2023 TESLA MODEL Y Complaints

Subject: Urgent Safety Concern – Steering Component Failure in 2023 Tesla Model Y Dear Tesla Customer Support / NHTSA Safety Division, I am writing to formally report a serious safety issue involving a critical steering component failure in my 2023 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX] 38,917 miles). The failure led to a loss of control and resulted in a collision. On [XXX], my wife, [XXX] , was driving the vehicle on our residential street, shortly after leaving our driveway. At a low speed of approximately 8-10 mph, she suddenly lost steering control as the car rapidly veered to the right. Despite attempts to steer, the vehicle was unresponsive, leading to a collision with a parked car. Damage Summary: •Our Tesla Model Y: Damage to front bumper, headlights, right wheel cover and right fender. •Parked Vehicle: Deep scratches and dents on the rear driver-side bumper and passenger door. Upon inspecting the vehicle after the incident, it became apparent that a suspension or steering component (likely the lower control arm) had failed (broken). After researching online, I discovered that multiple Tesla Model Y owners have reported similar sudden failures of the same part, indicating a potential manufacturing defect. Request for Immediate Action: 1.Tesla Inspection & Full Repair at No Cost – Since my vehicle is under warranty and this appears to be a manufacturing defect, I request a full investigation and repair at Tesla’s expense. 2.NHTSA Investigation into a Potential Recall – Given that similar failures have been reported by other Tesla owners, I urge NHTSA to review this issue for a potential recall before more accidents occur. 3.Tesla’s Official Response – I would like Tesla to confirm whether this component has been investigated for defects in other vehicles and what steps are being taken to prevent other accidents. This incident could have been far worse had my wife been driving at higher speeds. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

My car is equipped with autopilot feature which I am unable to use due to safety score system designed by Tesla which is used for calculating insurance premiums. This safety score system doesn’t count the miles driven on autopilot and only counts the miles driven without autopilot to decide safety score which impacts insurance premium. This policy forces consumers to drive car without autopilot to increase number of miles driven to compensate for any mistakes made during driving without autopilot. This not only compromises safety of the vehicle and passengers but also deprives me to use features of my car that I paid for. Since autopilot is a supervised driving and requires driver active engagement the miles driven using autopilot should also be counted to decide safety score. Dealership are unable to help with any issues related to safety score system and there is no customer support available to address customer concerns.

My wife was driving her 2023 Model Y with our [XXX] son in it, suddenly she heard a loud sound back to back twice and the car stopped, she couldn’t drive or move the car, she stepped out and saw 2 large bolts on the ground near the front passenger tire and the tired turned inwards and the tire would not turn upon steering and would not move at all. We called Tesla Roadside assistance. The tow technician reviewed the situation and said this should not have happened and it is a major issue. If this happened on a freeway it could have been a disaster. He also told us that he has to try to get the bolts back in after removing and breaking some of the adjacent plastic cover on the bottom of the car in order to safely tow the vehicle without additional damage. The car was towed after 2 hrs of breaking adjacent plastic next to where the bolts were supposed to be and trying to get bolts back on to straighten the wheel. Truly shaken, if this happened on a a freeway or when car was fast, it could have been a devastating accident involving life of my child and wife. We are still trying to fathom what happened and why. We will talk to the Tesla service center tomorrow. We found at least one other post on forums re: similar issue with Tesla. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Heat pump tends to fail when temperatures reach out temperatures below 0ºF. This is a safety risk as at these temperatures, a failure to the vehicle heat pump could lead to death. There are many reports in forums and social media, such as here: [XXX] and [XXX] that shows this is a common issue. The system started to fail last time the temperatures reached around that point (around the beginning of Jan 2015), however the car quickly recovered from that. The error shows up as vcfront_a447. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

