2020 Tesla Model Y Body & structure Problems

I would hear squeaking/tearing/rattling noises, this was found to be due to malfunctioning/broken nuts and compliance arms and control arms. This happened three times so far, attached are two repairs that was required previously. Per report with Tesla staff, this has been a recurring issue. Per additional Tesla owners, this has been a frequent issue amongst many different Tesla forums. Now I have to get it repaired for the third time. I bought a used Tesla that was certified by Tesla, problems occured at 37876 miles, but car was bought at 34529 miles.

NHTSA ID

11702982

Incident

Aug 12, 2023

The mechanical door release cable for the rear doors is not accessible without a screwdriver. This safety door release mechanism should be accessible without tools in case of emergency.

NHTSA ID

11688711

Incident

Sep 21, 2025

The rear trunk smashed my fingers. I pressed the open button on the rear trunk and heard it unlatch. I stuck my hand under the trunk to try to help it open up. The trunk quickly reached, smashing my fingers. I was able to press the open button again and lift the trunk up. The could break someone’s fingers off completely, especially a small child. A warning is 100% necessary. I thought it was unlatched and would open since I heard it unlatch and it looked as if it was opening, albeit very slowly.

NHTSA ID

11686034

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

While driving on the freeway the autopilot kept turning on, I would immediately turn the autopilot off. The autopilot came on and turned my steering wheel to the left into the highway barrier, thus causing me to take a corrective action. The weather on the freeway way wet and traffic was moderate. The monitor displayed autopilot, which I turned off many during my trip as I am not comfortable with autopilot . I have an insurance claim as there was extensive damage to my car.

NHTSA ID

11585534

Incident

Apr 13, 2024

Rear door is stuck and does NOT open, nor will the emergency release in the door, when activated, allow it to open. Poses a significant danger to anyone in the backseat, or if trying to get a child out from the backseat, say in the event of an accident on the opposite side. This must be addressed via a recall asap, or there will be serious consequences eventually.

NHTSA ID

11526810

Incident

Jun 13, 2023

Rear passenger side door was not able to be opened. Tesla service came out and fixed it. A door panel came loose and got wedged on the body seal. He was able to pry the door open and resecure the body seal. He said it happens frequently on this model car. It is a safety issue as if there was an accident (or other reason) someone needed to quickly get out of the car and that was the exit door they would be trapped. It is possible to kick the door open, but hard in a Tesla Model Y rear seat/door as there is no manual door handle, just an electronic button. It would be very hard for a young or old person to press that button and kick at door, making it impossible for them to escape. Tesla needs to redesign the door panel and add a manual door handle like the front doors have.

NHTSA ID

11477726

Incident

Jul 31, 2022

The welding link on the frunk is broken and while driving the frunk is pressing down while driving the car.

NHTSA ID

11467831

Incident

Jun 3, 2022

We were trying to park the car at Costco Parking lot on Jan 14th, 2022 in the early afternoon. A car had pulled out of a parking spot and indicated us to move forward in that spot. When we tried to move forward,the vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit three other cars. The airbags did not come on. We have asked Tesla to look into this and are awaiting a response. There was damage to front end, both bumpers, hoods, front grill etc. The accident was reported to the Police, Insurance Company and Tesla. The vehicle was towed to Tesla dealership and then was sent to another repair facility, Gerber Collision in Beria, Ohio.

NHTSA ID

11451841

Incident

Jan 14, 2022

I think regenerative braking makes the Tesla Y fishtail and swerve when driving in snow, ice or slippery surfaces when you decelerate or go downhill. The regenerative brakes cause the car to suddenly brake in snow or ice. If you brake suddenly in snow in a normal car, you may swerve, and this swerving is worse if the car is turned slightly. A friend swerved suddenly going downhill in WA in a snow storm. He recovered by lightly touching the accelerator. My Tesla Y spun 90 degrees when I took foot off accelerator in snowstorm in RI and I was able to recover. Minutes later on expressway at 25 mph, I took foot off accelerator and the car spun 180 degrees and hit a guard rail. In the Chevy Bolt owners manual, under winter driving, the first bullet point they make is to put the car in D--which turns off regenerative braking. You can reduce the amount of regenerative braking on a Tesla, but you can not turn it off. Under driving in winter on the Tesla on the website, there is no mention of reducing the regenerative braking in snow or ice. I think any EV with regenerative braking is at risk of spinning out in snow, ice or on slick surfaces.

