2023 Tesla Model Y Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was determined that the front lateral link assembly and full body suspension needed to be replaced. While a USB cord was connected to the USB port, the USB cord overheated and almost burned out due to a battery surcharge, and the air was leaking into the front passenger’s side door. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to turn as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk door latch was rusted and the front windshield wipers activated independently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,149.

NHTSA ID

11766380

Incident

May 15, 2024

Mileage

9,149 mi

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11766342

Incident

Aug 27, 2026

While driving and making a left turn the wheels pulled hard to the left and a major grinding noise started and at the same time the steering wheel locked up. I was just shy of crashing into a curb area and sitting in oncoming traffic lane. I pulled on the steering wheel and it broke free but still had a grinding noise and this happens a handful of times. I took to Tesla service and they said the lower steering link was completely hanging free. No advance notice just major failure.

NHTSA ID

11766338

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

Recurring 'Front passenger safety restraint system fault' warning on 2023 Tesla Model Y. The fault has appeared 5 times: July 2024, November 2024, December 2024, August 2025, and September 2026. The vehicle was serviced by Tesla after each of the earlier occurrences, but the fault keeps returning. This is a safety concern because the front passenger restraint system (airbag/seat belt) may not function correctly in a crash.

NHTSA ID

11766257

Incident

Sep 22, 2026

On September 13, 2026, my 2023 Tesla Model Y (13,300 miles) displayed a High Voltage System alert stating the vehicle may not restart and service was required. I brought the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center for diagnosis. The technician found the alert occurred when the brake pedal was applied and identified electromagnetic interference affecting signal integrity in that circuit. On September 17, 2026, a ferrite suppressor was installed to address the interference, and the technician noted the alert cleared. He advised that if the concern returned, replacement of the CHMSL (Center High Mount Stop Lamp) may be required. The same day I picked up the vehicle after this repair, the High Voltage System alert recurred. Both occurrences happened while the vehicle was operating under Full Self-Driving (FSD), not under manual braking. My foot was not on the brake pedal either time. This detail was not accounted for in the original diagnosis, which was based on manual pedal actuation as the trigger. I have raised this discrepancy with Tesla and requested a re-diagnosis based on FSD-commanded brake actuation, including review of vehicle logs for both incident timestamps. My safety concern is that the alert explicitly warns the vehicle may not restart, and the underlying cause has not yet been correctly identified, since the initial repair did not resolve the issue and failed the same day. The vehicle and its diagnostic logs are available for inspection upon request. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the Tesla Service Center (two visits, same fault). It has not been inspected by NHTSA, police, or insurance. No warning lamps or symptoms were noted prior to the first occurrence on September 13, 2026.

NHTSA ID

11766118

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

I run FSD 96% of the time. It’s so good that I get somewhat complacent. That’s not a character flaw. That’s what a reliable system does to people. The failure mode is simple. Car is holding a curve. Foot accidently brushes the brake. Autosteer disengages. Assist steering torque goes to zero. Wheel unloads. At speed the path goes straight, worst cases, into barrier, pole, or oncoming lane. A heavy Tesla in that geometry is ugly. Tesla’s answer is always the same: the driver disengaged, so it’s not on us. The accident is losing lateral control because of another control (braking) that should only change speed. Brake pedal grazes are easy and inevitable. I can recover a braking event. But I may not recover an instant straight-line on a bend if my hands weren’t on the wheel. Simple fix: Disengage traction but don’t have FSD disengage AutoSteer until I force the wheel. That way FSD knows I have control instead of only assuming that. I love FSD but always feel there is a suicide/killer stick just inches away from my feet. To answer your question, there is no component failure and safety risk is obvious. I can reproduce the scenario by simply tapping the brake on a curve and feel the wheel try to jerk out of my hands. Tesla acknowledges that this is the way the system was designed: complete instant manual takeover. The normal FSD disengagement tone rings. But that is too little, too late for a surprised driver.

NHTSA ID

11765779

Incident

Sep 21, 2026

The windshield fogs up in front of the front facing camera. It can get dirty such that it is not just a matter of waiting for it to defog. During this time the self driving feature is impaired. The camera should be sealed to the window such that it can not fog up on the inside. The date of incident is the day tesla technician cleaned my camera and I learned how fragile this system is.

