2020 Tesla Model Y Brakes Problems

There was a grinding sound coming from the LF wheel. This was progressively getting worse. Car was shaking while driving so dropped it off with my mechanic due to safety concerns. Per the mechanic that fixed the issue: Inspection found LF wheel bearing is loose. A bolt backed out on inside rubbing through axel shaft. Allowed wheel bearing to damage to damaged from moving in place. Axle shaft damaged from rubbing on backed out bolt. Replace LF axle shaft and wheel bearing. Informed by mechanic that wheel could have fallen off while driving. No prior work. Mechanic believes most likely issue was not having the bolts appropriately installed at time of manufactue

NHTSA ID

11732866

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

When I went to my local garage to have a wheel rotation and wheel alignment done, they discovered that my rear driver side break hose was leaking. They also discovered that the rear passenger side break hose was showing similar wear/damage. I had the car towed to Tesla repair center because the replacement parts were backordered for the local garage. At the Tesla repair center, I asked if this was a potential build quality issue or something else, which they couldn't answer. Besides tire related items, like new tires and wheel alignment, all my other servicing was done thru Tesla. They noticed that they had done some half-shaft lubrication work that would have required them to disassemble the breaks. Of course they are not going to speculate or admit wrong doing. Therefore, in my mind, the issue was either original build quality from the factory or maybe the Tesla service mechanic not properly reassembling the breaks during one of the service visits. Just incase this was a factory build issue, I wanted to put in this incident so it can be counted towards any tally that NHTSA maybe keeping.

NHTSA ID

11594286

Incident

May 31, 2024

Tesla Model Y, loses control in snow and fish tails, making it unsafe. This has happened multiple time in winter and even in heavy rain. I follow standard recommendations for winter/snow driving, if you skid, ease off acceleration, and do not brake to avoid skidding. If we do this, the regenerative brakes kick in and brakes the car, causing the skid. Have had several narrow escapes in highways and even in regular roads. I hope Tesla will can give an option to turn of the regenerative braking for winter driving. Thanks

NHTSA ID

11575038

Incident

Feb 28, 2024

We’re getting errors for traction control, reduced traction, control, disabled automatic emergency, braking is unavailable, ABS disabled. This is a manufactures defect, and Tesla is requiring us to pay.

NHTSA ID

11546449

Incident

Jul 23, 2023

While driving in cruise control mode, not auto steer, and with no vehicle in or obvious obstruction in front, the brakes will be applied without warning (phantom braking). It has happened multiple time in the years of ownership. It has happened once or twice with a vehicle following resulting in near rear-end collision. In one case this resulted in the follower reacting with "road rage," passing with horns blaring and braking in front of my vehicle. I have this recent incident on video as it just requires me to honk the horn and the last 5-10 minutes of driving is recorded.

NHTSA ID

11541770

Incident

Aug 29, 2023

I purchased our Tesla model Y 3 years ago. I intentionally disabled and did not subscribe to any autonomous driving features because I don’t trust them. I disabled all aspects of auto pilot functions. Despite this, my car still will automatically swerve at random times, slam on the brakes randomly with no reason to break, etc. It is terrifying when this happens unexpectedly and infuriating that I have disabled all these features, but it still does this. This is most common when I put it in cruise control. Rarely these will happen when, for example you cross a double yellow line, but most of the time they happen when nothing has occurred to prompt them. I believe this is an unsafe feature, and needs to be investigated. Unfortunately, with Tesla they have no customer service so there’s nobody that I can report this to.

NHTSA ID

11539961

Incident

Aug 14, 2023

Phantom breaking

NHTSA ID

11533370

Incident

Jul 19, 2023

On the last road trip, my car emergently braked for no reason when using cruise control and autopilot causing safety issues for cars behind my vehicle. This happened at least 6 times on my 500-mile round trip. I reached out to Tesla service and was told there is no fix at this time. in my opinion this is a dangerous problem that needs addressing in an urgent manner.

