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2023 Tesla Model Y Owner Complaints

Updated May 30, 20265 Critical Recalls
Daniel Wilson

Complaint Summary

The 2023 Tesla Model Y has 1,700 reported complaints.

  • Top issues involve forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control and forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking.

Reliability Score

Reliability Score

2.3/ 10

Based on 1,700 complaints

Most Frequent Issues

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

275 16.2%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

216 12.7%

STEERING

164 9.6%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

151 8.9%

SERVICE BRAKES

138 8.1%

Quick Insights

  • The top category is FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, accounting for 16.2% of all complaints.

  • Owners have reported issues across 57 distinct vehicle systems.

  • Note: Complaint data reflects owner reports and may not always indicate a verified defect. Compare with Recalls and TSBs for a complete picture.

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Complaint Summary

What owners keep reporting on the 2023 Tesla Model Y

The 2023 Tesla Model Y has 1,700 owner complaints in this dataset. FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL is the most common complaint category, representing about 16% of the reports shown here.

Most common complaint categories

The top complaint groups for the 2023 Tesla Model Y are FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (275), FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING (216), STEERING (164).

Are these complaints a serious red flag?

Potentially. 522 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems like brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection.

What should buyers inspect on a used 2023 Tesla Model Y?

Start with the top complaint systems, compare them against the recall report, then inspect service records for evidence that those same areas were already repaired or monitored.

Read the full buyer guideRecall report and remedy notesMaintenance costs and intervals2022 Model Y complaints2024 Model Y complaints2021 Model Y complaints

Detailed Complaint Log

Showing 26 of 26 systems

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

57 Reports23% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

When my vehicle is on cruise control it suddenly brakes for no apparent reason. On a road trip, it has happened suddenly and many times during the trip. It’s quite scary and dangerous.

11/20/2022

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure three times within two days. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

11/28/2022

55 more complaints are available in this category.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

47 Reports19% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

I Purchased a new 2023 Telsa Model Y, picked it up today and on the drive home I experienced a phantom braking event which caused the vehicle to immediately stop and become inoperable. Despite my attempts to restart or reset the car it would not move. I sat in the middle lane of a six lane roadway for 90 minutes waiting for a tow truck to take the vehicle to the nearest Tesla Service Center. There was no warning and the vehicle drove flawlessly prior to this event, although I had only driven about 125 miles. I was in heavy traffic and I responded quickly to stop the vehicle and avoid an accident.

12/16/2022

When using Traffic Aware Cruise Control on interstate highway the brakes would suddenly apply. My safety was not compromised. Vehicle was not checked or inspected by dealer. Was not aware of any warnings, but there may have been some. This happened several times during a 45-minute drive. Conditions, daytime, sunny, light traffic, lanes well marked, no apparent reason for braking. One of the incidents reduced my speed from 70 mph to 35 mph.

12/29/2022

45 more complaints are available in this category.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

28 Reports11% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

I was driving at about 40 MPH on local road at rush hour, the car was put in parking mode when I made a lane change, the speed reduced to 0 rapidly and put me in extremely dangerous situation like being rear ended. then I cannot put car in drive mode and called maker's roadside assistance and 911. car was towed to service center. 1a. Q: What component or system failed or malfunctioned A: car's power system failed. 1b. Q: is it available for inspection upon request? A: I don't know. 2. Q: How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A: car might stop quickly unexpectedly when travel at high speed, very likely being rear ended or overturned due to side swipe. 3. Q: Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A: UNKNOWN 4. Q: Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? A: car was towed to service center and was inspected & diagnosed. 5. Q: Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? A: no any warning, it happened unexpectedly.

11/18/2022

When my vehicle is on cruise control it suddenly brakes for no apparent reason. On a road trip, it has happened suddenly and many times during the trip. It’s quite scary and dangerous.

11/20/2022

26 more complaints are available in this category.

SERVICE BRAKES

23 Reports9% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

When my vehicle is on cruise control it suddenly brakes for no apparent reason. On a road trip, it has happened suddenly and many times during the trip. It’s quite scary and dangerous.

11/20/2022

I Purchased a new 2023 Telsa Model Y, picked it up today and on the drive home I experienced a phantom braking event which caused the vehicle to immediately stop and become inoperable. Despite my attempts to restart or reset the car it would not move. I sat in the middle lane of a six lane roadway for 90 minutes waiting for a tow truck to take the vehicle to the nearest Tesla Service Center. There was no warning and the vehicle drove flawlessly prior to this event, although I had only driven about 125 miles. I was in heavy traffic and I responded quickly to stop the vehicle and avoid an accident.

12/16/2022

21 more complaints are available in this category.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

12 Reports5% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

The vehicle is reporting open recall, I have already upgraded the vehicle software 2 weeks ago but the nhtsa.gov website is not updated accordingly

12/15/2022

This new car model Y was picked up on December 20th around noontime. After my husband drove it home, I updated the required documents with insurance. Then we went out to a nearby store. I was the driver(>20 yrs experience). When we stopped on Smithtown Bypass/Moriche by the red light, during the waiting, the car suddenly took off, with an unbelievable speed. THANK GOD!! I don’t know what happened, but I was extremely calm at that moment. I heard my husband screaming and I knew both of us know we are going to directly hit the cars that drove from the left. To avoid such definite impact, I had no choice but quickly made a very aggressive left turn and stopped on the road of Moriche. To be safe, I drove the car back to Tesla around 2pm. The guy said it could be my mistake of accidentally hitting a button of cruise control. I truly doubted it. Is there a button can be unintentionally hit without warning? I asked him to look into the report. I told him I was fully stopped and waiting on the red light. My foot was completely off the pedal. My hands were on the wheel. My eyes were on the road rather than on the touch screen for any information displayed. No warning signs at all. I felt I might have heard some noise while the car shooting out but I am not sure. Even though this serious incident was reported right away and our car was parked in front of the service door, we were scheduled to get a service check on 23rd. And then we were informed by an email that the service check has been rescheduled to January 30th. I believe this incident must be reported and be awarded by other Tesla drivers as well. While Tesla bragging how safe their cars are, my personal experience told me a totally different story. Please investigate this incident ASAP because I think Tesla didn’t take it seriously. I wish there is a traffic footage can be obtained. I can’t imagine how many families would be destroyed if the accident happened! Praise the LORD for His mercy!!

12/23/2022

10 more complaints are available in this category.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

12 Reports5% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

When I purchased this vehicle, I was told that all ADAS features would be available once the cameras calibrated (approximately 50 miles). After 100 miles my wife bumped into a wall in our garage. I opened a ticket and Tesla said the ADAS features are unavailable until a software update is sent. The sales person who I spoke to were not aware of this. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. Drivers are reliant on warnings from features like this and to have the features off without a warning could get someone run over.

12/26/2022

Tesla advertised that Tesla Vision will replace the ultrasonic sensors (USS) and help with park assist. Before buying the Tesla model y Tesla representative assured me that Tesla vision will function to replace the USS. Currently my model y has no visibility to any objects near the vehicle. The lake of sensors caused me to hit concrete blocks in parking spots. The lack of these sensors may cause serious accidents around the vehicle while moving out of garages.

1/15/2023

10 more complaints are available in this category.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

12 Reports5% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

When I purchased this vehicle, I was told that all ADAS features would be available once the cameras calibrated (approximately 50 miles). After 100 miles my wife bumped into a wall in our garage. I opened a ticket and Tesla said the ADAS features are unavailable until a software update is sent. The sales person who I spoke to were not aware of this. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. Drivers are reliant on warnings from features like this and to have the features off without a warning could get someone run over.

12/26/2022

Car applied brakes suddenly multiple times when no vehicles or objects were remotely close (i.e. the car had phantom braking). This occurred while auto-pilot mode was on as well as while cruise control was on and with auto-pilot off. This happened several times on wide open highway lanes including when no other vehicles or other objects were anywhere in sight.

1/10/2023

10 more complaints are available in this category.

STEERING

10 Reports4% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

I bought this car on January 24, 2023, I was driving with my family on Route 1 South in Woodbridge, NJ and all the sudden steering wheel fall January 29, 2023 . Was lucky there was no car behind and able to pull on divider. https://twitter.com/preneh24/status/1619889507133976580?s=48&t=-diw7ET9CNnRr31mHffyfw

2/1/2023

Intermittent shaking from the two front wheels while driving.

2/27/2023

8 more complaints are available in this category.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9 Reports4% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

When entering the vehicle, the touchscreen does not turn on. The vehicle can be operated but without the touchscreen on, the speedometer is not available. I believe this to be a safety issue.

1/19/2023

Failure: rear motor disabled. Verified customer concern. Inspected rear drive unit and found inverter had internal issue causing failure. Replaced rear drive unit inverter and verified vehicle now operates as expected. Safety: car speed reduced to 68mph max and the regenerative braking barely worked. All functionality like cruise control/adaptive were restricted Yes - reported to Tesla dealer/service center and had verified and fixed under warranty No warnings prior. Driving down the road I heard a loud clunk and then a warning appeared saying power reduced, rear motor disabled. Ok to drive.

