2023 TESLA MODEL Y Complaints

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.

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.

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

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.

Whenever Autopilot is disengaged by the driver, a pop up multiple choice question appears on the screen covering critical car information with no way to get past it except reading and answering the multiple choice question while you are driving. You have to take your eyes off the road to answer the question, it's about the dumbest most unsafe thing I've ever seen from a car company. Please require them to fix it immediately, and apparently a rule needs to be written that pop ups on cars are illegal.

Clicking/thumping on sharper turns a day before the issue. Then today, there was a loud clunk while driving. When I was reversing into my driveway, there was scraping noises and resistance. Upon exiting the vehicle, I saw the passenger side front control arm loose. It is now inoperable.

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.

I lease a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The rear passenger side seat belt/buckle assembly had previously experienced issues involving unexpected disengagement/unlatching. The vehicle was previously brought to Tesla for service regarding the restraint system/rear passenger buckle area and Tesla represented that the issue had been addressed. On April 4, 2026, during an emergency braking event to avoid another vehicle that abruptly cut in front of me and slammed on its brakes, I was forced to brake hard and maneuver to avoid a collision. During that braking event, the rear passenger side buckle released/unlatched while my child was properly secured in a child safety seat in that seating position. As a result, the entire child safety seat violently pitched forward and my child’s face struck the seat in front of her. This incident occurred after Tesla had already been given notice of restraint system concerns involving this seating position and after prior service attempts. The issue raises serious concerns regarding rear passenger restraint integrity and child occupant safety during emergency braking situations. Tesla was formally notified again regarding this incident on May 12, 2026. As of the date of this complaint, approximately one week has passed and Tesla has not responded or attempted contact regarding the reported child occupant restraint failure. The vehicle has not yet been reinspected by Tesla following this incident and remains available for inspection. I am requesting preservation of all vehicle telemetry, restraint system data, diagnostic information, and service records related to this vehicle and prior restraint system complaints/repairs.

I would like to report a serious safety concern regarding Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) on HW3-equipped vehicles. My vehicle repeatedly performs sudden and aggressive braking while FSD is engaged, even when there are no visible obstacles, vehicles, or hazards ahead. In some cases, the vehicle slows dramatically or comes to a complete stop unexpectedly. This creates a significant rear-end collision risk, especially on higher-speed roads where surrounding traffic does not anticipate abrupt braking behavior. This issue has been occurring for approximately one year and appears to have worsened over time and TESLA hasn't released a single FDS software update for over a year for HW3 vehicles. I recently brought my vehicle to Tesla service, paid for diagnostics/repair, and the issue still remains unresolved. I have also personally experienced the same behavior in another HW3 Tesla vehicle provided as a loaner from a Tesla service center, which suggests the issue may not be isolated to my individual car. Based on my experience, this appears to affect multiple HW3 vehicles operating with FSD enabled. The unsafe braking behavior causes surrounding vehicles to tailgate closely and react suddenly, increasing the likelihood of accidents. In my opinion, the current FSD behavior on affected HW3 vehicles presents a safety hazard for both Tesla owners and other road users. I believe this issue warrants immediate investigation. Until the root cause is identified and corrected, Tesla should consider disabling or restricting FSD functionality on affected HW3 vehicles to reduce the risk of accidents caused by phantom braking and unsafe autonomous driving behavior.

Vehicle brought to Tesla Service Plano TX for front-end rattle on bumpy roads at 49,951 miles. Technician found right front compliance arm split, left front compliance arm tearing, right front aft link starting to wear, left front aft link split at bushing, rear bolt for link loose, and opposite side nut separated from the subframe causing bolt to have zero tension. Tesla replaced entire front subframe assembly, both front lower lateral links, and both front lower compliance links under Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty. During the same visit, the technician performed a Vehicle Health Check (form SC-25-00-016 R2) and documented additional rear suspension defects: rear lower fore links have play and rear upper fore link bushings have excessive travel. Technician marked the suspension section as Repair/Replace. Service center declined warranty coverage on the rear, calling it normal wear despite the technician's findings. This is the second major warranty visit. At 14,928 miles in September 2024, Tesla Austin replaced the Power Conversion System, 16V Li-Ion battery, and pyrotechnic battery disconnect due to a loose harness connector causing vehicle shutdown warnings. Vehicle was manufactured at Tesla Gigafactory Austin TX. A separated subframe nut is a structural safety defect that could result in wheel alignment shift and loss of vehicle control. I drove this vehicle with my family including two children before the defect was discovered. Tesla Service Plano, service number XXX, service advisor Owen V [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)