Complaint volume
1068 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
1068 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Tesla Model Y, grouped by component category.
1068 Total complaints
137 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 137 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?
137 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 53
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 36
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34
VISIBILITY/WIPER 32
SEAT BELTS 26
1,068 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car engaged breaks multiple times on an empty freeway while driving on the adaptive cruise control. There were no cars nor any objects on any lane. The breaking was so hard that I almost lost the control of the car. Luckily there were no cars behind. The problem might be sun related as it didn't happen at night | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Last night the steering totally failed right after starting the car. An alert popped up saying “steering assist reduced”. Total loss of power steering and the car is inoperable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | While driving in the city on under construction road, the car started showing notifications that the steering power will be reduced. 30 sec. later the steering wheel froze and the car was drivable only forward and backwards. This safety system malfunction put me and my family at risk while in active driving mode, luckily there was no much traffic and i was able to reset the car in order to be able to drive it again. Bumpy road shouldn’t cause the system to malfunction and limit the driving capability, especially not while active driving. I wasnt using any cruise control or auto pilot features. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | While driving my Tesla model Y, an error message "Power assist reduced" popped up on the computer's screen. I couldn't turn the steering wheel in either direction in a parking lot. This incident happened on 8/11/2023. I reset the car's computer and walked away for 5 minutes and returned. The problem went away. I drove to another place and encountered the same error message while backing up a car into a parking space. I reset the computer system and got out of a car for a few minutes. The error message disappeared and I drove home within 2 mile radius. I have scheduled an appointment on Tuesday 8/15/2023 with Tesla Service Center. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Steering wheel locked up while driving under normal conditions at 45 MPH. I was exiting the highway at this time and was luckily able to come to a complete stop. The car had to be towed to the Tesla service center. This is a brand new 2023 Tesla Y purchased a month ago. The steering wheel has been locking up from time to time; and the steering of the vehicle sometimes feels unwieldy, uncontrollable, and simply undrivable. The issue is very dangerous. I Googled the issue and came across Reddit posts and other Tesla forums where other Tesla drivers have reported the same issue. There are also YouTube videos that discuss the same issue. This seems to be a common enough problem that warrants a total recall. The Tesla service agent acknowledged that the problem seems routine and pervasive, but downplayed the issue. There have been tragic accidents involving Teslas in the news recently (including a mother/daughter who crashed into a tree and both died en route to a doctor’s appointment—and this crash is still under investigation in California). But having experienced this steering issue with my own car, it makes me wonder whether the cause of these accidents is this steering issue. And I wonder if Tesla is covering up some of their data regarding these fatal accidents. This is an urgent issue and should be addressed and investigated thoroughly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When in cruise control my car experiences phantom or ghost braking seemingly out of nowhere. It violently applies the brakes without any obstacle in sight. This has happened to me many times and always on the freeway in sunny conditions. Tesla needs to address this as it’s a common complaint and has likely led to or will lead to many rear end type accidents. Thank you. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | I have had the car 5 months and have had no problems. This week while driving there was a jerk of the steering wheel to the right and a second later I lost all power steering. I could not turn the wheel without using great force. Luckily I was in the far right lane and could pull over. Car behind me almost rear ended me. The warning on the Tesla screen said "steering assist reduced". I called Tesla and they sent a tow truck to get the car. I did try restarting the car and the steering came back for 10 seconds, but again there was a jerk the right of the wheel and then NO power steering again. Was very upsetting to say the least. I have a home in the mountains and had I been driving down a winding mountain road I could see myself having driven into a tree or off the road! The car is in the shop and they are saying they will likely replace the steering column. I see that others have experienced this and wanted to make sure my voice was heard. I will not be surprised if there are MANY more similar incidents with this car. I hope that it does not lead to deaths. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Having issue with steering getting stuck and not allowing to rotate. Happened 2 times today and I am ending up powering off and starting the car. I am worried about getting stuck while driving. This is a safety concern for me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car randomly brakes dangerously hard at overpasses while at highway speed for zero reason while in cruise control mode. This has occurred four times during our brief ownership. I have to imagine these events WILL lead to an accident as the braking is so hard (as if you applied brakes in an emergency) that a driver caught off guard could easily loose control of the vehicle. We have attempted to contact the manufacturer several times, but no one answers calls and their website will not accept inquiries into these highly unsafe incidents to know if there is a problem with our car or software. In fact they hide behind technology so well I do not believe thee is a way to ever talk to a real person or file a written complaint. Please help! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While using adaptive cruise control on 2023 Tesla Model Y we experienced multiple instances of emergency braking (rapid deceleration w/o touching brakes, accelerator steering column, etc.) without any warning during multiple scenarios - dusk, daylight, sunny and cloudy weather. Occurred on both straight and curved sections of highway with no other vehicles in front of vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using cruise control at freeway speeds the car randomly brakes without warning and without and other vehicle, object or obstacle in front of the car, causing the car to come to a screeching halt with other traffic behind the car. Although reported to Tesla, the Tesla service team merely claimed they inspected the system and found no errors in the performance of the cruise system, pointing instead to the manual that claims the cruise control is a beta system for which no warranty is given. Neither Tesla nor its manual givews notice or warning that the cruise control is subject to sudden braking without objewcts in front of the vehicle, which creates a significant risk of injury and/or damage in high traffic areas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | When driving 60+ mph, the driver side view mirror vibrates. This causes the mirror to show a blurry image and impacts the safety of seeing vehicles on the left side/rear. There isn’t a current issue with passenger side view mirror. I brought this to the dealer and they acknowledge that it is an issue they are aware of, but there is no fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When traveling on the highway at cruising speeds of 65mph or higher while in "cruise control" the car will suddenly slam the brakes on. Luckily there has not been any one close to me to cause a rear end collision. It seems to be random but there are times when it happens more often. On a two lane highway or if a car in front of me is slowing down to make a turn. One time a car entered the highway going in my direction from the shoulder and kicked up dust and debris. That seemed to confuse the cruise control and then it finally decided to slam on the brakes.. The only way to correct it was to press the accelerator. Sometimes the braking is severe and other time mild but always unpredictable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Steering locking up. Based on what I am reading it is the same as others have experienced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | I was driving on the street and all of a sudden steering lost control. The screen shows "steering assist reduced" but the steering got really really heavy to the point it couldn't be turned. It was a dangerous situation where we were in the middle of the street, and there were oncoming traffic on both ways. I called Tesla Road emergency assistant but in the first call was told they couldn't help me unless i move to a safe spot. They asked me to call 911 and get a towing service and could only help after doing so. So we called 911 and asked them again. This time they asked us to reboot the system and it worked for 2 minutes. Afterwards it failed again. It is a very threatening and dangerous situation, as we lost control of the car! I would not want to imagine what would happen if this was on a highway. What's more frustrating is Tesla's emergency road assistant denying help in a timely manner. Now my Tesla is towed to a service center, and I've inquired what my options are. The service center person did not apology at all about the situation and said can only change the steering rack. They also mentioned there is no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again in the future. This is becoming such a common issue and Tesla should take responsibility to recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On 30th July 2023 while driving on interstate 8 freeway while using the FULL self driving our vehicle applied auto brake without anyone around. This air rake was so strong that it slowed the vehicle from 75 mph to less than 50 mph in seconds. It scared everybody in the car. We took off the autopilot and applied the regular autopilot and it happened again two more times. Each time there was no vehicles around us and luckily no one was behind us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering failed and with three error messages displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to safely drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that after the vehicle had sat for several minutes, the power steering functionality returned. 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 1,170. The contact stated that Tesla replaced the steering rack under warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,170 |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving at 09:07 August 6, 2023 on the I4 in Orlando Florida using cruise control, the vehicle suddenly slowed from 55mph (the posted speed limit is 60) and the car behind had to swerve before I could accelerate back to traffic speed. Uncommanded, the vehicle dropped the cruise speed to 25mph and started decelerating to that speed. Attached pictures show normal cruise at 09:07:02 and slowing at 09:07:07. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | While driving the steering wheel got locked. It occurred 2-3 times consecutively. I call the tesla center and they arranged a tow. When the tow arrived the steering wheel started to make weird noises (it initially worked again) and it got locked again. When the steering wheel was locked there were warnings appearing on the screen (photo attached). The car is now at the tesla service center but it has not been processed yet as they are not open on Sunday. I have video recording of when the second wheel lock happen and can send it if needed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Hi, I was on cruise control (not autosteer) on highway and I just applied turn signal and my Model Y suddenly applied brakes and speed was reduced to around 50MPh from 70MPh. We might get into some serious accident if there was a car behind us. Need someone to look into issue please. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | This was a brand new vehicle delivered in March 2023. Soon after delivery, we noticed difficulty with the steering - more resistance than expected and a feeling that the wheel was turning through notches as you turned the wheel. Please note, we have owned other Teslas and are familiar with the normal steering effort required and software adjustments available. The problem continued to get worse, until one day in May while out, my wife got into the vehicle to drive and the screen displayed an error "Steering Assist Reduced" and the steering wheel would not turn at all, regardless of effort. She reset the vehicle a few times and got out, then re-entered and after a few minutes the problem went away on its own. She drove it home immediately, and then we had it towed to a service center. The service center determined that the vehicle had a steering rack failure and replaced the steering rack. We asked a service manager for compensation for the issues and Tesla then decided to purchase back the vehicle at the full purchase price. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I bought the vehicle and after one day the cars power steering went off while driving and I couldn’t steer. As Tesla has an autopilot function it did not come with the car and no adaptive cruise control and I had to take it to service and leave the car for two days to resolve it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My car is Tesla Model Y -2023. Purchased on 11/2022. Not even 1 year the car battery range went down not as Tesla announced. With Model, Y Performance range of 303 miles for 100%. But my car after updating the new Sft on July/2023 a battery range max charge of only 285 miles for 100%. Please have a solution to fine Tesla company by fraud and lying to consumers badly. I cant contact Customer Service. The person who works in customer service never tells a customer their name or introduces themselves. Tesla live chat agent when Heard I mentioned complaining about the battery Range try to run away and gave me to call the the customer service. But I can't reach out to service team. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | As I was exiting my parking space I notice the steering wheel was stiff as I tried to navigate a left turn. I could not pull the wheel for a successful turn and to not block traffic I reverse slowly back into the parking spot. I rebooted the vehicle and was successful with no issues. Sent a message to Tesla service regarding incident. Mechanic says to have it towed the next time it happens again. Today for the second time (5 days later) as I try to leave for work the same problem appears. This time a reboot to the vehicle did not solve the issue. Rebooted 2 times and steering wheel was still frozen. Called for roadside assistance. Prior to this, there were warning signs that stated power steering reduced and lane departure off. With those warning signals I have a tesla service appointment scheduled. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | Vehicle was parked on the street. Put car in Drive, loud noise came from steering column, and warning message shows steering assist reduced and lane departure avoidance features unavailable and at that point the car had no power steering. Car was reset 4 times. Every time the vehicle was reset, loud noise came from steering column, both warning messages appeared, and no power steering. On 4th reset, power steering came back, but both warning messages still appeared. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |