Complaint volume
1071 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2023 Tesla Model Y Complaints
1071 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Tesla Model Y, grouped by component category.
1071 Total complaints
138 Crash reports
3 Fire reports
45 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are forward collision avoidance, steering, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 138 crash reports, 3 fire reports, 45 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 74 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 13,628 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, steering, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2023 Tesla Model Y?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2023 Tesla Model Y
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Tesla Model Y complaints?
138 Crash
3 Fire
45 Injury
1 Fatality
92 Towed
34 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Tesla Model Y complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 184
STEERING 97
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 65
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 60
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 54
SUSPENSION 54
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 36
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34
VISIBILITY/WIPER 32
SEAT BELTS 26
1,071 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Vehicle completely lost the ability to steer. Warning message appeared that said power steering assist had been reduced. In fact, the steering was "locked" and a tremendous amount of force was required to simply steer the vehicle slightly to the side of the road. I could have been killed if this had happened on anything but a very straight low speed section of road. The vehicle was taken away on a flat bed truck to Tesla. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Within two weeks of taking delivery of the car, the power steering locked up when I was driving on the highway. Luckily I was on the right lane and was able to pull over. Once I got out, locked the car and came back in, it started working. It happened twice after that on my drive home from Wilmington NC. I had to take it to Tesla and they replaced the steering rack to fix this but this seems to be a common problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | The car completely stalled on the freeway. Giving less than 20 secs of warning that the vechicle will shut down. I got over from the fast lane to middle lane and car shut down. I had to call 911 and tow truck. I towed it to tesla and they said the rear unit failed… car was just purchased new a few months before this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I recently purchased this vehicle less than a month ago and i have more than 15 Forward Warning collisions that come from nothing. Vehicles will be 100 yards out and my tesla thinks i am about to collide prompting the forward warning signal. I am driving passed the mailman and it thinks i will hit, my neighbors cars parked on the side of the road also prompts the message. This has caused my tesla insurance to rocket 30% more. I reached out to tesla, the car had a problem with the cameras pitch, alignment, and angle. However, they will not adjust my insurance despite the service center agreeing that the issue was with the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | The cruise control for keeping the car in the lane never worked correctly . The car had to be towed to 1805 N Pepper Ln, Liberty Lake, WA 99019. Tesla had our new Tesla for two days and fixed the problem. When the car steering when out I was in restaurant parking lot and only drove less than a mile to our Spokane hotel . Waiting two extra days in Spokane was a major pain and loss of two days of work . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Two phantom braking incidents on road trip from CA to UT Both on cruise control - NOT autopilot - No road obstacles or other vehicles present in both incidents 1st incident had road go from gray, older asphalt go to black new asphalt, which triggered a strong abrupt braking , jolting passengers 2nd incident - absolutely no obstacles or vehicles - random strong abrupt braking of vehicle stopped using cruise control after those two events - no more incidents | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car will sometimes brake hard for no reason, nothing in front of it | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have had many incidents of my Tesla Model Y Phantom braking. Traveling down the road using cruise control on a clear dry sunny day with proper lane markings not next to center dividing wall and no other vehicles in front of mine or to the sides my Tesla will suddenly apply the brakes for no apparent reason as if the car is detecting another vehicle or object ahead. The braking is sudden and aggressive with no warning. This could be extremely hazardous putting me at risk for a rear end collision at highway speeds. This has been a issue since the vehicle was new in February 2023. On a long trip you could get a few incidents in a hour then go for a long stretch with no problem. There does not appear to be a detectable pattern or situation for the phantom braking issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Problem: unintended acceleration On 05/30/23, the Tesla Model Y was parked in a parking spot, southbound facing a building. The car suddenly began to drive forward on its own and struck the curb, an AC unit, and a business office wall. No injuries, but the driver and people in the building (a dental clinic) panicked. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Location: car wash tunnel Symptom: ghost braking/shifting While in car wash mode and neutral, Tesla shifted inexplicably from neutral to park, causing Tesla to be rear-ended by the car behind in the car wash tunnel. My passengers and I could have been injured. Tesla engineers completed a technical review of the safety incident but refused to provide the full report instead directed me to consult lawyers. On the day of the service appointment, they did not even inspect my vehicle but instead told me to request vehicle data online. It turned out to be a waste of time to download vehicle recorded data that only Tesla engineers understand. The service invoice says, “Verified proper operation of the vehicle.” That is false. They did not even admit my car into the service entrance. This crash is preventable, but Tesla is not taking this defect seriously and refuses to share the full report of technical review. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicle suddenly break hard without any reason at any speed when you activate the cruise control. Can cause a serious accident. I can experience this any time numerous times during my daily driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car decelerates while on auto pilot 4-5 times while driving from Chicago to Alberta,CA vice versa. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on the interstate at 85 mph on a straight flat road, with no other vehicles around, the car suddenly and violently braked. Car was in autopilot beta mode. However, this has happened before while only using cruise control. This happened twice only minutes apart. This issue is typically called phantom braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was using autopilot on the car. A truck with a long truck bed was in front of me. I was getting really close to the truck bed and realize the my Tesla Model Y was not identifying the truck bed. There were no collision warning so I braked 3-4 feet away from the truck bed when I saw that the car was not braking on its own. I submit some pictures that shows the Tesla identifying that the truck is a car that is further away. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at a slow speed in the automatic braking mode, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that his wife used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact was concerned that the failure could cause injury or an accident. The contact stated that the tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,800 |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was traveling on the 8 freeway in Az going around 80 passing a tractor trailer. I had the cruise control on. Then the car breaks for no reason dropping me to 50 mph. It happened maybe 3 other times on that trip. Maybe 10 times since I purchased the car 5 months ago | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Approximately half a dozen times this year on highway journeys between California and Las Vegas, when the vehicle is on cruise control at approx. 70-75 mph, I have experienced brief instances of unnecessary, automated braking. Each time apparently in response to large black patches in front of the car, either a mismatched repair of the highway or a dark mirage type reflection of the sun on the highway. It appears to me that the vehicle cameras are occasionally mistaking these dark patches as an obstacle. Presumably lidar sensors would not react because the radar would not bounce back off anything, but I believe my car does not have lidar sensors. In each case there was an approximate 10 to 15 mph reduction in speed and then the vehicle quickly recovered. Fortunately, no other vehicle was tailgating me at the time but if one had been, I believe there is a realistic risk of being rear ended. Alternatively, the driver behind would, presumably, apply the brakes, which may cause a chain reaction when the highway is in fact, clear ahead. I have not contacted Tesla. Based on other reports online, it appears to be a waste of time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | To whom it may concern I was driving in a 2023 Model Y around 7:30 in the evening at less than 30mph. There was light rain in the area. As I was driving down a street in the metro Boston area, I noticed the car ahead of me had slowed and was stopping behind another car at a crosswalk. I had taken my foot off the accelerator and noticed that the car did not slow down at all and the regenerative braking did not function properly. Even as I attempted to brake, it seemed like the car would not stop in time. To avoid hitting the car in front of me, in a split second decision I swerved to the left so that I would avoid hitting any other car. My Tesla Model Y went over the median and struck a crossing light pole before coming to a stop. During the seconds leading up to this no preventative warning sounds came from the cars safety systems (eg.collision alert warning, emergency braking) although on most other days it often beeped even when there was nothing directly in front me. Thankfully I did not hit anyone else and we were not injured. However, this was a shocking and highly disconcerting event and could have been worse had the car been traveling at a higher rate of speed or if I had been on a different street without an option to swerve. A preliminary verbal report from Tesla in a phone call stated that "all systems were working as intended". I have made a formal request for driver and video data for that incident from Tesla and am still waiting to receive it. As of now, my Tesla has been considered totaled and a complete write off. It is only 2.5 months old. Having driven hundreds of thousands of miles in various cars over decades, I have never experienced anything like this. Why there was unintended acceleration in such a situation is extremely confusing and has greatly impacted my faith in Tesla at the moment. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15–20 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact then depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped immediately. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that no failure was found after reviewing the computer data. 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 3,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,000 |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | on a recent 800 mile road trip, there were no less than 7 incidents of the vehicle suddenly braking on its own while on cruise control with no vehicles in front of us. one incident occurred with a semi truck behind us that almost caused an accident. the car went from 80 mph to 45 mph before I had time to react and press the gas pedal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | I was in Tesla charging station when I noticed this steering issue happened. I wasn’t be able to turn the steering as usual and had to make call to Tesla and had it towed to their repair shope. It took four days to replace the rack and pinion. I am not happy having just three month and this happened. Shape on Tesla. Thank God I was not in the free way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The issue started on the third day as I moved to Maryland from Charlotte, NC. August 2014. Now it is my 8 car. The problem is all those cars have either hardware or software installed device, like microwave or Radio Frequency. I used to be Uber & Lyft driver, then August 2019 started to drive my own limo & black car with those ride-share corporations. The group which installed this devices run this device externally & cause a very distractive pain on my brain & my customers brain. It damages a brain, cause fatigue, distract vision, & impair brain functioning. Since it started I have been complaining from the local office to the FBI & Maryland Department of Justice. Even though as they suggested me keep changing my cars I couldn’t stop this issue. Now it is publicly running in my car. The customers & the citizens know very well. The low enforcement agencies still didn’t acknowledge the dangerous of the problem. I am extremely disappointed & asking you to help me & other citizens. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving down I-5 South between Bay Area and LA, the vehicle applied brakes and sounded a collision warning when there was no apparent vehicle/obstruction in front of the car. Tesla's Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) was engaged at the time and the max speed was set to 75MPH. The speed reduced to ~60MPH before I intervened and pushed on the accelerator pedal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Tesla Model Y purchased on 06/23/2023 from Springfield NJ center. I had 2 accidents on the same day. I having been driving in the US from more than 5 years and never had a scratch on my vehicle nor even a parking ticket. i drove approx 600 miles in 2 weeks. So I was very comfortable in driving the tesla model y. Date of incidents - 07/07/2023. At Tinton Falls NJ. I was trying to take a K turn on a flat road at around 9:30 a.m. I put the car in Reverse. When I pressed the accelerator pedal the car went forward and hit an Electric Pole. I then pressed the brake pedal . Made sure the car is on Reverse Gear . On leaving the break pedal the car was automatically moving forward towards the pole. This should never had happen. I put the car in Park mode and waited for 5-10 mins approx. Then after some time when I put the reverse gear and left the brake pedal the car didnt move and on pressing acceleration it reversed. I parked my car at the site where I had my work. Police were called and they gave me a ticket. I had a sprain in my neck. Later by 2 pm I drove with the same car Home at Edison NJ. (1 hr drive) I called Tesla Customer Service and they advised me to take the car to Springfield NJ dealership as it could be a software glitch. I decided to drive the tesla with my family in other car to the dealership incase they decide to keep the car. I was about to enter into Fadem Rd when lifted my feet off the acceleration pedal to slow down. The car all off sudden accelerated with no steering control. I noticed lots of car on the street and a lady exiting out of near by Staples Drive Way. I grabbed the steering and rotated it all the way to the right to avoid any of them, hit a pole on the passenger side , pressing the brakes really hard and hitting a bush. The car stopped, no air bags deployed , no warning signs nothing. I was in a shock and pain . EMTs took me to ER , I had severe muscle sprain and still recovering. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I just purchased a new 2023 Model Y and took my first road trip. Traveling from Broomfield, CO to Santa Fe, NM, and then on to Mesa, AZ on July 16th and 17th. Traveling south on [XXX] I experienced nearly a dozen hard emergency braking events when using cruise control. The hard braking events happened without warning and without stepping hard on the throttle to overcome the sudden braking I believe the car would come to a complete stop. It is just dangerous and I do not understand why it is happening and why it has apparently not been corrected. I currently own two GM products with adaptive cruise control and have never experienced anything like this. The last 3 Audi cars I have owned with adaptive cruise never experienced any sudden braking. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |