KnownCarProblems2026 Tesla Model Y Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 407 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Tesla Model Y, most often about the driver assistance (36% of complaints). It is 4th of 7 Model Y model years by number of complaints and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2026 Tesla Model Y problems
Driver assistance
145 complaints · 36%Parts named most often: adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, warnings, assist.
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the full self driving mode activated, the vehicle struck the garage wall, damaging the rear passengerâs side door. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that the dealer had previously provided mobile…
Other or unspecified
124 complaints · 31%Electrical
57 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 5,500 miles. Parts named most often: adas.
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH with the ADAS autonomous self driving mode activated and the Tesla navigator set to operate lane changes, the vehicle attempted to enter the ez-pass lanes while the gates were down, and the contact had to take corrective action. The…
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the contact's husband was driving at 70 MPH, the self-drive feature failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle aggressively jerked into the merging lane. The contact stated that the vehicle almost crashed into a concrete…
Steering
49 complaints · 12%Speed control
33 complaints · 8%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…
The contact is a police officer from the simi police department, who called on behalf of the owner of a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated the owner was driving at 30 MPH with full autopilot mode with direction destination set, the vehicle increased in speed to make a u-turn on the opposite side of a driveway…
Body and structure
31 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud pop coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the glass on the passengerâs side had shattered, and glass had fallen inside the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the…
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, while other vehicles were driving beside the vehicle, or when the wind was blowing, the vehicle unexpectedly moved to the left or right. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be…
Suspension
31 complaints · 8%Brakes
28 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: antilock.
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…
The contact owns aâ 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 MPH into a parking spot, the contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle drove over a parking bump, struck a bench, and the automatic emergency braking system engaged, preventing the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2026 Tesla Model Y recalls
Suspension: critical fasteners
Risk: A lateral link separation could shift the wheel alignment, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Tesla service will tighten or replace the fasteners and check wheel the alignment, free of charge. In addition, tesla service will replace any related parts that may have been damaged as necessary. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed october 30, 2026. Owners may contact tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is sb-26-31-004.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model y vehicles. One or more front suspension lateral link fasteners may not have been properly tightened, allowing the lateral link to loosen or separate from the sub-frame.
Air bags: knee bolster
Risk: A noncompliant vehicle may have reduced occupant protections, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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 [email protected]. Tesla's number for this recall is sb-26-00-004.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model y and 2024 model 3 vehicles. The vehicles were originally built for a foreign market and do not have knee air bags, may not be equipped with certain interior safety countermeasures, and may not have been tested for bumper impact resistance procedures. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard numbers, 208, "occupant crash protection," 201, "occupant protection in interior impact," and part 581, "bumper standards."
Equipment: labels
Risk: Missing weight information provided by the label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2025-2026 model y vehicles. The certification label may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 c.f.r. Part 567, "certification."
Electrical: fuses, relays, contacts, and shunts
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2025 model 3 and 2026 model y vehicles. The battery pack contactors may fail, causing a loss of drive power.
Electrical: wiring
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model y vehicles. The reverse lights may fail to illuminate while the vehicle is in reverse, due to a defect in the wiring. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Electrical: horn
Risk: An inoperable horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers as needed, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model y vehicles. The ring terminal of the horn ground wire may be improperly secured, allowing the circuit to open and preventing the horn from sounding.
Seats: critical fasteners
Risk: The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model 3 and model y vehicles. The fasteners attaching the seat back to the seat bottom may have been improperly tightened.
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: The inability to clean the windshield reduces the driverâs visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Tesla, inc. (tesla) is recalling certain 2026 model y vehicles. The hose connector may block the windshield washer nozzles, preventing washer fluid from reaching the windshield. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 104, "windshield wiping and washing systems."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fsd collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) is opening this engineering analysis to evaluate teslaâs full self driving beta and full self driving (supervised) (collectively, fsd) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the systemâs ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time to respond. Odi will evaluate the performance of fsd in degraded roadway conditions and the updates or modifications by tesla to the degradation detection system, including the timing, purpose, and capabilities of the updates, and teslaâs assessment of their safety impact. Teslaâs fsd is an
Traffic safety violations while full self driving ("fsd") is engaged
Summary
The office of defects investigation (âodiâ) is opening this preliminary evaluation (pe) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of fsd executing driving maneuvers that constitute traï¬c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of fsd that tesla has labeled as "fsd (supervised)" and "fsd (beta)." tesla characterizes fsd as an sae level 2 partial automation system requiring a fully attentive driver who is engaged in the driving task at all times. Level 2 partial automation systems are designed to support and assist the driver in performing certain aspects of the driving task, requiring a driver to supervise and intervene as necessary.â the driver r
Compliance with standing general order 2021-01 reporting requirements
Summary
The office of defects investigation (âodiâ) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by tesla, inc. (âteslaâ) in response to standing general order 2021-01 (the âsgoâ), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the standing general order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis. Preliminary engagement betwe
Actually smart summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
Summary
On january 6, 2025, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened preliminary evaluation 24003 (pe24033) to investigate actually smart summon (summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to tesla, summon is a short-distance sae level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private property. Odi analyzed complaint data provided by tesla as well as complaints submitted to odi from consumers to identify summon incidents resulting in crashes. Odi's analysis indicates that almost all summon reported crashes involved minor property damage claims with no reported incidents involving a vu
Questions about the 2026 Tesla Model Y
- What are the most common problems with the 2026 Tesla Model Y?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: driver assistance (145 complaints); other or unspecified (124 complaints); electrical (57 complaints, typically around 5,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2026 Tesla Model Y have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 31, 2026 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2026 a bad year for the Tesla Model Y?
- It is 4th of 7 Model Y model years by number of complaints, with 407 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.