Tesla Model Y fire or smoke problems

Filed Apr 9, 2026 · Driver assistance · OH · crash · fire · 2 injuries

The contact stated that they rented a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the vehicle was supervised in autonomous mode when it suddenly turned left while driving at approximately 45 MPH, causing it to hit an electrical box nearby. The vehicle then steered itself back onto the road and shortly after, turned off the road towards the right and crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. There were no warnings or notifications that were displayed during the incident. The air bags did deploy. The vehicle did not allow the driver to correct the direction of the vehicle or disable the autonomous mode setting. The vehicle had caught on fire. The contact and the other passenger, sitting in the front passenger seat of the vehicle at the time, were able to exit the vehicle. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The police department was contacted, and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The contact received a broken left wrist, a sprained right foot, and seat belt bruising to their lower stomach and chest area. The passenger in the vehicle received seat belt bruising. Medical attention was needed. The contact rented the vehicle through Turo and informed the person they had rented from. The contact was not sure if the incident was reported to the dealer or manufacturer by the owner. The contact stated their attorney contacted the manufacturer and informed them of the incident in an attempt to retrieve data information from the vehicle at the time of the incident. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Apr 2, 2026 · Electrical · FL · fire · 2 injuries

On December 2, 2025, my Tesla was charging in the garage of my residence in [XXX] , when a fire appears to have originated in or around the vehicle area. Before the fire, I smelled smoke/burning and also heard popping sounds. The fire spread rapidly and resulted in the destruction of my home, creating an immediate and severe risk to the safety of all occupants and anyone nearby. This incident exposed those present to danger from flames, smoke inhalation, toxic fumes, and structural collapse, and it caused emergency evacuation and displacement. The fire department identified the garage or vehicle area as the origin. The exact component or system that failed is unknown at this time, but the circumstances indicate a possible failure involving the vehicle, charging system, battery system, or related electrical components. I am not aware of any prior battery, charging, or electrical warning messages before the incident. Emergency responders and insurance representatives were involved after the fire. I previously attempted to notify Tesla of this incident, but I did not receive a response. Because this event involved a catastrophic fire and total residential loss, I believe it should be reviewed as a serious vehicle safety matter and that all relevant vehicle data, charging data, components, and related evidence should be preserved for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 9, 2026 · Driver assistance, Steering · CA · crash · fire · 3 injuries

On Saturday morning January 3, 2026 I was driving with my wife, daughter and dog. There was light rain at the time and I had my adaptive cruise set at approximately 72 mph. I was driving our 2024 Tesla Y. At approximately 10:21am the rear of car began to slide right as we entered gradual left curve, possibly because we hit water on road. I tried to slightly correct right and when I did that the steering wheel aggressively corrected back left which put us into a slide. Within a second we hit a tree on the passenger side. The impact was severe and on the passenger side door where my wife was sitting. At that time I theorize that my dog was ejected out of the back window and thrown across the freeway. We then rolled in the other direction (I dont know how many times) down a hill and settled upside down. I immediately smelled smoke and began to try get out of my seatbelt but I couldn’t. I carry a knife and I was able to cut myself out. I then tried to open door and could not so I began punching the glass and eventually got it moving and pushed on it and got it open. I slid myself out, turned around and saw car was on fire. I pulled my daughter out and then began extracting my wife. She was unconscious and had obvious orthopedic injuries. I am 100% confident that had I been driving my other vehicle (non Tesla) that this accident would have NOT occurred. The Tesla and its steering system caused this accident. On top of that, the batteries immediately caught fire, my seatbelt release button did not work, and the electric door button did not work. Had I not been carrying a knife and strong enough to punch door open this story would have ended up differently. The car completely burned. As far as I know, this was the first time this exact issue presented itself. However, when looking online its seems this issue is fairly common with Teslas in wet weather.

Filed Jan 23, 2026 · Electrical · MA · crash · fire

The contact's client owned a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his client was driving at an undisclosed speed under 60 MPH, the vehicle caught fire in an unknown location. The origin of the fire was unknown. The contact stated that his client attempted to unlock the vehicle doors, but the driver's handle did not work as intended, trapping the contact's client in the burning vehicle. The contact stated that the police and fire department arrived, but were not able to get close enough to the vehicle due to the inferno. The contact's client succumbed to the fire. The fire department extinguished the fire after approximately 40 minutes. The vehicle was destroyed but towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was notified of the fatality. No further information was available as of yet. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Oct 27, 2025 · Electrical · SC · crash · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle made a left turn independently onto oncoming traffic while on autopilot, causing her to collide with another vehicle, and the vehicle caught fire during the incident. The contact stated that air bags deployed. The contact stated his wife sustained major injuries to the spine and spleen, causing her to have surgery, a right shoulder fracture, and multiple fractures to the right side of her face, a concussion to the head, right eye laceration, and both arms, a fractured nose. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to Owens Body Shop. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire on the scene. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The contact mentioned the seat belt had retracted during the impact. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact about a USB drive in the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Oct 23, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · NJ · crash · fire · 1 injury

There was a sudden unintended acceleration and the brake did not work, causing a major accident. Car caught fire and door would not open. The car has completely engulfed. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. Vehicle has been inspected by insurance and police, but not by manufacturer.

Filed Oct 10, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · 4,900 miles · CA · crash

The contact owned a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal to attempt to stop at a stop sign, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact mentioned that when attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle crashed into a curb and merged into a landscaping facility. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into neutral, then reverse. The vehicle began to work as intended, and he looked out of his rearview mirror. He could see smoke coming from the rear passenger side, and he heard an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger tire. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnosis was unknown. The contact mentioned the dealer, and insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 4,900.

Filed Jul 13, 2025 · Electrical · TX · fire · 1 injury

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)

Filed Jul 2, 2025 · Electrical · OR

Plugged a charger cord for a Garmin watch into the center console USBC right side port. Overnight the USBC port, while connected to the cord but not to the watch or any other device, overheated and melted. It burned the cords male connection into two pieces and melted plastic into the center console. The male end of the cord is now fused into the USBC port of the car. No messages/alerts on the car. Manufacturer inspected and invoiced $970.00 for parts and labor. From forums online this is not the first instance a similar situation has occurred. Assuming paper or another flammable substance was in the console, it would have caught fire

Filed Jun 26, 2025 · Steering · 40,000 miles · NY · crash · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 - 50 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact stated that while attempting to regain control of the vehicle and attempting to correct the steering wheel, the vehicle kept going to the right and to the left independently. The contact was unable to regain control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle struck a railing and a concrete divider with the passenger’s side front bumper and then the rear passenger’s side quarter panel, and the vehicle spun around on the highway and came to a stop. The contact pressed the emergency latch to exit the vehicle out of fear that the vehicle might catch on fire. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side tire was pushed back due to the impact. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that all the air bags deployed as designed. The vehicle was towed to a local Collision Center. A Police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was deemed destroyed by the Insurance Provider. The contact sustained injuries to the upper back, left shoulder, right elbow, and neck; however, there were no broken bones reported. The contact received medical attention for the injuries sustained. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.