2024 Tesla Model Y Steering Problems

Car making excessive noise, service department refuses to address at Tesla even though various cases of the same issue are easily available online. Issue is with half shaft lubrication being dried but Tesla is trying to charge and claiming that the part hasn’t failed. But to me a part failing due to lack of lubrication can lead to hazard road conditions. I don’t want to put my kids safety in harm but Tesla tells me that no lubrication will not result in part failure

NHTSA ID

11755534

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

On June 7, 2026, I was driving westbound on I-290 in the leftmost lane in a 2024 Tesla Model Y. I recall FSD (Supervised) was engaged and making a lane change into the left lane. Instead of settling in the lane, the vehicle continued left and struck the divider/median. I braked. The vehicle then bounced back and moved right toward a large truck and collided. I did not receive a takeover warning before the event. The front bumper came off and the vehicle became inoperable. A fire truck traveling behind me blocked traffic after the crash. Tesla event data records a Crash Algorithm Wake-Up at about 9:49 a.m. Central and includes speed, steering, braking, acceleration, ABS, lane-assist, and cruise-control signals. I reported the safety concern to Tesla and asked for review of the FSD/software issue and data, but I have not received written findings. I do not have an expert determination that FSD caused the crash. I am asking NHTSA to review the incident and data for a possible driver-assistance, steering, or lane-control safety defect.

NHTSA ID

11752838

Incident

Jun 7, 2026

On 7/22/2026 between 6pm and 7pm PST, I was driving my Tesla Model Y on I-405 southbound in Orange County, CA, between the Westminster Blvd exit and Exit 73, with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. The incident occurred at an express lane ingress/egress transition zone where a physical barrier separates the express and general-purpose lanes. While in FSD mode, the vehicle initiated a lane change on its own. During the lane change, the FSD system misjudged the lane boundary and steered the vehicle into the lane divider/barrier. The vehicle struck the divider on the front right side. The failed system is the FSD/automated steering and lane change function. No forward collision warning sounded and no automatic emergency braking activated before impact with the fixed barrier. There were no warning lamps, alerts, or symptoms prior to the failure; the system initiated and executed the lane change without indicating any problem. The impact damaged the front right body panel, front right bumper area, and the right headlight. My safety and the safety of vehicles in adjacent lanes was put at risk, as the collision occurred at roadway speed during an automated maneuver I did not initiate. Had the divider been a vehicle or a pedestrian work zone, the outcome could have been far more severe. All FSD telemetry, camera footage, and vehicle data from the incident should be available from the manufacturer, and I have requested the vehicle data report from Tesla. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request and is being taken to a Tesla-certified collision center for repair. An insurance claim is being filed with my carrier. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or police.

NHTSA ID

11752331

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

SAFETY DEFECT REPORT: Sudden Power Loss & Falsified Records 1. INCIDENT & 5-HR TOWING (XXX): On XXX at ~16:30, while executing a low-speed (<10 mph) left turn in Cambridge, MA, the vehicle had a sudden, total high-voltage failure mid-turn, losing all motive power and power steering without warning or error codes. Photos/videos were taken on-scene confirming ZERO physical impact or undercarriage collision. The dead vehicle stopped directly in the active lane, completely blocking traffic. With zero power, the driver and several helpful bystanders had to use extreme physical effort to manually push the dead car out of the road. AAA arrived at 18:00 but could NOT tow because total power loss completely locked all 4 wheels/brakes (no Tow Mode). AAA dispatched a 2nd specialized flatbed with dollies (arrived 21:00). Driver was stranded on-site for over 5 hours. Car reached Tesla Dedham Service at 22:00. On XXX at 10:00 AM, driver reported the driving power loss in person at Dedham, handed over key, and got a loaner. 2. WRITTEN NOTICE (XXX): On XXX, explicit written notice was sent to Tesla Service Manager Taso, re-confirming the exact mid-driving power loss hazard. 3. TESLA DIAGNOSIS & REPAIRS: Invoice #XXX confirms a severe high-voltage failure: "A hardware overcurrent event caused small high voltage battery brick imbalance and rear inverter failure." Tesla replaced Rear Drive Unit Inverter (3DU) and Pyrotechnic Battery Disconnect (Pyrofuse). 4. FALSIFICATION OF SAFETY ISSUE: Despite 5-hr towing from wheel lock-up, XXX in-person report, and XXX written notice detailing mid-turn power loss, Tesla falsely recorded on invoice: "customer states: vehicle will not charge." This is deliberate falsification and deceptive practice by Tesla to downplay a critical road hazard into a benign charging issue. I request NHTSA to investigate this high-voltage overcurrent/inverter failure pattern and Tesla's practice of altering safe INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11752044

Incident

Jul 12, 2026

Vehicle Safety Complaint On XXX, between approximately 9:45 PM and 9:52 PM, we were driving our Tesla Model Y eastbound on [XXX] and exited at [XXX] toward [XXX]. As my husband was making a left turn after exiting the freeway, the steering wheel suddenly became stuck or extremely difficult to turn. There was no warning, no unusual driver input, and no use of Autopilot or Full Self-Driving. The vehicle does not have Full Self-Driving capability. My husband had to use significant force to regain steering control to avoid striking the left side of the roadway/median. Because the vehicle did not respond as expected, the car behind us nearly rear-ended us. Our two children, ages [XXX] and [XXX], were properly restrained in the back seat. Fortunately, no collision or injuries occurred, but the incident could easily have resulted in a serious crash. This incident raises significant concerns about the safety and reliability of the steering system. I am requesting that this complaint be investigated and that Tesla review the vehicle’s logs from the time of the incident. The vehicle has also been reported to Tesla for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11750293

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 - 35 MPH, while driving near cones on the road, the contact manually turned the vehicle towards the right, and the steering wheel failed to perform as needed. The contact attempted to manually correct the steering wheel but was unable return the steering wheel to center because the steering wheel was independently turning to the left or the right. The contact believed that the vehicle was operating in self-driving mode; however, the vehicle was not equipped with the feature. The contact depressed the brake pedal to decelerate, almost stopping the vehicle, to regain control of the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to the destination. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving approximately 60 - 70 MPH, and the vehicle veered to the left and the right while the lane assist was activated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and decelerated almost to a stop to regain control of the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, but the contact had not received a follow-up call. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11734229

Incident

May 1, 2025

On Saturday morning January 3, 2026 I was driving with my wife, daughter and dog. There was light rain at the time and I had my adaptive cruise set at approximately 72 mph. I was driving our 2024 Tesla Y. At approximately 10:21am the rear of car began to slide right as we entered gradual left curve, possibly because we hit water on road. I tried to slightly correct right and when I did that the steering wheel aggressively corrected back left which put us into a slide. Within a second we hit a tree on the passenger side. The impact was severe and on the passenger side door where my wife was sitting. At that time I theorize that my dog was ejected out of the back window and thrown across the freeway. We then rolled in the other direction (I dont know how many times) down a hill and settled upside down. I immediately smelled smoke and began to try get out of my seatbelt but I couldn’t. I carry a knife and I was able to cut myself out. I then tried to open door and could not so I began punching the glass and eventually got it moving and pushed on it and got it open. I slid myself out, turned around and saw car was on fire. I pulled my daughter out and then began extracting my wife. She was unconscious and had obvious orthopedic injuries. I am 100% confident that had I been driving my other vehicle (non Tesla) that this accident would have NOT occurred. The Tesla and its steering system caused this accident. On top of that, the batteries immediately caught fire, my seatbelt release button did not work, and the electric door button did not work. Had I not been carrying a knife and strong enough to punch door open this story would have ended up differently. The car completely burned. As far as I know, this was the first time this exact issue presented itself. However, when looking online its seems this issue is fairly common with Teslas in wet weather.

NHTSA ID

11716888

Incident

Jan 3, 2026

On [XXX], while operating my 2024 Tesla Model Y in Full Self-Driving (Supervised) mode, the vehicle experienced an Uncommanded Steering Input leading to a collision. The vehicle was traveling at a very low speed of approximately 5 mph in a clear, simple environment. Despite this walking pace, the FSD software failed to identify a visible concrete curb and initiated a sudden, sharp turn directly into the obstacle without any prior warning or driver input. The fact that the system executed such a violent and erroneous maneuver at 5 mph indicates a fundamental failure in the Neural Network's object detection and path planning logic. If this logic failure had occurred at higher speeds or near pedestrians, the results could have been catastrophic. The local Tesla Service Center (Watertown, MA) refused to conduct a physical inspection or a log review of the steering torque. They issued a Repair Estimate of $1,217.26 while claiming 'no hardware fault codes' were present, thus ignoring the documented software malfunction. As a leaseholder of this vehicle with only 15,489 miles, I am reporting this as a significant safety defect that the manufacturer refuses to investigate. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11710550

Incident

Jan 10, 2026

Date & Time: December 25, approximately 6:00 PM Location: Northbound I-880 between the Mowry Avenue and Thornton Avenue exits, Fremont, CA Weather & Road Conditions: Heavy rain at the time of the incident. Road surface was wet with reduced visibility. Vehicle & System State: Tesla Model Y. Driver assistance / self-driving functionality was active at the time of the incident (traffic-aware cruise control / Autopilot functionality). Description of the Incident: While driving northbound on I-880 in heavy rain, the vehicle had been operating normally. Without warning, the vehicle appeared to incorrectly detect that it was drifting out of its lane and attempted to correct this perceived drift. Instead of a minor lane correction, the vehicle abruptly applied heavy braking and initiated a sudden and aggressive left steering maneuver. The car crossed approximately four lanes of traffic in the same direction of travel and continued rotating, ultimately performing an unintended U-turn while remaining on the northbound side of the highway. As a result, the vehicle came to a stop oriented against the direction of travel, facing oncoming northbound traffic. Immediately afterward, the vehicle unexpectedly began reversing at high speed without driver input, creating an additional imminent risk of collision with the outer highway wall (noise barrier separating the highway from adjacent residential areas). During this entire sequence of events, I was unable to regain control of the vehicle despite attempting to intervene. There were no vehicles immediately surrounding us at that moment. Had there been nearby traffic, this incident would likely have resulted in a severe or fatal multi-vehicle collision. Occupants: My wife and two young children were in the vehicle. The children were asleep in the back seat, secured in car seats. Outcome: No physical collision occurred. However, the incident caused extreme fear and distress, and we remain shaken by the event.

NHTSA ID

11707282

Incident

Dec 25, 2025

Steering locked at 75 MPH on freeway. Model Y suddenly jerked left and locked, then jerked right and locked again. Loss of control and near-crash event. No road debris, no rain, no warnings on screen. Steering temporarily becomes unresponsive, requiring fight to correct. Tesla refuses repair because no alert code stored. Vehicle unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ID

11703492

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

I would like to report a significant incident involving the auto-corrective steering in my vehicle. While driving on the highway, the steering wheel experienced a strong jolt, which I believe was caused by the auto-corrective steering system. This resulted in the vehicle spinning three times and ultimately coming to rest on the grassy center divider. Fortunately, no damage occurred at that time, and I initially attributed the incident to road conditions. I continued driving for approximately 30 minutes in rainy weather without further incident. However, a few hours later, during my return journey, the same forceful jolt to the steering wheel recurred about 20 minutes into the drive. On this occasion, the car spun 1.5 times and subsequently collided backward with the concrete center divider. It is fortunate that no other vehicles were involved, given the heavy traffic and rainy conditions at the time. During both of the incidents, I had both hands on the steering wheel and was not able to correct steering due to the strong force from the steering wheel jolt. I did have a Police Report filed, but have to get number when I return home.

NHTSA ID

11700505

Incident

Oct 7, 2025

On November 8, my 2024 Model Y suddenly came to a complete stop from about 40 mph while I was driving with no cruise control or Autopilot active. This was extremely dangerous — my [XXX] was in the car, and we were lucky no one was behind us. It put myself, my child, and others in the absolute risk of collision and injury. When I contacted the service center they said it sometimes happened due to "shadows" or "sun". They refused to run a diagnostic on the car for free and wanted me to pay for it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11698990

Incident

Nov 8, 2025

After Tesla Berkeley performed an alignment on my 2024 Model Y on July 22, 2025, the car suffered a complete systems failure while driving on the freeway. Within minutes of leaving the service center, multiple safety systems shut down at once — steering assist, emergency braking, lane keeping, stability control, etc... all turned off, and the car went into manual mode. The vehicle became extremely difficult to control at highway speeds, forcing me to steer and brake manually without assist. Because the Service Center was closed that evening, I couldn’t contact anyone, so I drove back first thing the next morning (July 23) to report the issue. I was initially told the next available appointment was two weeks later, but I had to beg to be seen the same day because the car was unsafe to drive. Tesla redid the alignment and told me the car was fine. After reviewing the alignment reports, both the July 22 and July 23 data are mechanically impossible. The reports show rear camber changes from −1.8° / −2.3° to −1.5° / −1.6°, then to −2.0° / −1.8°, even though rear camber on a stock Model Y is not adjustable. This means the alignment equipment or calibration was inaccurate, and therefore the toe settings were also unreliable. The car was almost certainly released with incorrect rear toe, which explains the immediate handling instability and safety system shutdowns. A later independent alignment on October 13, 2025 (America’s Tire, Roseville) confirmed the correct geometry (−1.9° / −2.0°) and proved Tesla’s readings were wrong. Since the faulty alignments, my car developed severe inner-edge tire wear, and I had to replace all four tires prematurely. This incident involved a total system and steering-assist failure immediately after service, making it a clear safety hazard. Documentation (alignment reports and tire invoices) are available upon reques

NHTSA ID

11693213

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

the steering wheel used to be centered in the middle. when you turn right, its resistance would turn it left back to the center point. or when you turn left, its resistance would turn it back right towards the center point. so after each turn such as u-turn, one would grab the steering wheel lightly so it can slide back to the center position. i will call it the "no resistance" point for that centered steering wheel position. now the problem is, that no resistance point has moved a few degrees right and it brings the wheel with it. i now have to turn the steering wheel left (with the resistance that it wants to go back to right) to make the steering wheel centered and go forward straight. car goes forward straight when the steering wheel is centered so it's not an alignment problem. but in order for the steering wheel to be centered, i have to turn it slightly left because the no resistance point has shifted a few degrees right. now this is dangerous because the car can now take you off the lane easily. car is equipped with lane keeping assistance and i find the system helpful but the system is not activated some times under some circumstances. I visited a dealer and they claimed the wheel is centered that there is no need for any repairs.

NHTSA ID

11679657

Incident

Aug 10, 2025

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 38 MPH with his sister inside the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and failed to stop as intended, causing the vehicle to drive through a crosswalk. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond while being turned, causing the vehicle to crash into a curb and then into a parked vehicle, which was able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a Tesla Collision Center, and between Tesla and the Insurance provider, the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The Insurance Company reviewed the event data recorder (EDR) reports and confirmed the failure which contributed to the crash. The contact stated that the Police was not contacted because it was a single vehicle crash. The other vehicle owner was notified of the crash and was provided the needed information to file a claim. A Police report was not filed. The contact's son was taken to the local medical center in a family vehicle. The contact's son and daughter sustained headaches and concussions, and both received medical attention. The contact drove his son to the local medical center, where he was admitted and remained overnight. Additionally, the contact's son was continuing outpatient treatment for the injuries sustained. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.

NHTSA ID

11669242

Incident

Apr 16, 2025

Mileage

3,500 mi

The vehicle was operating in Autopilot mode as it approached a right turn but was in the incorrect lane. The vehicle accelerated in an apparent attempt to merge into the correct lane and initiate the turn, but it approached the turn at an unsafe speed. I pressed the brake pedal, which disengaged Autopilot as expected, but the vehicle failed to slow down or stop. I attempted to manually complete the turn, but although I turned the steering wheel, the wheels did not respond. The vehicle continued forward at speed, struck a curb on the opposite side of the road, and then collided with a parked vehicle. The impact with the parked vehicle ultimately brought the car to a stop. Multiple error messages briefly appeared on the screen during the incident before disappearing.

