2023 Tesla Model Y Steering Problems

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

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

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

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

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

On August 26, 2026, the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving system was involved in three separate incidents. Between approximately 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM, while exiting a parking lot onto a main major street with Full Self-Driving engaged, the vehicle struck the curb. At approximately 6:20 PM, while driving approximately 40 mph on a local road, one street before turning onto the highway, the vehicle began drifting out of its lane without warning for no apparent reason — it is unknown whether this was an attempted automated lane change or a system error. There was oncoming traffic in the adjacent lane at the time; I immediately took manual control of the steering wheel and applied the brakes to correct the vehicle’s path and avoid a collision. At approximately 6:45 PM, while exiting a different parking lot onto a main major street with Full Self-Driving engaged, the vehicle struck the curb a second time. No warning lamp, alert, or message preceded any of these events, and no collision with another vehicle occurred in any of the three incidents. The vehicle has since been returned to the dealer where it was purchased. I am uncertain whether the dealer has separately reported these incidents.

NHTSA ID

11760152

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

The bolts on the control arm came loose on its own while driving causing the steering to become unstable and loud.

NHTSA ID

11759998

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

FAILED COMPONENT & AVAILABILITY: 2023 Tesla Model Y front suspension (suspected lower lateral link detachment), steering system, and airbag system (failed to deploy). Preserved intact, but will be at Hendrick Collision ([XXX]; POC: Dendi [XXX]) under Allstate Claim #XXX. Available for immediate NHTSA inspection. SAFETY RISK: At highway speed on Aviation Parkway, the car suffered an unprompted, violent directional loss, zig-zagging uncontrollably in the lane and risking a multi-vehicle crash. Operating manually. Do not have Autopilot or FSD. I was at the mercy of the vehicle's sensor/chassis failure. The car crashed into the grass median, sustaining heavy driver-side damage. Airbags failed to deploy during impact. CONFIRMATION BY REPAIR CENTER: Physical teardown is on hold pending Event Data Recorder (EDR) "Black Box" imaging and chassis alignment inspection. INSPECTIONS TO DATE: Allstate Level 1 Claim #XXX assigned. Evidence preservation and cloud telemetry extraction notices served to Tesla Legal and Allstate. WARNINGS & PRIOR REPAIR HISTORY: No warnings appeared immediately prior to steering failure. Software was fully updated. This crash occurred 14 days after a 2nd High-Voltage (HV) Battery replacement: XXX: HV Battery error code -> 1st HV Battery Replacement (returned XXX) XXX: Recurring HV Battery error -> 2nd HV Battery Replacement (returned XXX) XXX: Unprompted directional failure and crash. INVESTIGATIVE CONTEXT: Matches NHTSA PE26006 investigating 2021-2023 Model Y front lower lateral link detachments causing sudden loss of control. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11757531

Incident

Aug 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in Self-Driving Mode and driving approximately 5-8 MPH, the vehicle suddenly turned towards the left into oncoming traffic. The contact immediately manually started steering the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal popping and snapping sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle eventually came to a stop, and the contact became aware that the steering wheel was bent inward. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 10,500.

NHTSA ID

11757416

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

Mileage

10,500 mi

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver and independently veered into the other lane. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,335.

NHTSA ID

11757053

Incident

Aug 14, 2026

Mileage

42,335 mi

Yes. Here’s a tighter version designed to stay **under 1,800 characters including spaces** while retaining the key safety facts. I am reporting a serious front suspension failure on my 2023 Tesla Model Y. A bolt fell out near the front control arm/lower suspension bushing area. Tesla’s service invoice confirms the vehicle required pickup from my driveway “due to a bolt falling out near the front control arm bushing area.” The vehicle is available for inspection, although I do not know if Tesla retained the replaced parts. This was a serious safety risk because a front suspension failure could affect steering, wheel position, and vehicle control. Fortunately, it occurred on my residential street near my home. Had this happened at highway speed with my family in the vehicle, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Tesla inspected and repaired the vehicle, replacing the front lower lateral and compliance links on both sides and performing an alignment. Tesla’s written diagnosis states the issue “stemmed from a loose component in the front suspension system.” However, I was verbally told the failure resulted from striking a curb or pothole. There was no apparent impact damage to the body, tires, rims, or undercarriage. My insurance adjuster later contacted Tesla and was reportedly told there was NO evidence the vehicle struck anything. My claim was denied as a result. Tesla’s written repair documentation also contains no mention of impact or collision damage. I received no warning lamp or dashboard message before the failure. The significant symptom was the suspension bolt falling out. I am concerned that a critical suspension component became loose without evidence of impact. I ask NHTSA to investigate whether this could be related to a broader Model Y suspension or fastener safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11756136

