2022 Tesla Model Y

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 156 complaints alleging a suspension failure in model year (MY) 2018-2020 Model 3 and MY 2021-2023 Model Y vehicles. The suspension failure involves the detachment of the front lower lateral link, which potentially causes a loss of vehicle directional control. In most cases, there was no advance warning or indication that the suspension failure would occur.  Some cases cite noises occurring prior to failure, but note that the vehicle provides no visual warnings. Once the failure occurs, the vehicle may not be drivable, thus requiring a tow. Tesla has previously recalled vehicles for lateral link detachments through two recalls. Recall 21V-835 addressed 2,791 MY2019-2021 Tesla Model 3 vehicles due to a production issue. Recall 23V-235 addressed 422 2018-2019 Tesla Model 3 vehicles that had experienced similar failures to those recalled under 21V-835. The subject failures for this investigation exceed the scope of these recalls and do not appear to be related to the production issue that prompted those recalls. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation to determine the underlying cause, scope, and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time to respond. ODI will evaluate the performance of FSD in degraded roadway conditions and the updates or modifications by Tesla to the degradation detection system, including the timing, purpose, and capabilities of the updates, and Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact. Tesla’s FSD is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that relies exclusively on vision-based cameras and the related FSD software to detect and respond to the roadway ahead, projecting a path forward based on traffic control devices, vehicles, pedestrians, and the roadway itself. When Tesla began transitioning away from using both cameras and radars to an exclusively camera-based approach, known as Tesla Vision, in mid-2021, it developed and implemented a degradation detection system that it deployed by a software update to existing and new Tesla vehicles. On June 28, 2024, the day after Tesla submitted the SGO report of the November 28, 2023 fatal crash listed in this document, Tesla began developing an update to the degradation detection system. At this time, ODI does not have information on when the update was deployed and which vehicles have the updated system. ODI discussed individual incidents and its initial findings during the PE phase of its investigation with Tesla. As part of those discussions, Tesla’s post-incident analysis indicated that the update to the degradation detection system, had it been installed on the vehicles at the time, may have affected 3 of the 9 incidents identified by ODI. Tesla also described internal data and labeling limitations that prevented a uniform identification and analysis of crash events with the subject system engaged. ODI believes this limitation could have led to under-reporting of subject crashes over portions of the defined time-period. Available incident data raise concerns that Tesla’s degradation detection system, both as originally deployed and later updated, fails to detect and/or warn the driver appropriately under degraded visibility conditions such as glare and airborne obscurants. In the crashes that ODI has reviewed, the system did not detect common roadway conditions that impaired camera visibility and/or provide alerts when camera performance had deteriorated until immediately before the crash occurred. Review of Tesla’s responses revealed additional crashes that occurred in similar environments and where the system either did not detect a degraded state, and/or it did not present the driver with an alert with adequate time for the driver to react. In each of these crashes, FSD also lost track of or never detected a lead vehicle in its path. In upgrading PE24031 to an Engineering Analysis (EA), ODI will gather further information on the updated degradation detection system, including the status of updating vehicles and scope of compatible vehicles, the system’s visibility degradation detection capability, and alerts or warnings to the driver. Lastly, ODI will conduct analysis on six recent potentially related incidents. These incidents can be found at NHTSA.gov under the following SGO report identification numbers: 13781-11937, 13781-13211, 13781-13569, 13781-13633, 13781-13693, 13781-13788. The crashes included in the failure report summary can be found at NHTSA.gov under the following SGO report identification numbers: 13781-8004, 13781-7181, 13781-7381, 13781-7767, 13781-7964, 13781-8977, 13781-9267.