How did Tesla pass the Safety Standards for the position of rear door handles to manually open the vehicle? The vehicle gets into an accident OR the car plunges into water - and this almost always results in a non-responsive/deal battery. *** The rear passengers are hurt and you want them to find that little piece of rubber mat hidden in a cranny, lift it, and then use their nail to open the plastic cover to reach that piece of junk to manually open the door? ** NO WAY !! Manual door handle in the rear doors should be placed where it's easily accessible, just like you have on the front doors. This is truly a life threatening safety issue with how Tesla has hide the rear passenger manual door handles. Please force Tesla to issue a recall and fix the issue by providing an easy access to manually open the rear door in emergencies. The car gets on fire and rear passengers may burn alive because they won't be able to open the door due to the current system of a super hidden rear door handle. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am lodging a formal complaint about recurring safety issues with my Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor AWD, purchased on June 8, 2023. These issues have led to multiple skidding incidents under normal conditions, vehicle damage, and concerns about its safety and reliability. Incidents: Sept. 23, 2023 (6,279 miles): Suspension noise reported to Tesla Service Center, Clarkston, MI. Service concluded suspension was operating as intended (Invoice No. 3000S0008134598). Dec. 4, 2024 (29,425 miles): Skidding on a highway caused minor contact with another vehicle. Repairs (two rear tires and parking lamp) cost $1,007.28 at Grand Rapids Service Center (Invoice No. 3000S0011836159). Dec. 24, 2024: At 9 mph near a stop sign, the vehicle skidded, colliding with a cement pole, damaging the bumper and parking lamp. Jan. 9, 2025: During a service appointment at Ann Arbor, technicians experienced skidding during a road test. Inspection revealed worn rear tires (recently replaced), damaged suspension, and subframe assembly. Repair costs totaled $10,022.69, but Tesla denied warranty coverage. Concerns: Safety and Reliability: The AWD system consistently fails to prevent skidding, unlike older vehicles from other manufacturers like Hyundai and Toyota. Service Negligence: Tesla Grand Rapids provided worn rear tires. Previous services overlooked suspension and alignment issues, contributing to recurring incidents. Warranty Denial: Despite being under warranty, Tesla refused coverage, advising an insurance claim, which is unjustified given the defects and poor maintenance. Request for NHTSA Action: Investigate potential defects in the braking, traction control, and suspension systems. Recommend a recall if defects are confirmed. Hold Tesla accountable for repairs under warranty and ensure improved service practices. Seek compensation for emotional distress and service deficiencies. I hope NHTSA will act promptly to ensure public safety and uphold Tesla’s commitment to safety measures.

Occurred on [XXX] at [XXX]. Las Vegas. [XXX] and [XXX] are the closest intersections. My lane had construction cones and I had to merge. There was one Zoox ahead of me and one behind in the left lane and I tried to merge in between with blinkers on. The Zoox car behind sped up to close the gap to block me out. After the stop light turned green zi tried to merge again before my lane ended and the driver did the same thing by closing the cap and almost hitting the Zoox ahead of him. It also looks like that driver intentionally partially blocked the first left turn lane so I couldn't use it. I have everything recorded on my Tesla Front, side and back cameras. I attached the footage in the email for review. We should all be concerned if the autonomous vehicle drives this way or if it's learning from this driver's driving behavior. I wanted to add that I had my wife and infant in the car. There's a baby on board sticker on the back, driver side so the Zoox driver had to have seen it and still decided to run me into the cones unless I stopped despite I was already on the dashed lines merging in. It's all on the cam. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

After leaving the supercharger (car charged to 92%) I came to a stop light. The car was NOT in autopilot. I took my foot off the accelerator pedal. The car had nearly come to a complete stop when it starting accelerating again. My foot was NOT on the pedal. I tried to brake and the brakes would NOT work. I turned the car to try to avoid hitting the car in front of me while pressing on the brake. Brakes still would not work and I slammed into the car in front of me. I believe that the car was not able to put the energy from the acceleration back into the battery (regenerative braking technology) and therefore pushed it back into acceleration mode. I also believe this caused the brakes to not work. I know there have been many recalls in China and other complaints of the same issue. I've had the car for 2 years and had never had this problem before. Another note when the accident happened the screen was showing a software update that wanted to be installed. This was a very disturbing and rattling happening and I'm not worried to drive the car after a super charge.

Whenever the temperatures drop below 40 degrees, the driver seat belts stops functioning properly. Have to pull several times before the seat belt strap can pull all the way to be clicked on. Once seat belt is locked in place, while driving the seat belt feels like it could choke me. Once temperatures are normal, the seat belt operates normally. Also, the rear center seat belt intermittently will not lock in place. Have already reported these issues to Tesla and waiting for them to schedule the car for service at their service center.

As I entered the parking lot I disengaged FSD by taking over the steering wheel. When it can to navigating into the parking spot I gently push the accelerator and the pedal disappeared from under neath my foot as the car accelerated forward hitting the car to my right. My calls to Tesla went unanswered so I could not report the incident. The incident happened May 2nd 2024.