Incident

Apr 5, 2026

A FRONT BAR ON THE LOWER FRONT LEFT OF THE CAR COLLAPSED LEAVING 2 SCREWS ON THE GROUNG AND STEERLING WHEEL NOT USABLE

NHTSA ID

11756135

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

A day or two before the incident a warning displayed on the computer that was very vague. I didn't notice any issues with the steering or suspension at the time. I believe I scheduled an appointment but it was two weeks out at the Tesla service center. On June 4 as I pulled into my driveway I heard a noise and then struggled to get the car into the driveway completely and avoided the garage altogether. The driveway is fairly flat. In the driveway I found a large bolt that had fallen out of the suspension. The car was undriveable at this point and had to be towed to the service center. The front lower lateral assembly was replaced. If this had happened while driving at any rate of speed I don't know how I would have avoided any obstacles. I have some pictures of the front suspension area but I couldn't tell anything was wrong from them.

NHTSA ID

11754854

Incident

Jun 4, 2026

This issue occurred on August 02, 2026 at around 3pm. I was parked and put my 2023 Tesla Model Y in reverse to give myself enough room to drive forward from being parked on road next to my house. While going into reverse, I heard a really loud bang noise coming from under the front section of the car. I put the car in park and got out to take a look around. At first I thought I had hit something while backing out but did not see any object in the reverse camera. So then I kneeled down and looked under the car and that's when I saw the passenger side front lateral arm of the suspension detached and left hanging down from the wheel. I let Tesla know what occurred using their app to message the company.

NHTSA ID

11754606

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

I was driving the vehicle and heard a lot crack and felt the steering wheel unstable. Whenever I would turn the steering wheel the car would make crackling noises and I would feel the car go up as I was driving. When I was turning into my driveway the car felt like the whole left wheel had fallen off, according to my spouse she said the wheel looked like it was folding in as a turn and the car was elevating. We made an appointment with Tesla service senter and we had to get our car towed since it was not drivable. I went to speak with the Tesla agent and they had told me there was wear and tear on both lower front arm links and that they had replaced them. My car has only 19,000 miles so that seemed extremely strange and fast. The following day as I was cleaning my driveway I noticed a big suspension bolt on the ground, I took a picture of the bolt and sent it to my agent and he confirmed it was form the suspension bolt. Something they never mentioned until I found the bolt in my driveway. They repaired the issue according to them, we had no messages or indications of something going on. We also noticed that our wheels were getting worn down unevenly due to this. This is a family vehicle which is concerning that we could’ve had a more serious accident if it would’ve happened at a highway or on a trip.

NHTSA ID

11754316

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

In January 2025, my 2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range had approximately 22,000 miles and was only about one year old when a right-front suspension mounting bolt backed out of the front frame/subframe. Before discovering the problem, we heard a popping or knocking sound whenever the steering wheel was turned left or right. Upon inspecting the vehicle, I found that the loosened bolt was dragging across the plastic underbody/skid plate and was close to completely falling out. The photographs show the affected right-front suspension mounting point and bolt. To prevent the suspension connection from separating, I reinstalled and tightened the bolt myself and applied red thread-locking compound. The bolt has remained in place since that repair. However, a major front suspension fastener should not loosen or back out on a nearly new vehicle with only 22,000 miles. I am concerned that if the bolt had completely fallen out while driving, the suspension component could have detached, potentially causing a sudden change in wheel position, steering control, or loss of vehicle control. I am also concerned that the same condition could occur again or could exist on the opposite side of the vehicle. No crash or injury occurred, but this was a serious safety-related suspension failure. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this incident as a possible manufacturing, assembly, or fastener-retention defect.

NHTSA ID

11754141

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

I was pushed to complete an update on my 2023 Tesla Y with an over the air update. This happened last week. Following the update i have been getting a slew of errors when driving my car related to the parking break, brake functions, automatic energy braking and steering are affected. The wording on the app / car says, Alerts - Steering & Braking - Parking brake functions degraded / Parking brake may not apply or release / Parking brake may not apply or release. This causes my auto brake to not engage, my hold break to not engage, my parking brake to not engage. This causes my car to roll at stop / red lights. I have to physically slam by brakes to stop. This is extremely unsafe and Tesla is trying to charge me $130 to diagnose the car to see why the update caused the issue. My car went from fully drivable without any FSD, normal driving to a runaway trainwreck. This happens roughly 20-30 minutes randomly into driving. Not immediately and it is completely random.

