Car has been steering erratically, but suddenly accelerated in reverse, nearly hitting a friend’s car that was parked. Two other near misses since the last update
Tesla Model Y sudden acceleration problems
109 of the 4,372 owner complaints about the Tesla Model Y describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2023 model year.
- owner complaints
- 109
- worst model year
- 2023
- typical mileage
- 2,000
By model year
Often reported together
No deployment 7Adaptive cruise 7Jerking 6Collision warning 4Brake failure 3ABS 3Power steering loss 2Phantom braking 1
What owners say
Subject: Suspected Sudden Unintended Acceleration While Reversing — Tesla Collision on October 25, 2026 On October 25, 2026, at approximately 11:00 AM Pacific Time, I experienced an unexpected acceleration incident while reversing my Tesla on my property. I was reversing slowly when the vehicle lightly contacted another car that I own. Immediately afterward, the Tesla unexpectedly accelerated backward at a much higher speed and struck my garage with considerable force. The garage impact brought the Tesla to a complete stop. The vehicle subsequently moved forward and stopped. Fortunately, nobody was in the vehicle's path. However, the incident created a serious risk of injury, particularly if children or pedestrians had been nearby. I visited a Tesla Service Center after the incident. I was instructed to obtain a Tesla privacy data report, but I have not yet received a technical explanation. My preliminary review of Tesla's vehicle data indicates that the recorded accelerator signal increased from approximately 4.4% to 100%, reverse speed reached approximately 12.4 mph, and a crash-related event and braking activity were registered. I do not remember my exact foot position during the incident. I cannot determine whether the acceleration was caused by physical pedal input, an electronic or mechanical fault, or another factor. I am requesting that the federal safety agency review this incident as a potential vehicle safety concern. My primary objective is to understand what happened and help prevent similar incidents from causing serious injury or death. I can provide the original Tesla privacy report, photographs, and additional details upon request.
On September 23, 2026, the vehicle was being driven at low speed when the driver experienced sudden and unexpected acceleration. The vehicle rapidly accelerated and a collision occurred. The driver reports that she did not intentionally accelerate the vehicle to this degree. Vehicle data and the Event Data Recorder (EDR) were subsequently obtained. The data records the vehicle accelerating from approximately 0 mph to approximately 35 mph in about four seconds, with the recorded accelerator-pedal-position signal reaching 100%. The EDR does not record brake application before the first crash trigger. Vehicle data records driver brake application shortly after the initial crash trigger, including ABS activity. The cause of the accelerator-pedal-position signal is UNKNOWN. It has not been determined whether the recorded signal resulted from driver pedal application, the accelerator pedal/sensor system, or another vehicle system. I am reporting this because of the sudden acceleration and severity of the resulting collision and would like the incident reviewed as a potential vehicle safety issue. The EDR also indicates that airbag and seat-belt pretensioner deployment was not commanded during either of the two recorded crash events. Given the severity of the collision, I am also reporting the lack of airbag deployment as a safety concern. I do not know whether the collision met the applicable deployment thresholds. The vehicle is available for inspection. The EDR report and complete raw vehicle-data CSV have been preserved. There were no known warning messages indicating an accelerator problem before the incident.
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. While the vehicle was parked and attempting to shift into drive(D), the brake pedal was depressed, and the driver attempted to select the gear, but the gear display icon appeared semi-transparent. The driver was able to select the intended gear after several attempts; however, upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated at a higher speed and struck a tree. The air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported, and a Police report was not filed. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode was not activated during the failure. The vehicle was driven to a collision repair center to repair the damage. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and requested assistance retrieving data from the Event Data Recorder (EDR); however, no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the unintended acceleration. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Vehicle: 2024 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX]) Incident Date: [Insert Date] Current Mileage: 4,094 Description: "While operating the vehicle at low speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden, uncommanded acceleration event. Despite immediate and sustained application of the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to decelerate as intended, indicating a critical failure of the braking-override system and/or the drive-by-wire acceleration logic. This represents a catastrophic safety defect that resulted in an uncontrolled trajectory. Furthermore, Tesla Inc. has formally refused to release the Event Data Recorder (EDR) data associated with this VIN and timestamp (Ref: DOT Request #xxx). This refusal obstructs a transparent safety analysis of a known 'Sudden Unintended Acceleration' (SUA) event. I am requesting a formal Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) into this specific hardware/software failure and Tesla’s data-withholding practices regarding safety-critical events." I am a XXX and the threat is to take the loaner car away my only transportation from [XXX] to [XXX] for my XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am writing to bring to your immediate attention a serious safety incident involving our brand‑new 2026 Tesla Model Y (Juniper), equipped with FSD version 14.2.2.5 and Software Version 2025.45.10. We purchased this vehicle as our dream car, and for nearly six months it delivered exactly what we hoped for—innovation, safety, and an exceptional driving experience. That trust was the foundation of our decision to choose Tesla. On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] in Frisco, TX, that trust was shaken by a sudden and alarming event. After coming to a stop and while making a routine right turn at under 10 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated on its own, causing an immediate loss of control. The entire incident unfolded in seconds, leaving no opportunity to react or correct the vehicle’s behavior. The incident happened at the intersection of [XXX]. The "Autopilot" feature in Tesla was on at the time of the incident. The impact was severe. The airbags deployed, the vehicle was declared a total loss by insurance, and first responders—including the Frisco Police Department—were required to clear the wreckage. My wife sustained injuries in the crash and continues to recover. Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the acceleration was abrupt and not driver‑initiated. The emotional and physical toll has been significant. More importantly, the nature of this incident raises serious concerns about a potential safety issue that could affect other Tesla owners. We feel compelled to ensure this incident is thoroughly examined. If there is a systemic issue—software‑related or otherwise—it is critical that it be identified and addressed to protect other drivers and uphold the integrity of the Tesla name. We truly miss our vehicle and the confidence we once had in it. We hope Tesla will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and provide a transparent path forward. Thank you for your time, attention, and commitment to safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
This is Reference my existing ODI number 11742309. On June 4, 2026, while driving slowly into a parking space, the vehicle experienced a sudden and unintended acceleration. I applied the brake, but the vehicle did not respond as commanded, resulting in a collision. The vehicle was approximately 3 months old at the time of this incident.
I was driving my Tesla in self drive mode, and ibecause it started raining. I reduce the speed to standard. I had a notification on the screen, an alert in red. That the tesla reached the maximum speed in that mode “standard”. I was surprised and decided ti canceled the FSD feature and took control of the vehicle. Then when I was driving in the expressway very close to my exit on the right lane, the car accelerated by itself and turn to the left unexpectedly. I tried to returned the car to my lane and I never had control again of the car. Not the steering wheel, not the breaks responded. I was spinning on the expressway until I hit the concrete barrier with the rear bumper. Hopefully I did not hit any car nor they didn’t hit me. The car shutdown after the impact. Tesla sent me the footage of the impact, ignoring the moment that caused that incident that was some seconds before. The brakes were automatically turned onz and the wheels did not move. I know something wrong happened. Specially because the incident some minutes before when I was driving in standard mode and accelerated with no reasons. I have safety concerns. Also I noticed that after the last upgrades the car was havung navigation issues that I reported immediately when the autopilot was removed and we have to select the options.
On 05/31/2026, while Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) was actively engaged, the vehicle was taking the La Brea Avenue entrance ramp onto the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles, CA. FSD suddenly accelerated aggressively and the vehicle drifted hard to the left without any driver steering input. The driver was forced to hit the brakes and manually override steering to prevent a serious accident. The behavior felt like a system glitch. Both driver-side wheels sustained severe impact damage and are confirmed cracked. Tesla Service Center confirmed the damage in writing on 06/08/2026 and quoted $2,325.74 in repairs. This dangerous FSD behavior matches the pattern currently under active the federal safety agency engineering analysis.
On XXX at approximately 9:30am, my 2026 Tesla Model Y suddenly accelerated without driver input while parking at The Center at [XXX], [XXX]. Vehicle surged forward unexpectedly. I immediately applied brakes. No warning messages appeared before or during the incident. Vehicle struck parking lot curb. Police responded and vehicle was towed. Physical evidence including tire drag marks and vehicle debris remain at scene. Requesting full EDR data log preservation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Tesla Model Y sudden acceleration
Which Tesla Model Y years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2023 (36 complaints), 2021 (23 complaints) and 2024 (15 complaints).
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