NHTSA ID

11447363

Incident

Jan 7, 2022

REAR PASSENGER DOORS DO NOT HAVE AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE/MARKED INTERIOR EMERGENCY MANUAL LATCH RELEASE. IN THE EVENT THAT POWER IS LOST TO THE VEHICLE, ONE MUST REMOVE A MAT IN THE DOOR POCKET, PRY OPEN A COVER, AND PULL AN UNLABELED CABLE TO RELEASE THE DOOR LATCH. THIS IS ALSO THE CASE IN AT LEAST THE TESLA MODEL 3, DON'T KNOW ABOUT X AND S. THE FRONT DOORS HAVE A SEPARATE HANDLE ABOVE THE WINDOW CONTROL ON THE ARMREST FOR MANUAL EMERGENCY RELEASE, BUT THIS IS NOT PRESENT ON THE REAR DOORS. THE HIDDEN RELEASE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT A REAR SEAT PASSENGER, ESPECIALLY A CHILD, WOULD BE REASONABLY EXPECTED TO BE CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, AND COULD LEAD TO ENTRAPMENT IF THE FRONT DOORS ARE NOT OPENABLE DUE TO ACCIDENT DAMAGE.

NHTSA ID

11414109

Incident

Apr 27, 2021

Mileage

5,500 mi

I WAS IN A PARKING GARAGE NEXT TO MY WORK AND WAS PARKING BETWEEN TWO CARS, I WAS COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND HIT THE PILLAR ON THE LEFT SIDE. IT WAS ONLY A FEW SECONDS AND I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PUT THE CAR ON PARK. THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 500 MILES ON IT. I FELT THAT THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHEN I WAS COMPLETELY STOPPING. LATER, I FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH OTHER TESLA VEHICLES IN A PARKING GARAGE SIMILAR TO MY SITUATION. TESLA STILL HAS NOT PROVIDED THE REPORT TO ME SAYING IT IS PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, BUT TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY. DAMAGES HAS COST ME ALMOST $10,000. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS AND I HAVE A PERFECT DRIVING RECORD.

NHTSA ID

11385350

Incident

Oct 30, 2020

Mileage

480 mi

I WAS SLOWLY PULLING THE TESLA MODEL Y, VIN #[XXX], ON TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 1, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:15AM. I WAS ABOUT 3 FEET FROM THE FRONT OF THE GARAGE WHEN THE CAR WITHOUT MY PROMPTING SUDDENLY RAPIDLY ACCELERATED INTO THE CABINETS AND RUINED THEM ALONG WITH THE WALL THEY WERE HUNG ON, REMOVING THE WALL FROM THE FOUNDATION. THIS ALSO CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WHICH ONLY HAD APPROXIMATELY 450 MILES DRIVEN ON IT. WE ALSO OWN A TESLA MODEL 3 WHICH I HAVE DRIVEN EXTENSIVELY THEREFORE MAKING ME VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TESLA DRIVE TRAIN. IN NO WAY WAS THIS ANY TYPE OF OPERATOR ERROR AS TESLA HAS SUGGESTED AFTER THEIR REVIEW OF THE VEHICLE DATA. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS CAR AND THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CRASH. I AM EXTREMELY SHAKEN UP BY THE INCIDENT AND WON'T EVER FEEL CONFIDENT DRIVING THAT CAR AGAIN. PHOTOS OF THE DAMAGE ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW. REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC

NHTSA ID

11366572

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

Mileage

420 mi

OCTOBER 8 2020, 5:00PM. HEAVY TRAFFIC ON I-5 NORTH AT ANAHEIM, CA NEAR HARBOR BLVD/BALL RD EXIT. I HAD JUST CHANGED LANES TO THE RIGHT IN PREPARATION TO TAKE THE EXIT. DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC, MY SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH. IMMEDIATELY AFTER SETTLING TO THE NEW LANE, TOYOTA RAV4 IN FRONT OF ME BRAKES AGGRESSIVELY. I WAS ABOUT 6 FT FROM THIS CAR, AND IMMEDIATELY PRESSED MY TESLA Y BRAKE PEDAL HARD IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID COLLISION. BUT, MY TESLA Y WOULD NOT STOP. THE WHEELS DID NOT LOCK INTO FULL BRAKING. TESLA'S AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING DID NOT ENGAGE, AND ITS COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM DID NOT ALERT ME. AS I AM PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL HARD, ALL I CAN DO IS TO WITNESS THAT WE WILL COLLIDE. NONE OF TESLA Y'S SAFETY FEATURES ENGAGED TO SAVE ME FROM THIS COLLISION.*LN*JB

NHTSA ID

11363598

Incident

Oct 8, 2020

Mileage

1,500 mi