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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I live in Fremont, CA. A few hours ago, I was driving from Mountain View to my home. When I was in the left most lane of CA-237 driving at like 70 mph on adaptive cruise control, the car started to brake really hard all of a sudden. There was nothing ahead of me as far as I could see at that point, there was no car close to me in the right lane either, and there wasn’t any kind of sharp turn or something. The braking was so sudden, forceful, and above all unexpected that we were really shocked and scared (and of course experienced a horrifying jerk). The same kind of thing has happened once before with the same car when the car began to brake suddenly and forcefully even though there was no one in sight on the highway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving highway speeds in autopilot (cruise control) I experience sudden heavy breading for no reason. No cars around on a flat road. Once while in front of another car which scared me enough not to use it anymore. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The auto steer cruise control made a totally unnecessary sudden brake. The vehicle in the front did not make sudden stop. Since my Tesla which was in auto steer made a sudden stop the vehicle behind me had to make a emergency stop due which this cat got rear ended. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | During our road trip today on the HWY cruise control was engaged. without warning several times the car decelerated from 75 (speed of traffic) to 50 which could have caused an accident had other cars been following closer. We can no longer trust the cruise control mode as this is a serious safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The cat keeps applying brakes on its own even when there is no obstacle on road. Car applies brake on highway when there is no car on road in front or on side road. It is a very dangerous fault and is an accident waiting to happen. I have complained to local service center many times. They call it Fantom Braking and say that Tesla is working on it. If so, all Teslas should be off road till such time they fix it. I am concerned that it will lead to fatal accidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving at highway speeds with the cruise control engaged we have experienced several ghost braking events. Fortunately no other cars have been behind us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Intermittent braking while in cruise control for no reason. Nothing in the way, no cars around. Reduces speeds from 10 t0 50 miles per hour. At time it reduces speeds almost to a dead stop. If another car was behind us, could cause a serious crash. Happens at random times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While traveling with cruise control engaged between 65-70 MPH, car suddenly disengages acceleration and applies braking to drop by 5 to 10 mph with no obstacles or traffic in front of car. Must immediately press on accelerator pedal to cancel braking. If another car following too closely, rear end collision possible. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using traffic aware cruise control the car frequently brakes for no reason. The braking put the car in danger of being rear ended. The road was straight, clear weather, no change in speed limits or excessive speed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal vibrated briefly before returning to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Jun 2023 | AIR BAGS,WHEELS | The car suddenly crossed the double yellow line on a local road and hit another car coming from the opposite direction on a local road (Adams Lane, North Brunswick, NJ). The wheel joint was faulty that broke (see attached pictures) and pull the car to the other side of the road without warning. Even the airbag in this car is not deployed. The vehicle was towed by police to a garage (Coppa's Service Center & Towing, 1 Moore Road, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. ph. 732-297-7530). The vehicle has been declared as a total loss by the insurance company. Because my car crossed the yellow line and hit the other car, I got tickets (crashdocs.org; Police Report # [XXX]; Date: 06/20/2023). I and the lone person the other care are lucky to survive this accident. I feel that such a fault might put other Tesla Model Y drivers/passengers and others in danger on the road. Please investigate to keep people safe. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Multiple moments of phantom braking 15+ times TODAY driving from North Platte, NE to Havelock, IA on cruise or auto pilot. Extremely dangerous, could've caused pile ups/rear end collisions. Screen would 50% of the time show a semi or vehicle in front of me when nothing was there. I tried cleaning the windshield, thought it helped for a bit then it happened again. This happened on both interstate driving and highway driving into the sun and not into the sun. Could be very hazardous - very abrupt emergency braking at interstate speed limits. at the Shelby, IA super charger, another Tesla owner expressed he had also just reported multiple phantom braking incidents today as well and reported it to Tesla. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On every trip in my 2023 Model Y there is phantom braking for no reason with no cars in front of or around me. It happens on the highway on perfectly clear days, with no hills, no signs, no shadows or bridges, with no cars in front of me or behind me on completely straight roads in addition to happening when there are other vehicles around. I will be traveling at highway speeds and the car slows enough to be terrifying and throw objects around the car. I have stopped using cruise control and auto pilot because I’m scared of the car. I reported the problem to Tesla on the phone and through their app the first time it happened multiple times on one trip and they said that they looked at the logs and that it didn’t happen. Since my family was with me in the vehicle, I have witnesses. I was told to self report by pressing the right flywheel and log every time it happens. I did that but since it happens a lot I refuse to use the features. I think Tesla should allow us to return these vehicles for refunds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving using "auto-pilot" for speed control while going 70mph my vehicle randomly braked hard for no reason (maybe a cloud shadow) causing the vehicle behind me to swerve into the shoulder. I just bought the car 3 weeks ago and am very disappointed that the vehicle doesn't come standard with cruise control that won't cause accidents. This is a recurring issue with using autopilot in my vehicle. I don't feel safe and will be contacting tesla next. Although I doubt they will be of much help. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My new model y has caused numbness and tingling in both myself and passengers of my car while driving. Tesla has stated nothing is wrong with the car. It injures me every time i drive it. they forced me to take the car back and return my model y loaner car. The loaner vehicle caused no issues at all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My 2023 Tesla model y occasionally applies phantom braking when ADAS is on. The car brakes very abruptly therefore it may cause rear end collision. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On a trip to Prescott, AZ and back to Los Angeles, I encountered the following problem about 5 separate times. While driving at freeway speeds (70-80mph), the car suddenly and violently, without warning, applied the brakes vary hard (with no input from me). This threw me forward while the car continued to decelerate. In one instance, there was a class C motorhome traveling behind me fairly closely as if to pass. This was on a 2-lane road in the Arizona “countryside.” It was between 6:20am and 7:15am on Saturday, May 13th. The motorhome following me had to make a split-second decision to either crash into the rear of my car, or swing out left into the oncoming lane. He chose the latter. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic or it surely would have been a fatal, head-on accident between the motorhome and a car traveling in the opposite direction in the oncoming lane. The motorhome then continued to pass me and no accident resulted. In the other 4 times that the brakes suddenly applied, there was no one close enough behind me where they could not have slowed down to avoid an accident. Obviously, this was very disturbing to me. I finally realized that the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) feature was set to “on” (by default). I then turned it off. No further incidents occurred after this. At this point, I will not travel on a busy freeway with the AEB feature activated……it is simply too dangerous. If this issue happens on a busy freeway, the likelihood of someone crashing into the rear of my car is fairly high. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, a message that the vehicle was shutting down was displayed and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that a wiring harness clip was not clipped correctly. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 41. | Crash: No Fire: No | 41 |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Just returned from round trip from Kansas City Mo. to Denver Colorado. Used the cruise control quite a bit on the trip. On 10-15 occasions the regenerative braking automatically came on for no reason.In one instance I was driving the 75 mph speed limit and a car was following too close when the regenerative braking activated and almost caused a crash.It seemed a lot of the times it happened on a bridge but not all of the time.Nothing was in front of me that should have caused this to happen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When on highway car often slams in the brakes when cruise control is on for no reason. At least once every drive causing me to be nearly rear ended. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving and using the cruise control the car suddenly braked hard. On some occasions we lost 20 mph before reacting and applying pressure to the accelerator. At other times we only lost 3 mph before the car corrected itself. We had perhaps 15-18 incidents in less than 2 hours. We tried switching off the AEB system but that did not help. In all cases there were on I-25 between Pueblo and Trinidad and there were no cars within a few hundred yards of us. It was sunny and about 75 all day. I've since read about "phantom braking" with Teslas and that sounds like exactly what was happening. The vehicle is currently with the dealer for repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am finishing a drive across the country and every time I put my Tesla into cruise control or adaptive cruise control, it will eventually abruptly break for no reason, in traffic with cars. It can only be restarted by stopping the cruise control feature and turning it back on, after which it inevitably happens without any warning | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving between Elgin, OK and Oklahoma City, OK phantom breaking occurs sometimes two to four times. It isn’t safe driving 75 MPH and the car suddenly brakes for no reason. I reported the issue to the Tesla service center in Oklahoma City, OK and they acknowledged it is an issue, but said there is not a repair for the issue. They said it is a software/mapping issue that will hopefully be resolved in the future. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving a variable speed with the front passenger's seat unoccupied, the front passenger's side door made abnormal rattling sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred mainly while driving on a bumpy road surface. Additionally, the contact stated that upon closing the door, she noticed that the door failed to close securely with approximately 5mm gap between the door and the frame. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center, who informed the contact that the door needed to be taken apart for diagnostics tests and declined to test drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that a mobile Tesla Technician later inspected the vehicle at the residence and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center for a diagnostic test and repair. The contact was charged a repair cost. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| Jun 2023 | STEERING | My model y was park in our garage and when we decided to go out to get some food around 7pm and when I started backing out the steering wheel seems “locked” that like 5 seconds after the car start moving… I move it forward so it won’t be in the street or side wall and I tried to walk away and lock it and it happened again. I did for 5 times and I even ask people who we know that have Tesla and I even turn the power off and waited two minutes and still the steering wheel locks up. I made an appointment and for this Thursday and I added that the car is undriveable because it seems like their help service in the app says “bring all the keys”… I have been reading online about and how to troubleshoot but it seems like it’s a defective “electrical component” and it’s been happening to other people as well and some was driving in the freeway. We love our Tesla but why and how these things pass their quality checks? Please check their products as in cars for the safety of everyone. I have my fiancée and two kids in their car seat when this thing happened and I’m glad we weren’t in the freeway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |