Tesla Model Y overheating problems

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA

On XXX (4:59 PM and 5:47 PM) and XXX (7:49 AM), while driving, my 2021 Tesla Model Y (approx. 41,500 miles) displayed "Steering assist reduced" (UI_a020), each followed within about a minute by "Lane Departure Avoidance unavailable" (APP_w264). [Add if true: The steering felt noticeably heavier when the alert appeared.] The vehicle's 12V system tested healthy in Service Mode (13.32 V, DC-DC output normal). Tesla Service ([XXX]; service SV02F94980) diagnosed an Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) rack motor control error with limited power output from overheat or overload protection. On XXX, at 41,788 miles, Tesla replaced the steering gear (part 1188832-00-B), along with the front lower compliance and lateral links, and performed an alignment. I paid $4,522.27 out of pocket; Tesla declined goodwill. Losing power steering assist while driving is a safety hazard. The failed rack belongs to the same Mando-manufactured family (XXX) named in recall 25V‑092 and investigation EA24001, which covered only 2023 Model 3 and Model Y. the federal safety agency's complaint database shows a growing number of 2021 Model Y complaints describing the same UI_a020 alert and the same rack replacement, many filed in 2026. I ask the federal safety agency to evaluate whether the defect and remedy should extend to 2021 Model Y vehicles. Invoice attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 6, 2026 · CA

I have a Tesla model Y 2021 still under manufactures warranty. I received holes in radiator for cooling system from road debris ( small pebbles and dirt.). This put a hole in my radiator and Tesla stated at an [XXX] tesla service center the warranty does not cover road debris. I told them this is unreasonable because the design of the vents front of car are too big allowing small pebbles to hit the radiator. this is a design issue. Also I googled other Tesla owner"s having the same issue- YES- thousands of reports from individuals not from Tesla. Also, another issue the problem burned up 3 cooling system pumps and nerver recieved an alert of OVERHEATING stop car do not drive. THe alert was car will reduce some features BUT still safe to drive. Service Center was No help - just thats Tesla policy- BS. Now at this time on the new Tesla "s they are putting a mesh in front of radiator to protect from road debris. I searched for 3rd party grill for protection of my new radiator. Amazon has the s.s. grill that just pops in front of existing grill $35.oo. So Tesla knew they had problems long time ago and never recalled or repaired radiators for customers especially car under warranty. So in short Tesla did not fix a design issue - so third party designed grill to go over existing grill. Third party spent the time and money to design a Tesla design issue and they have sold thousands of them according to stores that sell the 3rd party grill. Also the software should of shut the car down before any damaged occured from overheating or at least said overheating alert! I am requesting that Tesla should have to make all customers whole for repairs on road debris on radiators and a recall to install the new type of grill over existing grill and update software to alert overheating. The radiator was inspected by Tesla service center and the 3 pumps. I still have the old parts in my possession after car was repaired. Tesla model Y INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Electrical · 95,000 miles · CA

The contact owned a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the central computer suddenly overheated. The failure caused the vehicle to stop immediately and disabled other essential safety features. During the failure, the center screen flashed red with a message instructing the driver to take control, followed by a series of unknown error codes and an "APP_W141 ECU thermal alert" warning. After researching, the contact discovered that the failure might have been caused by a recent software update from the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a Tesla Service Center confirmed the failure as a Hardware 3 computer failure. The contact was informed that the system needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · 9,149 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was determined that the front lateral link assembly and full body suspension needed to be replaced. While a USB cord was connected to the USB port, the USB cord overheated and almost burned out due to a battery surcharge, and the air was leaking into the front passenger’s side door. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to turn as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk door latch was rusted and the front windshield wipers activated independently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,149.

Filed Sep 15, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · WA

On or about XXX my Tesla Model Y downloaded FSD version 14 Lite. One day after downloading the software, I used FSD and the new software caused the computer to overheat. This killed the car computer and made FSD, adaptive, cruise control, lane keep assist, reverse camera, and many other functions, including GPS and navigation inoperable. My car’s warranty expired in January of this year and Tesla will not cover the replacement car computer. There are hundreds of other complaints of this issue reported online on [XXX], Reddit, Facebook, etc. In the 2nd quarter Tesla Earnings Call, [XXX] declared that hardware 3 equipped Tesla vehicles would not be able to support autonomous driving with full self driving. He stated every hardware 3 vehicle will need to be updated with a hardware 4 computer and cameras. Since my hardware 3 computer failed, I requested the hardware 4 computer and cameras to be installed, but Tesla denied this service even though [XXX] said it was a requirement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 14, 2026 · Electrical, Transmission · CA

On June 17, 2026, I experienced a severe and life-threatening entrapment inside my 2020 Tesla Model Y. The incident occurred immediately after I finished charging the vehicle for approximately two hours at a charging station under direct sunlight, which left the car extremely hot. After charging, I drove a short distance, parked, and left the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes. Upon my return, my card key failed to unlock the vehicle. After contacting my wife for assistance, I was briefly able to open the door, but I became securely locked inside the cabin as soon as the door closed. The 12V battery had completely failed without any advanced warning or vehicle alarm. All power was lost. The windows were fully rolled up, the climate control stopped, and there was no airflow. The cabin temperature was rapidly rising due to the earlier sun exposure. In a state of panic and facing a dangerously overheating cabin, I called my wife to inform her that I needed to break a window. I struck the windshield to draw the attention of passersby, which cracked the glass but did not shatter it. I then attempted to force a side window outward to establish ventilation and crawled into the back seat to try to open the trunk, but all electronic and external release mechanisms were unresponsive. After regaining composure, I used my phone to look up emergency solutions online and ultimately located the manual mechanical door release. I was able to escape.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · FL

My 2022 Tesla Model Y does not reliably activate the rear air-conditioning vents when a baby is properly restrained in a rear car seat. When the climate system is set to Auto, the rear vents remain off because the vehicle does not detect the baby/car seat as an occupant. When an adult occupies the same rear seat, the vehicle detects the passenger and the rear vents activate automatically. This creates a significant safety concern because the driver can have the climate system running normally and the front of the cabin can be cool, while very little conditioned air is being directed to the rear where the baby is seated. On multiple occasions, my baby has been visibly hot and sweating in the rear car seat even though the front of the cabin felt cool and the front climate system was actively running. The problem is particularly concerning because a baby cannot communicate that they are overheating, and there is no obvious warning to the driver that the rear vents have remained off. A driver could reasonably assume that setting the vehicle’s climate control to Auto is appropriately cooling the occupied cabin. I have been able to reproduce and isolate the issue. Applying approximately 20 pounds of pressure to a particular area of the rear seat cushion causes the vehicle to recognize the seat as occupied and the rear climate vents to activate. Removing that pressure causes the normal behavior to return. This indicates that the automatic rear climate behavior is dependent on an occupancy-detection threshold or location that a properly installed child car seat with a baby may not satisfy. A child occupying a rear seat in an appropriate child restraint is a normal and foreseeable use of the vehicle. The automatic climate-control system should not depend on an occupancy-detection method that can fail to recognize this situation and consequently leave the rear vents off. I believe this presents a huge safety defect and request that the federal safety agency investigate this.

Filed Aug 5, 2026 · Driver assistance · MD · crash

While driving a 2026 Tesla Model Y Premium on [XXX] at approximately [XXX] PM on [XXX] using Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised mode, the vehicle was traveling in the center lane (lane 2 of 3) when it ran over a large whole tire (commercial truck-sized) that was positioned in the center of the lane. The FSD system failed to detect or avoid the tire prior to impact. This incident demonstrates a critical safety limitation: Tesla FSD cannot detect large road obstacles such as a whole commercial truck tire positioned in the center of a highway lane at night. The FSD system showed no warning, took no evasive action, and did not alert the driver prior to the impact. Prior to the incident, there were no warning lamps, error messages, or any abnormal symptoms. All systems were functioning normally. Following the collision, a "Coolant Low - Schedule Service / Climate and driving performance may be limited" warning appeared immediately on the display screen. Upon inspection, all coolant had leaked out completely. Damaged components include: underbody, front bumper lower section, and cooling pump. The cooling pump damage is particularly concerning as it prevents proper battery temperature regulation, creating a significant risk of battery overheating and potential fire. The vehicle is currently at a Tesla-approved collision center. Inspection is still in progress. The vehicle has been reviewed by Tesla Service Center technicians and insurance representatives. Safety concern: Tesla FSD failed to detect and avoid a large, visible whole truck tire in the center of the highway lane at night, resulting in significant underbody damage, complete coolant loss, and cooling pump failure — posing serious battery fire risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 22, 2026 · Engine · NC

A day or two prior I had received an alert that my coolant was low and to get service on my vehicle. Through the Tesla app I was unable to orginally schedule until July but I kept looking and an opening opened up on June 20th. I was on my way to that appointment from New Bern (the nearest service center is 120 miles from my house). I was avoiding highways, driving early AM, and driving at or below the speed limit to try to avoid the car from overheating. The car is pretty much brand new with just over 10k miles. I was only an hour in and had just left Kinston when I got a warning to pull over and then another alert a few moments later as I was trying to get off the parkway that the rear motor was shutting down and I began to lose speed rapidly. I stopped the car which proceeded to make a ton of noise and called roadside assistance. I had never experienced this type of noise before and was worried about combustion. Tesla was excellent at responding, towing, and the car is currently being repaired under warranty but I wanted to report the incident as it is a 2026 model with only 10k miles on it and has not been in an accident. This should not be happening to a brand new car. The latest repair report shows the rear drive inverter inlet hose and the supermanifold coolant pumps required replacing.

Filed May 7, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · MI

The vehicle began experiencing repeated Autopilot/FSD failures while driving. Symptoms included sudden Autopilot disengagements, cruise control becoming unavailable, and loss of road visualization/navigation display functionality. The issue progressively worsened over time. The vehicle was first brought to Tesla service in 2025 for the same overheating-related concern. At that time, Tesla identified a coolant-related issue, topped off the coolant system, and returned the vehicle to service. However, the problem continued and gradually became more frequent and severe afterward. During the most recent service visit, Tesla diagnosed the HW3 Autopilot computer as overheating due to a heat transfer failure between the Autopilot board and cooling cold plate. Tesla stated that heat generated by the board could no longer be efficiently transferred to the coolant system, causing the Autopilot computer to overheat. Tesla further advised that continued operation without repair could eventually impact additional vehicle functions, including the center display screen shutting off due to overheating-related failures. Given the loss of driver-assistance functionality and potential impact to core vehicle systems, I am submitting this report so the issue is documented as a potential thermal management or hardware reliability concern involving the HW3 Autopilot computer system.