2022 Tesla Model Y: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Nov 4, 2026 · Visibility · CA

Dear Tesla Customer Resolution Department, We are submitting this formal manufacturer-level complaint and request for complete, Tesla-funded replacement of the original windshield on our 2022 Model Y Long Range. Our request concerns persistent optical distortion in the factory installed windshield, observed during the original warranty period and now significantly interfering with forward visibility. Given the vehicle's repeated quality and corrective service issues since delivery, Tesla's own published glass inspection criteria, federal vehicle-glazing requirements, and documented similar consumer complaints, we expect this matter to receive a substantive manufacturer level review and full replacement authorization. Our requested resolution is a complete OEM windshield replacement at Tesla's expense, with $0 customer responsibility. WINDSHIELD CONDITION, TIMELINE, AND SAFETY The windshield is original factory installed glass and has never been replaced. We first noticed horizontal, wavy distortions extending across the windshield after August 2025, while the Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty remained active. We initially believed the appearance resulted from dirt or residue. Thorough cleaning of both the interior and exterior glass did not eliminate the irregularities, which remain visible under certain lighting conditions even while the vehicle is stationary. I am the primary driver and approximately five feet tall. The distortion falls directly within my normal forward field of vision. Sunlight shining directly ahead produces intense glare that interferes with my view of the roadway. At night, approaching headlights appear enlarged with pronounced starburst effects, further complicating visibility and depth perception. I also have established medical conditions affecting my vision and depth perception, making additional interference especially concerning. The issue is not simply cosmetic, it affects my ability to see clearly through the windshield under ordinary

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Lights · CA

The passenger-side (right) headlight assembly suffered an internal mechanical failure and is stuck aimed too high. It cannot be calibrated or lowered to factory specification. This poses a severe safety risk by blinding oncoming traffic at night. The vehicle was inspected by a manufacturer service center on July 13, 2026. The factory technician confirmed in the official service notes that the right-side headlight is 'internally faulty and will not lower the headlight height to specification,' requiring a full assembly replacement. This is the second time this exact OEM component has failed under normal use; the entire assembly was previously replaced for a failure just over two years prior. No external damage, collision, or impact caused this internal mechanism to fail.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA

On Feb 25, 2026 My 2022 Tesla model Y with only 25k miles on it suddenly stopped knowing where it was and almost drove me into a ditch. All cameras stopped working and the gps was stuck in the same wrong location. (Service Mode showed Primary DAS ECU shows "AP IN COREBOOT" and "Status: INIT." Secondary B shows nominal. Features unavailable. GNSS shows 0 satellites in open sky.) Tesla service said I was outside of warranty and “There is an internal processor issue with your autopilot system that will prevent updates from installing. The only solution is replacing the computer on April 9, 2026, 12:22,” I had had other computer related issues I brought up during regular service visits but weren’t recorded and I was told software updates would fix such as: delayed rearview camera upon startup, navigation volume resetting, headlights staying on for extended periods after exit, and lockout issues. I asked Tesla to document the specific failure codes which they never sent. They said “Tesla diagnostics are showing the primary Autopilot computer is not booting properly, which is preventing cameras, software updates, and related systems from functioning. Because the computer is not initializing, a firmware reinstall will not complete successfully. At this point, replacement of the computer is the required repair to restore normal functionality.” My car had a safety recall during its service appointment that they could not install software for unless I paid $3200 to replace computer. I had total loss of rearview camera (FMVSS 111 violation) and loss of Active Safety Systems (AEB/FCW), but Tesla refused to repair a federally mandated safety defect if I didn’t pay the full repair cost.

Filed Apr 18, 2026 · Electrical, Lights · OH

My driver side headlight assembly stopped working. The headlight assembly includes the driving lights, high beams, and turn signals. I am open to having this product inspected upon request. This impacts the safety of me and others due to decreased visibility and the inability to appropriately indicate when I am turning. The dealer has not reviewed this yet, but I have a scheduled appointment on Friday, April 24. Vehicle has not been inspected by any third-party, improving manufacturer, police, insurance, or other representatives. There were no warning, lamps, messages, other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. The failure first appeared at around 55,000 miles, which was 5000 miles beyond my warranty. I believe that Tesla is pushing out updates that intentionally cause light assemblies and other high priced items to stop working after the warranty. there are multiple instances people replacing the same fixture after their warranty period has expired. Tesla charges $2000 to replace one light fixture. I believe this is fraudulent and corrupt business practices by Tesla.

Filed Jan 1, 2026 · Lights · VT

The headlights turned off while driving. Not being able to see where you're going is risky. The problem has occurred twice under the same conditions - light snow covering on the car. It has not been reproduced at dealer or service center. Components have not been inspected. The headlights operate properly when the snow is removed. No warning, messages or symptoms. Tesla Assist states that if there if driving in snow or low viz conditions, the headlights should be turned on manually, which is not intuitive or appropriate given the advanced nature of the car

Filed Jan 1, 2026 · Lights · VT

During a snowstorm, the headlights caused blinding visibility issues due to the reflected light from the snow flakes. Normally, using low beams fixes this problem. I tried all combinations of headlights during the drive- auto high, high, auto low, manual low, just parking lights. All resulted in horrible visibility conditions that limited speed to around 20 MPH. The vehicle was inspected by Tesla service. Tesla reported the headlights operate as designed. There is a light bar above the headlight that remains on when driving and this illuminates the snow. This lightbar should turn off at night or at least have an option to turn off by the driver.

Filed Jul 26, 2024 · Lights · VA

Here is what happened. I was traveling on a narrow winding two-lane road at night when, desiring to see the information on the current drive, I reached down to the lower left corner of the touchscreen to change the small sub-panel located there. It was on the music panel so I swiped to the left to change to the trip information panel. As soon as I swiped to the left my lights went out and I'm driving in total darkness! In complete fear of running off the road I managed to stop and switch on the 4-way flashers. Someone that had been following me went on around about the time I got the flashes on. Fortunately, I had stopped still on the road and pretty much on my side. (It could have been much worse!) Quite scared and flustered I managed to get the lights switched back on. I don't remember, but I must have used the normal lighting control buttons on the main touchscreen panel. For a while I had no idea how it happened but eventually figured it out. Whenever you change your lights with the turn-signal stalk (go to dim, to bright or flash them) a small sub-panel pops up in the lower left corner of the touchscreen with all the light control buttons. It stays for about 4 seconds and goes away automatically. So, if you reach down to start or pause the music a few seconds after dimming you lights, your headlights go OFF - the OFF button falls where the Play/Pause button was located a few seconds before. But its much worse than that. You can also simply swipe to the left (what I had done) and the row of lighting buttons act like a slider! The lights can go from AUTO to OFF without warning, no confirmation needed! Answers to the five questions follow. - This problem certainly appears to be a design flaw in the touchscreen user interface so can be reproduced and inspected. - We could have crashed or been hit by other vehicles resulting in injury or death. - No - No - No warning whatsoever. Please don't write this off as "operator error". That would be irresponsible.

Filed Dec 19, 2023 · Driver assistance · 26,000 miles · MD · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 60 MPH, a large plastic object was in the roadway causing the contact to crash into the object. The contact stated that there was no warning from the manufacturer's forward collision avoidance system or any other safety system, the cruise control was engaged at the time of the crash. The contact stated that her husband swerved to the left to avoid the object and the front passenger side bumper, passenger corner of the hood and headlight crashed into the plastic object and were fractured and crushed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated and the air bags had not deployed. The contact stated that there were no injuries and that the police were on the scene and filed a report. The vehicle was drivable and the contact drove back to her residence with her husband. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

Filed Oct 31, 2023 · Driver assistance · CA · crash

When I drive a Tesla Model Y under Self-Driving mode at night inside YellowStone NP, there is another car on the opposite side with a high beam turned on, and just near that car there is a bison on the road, the Self-Driving computer fails to detect the bison in the beginning, and too late to do emergency break, the car hit the bison after passing that car. The bison died but driver is safe, the front right head light part and right repeater camera was missing. It's very hard to see the bison in the dark when the other car turns on the high beam, for both humans and cameras, the self-driving without radar or LiDAR is not able to detect the obstacle at the blind spot. I want to report this accident as a reference, the car's self-driving software helped me avoid serious injury. The Tesla FSD(Full Self-Driving or Autopilot) is great but I still hope there's more sensor such as radar or LIDAR can be added to the car for better night vision self-driving. The car deemed a total loss and there is a video from the front dash cam record how this accident happen.

Filed May 12, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · FL

Since I received this awful vehicle it has never properly identified emergency vehicles. Sometimes it confuses neon/led signs with emergency lights and smashes on the brake for emergency vehicles that aren't there. Other times it slams on the brakes on the highway when behind an emergency vehicle and the reflective tape is lit up from my own headlights bouncing on the awfully hard and cheap suspension on this 'performance' vehicle. Lately I've captured video of the car completely failing to see a FIRE TRUCK right in front of it for at least 1 minute straight with the lights and sirens on. This is unacceptable. Tesla not only wants me and my family dead, they don't care about the lives of our brave firefighters, EMTs and police officers. Then don't care about YOU either. Shut it down this is beyond criminal! Here's the video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrdWg6wgo3H/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D not sure if I added the link for the report right before this about the car freezing while I'm driving. Here's that video too: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrN7GEPLYh_/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

Filed Feb 7, 2023 · Lights · MN

The high-beam headlights are randomly turning on while city driving. The auto high-beam function is turned off, so high beams should not turn on. This affects the safety of the other cars around me. I typically drive in the city and using the high beams is not necessary because of dense traffic and available overhead street lights. This issue has not been confirmed by a dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, etc. There is no warning before the high-beams turn on. When they turn on, the blue high-beam indicator on the driver display does illuminate.

Filed Jan 1, 2023 · Seats, Steering · MD

1. Whoever designed the seats never sat more than 2 hours straight in them and is most likely below 150 lbs with the body shape of a petite person. Damaged coccyx and lower backs since inception of idea. Insanity will ensue after long periods of travel (+2hrs) in rear seating and extended third row seating for adults and children. You get more seating comfort from a Nissan than a Tesla. 2. Windshield wiper sensitivity lowers when using manually then activating Auto. Sometimes sensitivity goes down with autopilot. Auto wiper sensitivity not constant. 3. If you have more than 4 people in your family, do not buy a model S3Y 4. Bad panels which also affect steering column, with squeaking, why is that not a lemon? 5. Long range below 32F falls to half its mileage per full charge. Proper trip charging should be at 10% to 15% more than the minimum 0% for trip charge. 6. Autopilot forces high beams whenever there is fog. Autopilot will never engage on curves, only straight aways 7. Supercharger long trip navigation will not allow filtering locations with bathrooms or trashcans nearby. Walking far distances to find restrooms and trashcans are a normal thing. Teslas not meant for taking long trips. 8. Signage for charging misleading, "10 to 30 minute parking" will only charge 10 to 50 KW max while "vehicle charging only" will charge the advertised supercharger max output. 9. No climate control in third row for MY, safety hazard and human rights issue.