Power Train Problems of Tesla Model Y - part 1

On [xxx] I pick up my new Tesla y. On [xxx], while traveling at highway speeds on [xxx] with autopilot "fsd" engaged, my 2026 Tesla Model Y experienced a sudden vehicle shutdown and start giving multiple alerts without warning. The vehicle displayed multiple critical alerts: "vehicle shutdown", "pull over safely", "stability control disabled. " upon the failure, autopilot fsd disengaged, and the power steering immediately became extremely heavy ("hard"), making the vehicle difficult to steer. The car lost all propulsion. I had to manually maneuver the heavy, unpowered vehicle through active highway traffic to reach the shoulder, which created an immediate and severe safety risk. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla service center in fort lauderdale with only 130 miles on the odometer. Technicians confirmed a "major motor failure" of the rear drive unit requiring a full replacement. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On January 29, 2026 my 2023 Tesla Model Y was serviced by Tesla for windshield repair and routine maintenance. Within a week after the service visit, the vehicle began displaying a service warning message on the dashboard. I contacted Tesla and was advised to bring the vehicle back for inspection. Before I could return to the service center, while slowly reversing out of my garage, a large bolt fell from the vehicle and the front left wheel assembly dropped, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. Tesla service later confirmed that a bolt from the front suspension link assembly had detached, resulting in damage to the front halfshaft, steering gear, wheel speed sensor, and other related components. The vehicle had approximately 38,000 miles at the time of failure. This appears to be a critical suspension hardware failure. If this failure had occurred at highway speed it could have resulted in loss of vehicle control and a serious accident. The vehicle had been serviced by Tesla shortly before the incident and had displayed a warning message prior to the failure.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The vehicle display flashed red and then the vehicle turned off completely while in traffic with no ability to change gear, operate the electronic door releases, or turn the hazards on. Safety was put at risk because insufficient notice of failure was given so it was impossible to get out of traffic, the vehicle could not be put in neutral so could not be pushed out of traffic, further the hazard lights could not be turned on so I had to stand in traffic waiving people around the vehicle. Because the electronic door releases didn't work, the doors could not be opened from the outside, had a front window not been open, it would have been easy to trap our child in the car. The dealer confirmed that the failure took place from vehicle logs but was unable to reproduce the problem. The dealer/manufacturer inspected the vehicle. Prior to this happening the vehicle showed warnings that power was reduced and vehicle may not restart about 20 minutes prior to the event, but the warnings disappeared after a minute. Even though Tesla confirmed the failure, they refused to diagnose the problem or fix it so the vehicle remains dangerous.

Tesla Model Y 99,000 km it is known issue with many driver of same model and milage that wire harness connected to oil pump gets hot and damage. This can also cause fire. Many people have been complaining about similar issue on facebook group.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

My heat pump and ac unit went out and Tesla wants me to pay $4000 for a faulty part that broke in less then 3 years.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

A few weeks ago my seatbelt censor started acting up, and then two weeks later that my heater quit. They blamed chewed wiring because of soy based coatings, and set its not in the warranty and accused rodent damage since the rear seat was eaten. I got the call during diagnosis demanding I bring the loaner car because they wanted $1,349. 07 which I did not have because a 9/11 first responder and don't have other insurance accept mandated state minimums, they told me bring the loaner back, on the way home fsd worked till I got towards my putnam county rural route 22 when power steering fsd and power breaks died. I skidded at 25 mph managed to get to park and plug it and leaving it this. So the tech put the plugs together and made the situation worse by plugging chewed harness together. No heat, transport, no car, no door dash money for me, no medical appointment and cant risk losing all steering. When Tesla works, it works very and great car. Had they refused to use soy coatings and stayed with rubber coatings this issue would not be here. How many fsd crashes are result of rodent damage?.

See all problems of the 2025 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

Date of incident: December 8, 2025 mileage at failure: approx. 580 miles vehicle status: at Tesla service center since December 9, 2025 (no repairs started; status shows “preparing”) failure summary while driving 40–45 mph on a busy three-lane road in California, approaching a signalized intersection, the vehicle suddenly displayed multiple red warnings, a “reduced speed” alert, and numerous fault messages. Within 3–5 seconds, propulsion was completely lost. Incident details using residual momentum, I steered across two lanes into a nearby retail parking lot. The vehicle stopped at an angle, partially obstructing traffic. Towing delay & safety risk the vehicle remained stranded for ~4 hours. A flatbed tow arrived ~2 hours later but could not load the vehicle due to inoperative tow mode. A second dolly-equipped tow truck was required, adding ~90 minutes. During this time, the vehicle continued to block traffic and posed a safety hazard. Component/system failure complete propulsion loss and failure of major electrical/control systems, including doors, frunk, trunk, tow mode, and non-responsive key card and phone key. Vehicle remains inoperable. Safety hazard sudden shutdown in a center lane near a major intersection left almost no opportunity to maneuver safely. Extended roadside immobilization and inoperative tow mode further increased risk. Warning prior to failure none, except 3–5 seconds of simultaneous red warnings and fault messages. Problem status ongoing and unresolved. Tesla has not diagnosed or repaired the vehicle and continues to delay the estimated repair date. Inspections vehicle is under evaluation at Tesla service center. No repairs, police, or insurance inspections have been conducted.

While the car was in operation a message popped up with flashing red light and said drive unit issue car powering down. It went into neutral. Turns out the inverter and rear drive unit had to be replaced.

In early Nov 2025 my Tesla Model Y began intermittently showing warnings about the forward collision warning system and multiple sensors being offline. Tesla service replaced a faulty connector on Nov 3. On Nov 15, 2025, about two weeks later, the car had a sudden drivetrain failure while I was parking on a steep hill. I heard a loud bang from the front of the car and the vehicle immediately lost drive power and had to be towed. Tesla diagnosed a failed front motor inverter that blew the high-voltage pyrofuse and damaged the 12v battery; they replaced those parts. The vehicle is available for inspection and the repaired components and records are with Tesla. After that repair the car needed another visit for alignment and has continued to show worrying behavior: “vcfront offline/unable to contact vcfront” in the service menu, repeated “autopilot computer overheating” messages, intermittent loss or reduction of regenerative braking (braking feel changes unpredictably), a rear right seatbelt malfunction warning (later inspected and cleared by Tesla), and what appears to be significantly increased battery drain compared to before the inverter failure. This has now resulted in four service visits within about a month, all at Tesla service centers (no police, insurance, or independent shops involved). Tesla has confirmed the inverter/pyrofuse/12v failure and says the overheating was due to an air pocket in the cooling system, but the vcfront messages, inconsistent regen braking, and increased drain have not been fully resolved or clearly explained. I am concerned that a sudden loss of power, loss of regen, or failure of vcfront/autopilot systems could recur at speed or in traffic, creating a serious safety risk. Please note that I'm only able to view partially-complete paperwork from the latest service appointment in the Tesla app. I have requested this documentation from Tesla and will be able to provide all the service reports and communication as a follow-up.

Detailed description of the defect: Friday incident: while picking up my son from school, the vehicle abruptly disabled multiple safety and driver-assist features. The car rolled backward on a slight incline, failed to display any surrounding vehicles on the fsd visualization, and retained accelerator input even after I removed my foot from the pedal. The vehicle continued to speed up slightly in drive and reverse without my input. Soft resets did not resolve the issue. Monday incident (collision caused by malfunction): on Monday morning, the same malfunction occurred. As I reversed into my garage with the door opening, the car again held the accelerator input after I lifted my foot, causing the vehicle to continue moving backward unexpectedly. The vehicle struck my garage door, causing property damage and a dent to the trunk. This was not driver error. It was unexpected propulsion after pedal release — an extremely dangerous condition.

My 2026 Tesla Model Y with under 3,000 miles experienced a sudden and total loss of power steering while driving. The car became extremely difficult to control. Tesla towed it to their service center, where they claimed it was a software-related issue that could not be replicated. The service center released the car back to me but refused to provide written assurance that the vehicle is safe to drive, stating only that it is “cleared for release. ” I’m concerned this issue could reoccur, creating a risk of loss of control and injury. The lack of transparency and refusal to confirm the vehicle’s safety in writing raises serious safety concerns about potential defects in the steering or software systems.

My 2022 Model Y, 213k miles, battery health 77%, no issues until beginning of November 2025. After Tesla’s update, bms_a079 popped up, capped charge at 22%. No dead cells, no imbalance—pure software bug remotely triggered by Tesla. Service refused written diagnosis, only said ‘nine thousand dollars for new battery. Risk of stranding.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

Two days ago, replaced two rear tires at the american tire depot and ask them to alignment service. After tire replacement, mechanic showed me the front two control leg arms were cracked and seemed it need to be replaced. That looks pretty bad and never had any issue from other vehicle. Contact to Tesla and was told that out of warrant (50k, current mileage 54k) - I found out there are many accident because this .

