2023 Tesla Model Y other reported problems

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I reporting a potential safety-related defect involving my 2023 Tesla Model Y Performance. Since shortly after purchasing the vehicle in April 2026, it has repeatedly been unable to successfully install Tesla software updates. The updates download, but the installation repeatedly fails. I have attempted installation multiple times under appropriate conditions, including adequate battery charge, stable Wi-Fi, vehicle reboot, removal of USB devices, and installation directly from the vehicle touchscreen. The failures continue. Tesla evaluated the vehicle and documented the failed software installation. Tesla also identified a possible issue involving the HW3 car computer and prepared an estimate of approximately $3,000 that included replacement of the vehicle computer, diagnostic work, and labor. I am concerned because Tesla vehicles rely extensively on their onboard computers and software for vehicle operation, safety systems, driver-assistance functions, security updates, bug fixes, and manufacturer-issued corrections. Because this vehicle cannot successfully install software updates, I am concerned it may be unable to receive safety-related corrections or updates that other vehicles are receiving. This is not simply an infotainment issue. The failure appears to involve the vehicle computer itself and has continued despite repeated troubleshooting and Tesla service involvement. I believe NHTSA should evaluate whether defective HW3 computers or related electronic systems can cause repeated update-installation failures and potentially prevent affected Tesla vehicles from receiving safety-related software updates or recall remedies.

NHTSA complaint #11755397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On July 9, 2025, while making a right turn at about 15 mph on a standard road, the two front-left bolts fell out, causing the entire bracket and lateral link assembly to detach. The vehicle became inoperable and had to be towed for repairs. Not long after, on September 29, 2025, while making a left turn at 20 mph, the two front-right bolts also fell out, and the bracket and lateral link assembly detached just as before. Once again, the vehicle required towing for repairs. I am now afraid to drive the car; fortunately, neither incident occurred on the highway—where a major accident could have easily happened—since the vehicle becomes completely immobilized the moment these parts fall off. What's more, the Tesla's center console computer doesn't show any issues or trigger any warnings, yet the car simply won't drive—it won't move at all.

NHTSA complaint #11754633 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Lateral control arm bolt has fallen out with no impact/collision or reasonable explanation.

NHTSA complaint #11748755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Component/Issue Description: Following a recent over-the-air (OTA) software update to the vehicle's Full Self-Driving system, a dangerous user interface defect was introduced. Immediately upon an FSD disengagement—the critical transition window where the operator must resume manual driving control—the center touchscreen populates a mandatory, invasive feedback popup menu. This menu causes a severe driver distraction and creates an immediate safety hazard. The popup blocks vital driving visualizations and navigation data on the screen at a high-stress moment. Furthermore, the UI creates a functional touchscreen lockout, demanding manual and visual interaction from the driver to clear the box while the vehicle is actively in motion. Forcing a driver to divert their eyes from the roadway to navigate a touchscreen menu immediately following a system intervention creates an unreasonable and systemic risk of collision. The manufacturer has provided no setting to disable this dangerous distraction.

NHTSA complaint #11743974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 complaint #11741191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Driver used Tesla FSD (supervised) to park. The car (Tesla Model Y 2023) prepared to park and slowed down. Second before full stop, the car suddenly accelerated on its own without driver stepping on the accelerator. It went onto the curb and knocked over the fence and continue to drive full speed before driver braked hard and stopped the car. Video is available upon request.

NHTSA complaint #11739795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The full self driving system has malfunctioned and is failing. I was put in incredibly dangerous situations that were near potentially fatal accidents. Had someone been a little bit closer when following me, I would not have had enough time to counter the issue. Yes it has been confirmed but not nearly to the extent that I have experienced it It has been inspected by a local service center from the company. There have been some visibility warnings but nothing else.