NHTSA ID

11527150

Incident

Jun 13, 2023

Vehicle was on FSD and suddenly excessively braked almost to a stop when driving at 65mph causing occupants and cargo to fly forward and Injured our pet in the rear seat

NHTSA ID

11513139

Incident

Mar 21, 2023

Have had several issues with phantom braking. When in cruise control or auto drive there are times nothing is in the roadway but the vehicle will brake in middle of hwy. very dangerous

NHTSA ID

11507398

Incident

Jan 27, 2023

The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle rolled back and crashed into a concrete wall. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. Additionally, on October 17, 2021, the contact slightly depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle accelerated abruptly and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The other driver in the second vehicle required medical attention. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to World Collision at The Mall of Georgia (4641 Harrison Run, Buford, GA 30518), where it was repaired. In addition, on January 9, 2022, the contact was pulling into a parking space when the vehicle unintendedly accelerated from 0 to 60 MPH, crashing into a brick wall. The contact stated that all the air bags were deployed. The contact and the passenger were injured and had to seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled. No warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA ID

11500280

Incident

Jan 27, 2021

Mileage

7,000 mi

While driving on highway using cruise control, the vehicle (without the driver's assistance) applied brakes to quickly slow the rate of speed. This occurred three times in the span of ten minutes. The weather was sunny and no other vehicles or objects were in the vicinity of my vehicle. After the third occurrence, I stopped using cruise control for the remainder of the trip.

NHTSA ID

11495898

Incident

Nov 30, 2022

We were driving on a highway and suddenly we got a red steering weel image with a sharp noise and a warning message something about automatic emergency braking disable and we can't use a cruise control feature. I don't feel safe to drive. Tesla can't tell me when it will be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11491895

Incident

Oct 30, 2022

While on cruise control at @72mph the car has been “phantom” braking. The last time there were flurries, but the first several times there was nothing impeding the car nor were any vehicles within camera range. This is a very unsettling feeling. No, no and no. There have been reports to your site with this regard. tyvm

NHTSA ID

11490740

Incident

Oct 24, 2022

Driving 1400 miles Santa Fe-Austin TX-Santa Fe, experienced phantom braking over 15 times. Generally happened while cruising on autopilot at 70-80 mph. Phantom braking occurred with no warning and for no apparent reason. The car suddenly jerked and lost 5-10 mph, and the autopilot went off.

NHTSA ID

11486210

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

I noticed a screeching sound from the rear of the vehicle when brakes were being applied in September 2022. I took the vehicle to a local tire/ brake store where the mechanic informed me that a brake caliper nut is missing and that brake caliper is bent. He strongly advised me against driving the vehicle any further until the nut bolt is replaced. Since they did not have Tesla brand bolt they used a similar bolt from their supply and asked me to have the original bolt replaced by Tesla. I am planning to take the vehicle to the Tesla repair center to have the vehicle inspected. The component that failed is not available for inspection as it is missing from the vehicle however the brake caliper is deformed The brake caliper can apparently cut into the wheel and place the occupants at risk as per an article by CNET available on line The issue was identified by an independent service center which is a national chain The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle yet There was no warning about the failure other than the abnormal sound on braking

NHTSA ID

11485790

Incident

Sep 17, 2022

On 9/15/2022 around 12:15pm right before exit 180 on I40 East at Bermuda Run NC 801 in North Carolina, during moderate to heavy rain, our Tesla Model Y hydroplaned and spun twice doing two full 360 spins from the left most interstate lane and ending up in the right shoulder. Fortunately we made no contact with anyone and nothing was damaged and no one was hurt. We believe the car started to hydroplane causing me to let go the accelerator. This caused the Tesla Regenerative braking to kick in and made matters worse and caused the car to spin. Popular wisdom seems to be to tun off or reduce regenerative braking during rain or slippery conditions. We did not know this. Tesla should do this automatically or provide an option to do this. We think many people may not know this and this could get them to have a similar incident with more tragic results. We were lucky but many others may not have been.