The Tesla Model Y performance has a tire wear problem that causes uneven wear and creates cupping that occurs within 7500 miles of tire wear. There is also a weird sound even when you have new tires on the vehicle. The noise grows as your speed goes up it is almost painful at 70mph. It is a known issue and Tesla refuses to address the problem even though they are aware of it. This cupping issue creates a loud noise within the vehicle and reduces the tire mileage to under have of the rated mileage. I have taken my Model Y in three times and while they state they are unable to work on the noise unless I replace my tires. I believe there is other problems with the suspension because of the noise the Model Y make regardless of the cupping.

While driving, I heard a loud clicking noise from the front driver side wheel, followed by resistance and dragging of something under the vehicle. I did my best to pull over safely, but I could no longer steer the car. The control arm complete broke off of the wheel, and was now almost resting on the street while the tire/wheel was lodged into the wheel well bent sideways.

I am genuinely concerned about the risk of my 2026 Tesla y catching fire and/or being trapped inside the vehicle leading to death. In the past 30 days, have seen several accidents in Tesla products leading to fires with people trapped inside ultimately perishing. This includes the north miami crash on 10/01/2025. No one in my family will travel inside this 2026 Tesla y due to the fires. They have begged me to stop driving. I purchased this vehicle based on the published safety records including by Tesla. My wife just started cancer treatment and the intention purchasing was for a safe vehicle. Due to my very real concerns, I cannot risk my children being orphaned.

Our new Model Y with only 302 miles lost driving power, reported a high voltage problem, and shutdown in the middle of the street. Within an hour Tesla towed it to the repair center. The next day we picked up a loaner. Throughout the ordeal the Tesla staff have been very friendly. They only needed two days to make the repair. Here is what the technician wrote in the Tesla app. With the vehicle on site found it unresponsive and unable to drive. Towed the vehicle in and pulled vehicle data. Found numerous alerts for contactor power supply being undervoltage. Performed and exhaustive inspection of the right main harness. Found the contactor power supply wire to have a short to ground in the harness. Continued inspection and found the harness to have rubbed through the harness at the right rear c pillar area. Removed the wires and rerouted to prevent damage. Rewrapped the harness and added foam to prevent the issues from returning. Performed a test drive and verified the vehicle is back to working order with no alerts or issues.

Summary of issue: the vehicle has experienced intermittent drive disconnections without warning. This occurred multiple times on August 9–10, 2025, during trips between palo alto and monterey. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection? the suspected component is the drive unit (covered under Tesla’s 8-year drive unit & battery warranty). The vehicle and its systems remain available for inspection by NHTSA or Tesla. How was safety put at risk? the intermittent drive disconnections can result in sudden loss of propulsion without warning while the car is in motion. If this occurs at highway speeds, it creates a serious safety risk of collision or loss of vehicle control. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? Tesla service has attempted to inspect the vehicle but reported “no fault found. ” because the issue is intermittent, Tesla did not reproduce it during their inspection, though I documented it on August 9–10, 2025. Has the vehicle/component been inspected by the manufacturer or others? yes, the Tesla service center inspected the vehicle 25 August 2025. However, Tesla has refused to provide a detailed record of what diagnostic steps were actually performed (log review, physical inspection, or drive unit stress testing). Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms? no warning lamps or messages appeared at the time of the failures. The vehicle resumed propulsion after several seconds, clearing the condition without leaving an active customer-facing alert. Concern: because the failure is intermittent and leaves no persistent alerts, Tesla has returned the vehicle without resolving the problem or providing adequate documentation. This leaves a potential safety-critical drivetrain failure unaddressed. Requested action: I request that NHTSA investigate potential drive unit intermittent disconnection failures in Tesla Model Y.

June 9, 2025 phantom acceleration. No foot on accelerator. Car jumped from 5 to 35 mph. Breaks unresponsive for 3 seconds, smashed into 4 parked cars, creating a chain-reaction crash, my Tesla Model Y totaled, airbags deployed. Burlington police department arrived, took statements, filed report, no copy yet.

My 2026 Model Y won't stop on the road when I released the gas paddle and even I felt it speeded up a little bit at 35 miles. It put me, my [xxx] daughter and other's safety at risk. I hit on the brake and feel need to hit harder abnormally to slow the car not even mention to stop the car. It took me long way to stop the car. At once I stopped the car, it tried to speed up and I hit the paddle again. Right after, then it tried to rocking back and forth and vibrated finally stopped. I tried serval time to repeat the issue it still exits. And I called Tesla customer service. They haven't look at it yet. But I in the service mode here is the some components are malfunctioned. 1. Rgenerative braking backfill, braking pedal torque is unavailable. 2. Traction control setting is unavailable. 3. Di_brake torque is invalid. Di is drive interface. 4. Hold stopping mode is unavailable. There is no any warning showed in the console before and after the issue happened. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle had a open window during rain storm. Interior got wet. Next day the vehicle was left to dry out. Vehicle caught on fire and engulfed in flames in the backseat. Nobody was harmed fire was contained by the frisco fire department. Vehicle was then towed away.

Unintented accelaration may 15th, 2025 - at about 2 pm the car was being parked in a small local shopping area parking lot by my wife. As she was pulling into the lot, the car suddenly accelarated and surged forward and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid any collision and getting out of control. After about 30 minutes, as she was pulling out of the parking in reverse, a similar experience, the car accelerated/surged backwards and she again had to slam the brakes to avoid any collision with other cars. This time, she also felt a loud thud under the rear portion of the car, no damage noticed. Have sent a note to Tesla service for it to be evaluated.

A year ago I went on a road trip from florida to iowa in the winter, temperatures were freezing or below freezing. I got an alert to maintenance powertrain, after driving to Tesla they informed me the oil pump on the rear motor was falling apart. It was replaced. A year later on a second road trip to the same location also in sub freezing conditions the exact same error pops up, in service mode it says rear oil pump error.

Squeaking of lower control arms arms around 70k miles. Upper & lower require replacement, per Tesla service center.

Front suspension axel system failed two bolts fell off left wheel arm causing me to lose control of vehicle. I was in the vehicle with my children I was driving out my mothers driveway less than 5mph when the incident occurred I do not even want to imagine what could have happened if I was driving the vehicle on a high way or at a high speed. Tesla representatives I have spoke to over the phone have said them selves this is common and I have read multiple articles online this is a safety issue if this happens on a highway this would and could cause fatalities. The vehicle did not prompt any warnings or messages. Prior to this incident occurring I reached out to Tesla because vehicle had been making a clicking noise and the soonest appointment they had available was not until January. The vehicle has been towed to Tesla van nuys CA and two different tow truck companies did not want to be involved so Tesla road side had to do the tow all 3 tow truck drivers agreed this is definitely a safety issue and common issue with Tesla this needs to be recalled.

­•unknown parts or system malfunctions; yes, an inspection can be issued •the car is parked very close to the house and continuously producing poisonous and harmful gas, battery liquid and glasses splattered more than 20ft away. •no, before the incident there was no issue observed. •no, but from the fire department report the cause of the fire was "failure of equipment". •no, there was no warnings from the app, or signs of malfunctions. The car functions normally.

Got a new battery for the car due to an accident I had back in Feb 2024. The battery lasted me up to August 2024 before I received an error saying that my car won’t charge any more and it’s at maximum charge. I took my car in and the Tesla service center explained there is no physical damage, and that it’s a mechanical issue.

On [xxx], the vehicle displayed multiple alerts: “electrical power reduced,” “climate cabin controller requires service,” “electrical system may not support all features,” and “vehicle may not restart. ” I scheduled service for may 21, 2024, and dropped the vehicle off at the Tesla service center in fresno, CA. Tesla failed to provide a written invoice for that visit. A service advisor told me “it was a glitch” and that I should check the app, but no documentation appeared. Despite multiple in-person and written requests, I never received a record of the visit. On [xxx], the vehicle failed to start and was towed back to Tesla. A may 24 invoice confirmed a major safety issue—a high-voltage current fault that triggered the pyrotechnic battery disconnect. Tesla later marked the may 21 appointment as “canceled” in their system. I photographed this cancellation screen in July, confirming the visit was erased despite a clear safety-related defect. This raises concerns about Tesla’s compliance with documentation and reporting obligations. I also submitted two reimbursement requests for $470. 12 in transportation costs, which Tesla has not honored. These incidents show a pattern of concealment and unfair warranty practices. I respectfully request an investigation into this issue and whether a broader safety recall is warranted. Supporting documents are available upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6.