The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation system requiring a fully attentive driver who is engaged in the driving task at all times. Level 2 partial automation systems are designed to support and assist the driver in performing certain aspects of the driving task, requiring a driver to supervise and intervene as necessary.  The driver remains fully responsible at all times for driving the vehicle, including complying with applicable traffic laws. ODI’s investigation will therefore focus, in particular, on whether certain driving inputs within the control authority of FSD forestall the driver’s supervision when they are unexpectedly performed. ODI has identified a number of incidents in which the inputs to the dynamic driving task commanded by FSD induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws. Although reports of this nature span a variety of behaviors, the reports appear to most commonly involve two types of scenarios. The first type of scenario involves a vehicle operating with FSD proceeding into an intersection in violation of a red traffic signal. The second type of scenario involves FSD commanding a lane change into an opposing lane of traffic. With respect to the first type of scenario, ODI has identified 18 complaints and 1 media report alleging that a Tesla vehicle, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface. Some complainants also alleged that FSD did not provide warnings of the system's intended behavior as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal. ODI has identified six Standing General Order ("SGO") reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection. Of these incidents, four crashes resulted in one or more reported injuries. At least some of the incidents appeared to involve FSD proceeding into the intersection after coming to a complete stop. ODI's pre-investigative work, including coordination with the Maryland Transportation Authority and State Police, indicated that the problem may be repeatable, given that multiple subject incidents occurred at the same intersection in Joppa, Maryland. NHTSA understands that Tesla has since taken action to address the issue at this intersection. With respect to the second type of scenario, ODI has identified 2 SGO reports, 18 complaints, and 2 media reports alleging that a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, entered opposing lanes of travel during or following a turn, crossed double-yellow lane markings while proceeding straight, or attempted to turn onto a road in the wrong direction despite the presence of wrong-way road signs. Likewise, ODI has identified 4 SGO reports, 6 complaints, and 1 media report alleging that a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, proceeded straight through an intersection in a turn-only lane or executed a turn at an intersection in a through lane despite the presence of lane markings or signals. Complaints also alleged that FSD did not provide warnings of the system's intended behavior. Some complaints alleged that more than one of these failures occurred and, as such, the numbers are not cumulative. Some of the reported incidents appeared to involve FSD executing a lane change into an opposing lane of travel with little notice to a driver or opportunity to intervene. ODI’s review will assess whether there was prior warning or adequate time for the driver to respond to the unexpected behavior or to safely supervise the automated driving task. This review will assess any warnings to the driver about the system's impending behavior; the time given to drivers to respond; the capability of FSD to detect, display to the driver, and respond appropriately to traffic signals; and the capability of FSD to detect and respond to lane markings and wrong-way signage. NHTSA's review will also consider any updates or modifications to the system(s) that may affect the performance of FSD with respect to obeying traffic safety laws and signals. This assessment will focus, in particular, on the types of traffic safety violations described above, as most reports identified thus far have centered around those behaviors. While the behaviors under investigation appear to occur most frequently at intersections, NHTSA’s investigation will encompass any other types of situations in which this behavior may arise, such as when traveling adjacent to a lane of opposing traffic or when approaching railroad crossings. If other evidence received during this investigation involve other types of traffic safety violations, those may be considered as part of this assessment as well. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov. The SGO reports cited in this Resume are listed below by report ID and are available for download at NHTSA.gov/laws-regulations/standing-general-order-crash-reporting. 13781-8739-1, 13781-8995-1, 13781-9623-1, 13781-10333-1, 13781-10872-1, 13781-10930-1, 13781-10939-1, 13781-10941-1, 13781-11069-1, 13781-11305-1, 13781-11579-1 Media reported allegations included as a separate attachment.

The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of Tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, Tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis. Preliminary engagement between ODI and Tesla on the issue indicates that the timing of the reports was due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed. NHTSA is opening this Audit Query, a standard process for reviewing compliance with legal requirements, to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them. As part of this review, NHTSA will assess whether any reports of prior incidents remain outstanding and whether the reports that were submitted include all of the required and available data. The SGO reports cited in the Opening Resume, can be found at NHTSA.gov/SGOCrashReporting under the following SGO 2021-01 report IDs: 13781-11020-1 13781-10844-1 13781-10843-1 13781-10530-1 13781-10160-1 13781-10159-1 13781-10157-1 13781-10146-1 13781-10122-1 13781-10098-1 13781-10097-1 13781-10096-1 13781-10095-1 13781-10094-1 13781-10093-1 13781-10023-1 13781-10022-1 13781-10021-1 13781-10020-1 13781-10017-1 13781-10016-1 13781-10015-1 13781-10014-1 13781-10013-1 13781-10012-1 13781-6047-1 13781-9930-1 13781-9917-1 13781-9928-1 13781-9925-1 13781-9924-1 13781-9923-1 13781-9922-1 13781-9835-1 13781-9834-1 13781-9833-1 13781-9832-1 13781-9831-1 13781-9830-1 13781-9829-1 13781-9827-1 13781-9818-1 13781-9780-1 13781-9779-1 13781-9778-1 13781-9777-1 13781-9775-1 13781-9774-1 13781-9773-1 13781-9772-1 13781-9771-1 13781-9770-1 13781-9728-1 13781-9688-1 13781-9715-1 13781-9714-1 13781-9713-1 13781-9712-1 13781-9711-1 13781-9710-1 13781-9709-1 13781-9696-1 13781-9695-1 13781-9694-1 13781-9693-1 13781-9692-1 13781-9691-1 13781-9690-1 13781-9687-1 13781-9686-1 13781-9342-1 13781-9319-1 13781-9019-1 13781-8910-1 13781-8732-1 13781-8712-1 13781-8310-1 13781-7897-1 13781-7895-1 13781-7835-1 13781-7798-1 13781-7797-1 13781-7758-1 13781-7757-1 13781-7756-1 13781-7755-1 13781-7667-1 13781-7399-1 13781-7398-1 13781-7397-1 13781-7396-1 13781-7395-1 13781-7394-1 13781-7393-1 13781-7389-1 13781-7388-1 13781-7387-1 13781-7386-1 13781-7385-1 13781-7383-1 13781-7187-1 13781-7186-1 13781-7185-1 13781-7184-1 13781-7181-1 13781-7023-1 13781-6399-1 13781-6389-1 13781-6388-1 13781-6387-1 13781-6386-1 13781-6379-1 13781-6378-1 13781-6377-1 13781-6375-1 13781-6214-1 13781-6172-1 13781-6155-1 13781-6154-1 13781-6122-1 13781-6120-1 13781-6118-1 13781-5800-1