NHTSA complaint #11738713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Hello, I am reporting a safety issue with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on my 2023 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle has been taken in for service four separate times for this issue. During these visits, Tesla service technicians were able to reproduce and confirm the problem. I have been explicitly advised in writing by Tesla service not to use the Full Self-Driving system due to safety concerns and to use standard AutoSteer instead. While FSD is engaged, the vehicle exhibits dangerous and unpredictable behavior, including: Crossing over double yellow lines into opposing traffic, Driving significantly below the speed limit (e.g., ~4 mph in a 25 mph zone), Stopping in the roadway without any traffic or obstructions, Swerving within the lane while attempting to maintain position, Hesitation during turns, stop signs and at intersections. Tesla has attempted multiple repairs, including replacing steering-related components and multiple cameras across separate service visits. These repairs did not resolve the issue. At my last service visit Tesla has since indicated that the problem is likely software or firmware-related and that there is currently no available fix, with a recommendation to wait for a future update of an unknown timeline. If their statement is correct, this issue should be affecting every vehicle out there on the same software. At this time, I have been advised not to use a system that controls steering, braking, and acceleration due to safety concerns, and no timeline or resolution has been provided. I am submitting this complaint because the system behavior presents a potential safety risk to myself, passengers, and other drivers, and the manufacturer has not provided a current fix despite multiple confirmed service visits. I am attaching my last service invoice only in regards to this matter where they indicated to not use FSD, but I can provide other documentation showing the replacement of cameras and steering parts as well as videos if needed.

NHTSA complaint #11731623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Parked into driveway. Placed car into park. In doing so, car suddenly rapidly accelerated into reverse until I slammed on the breaks. My son was behind the car grabbing something out of the trunk at the time. I could have ran him over if I wasn’t there to slam on the breaks!!! Car was NOT placed into reverse and accelerator was NOT pushed.

NHTSA complaint #11730981 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The FSD has been failing more often. Yesterday we took a one00 mile trip and the car twice tried to veer into the side cement barrier, more times than I can count. It breaks hard while we were driving over 55 miles an hour. And two times it weirded left over the double line into oncoming traffic lane.

NHTSA complaint #11730618 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I believed Tesla full self driving (FSD) was in effect. My Tesla proceeded at 35 miles an hour toward a stop sign and I had to manually stop the vehicle to prevent blowing the sign. It turns out that Tesla sent an email 2 days ago (April 7 2026) that notified me that FSD had been cancelled because my credit card was declined (I had to replace a card on April 7 due to a lost card). I did not see this email. There was no notification in the vehicle that FSD had been deactivated. When I thought I was engaging FSD, I was in fact engaging an autosteer mode with much lesser capabilities, essentially only acting like adaptive cruise control and lane guidance. Engaging this lesser mode is done in EXACTLY the same fashion as FSD, and any driver using it in my situation would always assume FSD was active. This problem, if not corrected will absolutely cause accidents and potentially fatalities. Tesla needs to inform the driver via the head unit that FSD is not active in an obvious, unmistakeable way.

NHTSA complaint #11730153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other/I am not sure

Nuna Exec Next car seat. I have the older version of this car seat for my older child and it works great. The new version ("Next") has an issue where the tigthening/loosening strap folds over and gets stuck, thus making it impossible to loosen the straps and remove the baby from the seat which is very dangerous for the child, especially in case of an emergency. This is not the way the item should work. I contacted the company, they sent me a full replacement. The replacement seat acts the same way, they are willing to send me another shell replacement. This is clearly a production/design issue - not a one-off seat issue.