2/9/2023

7 more complaints are available in this category.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

6 Reports2% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

Traversing Blewett Pass at night, in a rain storm. Auto sensing wipers don’t respond to light rain or rain at night. When they are on they don’t adjust to the amount of rain so there is significant water on the windshield for too long. There is no manual option for adjusting the speed of the wipers forcing drivers to navigate a touchscreen in a downpour, in the dark, on a windy mountain pass. It’s terrifying.

1/29/2023

When autopilot is engaged the car slows down without warning and there isn't anything in front of the car. We had close calls with cars behind us when the car applies the brakes for no reason. The wipers would come on for no reason and as long as the autopilot was on it couldn't be turn off. So we had to disengage the autopilot and turn off the wipers and drive another 300 miles without autopilot for our safety.

2/13/2023

4 more complaints are available in this category.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

4 Reports2% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

The car advertising having USS when place the pre-order. But when pick up the vehicle, USS is not there

1/18/2023

While backing out of my parking lot space I almost hit a pedestrian emerging from behind a nearby parked car. My user manual, provided at the time of delivery, referred to warning sounds in situations such as these. I notified the Tesla service about this issue and was informed that my vehicle did not include these warnings because Tesla stopped installing the ultra sonic sensors required to activate the warning. Tesla service indicated this would be corrected in a future software release relying on Tesla vision. That initial service call was early January and Tesla has still not provided the updated software nor a target date for the change. The lack of sensors has also resulted in near impact in the front of the car due to the lack of sensors. This is a particular problem for senior drivers.

2/5/2023

2 more complaints are available in this category.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

4 Reports2% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

This 2023 model Y has no collision warning. This was not what I expected when I purchased.

2/23/2023

The Tesla Model Y Blind Spot warning system does not accurately detect the position of cars in the lanes next to the car. The display shows the car as behind the vehicle while it is actually at the rear quarter panel. There is only an audio warning if the turn signal is activated. The car is in the blind spot yet the system does not warn the driver. I took the car in for an adjustment to cameras and Tesla said they are functioning as designed. Tesla removed the radar sensors that aid in parking at low speeds. This was intended to be replaced with Tesla Vision. Tesla Vision functionality is not yet available. Although a low-speed collision with an object may not result in injury to a person, it is a safety feature that has been removed. The windshield wiper's speed cannot be adjusted or even started on the stock. To change speed or turn on the wipers you must look away from the road, locate the control panel and then select the desired speed. This clearly is a safety hazzard.

3/2/2023

2 more complaints are available in this category.

POWER TRAIN

4 Reports2% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

Driving 70mph on the highway, car abruptly clunked and three warning messages appeared. APP_W009 Automatic Emergency Braking is disabled; DIF_A062 Power reduced; and BMS_a170 Acceleration and top speed recuded. Car immediately dropped to 40mph and gave me enough time to exit the freeway to the shoulder. After putting in park, the car would no longer shift into any gear. Soft reset and full reset, exiting and re-entering the car didn't fix the issue. Tow required. Failure of rear motor (inverter) was cited in the service center. Seems to be a common issue across Model 3 (as far back as 2017), Model Y (deliveries in Nov/Dec 2022) and Model S (the last 3-4 years). Very dangerous if someone had hit us when it decelerated hard on the highway. Traveling with a 6yr old in a car seat. Only 500 miles on the car.

2/27/2023

I bought this Tesla model y in less than a month to be specific February 23th, I was forced to park the car due to rear motor failure. I had barely any time to find a parking lot before the car shot down on me. Until today, I have not gotten the car yet from Tesla due to long delay repair time.

3/8/2023

2 more complaints are available in this category.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING

3 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure three times within two days. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

11/28/2022

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the vehicle abruptly stopped without warning. The contact was then able to accelerate, and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that should the failure recur, the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 1,250.

3/9/2023

1 more complaint is available in this category.

SEAT BELTS

3 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

since i took delivery of this vehicle on 11/26/2022 ,i had a message displayed on the screen for a faulty passenger seat belt that require a service appointment .i called and requested a service appointment and they gave me one in dec then cancelled it then gave me on in early jan and cancelled it then late jan and they mentioned it due to the lack of parts and i dont feel safe to drive this car with my wife and kids with this faulty seat belt but yet they were pushing me to take delivery and [it seems they were aware of the problem and once i took delivery this message popped up and now i end up with unsafe car that they keep postponing fixing because they don't have the parts just because they want to meet their delivery numbers!!!!

