2020-2026 Tesla Model Y Problems: 20 Known Issues

After Tesla moved to Vision-Only Autopilot in May 2021, 2021-2022 Model Y (and Model 3) owners reported hundreds of cases of the car suddenly applying brakes for no visible reason at highway speed while Autopilot or TACC is engaged. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened PE22-002 in February 2022 covering ~416,000 vehicles after an initial 354 complaints. The count grew to 758+ by mid-2022 and to 1,845+ in follow-up reporting, a later total that also took in 272 complaints about 2023 models.

NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25010 on September 15, 2025, covering an estimated 174,290 2021 Model Y vehicles after at least 9 reports that the exterior electronic door handles became inoperative when the car's low-voltage (12V) system dropped to insufficient voltage. The exterior handles stop working, and so do the electronic interior door buttons, so the doors cannot be opened electronically and occupants must use the manual release. Several complaints involve parents who had just placed or retrieved children in the rear seats; in four of nine documented cases the parents broke windows to get back in. No low-voltage battery warning appeared before the handles failed. The probe lists 2017-2022 Model 3 and Model Y as peer vehicles and was reported to be widening in late 2025.

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation upgraded its Full Self-Driving probe to an Engineering Analysis (EA26002) on March 18, 2026, covering roughly 3.2 million FSD-equipped Teslas including 2020-2026 Model Y. The alleged defect is in the FSD degradation-detection system: when roadway visibility is reduced by sun glare, fog, dust or other airborne obstructions, the system may fail to detect the degraded condition or warn the driver in time to take over, and may lose track of — or never detect — a lead vehicle. NHTSA cited nine crashes tied to the condition, including one fatality and two injury crashes, with six additional incidents under analysis. An Engineering Analysis is the last procedural step before the agency can demand a recall. Owner complaints on 2025 Model Y independently describe FSD steering into barriers and guardrails and failing to recognize signals and stop signs.

NHTSA complaints on the 2025 Model Y show a persistent cluster of forward-collision-avoidance failures separate from FSD steering behavior: the vehicle applies hard automatic braking on clear, open road with no obstacle present, most often near overpasses, shadows, oncoming traffic on curves and roadside signage. Owners report the deceleration is severe enough to create a rear-end risk from following traffic. A recurring aggravating factor in the complaints is that the AEB setting cannot be permanently turned off — any reduction or disabling of the setting resets to the default at the start of each drive, so an owner who has experienced repeated false events cannot durably opt out. A smaller subset of the same complaint group reports the opposite failure, with AEB not engaging when a collision was imminent.

Software release 2024.38.3 introduced a defect on 2020-2025 Model Y (and 2017-2025 Model 3, 2024 Cybertruck) vehicles in which the tire pressure monitoring system warning telltale would reset when the vehicle was powered down or went to sleep between drives. As a result, the TPMS malfunction telltale did not persist across drive cycles as required by FMVSS 138, S4.4(b)(3), so a driver may not be adequately warned of potential tire under-inflation. The recall covers approximately 694,000 vehicles.

On 2020-2021 Model Y built March 2021-June 2021, the two fasteners connecting the front lower control arm (lateral link) to the subframe were not torqued to spec at the factory. The bolts can back out over time, allowing the lateral link to separate from the subframe and causing sudden loss of wheel alignment and steering control. NHTSA Recall 21V-835 / Tesla SB-21-31-003 covers inspection and re-torque.

Owners of the refreshed "Juniper" Model Y report creaking, rattling or knocking noises from the front suspension at low speed and over uneven pavement, broken pavement, speed bumps and driveway transitions. The noise is often present from delivery and is one of the most widely reported complaints on the refreshed platform. Tesla traced the condition to the front upper control arm (FUCA) mounts and to the internal seating/valving of the front damper assemblies, with the wiper bracket 'pencil braces' contributing. Tesla issued two campaign-classified service bulletins on May 8, 2026 — SB-25-31-005 and SB-26-31-003 — that formally acknowledge the condition. Because they are Campaign Bulletins, the diagnosis and repair are covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty rather than charged to the owner.

2020-2024 Model Y (especially Performance trim, which sits ~10mm lower) is delivered with aggressive, non-adjustable rear negative camber that causes severe inner-edge wear on the rear tires. The factory rear camber cannot be changed via standard alignment — only toe is adjustable. Owners commonly replace rear tires every 15-25k miles, with some Performance owners going through 3 sets in 60k miles. The 400+ lb-ft of instant rear-wheel torque combined with the vehicle's 4,400-4,600 lb weight amplifies the wear.

The front hood (frunk) latch assembly contains a small latch switch that can deform in service. Once deformed, the vehicle no longer detects that the hood is unlatched, so no 'hood open' warning is shown on the touchscreen. A driver who closes the frunk incompletely gets no alert, and the hood can then fully open at speed, blocking forward vision and in some reported cases shattering the windshield. NHTSA recall 24V554000 covers 2020-2024 Model Y (plus 2017-2024 Model 3, 2013-2024 Model S and 2016-2024 Model X) for this defect; the latches were supplied by Magna Closures. Complaints of the hood suddenly opening at highway speed with no prior warning continue on 2025 Model Y vehicles outside the recall population, including reports that the secondary mechanical safety catch failed to hold.

2020-2023 Model Y crossovers built at Fremont, Giga Austin and Giga Berlin can leak water into the rear trunk and subtrunk through gaps around the liftgate lamp studs and connector, and through inadequate liftgate sealing. Owners report standing water in the spare-tire well, soaked carpet, and water cascading out when the trunk is opened after rain. Tesla released SB-23-10-003 (April 2023) to reseal the assembly.