NHTSA complaint #11728756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Incident Date，March 07, 2026] Current Mileage, 31625 miles ​ I am reporting a catastrophic structural failure of a safety-critical suspension component on my Tesla Model Y. ​Upon inspection, I discovered that one of the bolts securing the driver-side lower control arm has completely detached and fallen off. A second bolt is approximately 50% loose. This has caused a significant safety hazard, as the control arm is no longer properly secured to the subframe, leading to a high risk of total steering loss and wheel detachment while driving. ​Furthermore, when I contacted Tesla Service, they demonstrated extreme negligence by instructing me to drive the vehicle in this lethal condition to their service center. They also initially refused to cover the towing and repair costs, claiming it was not a factory defect despite the clear evidence of fastener failure (improper torque or thread locker application during manufacturing). ​This is a clear manufacturing defect that poses an immediate threat to the driver, passengers, and other road users. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate this batch of Model Y vehicles for suspension fastener integrity issues to prevent potential fatal accidents.

NHTSA complaint #11726982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This is my 9th report about my defective Tesla. When I wrote last month (Complaint Number: XXX, submitted electronically to NHTSA on 2/27/2026, 8:06:19 PM) I forgot to mention the significant safety issue I had with my tires: I arrived into Albuquerque airport in early December 2025 during a storm. I'd planned to drive at least to [XXX] on my way home further north, but a friend in [XXX] said it was still snowing there and I shouldn't attempt it. I made a reservation at the Motel 6 in [XXX] . It was dark, and the rain had stopped, but the roads were wet. Driving north on I-25 I encountered the snow/sleet storm. All of a sudden I found myself hydroplaning...or sliding...in the poor visibility and there was no nearby exit. I white-knuckled to the motel, and only later realized that my low-quality, already-worn tires were the likely problem. Yesterday I was shopping for new tires and learned that the factory-installed Continental ProContact RX 255/45R19 is not electric-vehicle rated, is a "passenger touring" tire and is not recommended for the weight of an EV. Additionally, it has a 55K mile warranty...I am at ~32K miles, and not even due for my next tire rotation, which is when I thought I would have to buy new tires. My local tire dealer, private in a small town, is not able to access the Continental warranty until the tire is down to a tread of 2/32". Discount Tire will not let me drive away if the tread is below 4/32"...and at 5/32 (I think) last tire rotation they weren't sure I'd even make it to my next rotation...clearly I haven't, even though I'm below the 8K interval for rotation. The price of the now-discontinued Continental ProContact RX was $211. I must now spend over $300/tire for a suitable replacement. Tesla knowingly installed a low-quality tire on my $53K car, further compromising my safety and that of other drivers and persons in the vicinity of moving Teslas. In addition to all the other safety problems on this former top INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

NHTSA complaint #11724057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other/I am not sure

We were driving on the freeway when my son started screaming to a point we had to get over and stop to check what was going on. His arm got stuck in the forward facing belt path and he couldn’t get it out. I had to get him completely unbuckled in order to take him out of the seat sideways as otherwise I would have pulled the arm out at the shoulder.

NHTSA complaint #11722723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My wife was driving our Tesla Model Y when she suddenly became very lightheaded, headache and had trouble breathing. She also noticed a strong chemical smell coming from inside the cabin. She rolled down the windows and the smell started going away immediately and she began to feel better. She felt it was unsafe to continue driving so she pulled over and we had the car towed to a Tesla service center. Tesla inspected the vehicle and confirmed there was an unpleasant smell coming from the air conditioning system. They cleaned the evaporator with foam cleaner and replaced the cabin air and HEPA filters. They told us there were no leaks and considered the issue resolved. We do not believe this fully explains what happened. A dirty evaporator or old cabin filter does not cause someone to become lightheaded and struggle to breathe while driving. The chemical smell and physical symptoms our wife experienced point to something more serious that was never identified. The HVAC system and evaporator are available for further inspection. No warning lights appeared before or during the incident. Safety risk: The driver became lightheaded and had difficulty breathing while operating the vehicle, making it unsafe to drive and requiring the vehicle to be towed.

NHTSA complaint #11721654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

UNKNOWN

NHTSA complaint #11710118 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My Tesla was unable to access Supercharging due to a payment system error, even though I had just made a payment. The battery level was critically low, and a severe storm warning was active. Supercharging access was blocked, and I could not reach Tesla customer support by phone. This created a potentially dangerous situation and represents a safety risk.

NHTSA complaint #11707045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

There is no physical problem with the car, it just cannot connect to Tesla Connection. That is why I am unable to get software updates for the car. Please fix this problem.

NHTSA complaint #11706693 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While using Full Self-Driving, the vehicle accelerated aggressively during a left turn, crossing two lanes of traffic. I believe the system commanded acceleration, not me. I am requesting a review of vehicle logs to determine whether accelerator input came from the driver or from FSD.

NHTSA complaint #11706411 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I am reporting a recurring safety defect involving the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system on my pre-owned 2023 Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Long Range (VIN: [XXX] ), equipped with Tesla Hardware 3. Component/System: Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software and driver-assistance control system. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Description: From the time of purchase (approximate mileage ~66,549), the FSD system repeatedly exhibited unsafe behavior during normal operation on public roads, including straddling two lanes, drifting toward lane markers, stopping at green lights or within intersections, hesitating mid-intersection, and failing to complete routine turns. These behaviors required frequent human intervention and made the system unsafe to use. Safety Risk: The behavior created a risk of collision with other vehicles and posed a danger to occupants and other road users, particularly when stopping unexpectedly at green lights or hesitating in intersections. Confirmation/Inspection: The issue was reported multiple times to Tesla Service and escalated internally. Tesla inspected the vehicle and confirmed in writing that the FSD behaviors were “behavioral” and not resolvable by hardware replacement at that time, with no known fix or timeline. Warnings: No warning lamps or fault messages were displayed prior to or during the incidents. Despite these issues, Tesla continued to advertise the vehicle as FSD-capable and accepted payment for the FSD subscription. I provided Tesla formal written notice via certified mail, delivered November 26, 2025, with no response within the stated timeframe. Although a recent software update has temporarily improved behavior, the defect existed at purchase and persisted through multiple service interactions. Additional documentation, service records, and communications are available upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11705075 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving 2023 Tesla Model -Y (VIN [XXX] ) with the latest FSD software with FSD and navigation on. As I approached a stoplight it was unclear whether the car would make the appropriate turn at the intersection, so I pushed up on the right stalk to disengage FSD and inadvertently touched the brake pedal before FSD had disengaged in response to the stalk movement. Touching the brake apparently disengaged FSD, so when I pushed up on the stalk it put the car in reverse. There was no visual or audible warning (or at least none that I saw or heard), and when I stepped on the accelerator the car went in reverse. Fortunately, I did not hit the car behind me. It seems to me that the sequence of events I described could happen often and there should be some sort of audible or visual warning. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11703972 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Rear AC fails or does not turn on reliably, even with proper settings and a child in the back seat. • I live in Texas; inside temps can rapidly become dangerous, and a child’s body heats several times faster than an adult’s, increasing the risk of heatstroke. • The vehicle is under warranty, yet the defect remains unresolved and directly affects the safety of a restrained toddler who cannot move to cooler air

NHTSA complaint #11703378 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Currently on the newest Tesla Full Self Driving software v14.1.4, it is phantom breaking as well as phantom swearing out of nowhere. It is swerving and using the breaks so hard it actually affects the steering wheel and self disengages it's self (without the big-loud safety alert to immediately take over control), it just does the soft disengage audio notification, like if you wanted to cancel FSD yourself. The serious problem is that the car does not stop like it should, instead it just continues it seems like it just neutrally rolls on its own drive and twice in the last week it would swerve directly into oncoming traffic. It is not supposed to be doing this at all, especially now that the "hands off" approval is enacted. I drive about 450 miles a week and this has happened about twice a week for the last two weeks. Thank god i was paying attention all four times, but I am so worried this is going to kill someone. I have tried to call TESLA but they purposely don't staff their phones and no one answers.

NHTSA complaint #11700216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.