2026 TESLA MODEL Y — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 315 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (73 complaints · 23.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 67
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 23
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2025 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE appears in 73 of 315 owner complaints (23.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 73 complaints, 23.2% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 73 · 23.2% · 22 crash reports LANE DEPARTURE: 24 complaints, 7.6% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 24 · 7.6% · 6 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 23 complaints, 7.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 7.3% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 16 complaints, 5.1% of reports STEERING 16 · 5.1% SUSPENSION: 16 complaints, 5.1% of reports SUSPENSION 16 · 5.1% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 15 complaints, 4.8% of reports STRUCTURE 15 · 4.8% · 1 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 11 complaints, 3.5% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 · 3.5% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 10 complaints, 3.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 · 3.2% · 2 crash reports BACK OVER PREVENTION: 7 complaints, 2.2% of reports BACK OVER PREVENTION 7 · 2.2% · 4 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 227 complaints, 72.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 227 · 72.1% · 55 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 73 23.2% 22 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 24 7.6% 6 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 7.3% 5 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 16 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 16 5.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 15 4.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 3.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 3.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
BACK OVER PREVENTION 7 2.2% 4 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 227 72.1% 55 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2025; the first recall shown was reported in May 2025. 2025-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2025-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 2025-Q4: 83 owner reports 83 2026-Q1: 73 owner reports 73 2026-Q2: 69 owner reports 69 2026-Q3: 47 owner reports 47 Owner reports Jan 2025 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 25V359000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V359000 Recall campaign 25V410000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V410000 Recall campaign 25V490000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V490000 Recall campaign 25V658000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V658000 Recall campaign 25V690000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V690000 Recall campaign 26V315000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V315000 Recall campaign 26V445000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V445000 Investigation PE24033 ● Investigation PE24033 Investigation AQ25002 ● Investigation AQ25002 Investigation PE25012 ● Investigation PE25012 Investigation EA26002 ● Investigation EA26002
  • Campaign 25V410000 was reported 44 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V490000 was reported 56 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V658000 was reported 121 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V690000 was reported 130 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 26V315000 was reported 379 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 26V445000 was reported 295 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2025-Q2 Owner reports 15
2025-Q3 Owner reports 28
2025-Q4 Owner reports 83
2026-Q1 Owner reports 73
2026-Q2 Owner reports 69
2026-Q3 Owner reports 47
Recall campaign 1 25V359000
Recall campaign 1 25V410000
Recall campaign 1 25V490000
Recall campaign 1 25V658000
Recall campaign 1 25V690000
Recall campaign 1 26V315000
Recall campaign 1 26V445000
Defect investigation 1 PE24033
Defect investigation 1 AQ25002
Defect investigation 1 PE25012
Defect investigation 1 EA26002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V359000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    The inability to clean the windshield reduces the driver’s visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla service will inspect and replace the wiper arm elbow connector as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-20-001.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V410000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla Service Centers will inspect and tighten or replace the seat assembly fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-13-003.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V490000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    An inoperable horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers as needed, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla service will replace the steering wheel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were be mailed September 23, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-17-009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V658000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Reverse lights that fail to illuminate reduce visibility and may not alert pedestrians or other drivers that the vehicle is backing up, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla Service will replace the reverse lights and reverse facia harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 26, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-17-011.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V690000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla Service will replace the battery pack contactors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-16-005.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 26V315000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    Missing weight information provided by the label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla Service will inspect and install a certification label as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-19-002.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 26V445000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    A noncompliant vehicle may have reduced occupant protections, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla will repurchase noncompliant vehicles currently registered in the United States, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 5, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 or resolutions@tesla.com. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-00-004.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 315 complaints · page 1 of 13

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources