The vehicle went into Turtle mode and there was a warning sign that power was reduced. The car eventually stopped moving on the highway seconds later. The warning time was minimal and I was on a two lane highway when the car stopped in one of the lanes during rush hour. This is the third time I have had this warning since February 2025 and I started leasing the vehicle December 2024. The first time, the service replaced the accelerator pedal. The second time, the rear motor. This third time, they are saying it's the accelerator pedal again. Each time there is no warning or signs that there is an issue and it is unacceptable for a vehicle that is only one year old.
2023 Tesla Model Y electrical complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 128, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Driving on I 880 south on the fast lane. The car suddenly braked for no reason and began to shutdown. It warned me to pull over before complete shutdown. Luckily there was space on my left and I was able to rolling stop. Nothing on the screen was working. Turned on hazard light. Got out of car with my phone. Accessed Tesla app and ran battery check. After couple mins the error went away. Tried to slowly move with hazard light on. It appeared to have fixed itself. Slowly merged back into freeway when it was safe. Attached notification when I tried to schedule service request.
The tesla computer freezes. Sudden there is no information from the car, no miles per hour, no navigation, no side view cameras. I can drive the car but that's is all. Since the navigation is entirely dependent on the computer I can't tell where I am going. It has happened more than 30+ times in the car.
On Memorial Day weekend, my car was parked outside, and apparently back passenger window was left open, which caused the backseat area of the car to be soaked in water. We noticed that in the morning, and parked the car inside the garage, and kept the door and windows open so it could dry quickly. However, a few hours later, around 4:30 pm, the car caught fire while parked in the garage. We called 911 right away and quickly using two fire extinguishers, quickly put out the fire. The Frisco Fire Department opened up the investigation, and I believe they concluded the cause of the fire was an electrical short circuit due to water or battery-related issues. The fire incident occurred inside the garage, which could have potentially burned the entire house. However, due to the brave actions of my [XXX] , we put the fire out, but he ended up in the hospital due to severe smoke inhalation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The car computer (HW3) in my 2023 Tesla Model Y failed without warning while I was traveling from Maryland to New Jersey. When I attempted to drive the car, the main screen was completely black and unresponsive, meaning I could not see or control any essential functions—no speed display, gear indicator, or system feedback. The vehicle was not drivable. Acceleration was extremely delayed (took more than 10 seconds to start moving from stop) when attempting to move, and the car felt like it could stop at any moment without warning. I had no way to safely monitor or control the vehicle’s basic operation. This created a serious safety risk—not only was I unable to access the gear or speed, but the vehicle was in a condition where it could shut down suddenly at any time due to the computer failure. This left me stranded while away from home and could have resulted in dangerous situations if I had been on the road when it failed. Tesla Service inspected the vehicle and confirmed the issue was an internal fault in the car computer (HW3), diagnosed by their senior technician. They provided a repair estimate of approximately $3,000. No police, insurance, or other third parties have inspected the vehicle. There were no warning messages, alerts, or symptoms before the failure occurred. It happened suddenly and completely at around 59,000 miles—just 9,000 miles past the basic warranty limit. The failed computer is being fixed by Tesla service center in Paramus, NJ location.
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Response: All 3 times has been with a faulty inverter 2)How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Response: Safety was a HUGE concern. The Tesla model Y has stalled and completely shut down while driving through traffic and at speed. The complete failure did not allow any coasting to try and get out of harms way. 3) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Response: All 3 times this issue has occurred were all serviced by Tesla directly and has always been a faulty inverter. 4) Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Response: Yes, all 3 times the car failed the car was assessed by Tesla's service station Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? 5) Yes, the first 2 times the warning appeared there was only a matter of seconds before the car completely stopped in the middle of traffic. This last time there was a warning stating the car will not restart if stopped.
I am writing to raise a safety concern regarding the use of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on my 2023 Tesla Model Y when a rear hitch-mounted bike rack is installed. Numerous users, including myself, have experienced dangerous or erratic behavior from FSD when carrying bicycles on a rear-mounted rack. Specific issues include: False detection of a trailing vehicle directly behind the car. Phantom braking or swerving, including abrupt lane changes or acceleration. Unreliable navigation at intersections (e.g., nearly running stop signs) due to apparent misinterpretation of sensor data. In some cases, tailgating or aggressive following behavior by the vehicle. These behaviors appear to stem from the FSD system misinterpreting the presence or visual signature of the rack and bikes as another vehicle. In several online reports, this has led to unsafe maneuvers. To temporarily mitigate the issue, some drivers have resorted to taping over the rear camera, which is neither safe nor user-friendly. While I recognize Tesla has made improvements such as camera obstruction warnings (e.g., in FSD v12.5.6+), these do not address the core misclassification problem. My requests: That Tesla officially acknowledge and investigate FSD misbehavior in the presence of rear-mounted bike racks. That Tesla provide clear driver guidance on whether FSD should be used when such a rack is installed. That the FSD system include an option for a “Bike Rack Mode” or alternative logic to prevent rear-camera misinterpretation. That this concern be escalated within your safety and AI development teams to ensure user safety is prioritized.
We experienced an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation with Tesla Y model on [XXX] around [XXX] and would like to report to the federal safety agency. We were driving on [XXX] going towards Nashua and my TESLA-Y car when the steering wheel froze and I got message that front camera was not working. When I tried to steer the car in the lane, the car suddenly braked and took two 360 degree spins (turns) on the highway with cars streaming at high speed around us. We went from the left lane to the right most lane after two 360 degree spins and ended in the right lane. Luckily, no other autos hit us and I was able to take control of the car and pull over in the right lane. The incident is recorded int the Tesla's harddrive which we can make this available to you. the car started working normally so we drove back home. We have had minor control incidents with the lane assist and auto pilot systems of this car in 2023 and 2024. We have complained and showed the problem to Tesla dealer in Watertown, MA. However they said there is nothing wrong with the car. We request you to investigate this incident with Tesla and find out the cause for the car to take this dangerous breaking and spinning incident on a highway. Thanks, [XXX] and [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle had a open window during rain storm. Interior got wet. Next day the vehicle was left to dry out. Vehicle caught on fire and engulfed in flames in the backseat. Nobody was harmed fire was contained by the Frisco Fire Department. Vehicle was then towed away.
On [XXX], the vehicle displayed multiple alerts: “Electrical power reduced,” “Climate cabin controller requires service,” “Electrical system may not support all features,” and “Vehicle may not restart.” I scheduled service for May 21, 2024, and dropped the vehicle off at the Tesla Service Center in Fresno, CA. Tesla failed to provide a written invoice for that visit. A service advisor told me “It was a glitch” and that I should check the app, but no documentation appeared. Despite multiple in-person and written requests, I never received a record of the visit. On [XXX], the vehicle failed to start and was towed back to Tesla. A May 24 invoice confirmed a major safety issue—a high-voltage current fault that triggered the Pyrotechnic Battery Disconnect. Tesla later marked the May 21 appointment as “canceled” in their system. I photographed this cancellation screen in July, confirming the visit was erased despite a clear safety-related defect. This raises concerns about Tesla’s compliance with documentation and reporting obligations. I also submitted two reimbursement requests for $470.12 in transportation costs, which Tesla has not honored. These incidents show a pattern of concealment and unfair warranty practices. I respectfully request an investigation into this issue and whether a broader safety recall is warranted. Supporting documents are available upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the full self-driving system activated, the message "System Malfunction - Take Over Immediately" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable diagnose the vehicle or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.
This is my 5th complaint and involves, again, the key card. This is the used key card the El Paso Tesla Dealer was kind enough to give me, and help me program, when one of the original key cards, less than a year old, stopped working. (Tesla wanted me to pay $45 for 2 new key cards) The used key card stopped functioning so I planned to call Tesla and have them "reprogram it"...something that must be done while I am in the car. I went on a last-minute trip and took my spare, barely-used key card. I also had my phone but didn't realize I'd not re-downloaded the Tesla app when I recently troubleshot my phone. Later in the day I parked at CIty of Rocks State Park in NM, still without connectivity, and locked the car with the "good" key card. Then I misplaced the key card! I called one of my 2 backup drivers and asked her to unlock and start my car for me. Her App did not allow her to do so, even though it showed the location of my car at City of Rocks...it said "move closer to the car". (She lives in CA). I had to get a ride to Wifi, download the Tesla App, and when I tried using it to unlock the car, it said "you must be closer to the car". When I got to the car, I was able to unlock and start it using the phone key. After arriving home, I used my App to get Roadside assistance and asked for a phone call when they texted to confirm my location. I explained that I didn't need service, just needed help re-programing my defective card. (I had since found the good card!) The woman on the other end was helpful but it was difficult for her also. We ended up removing the defective key from my profile, though it required a lot of work and also required the "good" key card. I have to call Tesla on Monday (it was Sunday) to get the card re-programmed. Had my difficulty been in a high-traffic or unsafe area I would have been in trouble. The "backup" drivers on my App are there for emergency access to my car, supposedly from any location.
Tesla remotely disabled my vehicle twice (February 28, 2025, and March 6, 2025) without prior notice, legal justification, or a court order. February 28, 2025 – Tesla Disabled My Vehicle for 3 Days My Tesla Model Y was remotely locked without warning, leaving me stranded and unable to use my vehicle. Tesla refused to provide a reason or reinstate access for three days. March 6, 2025 – Tesla Disabled My Vehicle Again & Attempted Repossession Tesla again remotely disabled my vehicle, then sent a tow truck for repossession without legal notice. I called the police, who confirmed Tesla had no legal repossession order. Tesla refused to restore access, forcing me into a coerced “voluntary surrender.” How This Posed a Safety Risk I was stranded in public locations without notice or transportation alternatives. Had the vehicle been in motion, this could have caused a road hazard. Tesla’s lack of due process denied me the chance to dispute the action before losing my vehicle. Confirmed by Law Enforcement & Tesla’s Own Records Police intervened on March 6, 2025, and confirmed Tesla had no valid repossession order. Tesla has refused to provide written documentation or a legal explanation for these actions. Regulatory Concerns Tesla’s unilateral ability to disable vehicles raises serious consumer safety issues: What prevents Tesla from disabling vehicles arbitrarily? What legal safeguards exist to protect owners from unjustified manufacturer lockouts? Should federal law restrict Tesla from disabling vehicles without court approval? Request for Investigation Tesla’s remote disabling practice endangers consumers and should be urgently investigated by the federal safety agency to determine if federal safeguards are needed.
I am submitting a complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2023 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle experienced a sudden and complete power loss while in operation, creating a hazardous situation. Below are the details of the incident: •Component/System Failure: The vehicle’s electrical system failed, leading to a shutdown. The following alerts were displayed on the screen: •VCFRONT_a191: Electrical system power reduced – Vehicle shutting down •VCFRONT_a192: Electrical system unable to support all features – Switching off features to conserve energy •BMS_a151: Vehicle may not restart – Service is required •DI_a227: Please wait while high voltage system powers up •Safety Risk: The unexpected shutdown posed a serious safety risk. If this had occurred in high-speed traffic, it could have led to a crash, endangering my safety and that of others on the road. •Reproduction of Issue: The issue has not been reproduced yet, but it is an ongoing concern. I have not received a resolution from Tesla at this time. •Inspection by Authorities: The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Tesla, law enforcement, or insurance representatives. However, I am willing to make it available for investigation. •Warning Signs: There were no prior warning signs before the failure. The alerts appeared shortly before the vehicle lost power completely. This issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of Tesla’s electrical system. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate this matter to prevent potential accidents caused by similar failures in other vehicles.
How did Tesla pass the Safety Standards for the position of rear door handles to manually open the vehicle? The vehicle gets into an accident OR the car plunges into water - and this almost always results in a non-responsive/deal battery. *** The rear passengers are hurt and you want them to find that little piece of rubber mat hidden in a cranny, lift it, and then use their nail to open the plastic cover to reach that piece of junk to manually open the door? ** NO WAY !! Manual door handle in the rear doors should be placed where it's easily accessible, just like you have on the front doors. This is truly a life threatening safety issue with how Tesla has hide the rear passenger manual door handles. Please force Tesla to issue a recall and fix the issue by providing an easy access to manually open the rear door in emergencies. The car gets on fire and rear passengers may burn alive because they won't be able to open the door due to the current system of a super hidden rear door handle. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The Main Display went completely dark and Required Rebooting of the Car when attempting to move the car from the PARKED state to DRIVE state. This was the second occurence of this issue.
Auto parking feature malfunction and backed right rear quarter panel and bumper into a yellow pole in a parking spot.
While Driving, the system prompt electrical system failure. pull to the road side. within 20 or so seconds, the car lost power. About 10 minutes or so later, the whole car (emergency light, door, trunk etc lost power too. Consider the car lost driving power in seconds, then lost emergency light can be highly dangerous to all parties. Before the failure, the car shows "front motor is disabled, power is reduced, OK to drive" This OK to drive turns out not OK to drive, misleading. Now the car is fixed (yet to pickup), reason Front drive unit and pyro fuse were replaced (new car, but with refurnished part).
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle erroneously turned off and had to be manually restarted. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 8,257.
Driving Incident with Auto High Beam: I was driving on the freeway early in the morning with the auto high beam feature activated. However, due to heavy fog, I wanted to turn it off. I asked my passenger to help me find the option on the screen. Unfortunately, she clicked the wrong button, which completely turned off all the lights while we were driving. This caused a moment of panic, and I had to slam the brakes, realizing I had veered off the road. Thankfully, there was no one behind us. While it was an oversight on my passenger’s part, I can’t help but wonder: shouldn’t there be a warning or a disabled button while driving, especially in the dark? I’m not sure if this qualifies as a safety issue, but it certainly felt life-threatening at the moment. Had there been another vehicle behind us or if we had hit a divider, the situation could have been much worse. Suggestion for Improvement: To enhance safety, I suggest implementing a feature that disables the off button in light controls while the vehicle is in motion, especially in low-visibility conditions. Additionally, a clear warning message could pop up if a driver attempts to adjust the lighting settings while driving, ensuring that safety remains the top priority.
The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH in autopilot mode when the vehicle crashed into a tree. After the crash, the vehicle battery caught on fire and there was an explosion. The contact sustained bruises on the left hand that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed but no further information was available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V651000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The failure mileage was unknown.
Got a new battery for the car due to an accident I had back in Feb 2024. The battery lasted me up to August 2024 before I received an error saying that my car won’t charge any more and it’s at maximum charge. I took my car in and the Tesla service center explained there is no physical damage, and that it’s a mechanical issue
I was fully stopped at red light of intersection of [XXX] . Suddenly my vehicle accelerate it self and start auto drive at high speed and malfunction, hitting multiple parked vehicles. My vehicle was on auto holding brake feature. I was not able to control my vehicle, even when I tried pressing the brake. No warnings or alarms from my vehicle when crashes into multiple parked cars. On [XXX] incident happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 24V051000 (Electrical System) and 24V554000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Electrical System); however, the contact was not able to perform the over the air software updates. The contact called and informed the manufacturer that the current operating system software was out of date. The contact stated that the operating system software version was 2023.44.30.8 and the newest version was 2024.20.3. The manufacturer informed the contact that the operating system was adequate. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The hood latch failed and caused the fronk to open and smash the windshield. This happened while the car was on a trailer being transported. The front hood had opened multiple times while in garage over the last few months and unfortunately it decided to open while on the trailer. The hood flew open and smashed the windshield and caused $6k worth of damages and tesla will not pay for the fix even though there is an active recall for hood latch on my tesla Extremely scary and dangerous that this can happen on a brand new 2023 car
We went to Apple pick farm, Homestead Farm, Maryland on August 25th. While we are returning back around 6pm (Fully sunny, no rain and vision clear). After 1 mile from Hoestead Farm, Tesla autopilot hit the side road block and it dragged with scratch and dent on right side of the back door. (That driver can not even control.) Short curve make it scratch. I tried to reach tesla customer care but its did not work. No one pick to answer.
I was driving down I90 with no one in front of me and a clear road. Unexpectedly, the right side passenger airbags exploded and struck me in the face and shoulder. The car immediately braked and I saw a semi truck pass me on the right with pieces of what appeared to be tire debris flying in the air. I pulled over and my car become inoperable. I inspected the outside of the vehicle and there was no damage or collision at all yet the passenger side airbags went off.
In May 2023, after I took my car from the Tesla service center in Santa Ana, I realized there was an issue of shaking and shredding from the motor, and it got worse when I pressed the brakes. That happened when I drove the car down a steep road from [XXX] down to [XXX] in the city of Laguna Beach; Then I drove the car to a different road from [XXX] , then down from [XXX] to [XXX] and [XXX] , where it is down steep as well. Then the same issue showed up, and I couldn't keep pressing break because the shaking got worse, so I let the car roll with shaking till it reached the straight road and stopped. Since then, I have started to avoid steeping, but once, it showed up on another downhill street, which was not as steep as the others. Still, it was a longer downhill, coming from [XXX] down to [XXX] till it splits to [XXX] and [XXX] . At that time, I did not have time to take it to the service because I was very disappointed with them after taking it for several issues several times. They never fixed them, and because I had my mother, who was in critical health issues, I needed to be with her all the time and take her to her appointments for her surgeries and wound care for several months until this year in March. Then I realized that the issue keeps changing from existing to disappearing to existing again. Still, instead of starting at a speed of 1 mile, it begins at 9 miles and disappears at a speed of 11 - 12 miles. It does not have a high level of shaking, but it still exists. I am unsure if that changes with the different updates they do through the air for the car. But the issue still exists, and the shaking levels change. Lately, they have taken it seriously after several attempts to report it and bring it to the service center. After nine days, they concluded that they had tried a similar car. This issue does exist, and it is normal when I have tried multiple cars, including their several demo cars at different times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle misread the Route 10 road sign for the speed limit sign and the vehicle decelerated to 10 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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 9,000.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the feature became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact used the APP, and the vehicle was repaired Over-the-Air (OTA). The contact stated while driving again with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the failure recurred, and the safety features became inoperable. The contact stated that the camera was operable but not communicating with the ADAS- Autonomous Self Driving feature. The contact sent a message to the local dealer to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the ADAS-Autonomous Self Driving started working but then became inoperable again. The contact stated that the failure was related to the ADAS-Autonomous Self Driving System software failure. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
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