2023 Tesla Model Y Steering Problems

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

On XXX at approximately 12:30–1:00 PM, I was backing my Tesla Model Y out of my garage. While reversing, I felt unusual vibrations coming from the vehicle. After backing out, I shifted the car into Drive and attempted to make a left turn. At that point, the vehicle would not turn, and it began producing significant noise and vibration. I exited the vehicle to inspect it for any obvious issues, such as an object lodged underneath the car or a flat tire. I found no visible obstructions, and all four tires appeared to be in good condition. I then drove the vehicle forward toward my driveway and garage area and inspected it again. During this inspection, I found a finger-sized screw or bolt underneath the vehicle. I attempted to reverse the car once more, but the same problem occurred: excessive vibration and an inability to steer either left or right. There were no warning lights, alerts, or notifications displayed on the Tesla screen at any point during this incident. I subsequently contacted Tesla Roadside Assistance and requested that the vehicle be towed to a Tesla Service Center. Tesla remotely accessed the vehicle data but informed me that they could not detect any issues based on the vehicle diagnostics. They suggested that I drive the vehicle to the service center. I explained that the vehicle was unable to turn left or right and that I did not believe it was safe to operate under those conditions. At the time of the incident, I was accompanied by my [XXX] father-in-law, and we were preparing to travel to an urgent care facility. The vehicle had been operating normally the previous day. The vehicle currently has approximately 32,077 miles and is approximately 2 years and 5 months old from the date of manufacture. The vehicle has no history of repair work or tire service performed outside of Tesla-authorized service. My primary concern is the significant safety risk presented by this failure on public space. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11741191

Incident

May 30, 2026

While driving, a critical heavy-duty front lower control arm / lateral link bolt completely detached from my vehicle and was found intact on the ground with factory green threadlocker still visible on the threads. The undercarriage and chassis show absolutely ZERO signs of external impact, scrape, or road hazard damage. This structural failure caused an immediate, severe safety hazard, rendering the vehicle completely unsafe to drive due to a catastrophic risk of wheel separation and total loss of steering control. This exact component failure is identical to Tesla's historical safety recalls, specifically NHTSA Recall Campaign Number 21V835000 and its expansions, which explicitly state: "the front suspension lateral link bolts may not have been secured to the correct specifications... causing the fasteners to loosen over time and separate from the sub-frame." Because the bolt loosened and fell out over time due to insufficient factory torque, the loose component put uneven mechanical stress on the lower control arm, resulting in the complete failure and damage of the control arm assembly. Tesla Service Center has refused to honor this as a latent manufacturing defect, hiding behind warranty expiration. They have unconscionably misclassified a known, life-threatening production defect as standard "wear and tear," forcing me to pay a $265 diagnostic fee and the full cost of a complete control arm replacement under protest. I am filing this report because Tesla is actively endangering consumers by failing to expand their suspension fastener recall to cover vehicles experiencing the exact same catastrophic manufacturing defect outside the arbitrary warranty period. NHTSA ODI complaint records show multiple substantially similar failures outside Tesla’s recall VIN population, including ODI Nos. 11630487, 11554803, 11494976, 11493354, 11486040, 11689987, 11675200, and 11632785 for Model Y vehicles, and ODI Nos. 11720800, 11705487, 11675676, 11664858, 11637813, etc

NHTSA ID

11739544

Incident

May 21, 2026

While making a normal right turn at low speed in a residential neighborhood, I heard knocking sounds from inside the vehicle and immediately lost steering control. I had to physically force the wheel back into position to regain control of the car. After the initial incident, every right turn and brake application produced a loud rubber grinding sound accompanied by significant loss of steering control. The vehicle was completely unsafe to drive. Tesla previously issued recall SB-22-31-002 for 2023 Model Y vehicles for improperly torqued front lower lateral link fasteners at the factory which are the exact same components that failed on my vehicle. Tesla confirmed my VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle has been driven normally with no accidents or abuse. Mileage at time of failure was approximately 58,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11739304

Incident

May 19, 2026

On Saturday 16th Oct 2026 around 10 AM EST, while driving down the ramp from Parking Floor 2 to Parking Floor 1 in the JFK Terminal 4 Short Term Parking garage (John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York), the Tesla vehicle suddenly accelerated forward very fast on its own without any input on the accelerator pedal. Either I was not pressing the gas pedal at the time, or I was slowing pressing as the car was going down on ramp. The car surged ahead with significant force and struck a fence at the bottom/end of the ramp area. There were two passengers in the vehicle. No other vehicles were involved. The impact caused: My Tesla Model Y to sustain severe front-end damage and appear to be a total loss. Injuries to both passengers. Minor scratches on my hands. Sequence of Events: I was driving the vehicle at low speed down the ramp from Parking Level 2 to Level 1 in JFK Terminal 4 Short Term Parking. Without pressing the accelerator, the car unexpectedly accelerated. Braking did not prevent the impact. The vehicle came to a stop only after hitting the fence. Today, I have reported this as a sudden/unintended acceleration event to Tesla and requested a full vehicle data log review. I would like Tesla to investigate following. 1. Why the car suddenly accelerated on very speed? 2. Why the steering got locked when it happened? 3. Since it is the closed parking lot, why Tesla did not stop automatically before hitting fence? I have been driving for more than 27 years, I never had any accident, and I never got any tickets in last 27 years.

