2023 TESLA MODEL Y Complaints

To Whom It May Concern at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to urgently express my concerns about the latest software update for the Tesla Model Y’s autopilot system, which, in my view, significantly compromises safety. As a Model Y owner, I have generally found the vehicle and its features to be reliable and safe. However, the recent update has introduced an overly stringent hands-on-wheel detection mechanism that is not only inconvenient but also potentially hazardous. The new update requires frequent and often forceful interaction with the steering wheel to assure the system of driver presence. This change is drastically different from my previous experience, where I received only one hands-on-wheel violation in two years. The current sensitivity of the system disrupts the smooth operation of the autopilot, leading to frequent and abrupt disengagements. I have found myself struggling to maintain the system’s activation, inadvertently causing the vehicle to exit autopilot mode multiple times. This issue goes beyond mere inconvenience; it actively detracts from driving safety. The need for constant and sometimes aggressive adjustments to satisfy the system’s requirements is distracting and can lead to erratic vehicle behavior. The irony is stark: a system designed to enhance driving safety and ease is now a source of potential danger and stress. The unpredictability and over-sensitivity of the updated system could lead to dangerous situations, especially on highways or in heavy traffic, where sudden disengagement of the autopilot can be particularly risky. As a driver, I now find myself more focused on keeping the autopilot engaged than on the actual driving conditions and surroundings, which is surely contrary to the feature’s intended purpose. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue as a matter of urgency.

The new safety requirement for Tesla to update its autosteer to be more stringent and align to safety regulations is a complete disaster. This requirement results in multiple false alarms and creates more distractions than prior to the update. Furthermore... it's upsetting that this department has an apparent obsession with Tesla's technology. Rather than promote and work with Tesla to create a future where technology can meaningfully assist drivers on the road and reduce fatalities and car crashes, this department is doing its best to ensure that no progress is made. Lastly - it would be nice to see some actually meaningful and relevant statistics regarding Tesla autopilot incidents. Rather than reporting a meaningless number of incidents with 0 context, instead try comparing the number of Tesla incidents to non-Tesla incidents. And analyzing if there's a statistically significant difference between those two groups.

To whom it may concern. The Tesla auto pilot feature was substantially altered recently because of a recall and reports of driver misuse. Auto pilot is inherently a safety feature - under auto pilot the driver is assisted to navigate while being protected by collision avoidance. It also substantially reduces driver fatigue by relieving the driver of the duty to clutch the wheel. We are aware some drivers have abused this system or misused it by not attending to the driving task - and we support efforts to manage this behavior. However, the changes forced upon Tesla drivers have ruined autopilot - in both ineffective and illogical ways. Frequent alerts take driver attention OFF the road, including being chastised for looking at prior alerts. Many drivers will simply no longer use it. The consequence of ruining the driver autopilot experience has bad consequences for safely. To my knowledge, ~40,000 people died in automobile accidents in a typical year, and that number is rising as more drivers are distracted by cell phone use. Most of the deaths can be related to driver error. Advanced driver assistance features are the obvious answer. A few anomalies should not deter policy from missing the value of advanced assist features. Please let Tesla engineers return to more balanced alert mechanisms and pursue other more effective means of detecting and curtailing abuse. Far more deaths will occur if autopilot and other advanced systems are curtailed because features are rendered useless by restrictions the mostly punish safe drivers. Thank you.

While driving our new Tesla MYLR in heavy rain, with Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) on, we experienced two Front Collision Warnings (FCWs) in quick succession, causing the car to massively reduce speed, causing a car behind us to nearly hit us. I believe this is called "phantom braking" in the common parlance. I believe this is also an issue with the wiper system. We were driving about 55mph on a two lane road. It was raining hard and the wipers were set to Auto. The wipers weren't working fast enough to clear the rain well, and adjusting the wipers in the Tesla are not easy to change, requiring hitting the end of the left stalk, then scrolling left or right with a scroll wheel while looking at the screen. There was not another car in front of us and TACC (but not autosteer) was on. All of a sudden a loud alarm sound blared, a FCW appeared on the display, and the car slowed to about 35 mph. The car behind us got very close to hitting us. This happened again about 5 minutes later. It scared the bejeezus out of us. This seems very dangerous!