Steering disabled due to software update resulting in vehicle undriviable and having to be towed from driveway Tesla requiring customer to pay for hardware replacement due to software update failure costing $2,921. 24 for the replacement, out of pocket. Required replacement of steering rack (dual motor) part - steering gear left hand drive (1044832-00-a).

The main screen on my Tesla Model Y flickers while driving, as well as charging. I have a video of it happening, if you slow the video down it completely shuts the screen down for a millisecond and then turns back on. I have sent this video to Tesla, as well as Tesla technicians has confirmed the issue happening when they had the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into Tesla 3 separate times for service, they don't know how to fix the issue and keep telling me to wait. I have been dealing with this issue since January 2024 and am tired of waiting and putting my safety at risk. I feel that I have been more than patient with them and now I feel that they are now blowing me off. They don't feel that it is a safety concern even considering that the display screen went out while driving 70 mph, for 13 miles and I couldn't get it to turn back on.  aditionally the side cameras on the vehicle intermittently go out. There is no warnings or symptoms prior to it happening it just happens. I have 29 times documented of it happening to me. I have requested a buyback which was denied as well as a loaner from Tesla until they can fix the issue, yet they denied that as well. It seems that Tesla does not care about the safety of me and I want this issue to be investigated. I have the video of the screen flickering reach out to me to get it since I cant post it in the place below.

The battery coolant started leaking when we connected the car to a supercharger. After charging a low coolant warning came up on the screen, but the message read “ok to drive”. Started driving home when more alerts came up “power reduced” and “speed limited to 68 mph” but still showed “ok to drive”. About 30 miles later the screen abruptly shut down on the freeway. Was able to pull over to a stop on the shoulder and call a tow truck. Screen never came back up even after attempting to restart, car is now at the service center. There is a pump that has continued running for over 2 days without stopping. The interior lights turn on and off every 30 seconds. There has been no damage from road debris or anything else to this car. The vehicle only had ~350 miles on it, and we only had it for 3 days before it malfunctioned. The screen displays vital information such as speed, turn indicators, and so on. Without the screen being on it is not possible to safely operate the vehicle.

Car warned that drivability - acceleration and top speed reduced/performance may be restored on next drive but gave no opportunity for me to pull over safely. Felt like someone pulled the e-brake during regular driving speeds and prevented me from safely slowing down, steering or maneuvering the vehicle into a safe spot. This occurred during a rainy night with my wife and 3 daughters in the vehicle who were terrified and still afraid to drive in the vehicle. Tesla replaced the front drive inverter and about a month later the same issue happened again on a busy road around 1pm in the middle of traffic and this time the rear drive inverter had to be replaced. Myself nor my family have felt safe in the vehicle but feel stuck with it.

I was driving on PA turnpike in light rain . I never drive fast . Somehow my car start shifting from one side of the rd to another I slow down but I did not feel connection with sterling wheels car start spinning in circles and I crashed with 2 kids in the car.

When driving the car abruptly slows down. This also happened on the freeway. I get an error message that says “power limited” and a turtle symbol. This is the second time this issue has happened. Tesla service center has not been able to confidently diagnose this issue. They say it’s resolved and once I leave the service center and the problem comes back.

I hit a rock at approximately 35 mph that got projected under my car and caused a bad leak in the battery coolant system. Received a low coolant warning about one minute after the incident. The alert indicated that the car was safe to drive but to schedule service ASAP. Tesla instructed me to drive to the local SC that is 15 min away when though enough coolant had leaked to render the user display black. I had no turn signals, no speedometer, nothing except the ability to move the car. Tesla alerted me the next day that the damaged occurred at a poorly protected point where the coolant lines connect to the hv battery and that the battery with less than 20k miles needs to be replaced. As a result, they discharged the energy from the battery to avoid a “thermal event”. In doing some research, I discovered a number of documented cases of similar failure due to the fact that a plastic part is used to protect this critical area and is known to break and not offer ample protection to the coolant lines and front drive system. I’m very concerned that had this occurred on the highway and I continued to drive that a “thermal event” would occur and put me in grave danger of a vehicle fire. This area is too critical for proper vehicle operation and safety around high voltage components to use plastic parts to protect them. I also discovered that earlier model model 3s used a heavy cloth for this role before changing to the plastic version.