NHTSA ID

11751833

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

I have reported safety issues on this vehicle before, but a new one has arisen which is related to the same. It is the computer shorting out. While in the past I have reported lack of backup camera, lane keeping, cruise control, collision avoidance, now intermittently the power steering fails. I get an error. Thankfully, this occurs when starting up and not while driving (yet), but it is nearly impossible to turn the wheel. As of now, exiting the car, letting the car doors lock and then coming back to the car has solved the issue, but I worry about this occurring while driving. Tesla knows about the computer issues and should take responsibility via a recall rather than a pricey repair on my own as this is a well reported issue. I have received no communication or feedback despite the complaints I have lodged with you and with Tesla. Please intervene before someone gets hurt.

NHTSA ID

11751608

Incident

May 4, 2026

On 07/16/2026, I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model Y when the vehicle suddenly began swerving rapidly left and right across multiple lanes without my intended steering input. The vehicle became difficult to control, and despite my attempt to correct the direction, it continued to move unpredictably and resulted in a collision. There were no prior warnings or indications of a steering or control issue before the incident. After the collision, I reviewed the Tesla USB drive and found that Dashcam and Sentry Mode recordings from immediately before and during the incident were not available; only recordings after the incident were present. I am concerned that a possible steering, electronic control, or software malfunction may have contributed to the loss of vehicle control.

NHTSA ID

11751423

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

Power steering is giving difficulty while driving on the highway, stiffens up and hardens and makes it difficult to steer to the left or the right. Took it to the dealer, they confirmed needed a new steering rack, checked online quite some people with the same issue especially with their cars coming from the same year. No warning lamps doesn’t show up on the screen, took to Tesla dealership and they ran a diagnostics and then confirmed.

NHTSA ID

11748135

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

I was driving down a city street near my home and put my Tesla Model Y in Full Self Driving and looked down for 1-2 seconds to retrieve something from my center console and the warning notifications started going off and before I had any time to react, the car drove into a parked car at approximately 39 mph. I have records showing the car was in Full Self Driving for 5 seconds before impact.

NHTSA ID

11747147

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

Unintended violent steering intervention at highway speeds causing an immediate safety hazard. Almost caused a fatality pulling the car off the highway nearly hitting light posts and highway sign.

NHTSA ID

11746479

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

I was driving my Tesla in self drive mode, and ibecause it started raining. I reduce the speed to standard. I had a notification on the screen, an alert in red. That the tesla reached the maximum speed in that mode “standard”. I was surprised and decided ti canceled the FSD feature and took control of the vehicle. Then when I was driving in the expressway very close to my exit on the right lane, the car accelerated by itself and turn to the left unexpectedly. I tried to returned the car to my lane and I never had control again of the car. Not the steering wheel, not the breaks responded. I was spinning on the expressway until I hit the concrete barrier with the rear bumper. Hopefully I did not hit any car nor they didn’t hit me. The car shutdown after the impact. Tesla sent me the footage of the impact, ignoring the moment that caused that incident that was some seconds before. The brakes were automatically turned onz and the wheels did not move. I know something wrong happened. Specially because the incident some minutes before when I was driving in standard mode and accelerated with no reasons. I have safety concerns. Also I noticed that after the last upgrades the car was havung navigation issues that I reported immediately when the autopilot was removed and we have to select the options.

NHTSA ID

11743089

Incident

May 26, 2026

On 05/31/2026, while Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) was actively engaged, the vehicle was taking the La Brea Avenue entrance ramp onto the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles, CA. FSD suddenly accelerated aggressively and the vehicle drifted hard to the left without any driver steering input. The driver was forced to hit the brakes and manually override steering to prevent a serious accident. The behavior felt like a system glitch. Both driver-side wheels sustained severe impact damage and are confirmed cracked. Tesla Service Center confirmed the damage in writing on 06/08/2026 and quoted $2,325.74 in repairs. This dangerous FSD behavior matches the pattern currently under active NHTSA engineering analysis.

NHTSA ID

11742814

Incident

May 31, 2026