NHTSA ID

11483015

Incident

Sep 5, 2022

When using the "Tesla Autopilot" feature phantom braking has been more frequent and aggressive following the recent software upgrades. Many times, phantom braking occurs when approaching an intersection or when lane lines intersect. The phantom braking concern was minimal when I first purchased the car. Strange enough it would happen going under an overpass or an elevated crosswalk. With time and software upgrades this concern was resolved but now the phantom braking events are more pronounced and sometime so quick it is difficult to implement corrective action and prevent possible rear end collisions, especially in highway traffic conditions.

NHTSA ID

11482247

Incident

Aug 30, 2022

While driving from Boston to Raleigh NC, I experienced several instances of the issue known as "Phantom Braking". While driving with the systems Autopilot driver assistance system engaged the car without warning, and without any visible reason (nothing in front of the car that should have caused such a response), did engage the brakes of the car excessively. In each of the situations the car was mostly alone on the he interstate, was driving in clear conditions, and was in daylight. This occurred more then three times oaths trip down and back up to RaleighNC from Boston MA.

NHTSA ID

11482009

Incident

Jul 18, 2022

With car in cruise control on freeway, sudden and hard application of brakes by vehicle, no human input.

NHTSA ID

11471698

Incident

Jun 28, 2022

Re: VIN-[XXX] My wife was driving the car in this accident. I am reporting it as it happened. When: Oct 29, 2021 at about 2:45 +/- 40 minutes. Where: in the parking lot of a shopping center. In Quail Hills shopping center in Irvine, California. Summary of what happened: a) Unintended and sudden acceleration. The car accelerated suddenly by itself and caused an accident when I was trying to park the car. b) Two more cars were involved and were damaged. My car did not respond to brake and it hit two other cars. c) The car was inspected by repair center and was fixed. Damages were extensive. d) A warning appeared on the screen that said "Automatic braking disabled." during or after the accident. e) We reported the accident to Tesla and requested the EDR/crash data report. They have not provided that. I called several times, sent emails and even went to a Tesla service center. But have no received the report yet. The best way to reach me is via my cell phone:[XXX]. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11467419

Incident

Oct 29, 2021

Phantom Breaking - While utilizing cruise control (not even autonomous driving function) the car will randomly slow down/ apply breaks and decrease speed without warning. This has happened multiple times and there is no warning before hand 1) Looks to be the cruise/ automatic emergency breaking malfunctioning. Yes available 2) Dramatic slow down/ breaking on highways going ~70 MPH with cars behind threatens to lead to an accident 3) I have seen numerous corroborating reports but have not taken my car in yet as it does not seem like a solution has been found 4) No 5) No

NHTSA ID

11466995

Incident

May 29, 2022

Phantom braking happens frequently. On March 24, 2022, the phantom braking was out of control. It was very difficult to continue safe driving. I have a video of the screen that shows a person in front of my car. The video is a minute long and shows at least 5 such occurrences. Each time the person occurred on the screen the phantom braking happened when the FSD or cruise control was on. I received contradictory information from Tesla when I requested the service. Finally they said that the issue would be corrected in the future probably via several software updates. How can I drive safely until then??????

NHTSA ID

11458479

Incident

Mar 24, 2022

Operating the vehicle at highway speed of 70 miles per hour on interstate 80 in Illinois. No visible traffic going in either direction for approximately 1/2 mile in all directions when the automatic braking happened for no apparent reason. Scared my wife and myself (both 74 years old) to death. Threw us both forward. My wife now refuses to drive in this Tesla and wants me to sell it. "Phantom Braking" is not an acceptable phenomenon. If there was a tailgating semi behind us we would both be dead today before people die. This must be fixed!!!

NHTSA ID

11456499

Incident

Mar 11, 2022

While traveling on RT 27 South in Florida on a bright sunny day with no traffic around the car and on adaptive cruise control my Tesla Model Y "phantom" braked twice within a mile or two of these incidents. This has happened several times before while on Full Self Driving mode but the first while on cruise control.

NHTSA ID

11453865

Incident

Feb 24, 2022