On Aug. 9, 2026, my 2022 Tesla Model Y experienced a sudden low-voltage electrical failure that completely immobilized the vehicle. Earlier that morning, the Tesla app sent a push notification indicating low-voltage battery service was needed. I tapped it, but it provided no actionable warning. I immediately checked Maintenance. At 9:06 AM, the app displayed “0 Recommended” and “No maintenance is recommended for your vehicle at this time.” Less than an hour later, the vehicle completely failed. Nothing functioned. We could not open the doors or trunk, access the vehicle normally, or operate vehicle functions. The vehicle could not be put into a condition for normal towing; it would have had to be dragged/pulled onto the tow truck. Tesla later documented “Electrical system is unable to support all features” and is replacing the 12V battery. This may be relevant to NHTSA PE25010.

NHTSA ID

11755995

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

The rear lift gate will not close. Defective hinges and electrical strut causing miss alignment and inability to close.

NHTSA ID

11755986

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

--torn bushings on both the lateral and compliance links --my understand is that torn bushings, if they completely failed, could cause a wheel to lose its rigid control causing the control arm to shift wildly, causing severe steering wander, loud clunking noises over bumps, unstable braking, and rapid, uneven tire wear. In worst-case scenarios, it can lead to a sudden loss of vehicle control and at worst cause an accident --also, this can also cause alignment issues and excessive tire wear--in my case, the torn bushings caused the front tires to chunk --three dealerships, including Tesla, confirmed the issue, including that it likely impacted the alignment and tires --the earliest symptoms were uneven tire wear: 1) all four tires from my first set were chunking and had to be replaced; 2) the front two exhibited the same chunking and have yet to be replaced

NHTSA ID

11755808

Incident

Apr 21, 2026

Tesla released a new version of FSD: 2026.20.6.11 V14 Lite for my 2022 Model Y Long Range. I installed it overnight and the next morning, several systems become intermittent. The backup camera stopped working immediately, and FSD would drop out, with the message "Take control immediately". I would then lose traffic visualization and other advanced features. Eventually the system would recover and start the cycle all over again. Several times per drive. I took the car to the dealer and they diagnosed it as a failed HW3 computer. The cost to repair it was $2,939 out of pocket since my car was 2 months out of warranty. The car was 100% functional before the V14 Lite update. The dealership denied the problem was related to the update, but the internet now has numerous instances of this problem, and attribute it to the computer running much hotter under this new update, causing components to fail. Our update was installed while the car was in our garage at a temperature in the 70’sF and immediately caused the computer failure before the car even left the garage. I requested and was given the failed computer in case any independent investigation is needed