NHTSA ID

11662233

Incident

Apr 16, 2025

The steering wheel is locking up. First while parked and attempting to leave. It does eventually unlock and appears to not have what i would refer to as power steering. While driving it appears to not have power steering and the steering periodically locks up which i would immediately brake a have to repeatedly yank hard on wheel until it unlocks at this point as of the moment of this writing the steering wheel is completely locks up and cannot be yank out of lock at all. I have a video of some incidents happening. One heading into on coming traffic another of the car driving up on a snow bank ( if the bank was not there the car would have ended up in a ditch ). There are caution indicators on the screen but none say stop do not drive. The first caution or warning indicator says stability control disabled drive with caution. Next indicator states traction control disabled drive with caution. Next indicator steering assist reduced steering may require increased effort. I find myself very lucky that no real damage injury or death occurred it was that dangerous on my over an hour drive. When the steering locked up in the parking lot i did contact tesla and initially everything was fine but locked up again in parking lot. I contacted them a second time with the wheel unlocking at the but no one said dont drive nor did any indicators state that actually indicated i could drive but with caution. I believe that if i were on a busy highway things would have been much worse. I was lucky. There was no indication of a totally locked steering wheel in there diagnostics indicators also nothing stating do not drive. Actually quite the opposite. I can provide driving video upon request. There were other warning indicators i have some recorded. None of the indicators stated a totally locked steering steering wheel lock up and nothing indicating do not drive. I would welcome your agency to come inspect this. It is a total danger to society.

NHTSA ID

11647215

Incident

Mar 8, 2025

With beta self driving engaged, I turned south on [XXX] intending to turn west on [XXX]. At [XXX], there are 2 right turn lanes. I approached the intersection turning from the left lane. Rather than turn right, the car continued straight. I was able to manually override the system and luckily brought the car under control; otherwise, I am sure I would have ended up in a very bad spot. Later the same day beta did not recognize a turn lane into my community but rather proceeded straight. I have since disabled the beta FSD. I am responding to today's CNN article of your pending investigation. I cannot respond to your other questions above. Thank you! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11620575

Incident

Oct 17, 2024

My 2024 model Y experienced a steering rack failure. It took three steering racks for Tesla to fix the issue. I was given the vehicle back and the same issue occurred two weeks later. This time it was worse, including failure of the entire power steering issue.

NHTSA ID

11610558

Incident

Aug 22, 2024

1st incidence: The car with full self driving mode self-changed to shoulder lane on [XXX] for unknown reason. I had to steer back to my lane to avoid hitting the FWY divider. 2nd incidence: with autosteer/cruise control mode, the car self changed to left lane, again I quickly guided the steering wheel back to my lane to correct the action and it caused a car accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11604591

Incident

Jul 17, 2024

Attempted to make a right turn, which the steering wheel then locked; unable to control car. Resulted in the car hitting two restaurant signs. Front right side of the car damaged, right side damage, no air bags deployed. No warning lamps or messages prior to failure. Vehicle not yet inspected, waiting for appointment (August 21st)

NHTSA ID

11599567

Incident

Jul 6, 2024

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH he began to lose control of the steering wheel which resulted in the vehicle crashing into a ravine and flipping over multiples with no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that three wheels detached the vehicle but was unsure if the wheels fell before the accident. The contact was taken to a local hospital for a trauma evaluation in which the contact suffered a concussion and bruises on his body. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the salvage junkyard. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

NHTSA ID

11595528

Incident

Jun 20, 2024

Mileage

50 mi

While driving to work, using FSD, the autopilot steered me into the path of an overtaking vehicle moving at about 20 mph faster than my vehicle. By quickly taking over steering and speed control, I was able to avoid a collision. A couple miles further down the road, the car could not decide on which exit lane to use, and weaved between two possibilities, probably alarming and angering drivers behind me. Again, I had to take over control. Taking over speed and steering control was necessary two more times in my 25 minute trip, most of it on well-marked multi-lane highways. Of the four incidents, only one would have resulted in a serious high speed collision, had I not taken over very quickly. Having coached robotics competitions, and piloted aircraft with autopilot, it is my opinion that the FSD (SUPERVISED) software is at alpha stage in development (not yet up to beta stage, at which it could be safely released only to select skilled drivers, with suitable disclaimers and warnings) . At delivery, no introduction to the car's controls is provided, so customers are on their own regarding finding out, by trial and error and the occasional potentially lethal collision, how to safely drive the vehicle with FSD engaged. The manufacturer should be required to instruct all customers on the very high level of vigilance required to operate with FSD engaged.

NHTSA ID

11582573

Incident

Apr 12, 2024