I used to have a 2021 performance y (the 2021 had none of these issues), and purchased a 2023 in early October. My current milage is 2,783. A few weeks into owning this car I could feel something hitting the cabin floor in varying situations. Initially I thought it was a road debris, but it was only at lower speeds. I should only be able to hear road debris and not feel it in the floor. I have come to believe that the car has loose structural bolts. I have a crease/dent in the roof pillar (passenger rear above door). It is an almost impossible spot to hit without a scratch or breaking the glass, and it would take an exorbitant amount of force to bend that pillar. I now have singled it out to torsion moments like entering a driveway or ramp. I believe this twisting could potentially compromise the battery pack and lead to fires in wet conditions.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, the back-over protection camera was inoperable. The contact stated that due to the failure, the contact crashed into a parked vehicle which was parked behind the contact's vehicle. There was no damage to the other vehicle. However, the contact's vehicle was damaged on the driver's rear panel. The contact stated that after researching, the contact discovered the soon-to-be Tesla recall SB-24-00-002, in which notifications will be sent out in March. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,702.

The incident: The vehicle moved forward when put in reverse, multiple times on one occasion. Details: At approximately 14:00 on 1/14/24, I parked the vehicle on a driveway that is on a hill. Normal terrain where I reside. As I was leaving 15 minutes later I put the vehicle in drive to get out but I also had to reverse in order get back into the street properly. I then put the car in reverse, and the car started moving forward. I put the car back in park, puzzled. I then carefully put it again in reverse, the car still went forward. This happened four or five times: remove the car from park, then put the car in reverse and the vehicle would move forward instead. In front of me was a fence and a tree and I could not keep going forward. I had a passenger in the vehicle who witnessed all of this and attempted to help by going in front of the vehicle to make I would not hit the wall/tree as the car would only go forward when in reverse. Eventually, after three or so minutes, I put the car in park, then neutral and then in reverse, finally the vehicle moved as it should have. Conclusion: It is hard to tell what component of the system malfunctioned. On the screen, the vehicle would show that it was in reverse by highlighting the "R" but the vehicle would still move forward instead. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer but that has been arranged. With a simple search online, it is apparent that this issue has occurred many times to others with the same model vehicle. This incident was extremely alarming because when a car is supposed to do one action and does the complete opposite, people's lives are put at risk. This is never supposed to happen. When put in reverse a car should reverse not go forward, simple as that.

Vehicle has frequent occurrences of phantom breaking while in cruise control. Tesla reviewed 3 occurrences and determined the system was working as Tesla intends it to and refuses to remedy. The system is prematurely identifying potential hazards which are not yet hazards and applying the brakes thereby creating a hazard due to vehicles being behind me and could reared my vehicle. One instance is driving on a 4 lane highway with a median, cross section traffic vehicle coming from left hand side pulls into the median and is not a hazard. The Tesla system decides the vehicle is a hazard and applies the brakes which could have resulted in a rear end collision. Another similar instance was a cross section vehicle at a stop sign which slightly moved forward while at the stop sign. The Tesla system decides the vehicle is a hazard and applies the brakes which could have resulted in a rear end collision. Tesla camera systems also falsely identify emergency vehicle lighting which results in immediate braking on an interstate. This system flaw almost resulted in an 18 wheeler rear ending me.

As I attempted to make a left turn, I wasn't able to make a complete turn when the steering wheels partially locked on me, resulting the car hitting a utility pole, I could only drive forward or reverse, difficulty making a turn. I was able to make it home but the next day, it had to be towed to a Tesla authorized collision center for damage assessment. I'm hoping Tesla can remedy the problem because usually my kids are in the car with me. Reached out to Tesla regarding the incident, they took my information as to what happened exactly during the accident and that there would an investigation on their end which should take about 1 week.

Tesla model Y AWD 2023 Took delivery of a new Tesla about 3 weeks ago. Upon returning to Crofton Maryland from Charlottesville Virginia January 15 on a snowy day, we parked our Tesla model Y AWD in our driveway. The vehicle was subsequently engaged at the parking gear position with the operator and all passengers out, my wife then opened the trunk to unload our groceries to the garage. Within three minutes of parking the vehicle with its trunk still open as we still had more items to unload, we witnessed the Tesla sliding 30 feet from our driveway and coming to a stop due to a dipped in between the driveway and the street as well as the buildup snow. All these happened within moments of my wife moving from behind the vehicle to the garage. Luckily, there was none of my family behind the vehicle or any other pedestrian around. The incident has since been reported to Tesla.