NHTSA ID

11755642

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

I am reporting a serious safety issue involving severe, difficult-to-detect inner-edge tire wear on my Tesla that resulted in a tire failure on Highway 101. The tire failed while I was driving on the highway, creating a dangerous situation and significant traffic disruption. After the failure, I discovered severe wear concentrated on the INSIDE edge of the tire. The concerning part is that the normally visible tread appeared serviceable. An owner can therefore believe the tire is safe while the difficult-to-see inner portion may be dangerously worn. I am concerned that Tesla’s suspension/alignment geometry, including camber/toe settings, vehicle weight, or related components may contribute to excessive inner-edge tire wear. NHTSA should investigate whether this is occurring on other Tesla vehicles and whether owners are being adequately warned to inspect the entire tire, particularly the hidden inner shoulder. I also experienced a very concerning mileage discrepancy. My vehicle showed approximately 36,000 miles before traveling to Tesla for service. During the trip to the dealership, the mileage associated with my vehicle appeared to increase to approximately 56,000 miles. Tesla subsequently referenced the higher mileage in connection with service/maintenance coverage. I request that NHTSA investigate whether Tesla vehicles have a pattern of excessive hidden inner-tire wear capable of causing sudden tire failures; whether suspension, alignment, camber, toe, vehicle weight, or related components contribute to this condition; whether Tesla has received similar complaints; and whether owners are adequately warned about this difficult-to-see wear. I also request review of the approximately 20,000-mile mileage discrepancy and whether the mileage Tesla relied upon accurately represented my vehicle’s actual accumulated mileage. I have video evidence and can provide photographs, Tesla service records, mileage information, and other documentation.

NHTSA ID

11755625

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

The Autopilot/FSD computer (driver-assistance ECU) on my 2021 Model Y (HW3) began failing intermittently on August 2, 2026, days after installing a software update -FSD v14 "Lite" branch. The component is in the vehicle and available for inspection. While driving at highway speed in high ambient temperatures (112–125°F), the system repeatedly disengaged with "Cruise control unavailable" (alert DI_a175) and "System error — take over immediately" warnings, and later alert APP_w46u on FSD engagement. Failures included: FSD and Autosteer aborting within seconds of engagement or disappearing from the menu entirely; complete loss of driving visualizations (no lane lines or vehicle overlays); rear camera blacking out; loss of speed-limit recognition and automatic turn-signal cancel. Both FSD and Autosteer Beta failed identically, indicating the fault is in the shared Autopilot computer/camera pipeline, not one feature. Because the same camera/compute stack supports automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, and blind-spot warning, the status of those safety systems during the failures is UNKNOWN — I had to complete long desert highway stretches fully manually, with repeated unrequested hand-backs of control creating a sudden-takeover risk. The fault is thermal-load related and intermittent: it recurred at high ambient temperatures, sometimes recovered after a rest or power-off reset, but on August 4 one full power-off reset at 88°F ambient failed to restore the system (it later self-recovered), suggesting progressive hardware degradation rather than ambient heat alone. Not yet reproduced by a service center: a Tesla service appointment is scheduled for August 13, 2026, and a service request with fault codes was filed in-app while the faults were active so remote diagnostics could capture them. No inspection yet by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. Public owner reports describe similar Autopilot-computer thermal failures on HW3 vehicle

NHTSA ID

11755613

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

During normal driving on roadway the vehicle pulled to the left and driver was not able to steer right to avoid travelling into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle from opposing traffic. The vehicle gave no notice prior and was not in automatic mode.

NHTSA ID

11755538

Incident

Feb 15, 2026

While operating my 2022 tesla model y, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic hardware failure of the onboard vehicle control computer. This total computer failure resulted in an immediate, sudden loss of electronic power steering assist while the vehicle was in motion. The steering wheel became incredibly stiff and heavy, creating a severe and hazarders driving situation. the vehicle was towed to a tesla service center, where technicians confirmed the onboard computer hardware requires a complete replacement. A vital computer failing prematurely on a 2022 vehicle presents an extreme safety risk of crash or injury due to sudden loss of vehicle control.

NHTSA ID

11755238

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

A firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. This feature detects changes in wheel alignment that may be related to incorrect tire pressures, degraded ball joints, bushings or damaged suspension links. If the feature determines that an inspection at a Tesla Service Center is required, a customer-facing alert will appear on the touchscreen.

On certain Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles, the interior camera requires replacement to mitigate reduced driver attentiveness detection performance in low-light conditions.

On certain Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles, the interior camera requires replacement to mitigate reduced driver attentiveness detection performance in low-light conditions.

On certain Model Y vehicles, the LH and/or RH rear primary body seals might cause wind noise in the cabin.

Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file contains all available owner’s manual content for the vehicle converted to PDF format, and given the distribution method and NHTSA’s submission format requirements, it is the best available representative copy of owner’s manual content. However, a customer who accesses the owner’s manual via their vehicle’s touchscreen would only see the parts of this PDF file that are relevant to their vehicle.

Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle configuration and software version installed, is displayed on its touchscreen. This file contains all available owner’s manual content for the vehicle converted to PDF format, and given the distribution method and NHTSA’s submission format requirements, it is the best available representative copy of owner’s manual content. However, a customer who accesses the owner’s manual via their vehicle’s touchscreen would only see the parts of this PDF file that are relevant to their vehicle.