Early-production (2020-2021) Model Y owners report the panoramic rear glass cracking, sometimes spontaneously, sometimes from minor flex. Owners reported cracks appearing during cold-weather closing of the trunk. Tesla has not issued a recall, and owners report that warranty claims for spontaneous rear-glass breakage have been denied. Similar rear-glass breakage has also been reported on later builds, including cold-weather cases on 2023 Shanghai-built Model Y and on the 2025+ refreshed Model Y.

On 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built roughly Feb 24 to Oct 11, 2023 (Feb 28 for Model 3), running software prior to 2023.38.4, the printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist can experience an overstress condition. This causes a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle comes to a stop and then accelerates again, requiring much greater steering effort, especially at low speeds. The defect followed a lengthy NHTSA investigation (PE23-014, upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA24-001) that collected more than 2,300 complaints alleging loss of steering or steering control, including at least one crash. Tesla recalled 376,241 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in February 2025.

On 2020-2022 Model Y, the heat pump's Electronic Expansion Valve (EXV) in the Octovalve supermanifold can stick open if controller communication is interrupted, causing loss of cabin heat and reduced windshield defrost performance in sub-freezing temperatures (especially -10C/14F or colder). In severe cases the AC compressor and Octovalve must be replaced. Tesla recalled ~26,681 vehicles (NHTSA 22V-050, Feb 2022) across Model S/X/3/Y running firmware 2021.44 through 2021.44.30.6 for the software-related issue, but hardware failures also occur, especially in extreme cold.

On 2026 Model Y (built ~Mar 15 to Aug 15, 2025) and 2025 Model 3 vehicles, a battery pack contactor can open unexpectedly because of a poor coil-termination connection in the contactor's solenoid. When it opens, the flow of electricity from the high-voltage battery to the drive motor(s) stops, causing a sudden loss of propulsion with no advance warning; the screen then instructs the driver to pull over safely. The contactor solenoid was supplied by a third party (Sistemas Mecatronicos/InTiCa) and built into SongChuan contactors. Tesla identified 36 warranty claims and 26 field reports. The recall covers 12,963 vehicles, of which roughly 7,925 are 2026 Model Y.

Leaving Sentry Mode and/or Cabin Overheat Protection enabled on 2020-2024 Model Y causes 7-14% HV pack drain per day plus accelerated 12V battery cycling, because the car keeps the HV system live, cameras recording, and the Autopilot computer processing video continuously. Owners report dead 12V batteries, range anxiety, and inability to drive after a few unplugged days. Tesla added throttling in 2024.32.6 and a ~40% reduction in 2024.38.4, but baseline drain remains substantial.

On certain 2023-2025 Model Y (and 2023-2025 Model X, 2024-2025 Model 3/S) vehicles, the vehicle's computer (infotainment/MCU) circuit board can short due to a reverse-current condition on startup. When this happens, the rearview camera image fails to appear when the driver shifts into reverse, leaving a blank screen and forcing reliance on mirrors and shoulder checks — a violation of FMVSS 111 rear-visibility requirements. Tesla discovered the issue in November 2024 after a rising number of warranty computer replacements for shorted boards. The recall covers more than 239,000 vehicles.

Certain 2026 Model Y vehicles built between February 6, 2025 and July 26, 2025 were delivered with one or both reverse lamps inoperative. The root cause is a wiring defect in the rear fascia harness — an improperly seated terminal pin or connector produces a loss of continuity in the rear lamp circuit. Reverse lamps that do not illuminate when the vehicle is shifted into reverse both reduce the driver's rearward illumination at night and remove the visual cue that warns pedestrians and other drivers that the vehicle is about to back up, and they put the vehicle out of compliance with the federal lighting standard. NHTSA campaign 25V658000; Tesla reference SB-25-17-011.

The 2025-2026 'Juniper' refresh kept a physical turn-signal stalk (unlike the refreshed Model 3, which moved signals to steering-wheel buttons), but owners report the redesigned stalk is unreliable. It frequently will not 'hold' a continuous signal — many drivers report only about three blink cycles before it cancels, requiring repeated re-pressing or holding the stalk through a turn. The stalk lacks the traditional detented second click that latches the signal on, and owners on Tesla forums describe it as flimsy/cheap-feeling and counter-intuitive, a genuine safety annoyance because signals stop mid-maneuver. This is a design/usability defect rather than a recall.

Multiple Model Y owners report the windshield spontaneously cracking while using cabin preconditioning or the defrost function in cold weather. Owners describe cracks appearing as the heating system warms the cold glass, and at least one reports a shop seeing the same crack in the same place on another car, suggesting thermal stress on the windshield (sometimes attributed to the defrost/heating airflow and the heated-glass or windshield design). Because Tesla windshields are large, curved, and expensive, and the cracks are not the result of road debris, owners frequently dispute warranty coverage. This is an owner-documented pattern rather than a formal recall.

Approximately 170-172 2026 Model Y vehicles built in a narrow window between April 15 and April 20, 2025 left the factory with a defective wiper arm washer hose elbow connector. The connector can block the washer nozzles so that no washer fluid reaches the windshield when the driver requests a wash. Because the Model Y relies on camera-based driver assistance that shares the windshield, and because the driver has no other way to clear road salt, bug splatter or film at speed, a dead washer circuit is a direct visibility hazard. NHTSA campaign 25V359000; Tesla reference SB-25-17-006. This required a physical service visit rather than an over-the-air update — it was the first hardware recall on the refreshed Model Y.