1/4/2023

This concerns the front seat belts in the car. I am just over five feet tall. Even with the seatbelt adjusted to the lowest position on the door post, the anchor point for the shoulder portion is six inches above my shoulder. This occurs on both sides of the vehicle, driver and passenger front seats. The seat belt runs across the left side of my neck when in the driver's seat, with the seat appropriately adjusted for my stature. If I raise the seat any higher I won't be able to reach the accelerator and brake pedals. Anyone who isn't tall would have this problem in the car. I'm concerned for my safety in a possible vehicle crash. I have recently reported this to Tesla Motors. No warning lights or messages are given in the vehicle for this problem.

3/28/2023

1 more complaint is available in this category.

ENGINE

3 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

Driving 70mph on the highway, car abruptly clunked and three warning messages appeared. APP_W009 Automatic Emergency Braking is disabled; DIF_A062 Power reduced; and BMS_a170 Acceleration and top speed recuded. Car immediately dropped to 40mph and gave me enough time to exit the freeway to the shoulder. After putting in park, the car would no longer shift into any gear. Soft reset and full reset, exiting and re-entering the car didn't fix the issue. Tow required. Failure of rear motor (inverter) was cited in the service center. Seems to be a common issue across Model 3 (as far back as 2017), Model Y (deliveries in Nov/Dec 2022) and Model S (the last 3-4 years). Very dangerous if someone had hit us when it decelerated hard on the highway. Traveling with a 6yr old in a car seat. Only 500 miles on the car.

2/27/2023

I bought this Tesla model y in less than a month to be specific February 23th, I was forced to park the car due to rear motor failure. I had barely any time to find a parking lot before the car shot down on me. Until today, I have not gotten the car yet from Tesla due to long delay repair time.

3/8/2023

1 more complaint is available in this category.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

2 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

On the freeway with auto steer and adaptive cruise control on. I experienced 3 phantom breaking incidents over the last two weeks. The car suddenly drops in speed about 10-20 mph before I can catch it and turn off cruise control and accelerate back to the right speed. It’s super dangerous. We live in WA where it rains a lot and our car was delivered without any ultra sonic sensors. This was a big issue for me because we didn’t get a lot of the features I was expecting and they told me it would be fixed with full vision eventually. I think it’s false advertising since the test drives and a lot of things that sold me on the car were not there when I got mine. The breaking problem could easily cause crashes for us and is a big safety risk.

1/28/2023

Car braked aggressively and unexpectedly on highway in full traffic with autopilot (lane keeping cruise control) for no reason. Car in front was over 10 car lengths away and not slowing. Almost caused collision with car behind me but I took control immediately and hit accelerator. Night time driving - approximately 530pm on route 64/1 headed west in Raleigh nc. My car is “vision only”. Extremely unsafe.

2/12/2023

AIR BAGS

2 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

3 days after purchase, headlights would not work, car towed to service center, both front headlight assemblies were replaced. 3 weeks after purchase, fault detected on passenger restraint, service center states passenger seat needs to be replaced to make airbag operational. I live 90 miles from service center, making these repairs quite difficult

3/9/2023

Air Bags malfunctioning, if fact, not even working on this 2023 Tesla Model Y.

4/2/2023

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

2 Reports1% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

3 days after purchase, headlights would not work, car towed to service center, both front headlight assemblies were replaced. 3 weeks after purchase, fault detected on passenger restraint, service center states passenger seat needs to be replaced to make airbag operational. I live 90 miles from service center, making these repairs quite difficult

3/9/2023

Water intrusion rear tail lights. According to Tesla service it is within Tesla specs.

3/30/2023

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

1. brake system 2. after vehicle slowly pull up to the curb, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, while the brake was applied, it jump the curb in a shopping center and hit the post outside of a restaurant 3. it was a brand new vehicle just got delivered one day before, ~10 miles on odometer 4. no warning of any kind prior

11/21/2022

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

When I purchased this vehicle, I was told that all ADAS features would be available once the cameras calibrated (approximately 50 miles). After 100 miles my wife bumped into a wall in our garage. I opened a ticket and Tesla said the ADAS features are unavailable until a software update is sent. The sales person who I spoke to were not aware of this. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. Drivers are reliant on warnings from features like this and to have the features off without a warning could get someone run over.

