2026 Tesla Model Y Driver assistance Problems

I and other Telsa drivers report Tesla FSD takes too long to enter a lane from which the car has to turn. Some drivers report “last minute” trying to get into turn lane or expressway off ramp. Twice last week my Tesla (Model Y built in June 2026) waited much too long to get into the required turn lane. On both occasions I was either in outside lane needing to turn left, or middle lane needing to turn left. One first occasion Tesla in FSD was only 0.3 miles from the turn as cars behind stacked up preparing to make the left turn. On second occasion, car in FSD was only 0.2 miles from turn, even indicating by LED light strip turning red, that a car behind was in my blind spot. Yet, the Tesla wedged itself in front of the car behind already in the turn lane forcing that driver to slam on his brakes to let Tesla in for the turn. The second occasion could have resulted in an accident or incited a road rage incident from the driver behind. I asked Grok to request Tesla engineers fix this FSD poor decision-making. Grok said he’s aware of this problem, correctly referring to it as a “lane change timing” issue, but stated he could not message Tesla engineers. At next opportunity, I sent a message via microphone in my car, though not during a “why did I take over intervention” request, because I did not intervene. Grok offered help saying I could use my turn signal to get in turn lane further in advance of the turn, or change speed mode to adjust for traffic behind, but that defeats use of FSD. Would NHTSA please make this a priority issue for Tesla engineers to fix?

NHTSA ID

11767270

Incident

Sep 25, 2026

Yep — this follows the NHTSA guidelines in your screenshots and avoids your name, VIN, phone number, or other personal information. You can paste this directly: While Full Self-Driving (FSD) was engaged, I was stopped in the left-turn lane at the intersection of [XXX] and the roadway that changes between [XXX] and [XXX]. The traffic signal was red, and I was waiting to make a left turn. When the protected left-turn signal turned green, the vehicle did not begin the turn. I pressed the accelerator to prompt the vehicle to proceed, as I have previously done when FSD hesitates at a green light. Instead of following the left-turn lane and turning left, the vehicle accelerated straight ahead toward another vehicle in front of me. The other driver had to swerve to avoid being hit. I immediately took manual control, steered away from the other vehicle, and completed the left turn myself. A collision was narrowly avoided. There was no impact and no injuries. The FSD behavior put both vehicles at risk because the vehicle attempted to proceed straight from the left-turn lane rather than following the protected left-turn signal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11767141

Incident

Sep 26, 2026

I am filing a safety complaint about the lane departure avoidance system in my 2026 Tesla Model Y (VIN [XXX]) software version 2026.26.6.5, purchased XXX, odometer [mileage]). The system makes abrupt, forceful steering corrections during normal driving. I have to resist these unexpected steering inputs repeatedly, and this has caused growing pain in my left hand, including carpal tunnel symptoms. The system cannot be fully disabled. Even when I turn it off, it turns itself back on every time the car is restarted, so I cannot prevent these interventions. I believe steering force that the driver cannot reliably turn off creates a risk of loss of control, particularly in traffic or on narrow roads. I reported this to Tesla on XXX, and Tesla stated that nothing can be done. I ask that NHTSA review this complaint and evaluate whether this system's steering force and its inability to stay disabled are a safety-related defect. I can provide further information or medical documentation on request. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11766501

Incident

Aug 31, 2026

Tesla Supervised Full Self Driving sped Southbound into a school speed zone. Flashing speed zone yellow lights required speed of 20 mph. Tesla continued at 49-50 mph. Driver intervention was required to slow down to 20 mph. There has been one other incident reported for this Tesla in the same school zone operating Northbound last week.

NHTSA ID

11766451

Incident

Sep 22, 2026

Lane assist and warnings are horrible and can’t be permanently disabled because of your asinine regulations. I have had it try to force me into high way on ramp merge lanes and on unmarked backroads absolutely lose it’s mind and force me over to oncoming traffic because it doesn’t know where the shoulder is. In addition it is over sensitive and likes to blare annoying alarms and jerk my steering wheel when I am not even departing my lane. Thanks for over regulating yet another thing.

NHTSA ID

11765575

Incident

Sep 19, 2026

While using Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised), my vehicle approached an intersection and came to a complete stop at a red traffic light. The vehicle remained fully stopped while the traffic signal was still red. Without any accelerator input from me, the vehicle unexpectedly began moving forward toward the intersection while the traffic light was still red. I did not press or touch the accelerator at any point during this event. As soon as I realized that the vehicle was moving forward against the red light, I immediately applied the brake to stop the vehicle and then immediately reversed to move back to a safe position. My intervention was necessary to prevent the vehicle from entering the intersection and potentially colliding with cross traffic. There was no collision and no physical injury. However, the unexpected movement created an immediate and serious risk of a collision. My pregnant wife was in the passenger seat at the time of the incident. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged throughout the event. I have preserved the original Tesla Dashcam footage documenting the incident, including the red traffic signal, the vehicle coming to a complete stop, the unexpected forward movement while the signal remained red, and my immediate braking and subsequent reversal. I am reporting this incident because the vehicle unexpectedly proceeded toward an intersection against a red traffic signal while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged, requiring immediate driver intervention to avoid a potential collision.

NHTSA ID

11765559

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

I am reporting a potential safety defect involving the forward-facing cameras on my Tesla Model Y. The vehicle relies on these cameras for critical driver-assistance functions, including Tesla’s FSD system. However, the camera area is prone to accumulating dust, dirt, moisture, and other contamination during normal driving. When this happens, camera performance can be degraded and driver-assistance functions can become restricted or unavailable. More importantly, the current design makes proper cleaning unnecessarily difficult. To access and clean the camera area properly, the camera cover/housing must be removed. This is not a reasonable or practical routine-maintenance procedure for a component that is essential to the vehicle’s safety systems. It creates a recurring risk that camera contamination will remain uncorrected. This appears to be a design issue, not normal vehicle maintenance. A safety-critical camera system should be designed to remain reasonably protected from contamination and allow the owner to clean the camera area easily without disassembling the camera enclosure. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this design constitutes a safety defect and whether Tesla should provide a permanent design solution or recall/service campaign for affected vehicles. I can provide photographs and documentation showing the contamination and the cleaning procedure required.

NHTSA ID

11765454

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

While pulling into my driveway at 3–4 MPH and only a few feet away from the garage door, I suffered a sudden medical emergency and became unconscious. As my body froze, my right foot accidentally floored the accelerator pedal. The vehicle did not override my foot input despite the immediate obstacle ahead. It accelerated through the garage door and the dining room wall, coming to a stop in the kitchen. As a result of this crash, I requiring a three-day hospitalization. I am filing this report because vehicle safety systems should have a setting or protocol to prevent low-speed pedal misapplications from completely overriding automatic emergency obstacle braking. These settings save lives and there are no reasons that Tesla doesn't implement it. I had problems uploading photos. Please contact me at [XXX] to provide photos. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11765401

Incident

Aug 14, 2026

On XXX at about 6:14 AM, my 2026 Tesla Model Y drove into a flooded railroad underpass on [XXX] near [XXX], with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged and a navigation route active. It was raining heavily (Newark Airport measured 1.25 in from 5:51 to 6:51 AM), the light was poor around sunrise, and the underpass was dark. The water depth was not apparent to me. At 6:12 AM the National Weather Service had issued a Flash Flood Warning naming [XXX] and listing underpasses. Tesla's data log (my privacy export) records FSD active from 6:12:02, my third FSD session that morning. With FSD active, speed rose from 7 to 27.4 mph between 6:14:04 and 6:14:31, with no accelerator input recorded. Speed then fell sharply (up to about 0.3 g), which I believe is when the car hit the water. FSD stayed active about 8 seconds (200 ft) more; the state changed to ABORTING at 6:14:39, at about 6 mph. I saw no warning, and the export shows none during the approach. We could not drive out. Water rose to about window level and entered the cabin. From 6:17 the log shows restraint system, AEB, ABS, stability and traction control alerts. I lowered a window at about 6:19. At 6:25 the log shows both front door releases activated repeatedly; neither door opened. We climbed out the window onto the roof. Our videos show us there at 6:31 with the front of the hood and headlights under water, and the Elizabeth Fire Department rescued us by boat at about 6:51. The car is a total loss. UNKNOWN: exact water-entry speed, what FSD perceived, and why it disengaged. I ask NHTSA to investigate whether FSD detects and responds to flooded roads in heavy rain and poor light, to obtain Tesla's data for this event, and to review escape from a flooded vehicle whose doors did not open. A report with the data timeline is attached. The full Tesla data export and videos are available on request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11764922

Incident

Aug 23, 2026

Full self driving (FSD) has taken away my ability to set a maximum speed. Car is frequently wrong about the speed limit, especially in constructions zones where the speed limit changes more often. Car goes way too fast, then thinks the speed limit dropped and slows way down and then speeds up again. In addition, the 4 speed profiles they gave us instead of a simple max speed setting are useless. Standard mode usually works best but will sometimes do more than 15 mph over what it thinks the speed limit is.

NHTSA ID

11764423

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

My Tesla Model Y FSD (Full Self Driving mode) malfunctioned when it unintentionally accelerated and swerved dangerously to avoid what it concluded as potential collision with a merging truck. By the time the driver intervened the vehicle had made contact with road barricades damaging both passenger side front and back door and tire fenders. No warnings were issued. - Component or system failed or malfunctioned - Full Self Driving (FSD) - Safety - FSD malfunctioned causing a crash

NHTSA ID

11764404

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

Lane departure pulls the car unsafely when two lanes merge or one lane splits. It has caused us to swerve a few times leading to major safety concerns. It's locked by software we are forced to turn off manually every time we drive. Even when off it seems to pull me around on certain roads

NHTSA ID

11764297

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

Lane departure pulls the car unsafely when two lanes merge or one lane splits. It has caused us to swerve a few times leading to major safety concerns. It's locked by software we are forced to turn off manually every time we drive. Even when off it seems to pull me around on certain roads

NHTSA ID

11764296

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

I was using FSD today and was driving along highway 24 in Orinda and the car almost hit the highway island at speed of 64 mph. I attached the bideo

NHTSA ID

11764280

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

On September 11, 2026 at 5:11:51 PM in San Jose, CA, FSD (Supervised) had been engaged continuously for 23 minutes. The vehicle was traveling straight in its lane at 32 mph and still accelerating. FSD disengaged with no takeover warning: no visual alert, no chime. My data export from the manufacturer (200 ms resolution) confirms the timestamp and shows the driver-monitoring channel never entered either of its warning states during the drive, though both appear elsewhere in my data. Nothing I did caused it. Steering torque stayed within sensor noise, with no rightward torque at any point. First brake application was 5.56 seconds after; first accelerator input 15.5 seconds after; no steering wheel button events near the event. Immediately afterward the steering angle moved about 7 degrees right over five seconds with my torque still near zero. The vehicle left its lane toward parked cars and came very close to striking them. No forward collision warning, no automatic emergency braking. I braked manually and stopped. I re-engaged FSD 36 seconds later and again two minutes later. Both times it steered right again and I disengaged. No warning lamps or messages appeared before any of this. The manufacturer reviewed logs remotely but has not inspected the vehicle or reproduced the problem. They attribute it to reduced forward camera visibility. My export shows one camera-related alert for that drive, logged 23 minutes earlier and absent from the incident window. They later stated the vehicle logged 30 non-customer-facing "low" obstruction events over two weeks, and that a customer alert appears only for significant obstruction. I drove extensively in that period without incident. A condition judged not worth notifying me about should not also explain withdrawal of steering control at 32 mph. Root cause is unconfirmed pending a paid diagnosis I have not authorized. Vehicle available for inspection. I have dashcam footage and the full export.

NHTSA ID

11764259

Incident

Sep 11, 2026

This is an issue with Tesla's Full Self Driving (Supervised). The categories above don't match this capability. Sunday, XXX, about 6:05 PM. FSD (Supervised) version 14.3.9. Leaving In-N-Out Burger, [XXX], FSD chose to exit westbound onto [XXX]. A vehicle coming from the east had gone around the queue on my right and was westbound on [XXX]. FSD pulled forward so the nose entered that westbound lane in front of that car. I intervened with throttle and steering. No contact. Since I didn't honk there was no saved dashcam clip. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11763962

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

Using FSD- supervised the car hit the garage door opening denting the car while backing up to park in my garage

NHTSA ID

11763912

Incident

Sep 4, 2026

Tesla Full Self Driving(FSD) supervised system had a critical failure. On 9/11/2026 Tesla FSD software version 14.3.9 was fully engaged and operating. Speed was 55 mph. Entering a school speed zone flashing yellow lights required a speed of 20 mph maximum. Tesla failed to slow down. Safety of driver and citizens was put at risk.Tesla FSD continued into the school speed zone at 55 mph. Driver intervention was initiated inside the school speed zone to obtain the required 20 mph speed in a school speed zone. Weather was clear and pavement dry. Yellow light flashing light & scene visibility was unimpaired and excellent.. The car cameras were clean and dry. There were no warning lamps, symptoms or messages.

