garage (Coppa's Service Center & Towing, 1 Moore Road, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. ph. 732-297-7530). The vehicle has been declared as a total loss by the insurance company. Because my car crossed the yellow line and hit the other car, I got tickets (crashdocs.org; Police Report # [XXX]; Date: 06/20/2023). I and the lone person the other care are lucky to survive this accident. I feel that such a fault might put other Tesla Model Y drivers/passengers and others in danger on the road. Please investigate to keep people safe. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528787June 25, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Multiple moments of phantom braking 15+ times TODAY driving from North Platte, NE to Havelock, IA on cruise or auto pilot. Extremely dangerous, could've caused pile ups/rear end collisions. Screen would 50% of the time show a semi or vehicle in front of me when nothing was there. I tried cleaning the windshield, thought it helped for a bit then it happened again. This happened on both interstate driving and highway driving into the sun and not into the sun. Could be very hazardous - very abrupt emergency braking at interstate speed limits. at the Shelby, IA super charger, another Tesla owner expressed he had also just reported multiple phantom braking incidents today as well and reported it to Tesla.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528783June 25, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
My new model y has caused numbness and tingling in both myself and passengers of my car while driving. Tesla has stated nothing is wrong with the car. It injures me every time i drive it. they forced me to take the car back and return my model y loaner car. The loaner vehicle caused no issues at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528731June 25, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On every trip in my 2023 Model Y there is phantom braking for no reason with no cars in front of or around me. It happens on the highway on perfectly clear days, with no hills, no signs, no shadows or bridges, with no cars in front of me or behind me on completely straight roads in addition to happening when there are other vehicles around. I will be traveling at highway speeds and the car slows enough to be terrifying and throw objects around the car. I have stopped using cruise control and auto pilot because I’m scared of the car. I reported the problem to Tesla on the phone and through their app the first time it happened multiple times on one trip and they said that they looked at the logs and that it didn’t happen. Since my family was with me in the vehicle, I have witnesses. I was told to self report by pressing the right flywheel and log every time it happens. I did that but since it happens a lot I refuse to use the features. I think Tesla should allow us to return these vehicles for refunds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528726June 25, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving using "auto-pilot" for speed control while going 70mph my vehicle randomly braked hard for no reason (maybe a cloud shadow) causing the vehicle behind me to swerve into the shoulder. I just bought the car 3 weeks ago and am very disappointed that the vehicle doesn't come standard with cruise control that won't cause accidents. This is a recurring issue with using autopilot in my vehicle. I don't feel safe and will be contacting tesla next. Although I doubt they will be of much help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528695June 24, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
My 2023 Tesla model y occasionally applies phantom braking when ADAS is on. The car brakes very abruptly therefore it may cause rear end collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528663June 24, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On a trip to Prescott, AZ and back to Los Angeles, I encountered the following problem about 5 separate times. While driving at freeway speeds (70-80mph), the car suddenly and violently, without warning, applied the brakes vary hard (with no input from me). This threw me forward while the car continued to decelerate. In one instance, there was a class C motorhome traveling behind me fairly closely as if to pass. This was on a 2-lane road in the Arizona “countryside.” It was between 6:20am and 7:15am on Saturday, May 13th. The motorhome following me had to make a split-second decision to either crash into the rear of my car, or swing out left into the oncoming lane. He chose the latter. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic or it surely would have been a fatal, head-on accident between the motorhome and a car traveling in the opposite direction in the oncoming lane. The motorhome then continued to pass me and no accident resulted. In the other 4 times that the brakes suddenly applied, there was no one close enough behind me where they could not have slowed down to avoid an accident. Obviously, this was very disturbing to me. I finally realized that the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) feature was set to “on” (by default). I then turned it off. No further incidents occurred after this. At this point, I will not travel on a busy freeway with the AEB feature activated……it is simply too dangerous. If this issue happens on a busy freeway, the likelihood of someone crashing into the rear of my car is fairly high.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528498June 23, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, a message that the vehicle was shutting down was displayed and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that a wiring harness clip was not clipped correctly. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 41.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528352June 22, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When on highway car often slams in the brakes when cruise control is on for no reason. At least once every drive causing me to be nearly rear ended.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528269June 22, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Just returned from round trip from Kansas City Mo. to Denver Colorado. Used the cruise control quite a bit on the trip. On 10-15 occasions the regenerative braking automatically came on for no reason.In one instance I was driving the 75 mph speed limit and a car was following too close when the regenerative braking activated and almost caused a crash.It seemed a lot of the times it happened on a bridge but not all of the time.Nothing was in front of me that should have caused this to happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528219June 21, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While driving and using the cruise control the car suddenly braked hard. On some occasions we lost 20 mph before reacting and applying pressure to the accelerator. At other times we only lost 3 mph before the car corrected itself. We had perhaps 15-18 incidents in less than 2 hours. We tried switching off the AEB system but that did not help. In all cases there were on I-25 between Pueblo and Trinidad and there were no cars within a few hundred yards of us. It was sunny and about 75 all day. I've since read about "phantom braking" with Teslas and that sounds like exactly what was happening. The vehicle is currently with the dealer for repairs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528173June 21, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I am finishing a drive across the country and every time I put my Tesla into cruise control or adaptive cruise control, it will eventually abruptly break for no reason, in traffic with cars. It can only be restarted by stopping the cruise control feature and turning it back on, after which it inevitably happens without any warning
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528165June 21, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
When driving between Elgin, OK and Oklahoma City, OK phantom breaking occurs sometimes two to four times. It isn’t safe driving 75 MPH and the car suddenly brakes for no reason. I reported the issue to the Tesla service center in Oklahoma City, OK and they acknowledged it is an issue, but said there is not a repair for the issue. They said it is a software/mapping issue that will hopefully be resolved in the future.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527875June 20, 2023
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving a variable speed with the front passenger's seat unoccupied, the front passenger's side door made abnormal rattling sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred mainly while driving on a bumpy road surface. Additionally, the contact stated that upon closing the door, she noticed that the door failed to close securely with approximately 5mm gap between the door and the frame. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center, who informed the contact that the door needed to be taken apart for diagnostics tests and declined to test drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that a mobile Tesla Technician later inspected the vehicle at the residence and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center for a diagnostic test and repair. The contact was charged a repair cost. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527804June 19, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
the car will suddenly brake on the highway when the cruise control is on for no apparent reason
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527733June 19, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking while using cruise control on interstates. The automatic emergency braking caused severe slowdown reducing speed of vechicle from 75-55mph. On a 900 mi road trip phantom braking occured a minium of 12 times each direction. Sudden and unexcpeted braking nearly caused accidents on numerous occasions. As vehichles following were not expecting a sudden reduction in speed without cause. In no case was there an obvious trigger, so signs, shadows, debris, or any logical explanation for the dangerous sudden reduction in speed. Tesla service center in Madison, WI stated it was most likley 'just' a software issue. Tesla is not responsive to conerns and gravity of situation. Tesla service said they would inspect vehicle cameras but that would take several weeks, offered no loaner car, and dissmissed any cause for concern repeating the issue was simply a software issue that required drivers to better report 'bugs' and that more cars needed to drive these 'routes' (I-80 and I-76 in this case) in order for more accurate navigation. Vehichle repeatidly turned back on automatic emergency braking despite driver having disabled this feature.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527726June 19, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While the cruise control was engaged and traveling on a two lane road, the adaptive cruise control kicked in when it sensed a bicycle on the side of the road. There was an immediate hard braking applied by the car. Had there been a vehicle behind us we would have been rear ended. A few days later under very similar circumstances on a two lane road the brakes were applied by the vehicle. There were no other cars in sight - we were the only ones on the road. The only logical conclusion is the adaptive cruise control thought that the skid marks that were on the road was an obstacle that it braked for. Again, if there had been a vehicle behind us there would have been a collision. We contacted Tesla service in Reno, Nv. , advising of the above and requesting the adaptive cruise be disabled. We were informed they could not do that and if it happens again take note of time of event and they would review the cameras to see what is triggering the phantom braking. We want it disabled - not waiting for the next incident to occur!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527716June 19, 2023
STEERING
About 24 hours after the car was delivered I performed the first routine OTA software update. Upon putting the car into drive for the first time after finishing the software update, the power steering failed with a "power steering reduced" warning before the car could move. The steering wheel would not move without great effort. A power cycle cleared the issue. After remotely viewing the vehicle logs, Tesla service inspected the car about two weeks later at a service center. The service center determined the issue was resolved by a firmware update. The issue has not come back since the initial occurrence. The service center was aware of the problem and was initially prepared to replace the steering rack.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527644June 19, 2023
STEERING
My model y was park in our garage and when we decided to go out to get some food around 7pm and when I started backing out the steering wheel seems “locked” that like 5 seconds after the car start moving… I move it forward so it won’t be in the street or side wall and I tried to walk away and lock it and it happened again. I did for 5 times and I even ask people who we know that have Tesla and I even turn the power off and waited two minutes and still the steering wheel locks up. I made an appointment and for this Thursday and I added that the car is undriveable because it seems like their help service in the app says “bring all the keys”… I have been reading online about and how to troubleshoot but it seems like it’s a defective “electrical component” and it’s been happening to other people as well and some was driving in the freeway. We love our Tesla but why and how these things pass their quality checks? Please check their products as in cars for the safety of everyone. I have my fiancée and two kids in their car seat when this thing happened and I’m glad we weren’t in the freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527639June 19, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking in cruise control almost caused being rear ended. This happens all the time! Super dangerous
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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