NHTSA ID

11738920

Incident

May 16, 2026

Bolt fell out of the lateral control arm on the front left wheel. Car was inoperable.

NHTSA ID

11738872

Incident

May 16, 2026

Nature of Defect: While operating Full Self-Driving (FSD) at highway speeds, my vehicle exhibits involuntary lateral swerving — sudden, uncontrolled movement to the left and right without driver input. This behavior occurs repeatedly and unpredictably, posing a direct safety risk to the occupants of my vehicle and to other drivers. Tesla Service diagnosed the root cause as a failed FSD computer and recommended full replacement at a cost exceeding $3,000. Crashes or Injuries: None to date, though the behavior described above creates a significant risk of collision at highway speeds. Frequency: Recurring during FSD engagement at highway speeds. Additional Context: This defect was present during my vehicle's original warranty period. Tesla has been aware of this issue since my service visit and has not completed the repair. I have an active goodwill warranty request pending with Tesla that has gone unacknowledged for over two weeks. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this defect may affect other Tesla vehicles equipped with the same FSD hardware, and I want NHTSA to have a record of this failure mode.

NHTSA ID

11737635

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

On the evening of April 8th 2026, my wife was driving our 2023 Tesla Model Y home in San Francisco, CA when she noticed unusual noise coming from the front left wheel area. The vehicle was otherwise functioning normally aside from the noise. The following morning, I inspected the vehicle and found a large hex bolt (Class 10.9 grade) on the ground directly beneath the car. The front left wheel was binding and the vehicle was completely undrivable — the wheel felt stuck and made grinding/scraping noises when attempting to move. Based on the bolt size, grade, and location, this appears to be a front suspension lateral link fastener that detached from the subframe. This is the same defect described in NHTSA recalls 21V-835, 22V-895, and 23V-235, involving under-torqued or improperly secured front suspension fasteners on Tesla Model Y vehicles. The vehicle had 28,482 miles at the time of the incident. There was no prior collision, impact, or road hazard event. No warning or alert appeared on the Tesla touchscreen at any point. The vehicle displayed no diagnostic message despite having a compromised suspension component.

NHTSA ID

11730291

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

While performing a low-speed reverse turn into a driveway, a loud clunk was heard and the driver side front wheel completely separated from alignment. The vehicle became immediately undrivable. Upon inspection, the ball joint retaining nut was found to be absent from the front driver side suspension assembly. No torque verification mark was present on the fastener. The vehicle is currently at an authorized Tesla service center for repair and is available for inspection. Safety risk: Complete loss of wheel alignment and directional control. Failure occurred at low speed in a private driveway. Had this occurred at highway speed the consequences could have been catastrophic. Confirmed by dealer: An authorized Tesla service advisor confirmed that a Technical Service Bulletin exists in Tesla’s system for this exact condition. No owner notification was issued prior to failure. The advisor confirmed the retaining nut is installed by an automated robot assembly process with no human torque verification step and no verification mark applied. Prior warning symptoms: NONE. No warning lamps, no messages, no audible symptoms prior to catastrophic failure. The absence of a retaining nut on a safety-critical suspension fastener with no quality verification process represents a systemic assembly defect potentially affecting all vehicles produced under the same assembly process.

NHTSA ID

11729844

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

The bolts attaching the front passenger wheel's lower lateral link to the body fell out. Luckily this occurred while pulling into a parking lot. Once both bolts had fallen out the vehicle was not steerable. There have been many instances of this reported online, but usually they occur with far fewer miles and I was not experiencing the symptoms. The day prior there was an alert stating that an alignment was needed but it was still okay to drive. I could tell there was a slight alignment issue while driving. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla Service Center and is currently being repaired.

NHTSA ID

11729661

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

I was parking my vehicle in my driveway, turning left to park in front of my garage and heard a loud pop. I got out, looked underneath the car and didnt see anything unusual. I later investigated by moving the vehicle and noticed my steering wheel was turning without any driver input, and heard the tires scrubbing more than normal. I got out of the vehicle and noticed my tires were not aligned, having one tire pointing to the left, and the other tire pointing straight. Then I noticed a large bolt on the ground. I called Tesla and they told me my car was 2000 miles out of warranty and would have to pay for towing and the repair. I feel the steering should still be covered under warranty.

NHTSA ID

11728795

Incident

Mar 31, 2026

While driving under normal conditions, without any prior impact, collision, or road hazard, the control arm on my vehicle suddenly detached. This occurred during active driving and caused an immediate loss of vehicle stability and control. The failure happened without warning and posed a serious safety risk. At the time of the incident, my children were in the vehicle, which significantly increased the danger. The vehicle had not been involved in any accident or misuse. This appears to be a potential manufacturing or assembly defect involving a critical suspension component. Tesla towed the vehicle and repaired it at no cost. However, a suspension/control arm failure during normal driving is a serious safety concern that could lead to loss of steering control and possible crash. I am reporting this incident for safety investigation purposes, as this type of failure may pose a broader risk to other drivers.

NHTSA ID

11728013

Incident

Mar 13, 2026