12/26/2022

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the message “Passenger Air Bag Off” would illuminate while his wife was occupying the front passenger’s seat with the seat belt securely buckled. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center, where an unknown software update was recalibrated. The Tesla Service Center then informed the contact that the front passenger’s side seat needed to be replaced in the event the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred approximately three weeks later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed and the passenger’s side air bag would not activate unless the passenger weighed approximately 130 pounds. However, the contact stated that the Owner’s Manual indicated that the air bag would be activated if the passenger weighed 100 pounds. The contact stated that his wife weighed 126 pounds and was 5ft. 1 inch tall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15.

2/2/2023

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

Hello, I was taking my car reverse and my car door was open slightly and it hit my garage door, and that was my mistake. My only problem here is, the driver side rear window broke and it broke into MILLIONS OF PIECES and shattered all over inside.the car. Not sure what the technology is, and it should not break into millions of tiny, tiny pieces. It's a brand new car and struggling to clean it because they are no minute. Thanks

3/4/2023

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

This is the second instance of this issue happening, first at 1800 miles ODO, and second at 4690. Both instances, when driving, the vehicle suddenly and violently shuddered to a stop. The first instance happened as I pulled out from a stop sign to take an unprotected left onto a street. In the middle of the intersection, the car shuddered to a stop violently and a lot of warnings and alerts came up on screen. Cars moving both directions had to suddenly stop to not hit my car dead in the intersection. The gear stalk inputs to put the car in drive or reverse and allow function of the vehicle did not work. I pushed the park button on the right stalk and then moved it into drive, which it allowed. I was then able to limp the car out of the intersection (with power vastly reduced and speed reduced) and await a tow. The second instance I had pulled into a parking lot at around the same speed (~15 mph) in which the car again shuddered violently to a stop with no ability to override. Traffic behind me had to brake as to not hit my vehicle which stopped in the middle of the lot. Again the car was inoperable until this time locking and unlocking the car from outside of it and reentering to limp it to a parking spot for tow. Safety of myself and others were put severely at risk suddenly and without warning from the car stopping itself. If this were to happen in other, less fortunate scenarios, risk to human lives is great. Problem has been confirmed by Tesla service center, but not reproduced while in their possession. The vehicle was inspected by Tesla service after the first incident and was explained to have found no faults with any hardware, but found a corrupt line of code in the firmware (no update or firmware change was noted to be available). Warning messages and alerts populated at time of incident and no sooner (no warning is given prior to issue). Alerts include power reduced, rear motor disabled, vehicle shutting down, automatic emergency braking disabled and more.

3/21/2023

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING:SOFTWARE

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 62 MPH with the autopilot mode activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.

3/22/2023

WHEELS

1 Report0% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

Upon receiving the car the steering wheel never matched the way the wheels pointed. The steering wheel needed to be around 10-15 degrees to the right to go straight. After 3 wheel alignment's, the steering wheel still isn't straight to get the car to travel straight, but having to keep the wheel 3 degrees to the right is better than 10 degrees.

4/28/2023

About This Data

Data and Methodology

MethodologyHow we score →

Scores are derived from NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, normalized by vehicle segment averages.

FAQ

What are the most common owner complaints for the 2023 Tesla Model Y?

The most reported complaint category for the 2023 Tesla Model Y is FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, with 275 owner reports. That is about 16% of all complaints logged here. Other recurring themes include FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, STEERING.

Are complaints about the 2023 Tesla Model Y a serious warning sign?

Potentially. 522 complaint reports fall into higher-attention systems such as brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components. That does not prove every vehicle has a defect, but repeated complaints in those systems justify a more careful pre-purchase inspection.

How should buyers use complaint data for the 2023 Tesla Model Y?

Use complaints as an early pattern to investigate, not a standalone verdict. Start with the top complaint categories, compare those themes against the recall report and maintenance guide, then inspect service records for evidence that the same problem areas were already addressed. If the same issue appears repeatedly across complaints and recalls, treat it as a real ownership-risk flag.

Are complaints about the 2023 Tesla Model Y severe?

522 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems such as brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection before purchase.

Complaint list entries are sourced from owner-submitted NHTSA ODI records.

Read complaint summaries

Tesla Model Y: How should complaint data influence buying decisions?

Use complaint patterns together with recalls and maintenance guidance to estimate ownership risk and inspection priorities.

Carfocal links complaint data directly to recall and maintenance routes for the same model year.

Return to full vehicle report
Complaint entries
1,700
Top-topic view
5 grouped topics shown
Primary source
NHTSA ODI owner complaint records

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In this guide

  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Common Problems
  3. 03Owner Complaints
  4. 04Data and Methodology

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