NHTSA ID

11765732

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

On September 18, 2026, at approximately 7:30 PM, I was driving a 2023 Tesla Model Y with approximately 31,187 miles. While traveling at low speed and making a slow right-hand turn on a winding, heavily trafficked, single-lane section of roadway, the steering suddenly became functionally unusable and I could no longer safely steer the vehicle. At the same time, multiple active warning messages appeared on the vehicle display. They included: GTW_w075 – “Steering assist reduced – Steering may require increased effort” GTW_w074 – “Steering assist reduced – Steering may require increased effort” APP_w264 – Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable DI_a246 – Automatic vehicle hold disabled APP_w009 – Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable. I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop. I then powered the vehicle down, waited several minutes, and restarted it in an attempt to restore normal steering. The steering problem did not resolve and the vehicle remained unsafe to drive. This was not a brief or temporary issue. The vehicle could not be safely driven and ultimately had to be towed by Tesla Roadside Assistance to a Tesla Service Center. I am reporting this incident because the sudden loss or substantial reduction of usable steering assistance while the vehicle was being driven created a serious safety risk. Had the same failure occurred at highway speed, during a lane change, or in circumstances where the vehicle could not be safely stopped, the consequences could have been much more serious.

NHTSA ID

11765617

Incident

Sep 18, 2026

The Autopilot/Active Safety sensor system and automated emergency braking (AEB) component failed. The vehicle experienced an uncommanded, severe "phantom braking" event and simultaneous steering lock. The vehicle is currently [State if it is at a tow yard, repair shop, or totaled, e.g., at an insurance-designated salvage yard] and is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11765505

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with Full Self-Driving (FSD) engaged, fog and mist obstructed the cameras, causing the FSD feature to disengage. A message to "Take Full Control of the Vehicle" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure was recurring. The contact expressed concern that the cameras required heating technology to prevent fog and mist obstruction. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11764357

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

Mileage

75,000 mi

Tesla cruise control removed the speed limit functionality as part of its cruise control. I cannot set a maximum speed for the car. Nor can I set a minimum speed for the car. Tesla removed these features through a software update with their autopilot V14. I believe the vehicle is unsafe for myself and others as it does not allow me to set the speed using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC). Tesla is intentionally removing this feature.

NHTSA ID

11764319

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

2023 Tesla Model Y – HW3 Autopilot computer/camera system failure My 2023 Tesla Model Y has approximately 54,000 miles and is equipped with the Tesla Hardware 3 (HW3) Autopilot computer. After receiving Tesla's FSD v14 Lite software, the vehicle began intermittently losing camera-based driver-assistance functionality. I observed an APP_w141 ECU Thermal Issue alert. The vehicle subsequently experienced APS_w134_appMia and APS_w135_appCritical alerts indicating that the Autopilot Processor Secondary was losing communication with and detecting a malfunction of the Autopilot Processor Primary. When the problem occurs, camera/vision functions and driving visualization become unavailable or degraded, and the vehicle has reported Self-Driving Features Limited, Cruise Control Unavailable, Adaptive Headlight Features Unavailable, and other driver-assistance limitations. In Tesla Service Mode I have documented the primary Autopilot processor repeatedly changing between INIT, CRITICAL and COREBOOT while the secondary processor remains NOMINAL. A DAS reset can temporarily restore communication, but the failure returns. Tesla has proposed replacing the entire HW3 car computer at a cost of approximately $3,120. I am concerned that this may represent a safety-related HW3 computer failure, particularly because I observed an ECU thermal alert and because the failure removes multiple camera-based driver-assistance and safety functions. I have photographs documenting the alerts and processor states and have an open Tesla service case.

NHTSA ID

11764244

Incident

Sep 10, 2026

The driver's side lower lateral link assembly and half shaft failed and made the car undrivable. The front driver's side wheel turned in and would not straighten out. My wife drove the car on the highway where she could have seriously injured herself or someone else when the car started to show signs of distress. The Tesla dealer confirmed this problem and fixed the hazard. The car has only 52, 327 miles at the time so Tesla refused to cover the failure. I know this is a known issue and Tesla didn't help with the expense. There was zero warning messages prior to failure. The car started to make a knocking sound in the late afternoon and finally broke down that same night.

NHTSA ID

11763886

Incident

Sep 2, 2026

My Tesla Y/2023 with approximately 43462 miles, developed a center-touchscreen crack that meets the lower edge without any known impact or misuse . Visibility is not affected and screen remains functional. I noticed it on Aug 22 2026. I am concerned about further cracking and possible loss of access to vehicle information or controls. I request review for a potential safety-related defect. The cause has not been determined. Tesla initially provided a $0 warranty estimate, later revised the replacement to customer-pay, and requested a $235 diagnostic authorization. I request that NHTSA review whether this could indicate a glass, mounting or manufacturing-related safety defect affecting other vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11763881

Incident

Aug 22, 2026

Three of my TPM batteries went out so I had all 4 replaced. The tires were almost brand new with absolutely no issues besides the warning light from the faulty TPM’s. When I got my car back, all 4 tires were leaking air and caused me to have to refill them daily. I have been trying for 3 weeks to have Tesla fix it and they only give me excuses and pass blame. My car is now unsafe to drive when it was fine before I brought it in.

NHTSA ID

11763811

Incident

Aug 21, 2026

Today, the Tesla updated while my wife was in the car. During the update all electrical systems went down and the car was locked from the inside and out making it so she could not get out. Because the electrical systems were down while the update was going she did not have any AC either. So she was locked in the car without AC in 107F weather. This is an extreme danger to her health and should be taken care of right away. As well if you had dog mode on it would have locked dogs in the car without AC. This is also an extreme danger because there is not a safe dog mode. the truth is it could be disable at any time without the ability to interrupt or stop the update.

NHTSA ID

11763206

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

I own a 2023 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX]) equipped with Full Self-Driving and Hardware 3 (HW3) computer. Over the last couple of years, while using Autopilot/FSD, my vehicle has repeatedly exhibited phantom braking, including sometimes coming to a complete stop for no reason. My vehicle has also swerved into the lane of oncoming traffic on many occasions. On one occasion, this happened three separate times in one day, and the following day the vehicle swerved off the side of the road while FSD was engaged. I have reported these incidents to Tesla Service repeatedly for years, including photos of related screen malfunctions and "What Happened" incident data, documented in the Tesla app as well as in-person at service center visits. August 2026 was the first time Tesla told my husband and me that this was a known hardware/software (Hardware 3) issue, despite years of prior reports. Tesla has given conflicting information about whether a hardware upgrade is possible: I was told the HW3 computer cannot be upgraded and was encouraged to purchase a new vehicle instead, while a service representative separately mentioned a $3,000 upgrade option that "probably wouldn't fix the issue anyway." I am concerned this vehicle poses an ongoing risk of a head-on collision or road departure to myself and other drivers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11762976

Incident

Sep 7, 2026

While driving, I heard a loud noise every time I turned the wheel. When I called the service center, it took weeks to get an appointment, so the vehicle had to be towed in. Once inspected, Tesla found the front lower lateral link had detached because a bolt securing it was not fully tightened at the factory during assembly; over time it worked loose and fell off, which was the noise I'd heard. The left front wheel was visibly angled out and severely misaligned (alignment report available). Tesla replaced the front lower lateral link pair and performed a four-wheel alignment. The service advisor told me this was not the first time he had seen this specific failure. Before I insisted on an explanation, staff indicated the car's own diagnostics were not flagging anything wrong. I'm concerned this could cause loss of steering control while driving, including at freeway speed, with no advance warning to the driver. This appears to match open NHTSA investigation PE26006.

NHTSA ID

11762801

Incident

Aug 29, 2026

The car is providing an error message while driving with FSD that the glass in-front of the forward-looking cameras used for full self driving have become obstructed by a film building up between the interior glass and the camera housing. I have opened a repair ticket with Tesla and they replied that they expect this area will need to be cleaned every 6 to 12 months at my own expense. The car is never exposed to smoke or vape fumes, but instead humidity appears to be causing the issue since the compartment is not fully sealed. The first time this happened Tesla offered to clean the compartment for free and indicated they sealed it in a way that would keep this from happening in the future that turns out not to be true and their technician now says the cost will be $60 per cleaning every 6 to 12 months their documentation further recommends against attempting to clean this area without their professional assistance.

NHTSA ID

11762581

Incident

Sep 6, 2026

My 2023 Tesla Model Y suffered a critical factory safety defect: under-torqued front suspension lateral link bolts, causing dangerous clunking noises under Autopilot. The official Tesla Invoice verified the defect and noted it was re-torqued to spec. Crucially, a close friend owning an identical 2023 Model Y in [XXX] experienced the exact same suspension noise. Upon inspecting his car, the Littleton facility attempted to exploit his lack of information by issuing a deceptive out-of-pocket diagnosis estimate of $240.00 instead of honoring the active bumper-to-bumper warranty. Tesla only backed down and waived the fee to $0.00 after being confronted with my personal repair invoice as leverage. This proves Tesla is actively executing predatory billing and hiding a systemic batch safety hazard from uninformed consumers. Regulatory investigators can verify this pattern by auditing the Littleton Service Center's internal torque check logs and warranty waiver histories for 2023 Model Y vehicles. Furthermore, after touchless app-pickup on XXX, Tesla staff omitted any key card communication. Two weeks later, after discovering my physical key cards were missing, I initiated a brand-new service request to inquire, and agent Tony admitted they were left at the front desk, exposing that Advisor Luis Rodriguez falsified records on XXX by logging that the vehicle was retrieved on XXX. This constitutes bad-faith warranty denial, record alteration, and predatory consumer deception. I formally reported this severe failure directly to Tesla Global Compliance on XXX, but have received absolutely zero response to date. Full PDF report of my personal logs provided. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11761700

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

Front lateral control arm bolt spontaneously loose and about to fall out causing front tire noise and unstable drive/steering. May have caused severe damage/accident if happened at high speed but fortunately we discovered this while driving at low speeds. Car only has 33K miles. No warning lights. Upon inspection other front control arm bolts loose and not tight. Dealer inspection scheduled and pending.

NHTSA ID

11761552

Incident

Aug 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the babysitter was attempting to park the vehicle, the front driver’s side control arm detached from the vehicle with a loud pop. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent the tow service. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ID

11761359

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

Mileage

32,000 mi

My Model Y has an intermittent HVAC issue that occurs only when there are more than 4 occupants in the vehicle. I first reported this while the car was still under warranty, at just over 46,000 miles. We had changed the filter as we thought it was resolved. The issue reappeared, and I scheduled a service call within 10 days. Because the fault is sporadic and couldn't be reproduced on demand, the service call was canceled. The problem persisted, and I brought the car back in. This time, at 50,750 miles, your technician diagnosed the root cause and confirmed it is a system fault due to defective parts, and that it has been happening even when the car was under warranty—not something I caused or could have prevented. He also told me directly that if left unaddressed, this will likely lead to compressor failure down the road. Despite the issue being reported and documented while the car was under warranty, I've now been quoted $3,200 to fix it, entirely out of pocket, simply because the diagnosis happened to land a few hundred miles past the warranty cutoff. Had this surfaced further down the road as normal wear and tear, I'd have accepted it as a cost of ownership. But this is a known defect that was reported in-warranty and only went undiagnosed because of its intermittent nature — that shouldn't be the customer's burden to absorb. On top of that, I found an uninstalled HEPA filter assembly sitting loose in my trunk after this service visit — not installed, not packaged, just left there. It had nothing to do with the nature of the visit. That's not the kind of quality control I'd expect, especially given the rest of this experience. This raises real concerns about the quality control on this visit & customer experience from the service team (manager).

NHTSA ID

11761302

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

Driver-side front suspension is creaking and popping when turning the steering wheel, particularly at low speeds. Noise appears to be coming from the left-front suspension. Vehicle needs inspection of the driver-side front upper control arm/ball joint, lateral and compliance links, bushings and associated suspension components for wear or excessive play.”

NHTSA ID

11761254

Incident

Aug 24, 2026

Tesla on autopilot crossed over the double yellow line and hit our red jeep head on. Both vehicles were totaled and all passengers were injured.

NHTSA ID

11760950

Incident

Jun 19, 2026