NHTSA ID

11763831

Incident

Sep 11, 2026

I had the car in Full Self Driving Mode. The car turned off the road into a ditch, in which I had to take over the car.

NHTSA ID

11762489

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

Whenever I disengage full self driving the car forces me to tell it why I did it via an on screen selection. It does not go away after a period of time. I used to be able to dismiss it by hitting the voice button twice but they've removed that loop hole. It's very distracting and forces me to interact with the screen while driving. The selection screen also blocks the blind spot cameras. It comes up even when disengaging to park. Someone is going to wreck messing around with this forced distraction.

NHTSA ID

11762378

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

It is a safety complaint about the automated parking/FSD reverse maneuver. My brand-new Tesla Model Y (VIN: [[XXX]]), which I purchased XXX and which had only 819 miles on the odometer at time of the incident. Following the over-the-air software update to version 14.3.7, the vehicle's behavior changed. It began automatically selecting a reverse parking maneuver into my garage. Over the days following the update, the vehicle successfully completed this maneuver approximately 7–10 times without incident, which established a reasonable expectation that the system was handling it competently. On XXX at 03:34 PM, while executing this same reverse parking maneuver under my supervision, the vehicle struck my garage, causing damage to the rear bumper and quarter panel area. The prior version of software stopped when not able to correctly park in garage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11761660

Incident

Aug 22, 2026

I recently purchased this vehicle. I love it. It has a trial of full self driving, which I love almost all of the time. However, I noticed there is not any of the 5 settings for FSD that do not speed in school zones. I want to use FSD as much as possible, but I will not speed in a school zone. I am amazed that Tesla has been allowed to program the FSD in a way that will allow speeding in a school zone. I have to turn off FSD to maintain safety and avoid a ticket. Please require TESLA to have at least one of the 5 settings that will obey school zone speed limits.

NHTSA ID

11760999

Incident

Aug 31, 2026

On approximately August 15th,2026, I experienced a serious near miss while driving my 2026 Tesla Model Y at approximately 70 mph on an interstate. I activated my turn signal and began moving toward another lane while another vehicle was in or approaching my blind spot. I did not receive an audible blind spot warning early enough to alert me before beginning the lane change. The audible warning occurred only after I was already moving toward the occupied lane and the situation had become dangerous. My previous vehicle, a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, provided an audible warning when the turn signal was activated and another vehicle was detected in or near the blind spot. That earlier warning gave an opportunity to cancel a lane change before a dangerous situation developed. I believe the Tesla Model Y should provide an optional early audible blind spot warning when the turn signal is activated and another vehicle is detected in or rapidly approaching the blind spot. This would supplement the visual warnings and could help prevent high-speed lane-change collisions without requiring the driver to look toward a display. I respectfully request that NHTSA evaluate whether the timing and design of audible blind spot warnings in the Tesla Model Y provide drivers with adequate advance warning and whether an earlier audible alert could improve safety and save lives.

NHTSA ID

11760828

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

I had brought my Tesla Model Y to a stop. Given that the car has an auto-park feature, I did not put the car in park. My daughter got out of the car and opened the rear passenger door. I moved towards the Tesla screen to open the rear trunk for her. As I moved, my foot accidentally hit the accelerator running the car over her foot and causing a possible fracture. She was in agonizing pain and I had to call emergency services. This situation can be easily avoided by Tesla by immobilizing the car (placing it in Park) when the car has been brought to a stop or has been brought to a very low speed and ANY door is opened. Right now, immobilizing the car happens only if the driver door is opened when the car has been brought to a stop or the speed is very low.

NHTSA ID

11760821

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

FSD routing Issue: it’s a repeatable FSD lane selection safety issue, France Avenue South to I-494. Description: when using FSD from France Avenue South onto I-494, the system turns into the westbound only lane instead of staying in eastbound lane. At the end of westbound lane, FSD performs a sudden, last-second swerve into the eastbound only lane, cutting off vehicles behind already existing n the eastbound lane. This has happened multiple times, including both before and after the latest update v14.3.8. Expected behavior: FSD should identify the correct east only lane well in advance and stay in it when the rout is set for east 494. Concern: the late lane change cuts off traffic and creates a collision risk.

NHTSA ID

11760807

Incident

Aug 30, 2026