26 recalls covering model years 2020, 2025. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
The low-beam headlights on these cars put out more light than federal rules allow. The extra brightness is not a problem for you — it is a problem for everyone coming the other way. Drivers facing your car can be dazzled and may not see the road clearly, which could lead to a crash. Tesla has not finished working out a fix yet, and letters to owners are not expected until October 2026.
Some 2025-2026 Tesla Model Y vehicles left the factory without the certification label installed. That is the sticker, normally found in the driver's door opening, that lists how much weight your vehicle can safely carry, counting passengers and cargo together. Without it, there is no simple way to know that limit, so you could load the car heavier than it was built to handle. An overloaded car is harder to steer and stop, which raises the chance of a crash.
When you shift into reverse, the picture from the backup camera may take too long to appear on the screen. During those moments you cannot see what is behind the car — a child, a pet, a post — so you could back into something you never saw. This is a software problem on one particular software version, not a broken camera, and it means the car does not meet the federal rear visibility rule. Tesla is sending a free update.
A circuit board in the car's computer can short out. When it does, the backup camera image no longer appears on the screen when you shift into reverse. Federal rules require that rear view, so the car does not meet the standard. Tesla has already sent a free over-the-air software update, and it is also finding cars whose computer has failed or is under strain and replacing that computer at no cost.
Your vehicle watches tire pressure and turns on a dashboard light when a tire is low. On these vehicles, that light may not stay on the next time you start the car, even though the tire is still low. You could keep driving on a soft tire without knowing it, and a poorly inflated tire handles badly and is more likely to fail. Tesla has already released a free software update that is sent to the car over the internet.
After the hood has been opened, the latch may not notice that the hood is still unlatched, so the car does not warn you. If you drive off that way, the hood can swing all the way open and block your view of the road. Tesla fixed this with a free over-the-air software update sent to the car, so there is nothing to schedule. Check that your car has taken the update, and always make sure the hood is shut.
On these Teslas, the reminder that tells you to buckle up may not work. If the driver is not wearing a seat belt, the warning light on the screen and the chime may fail to come on. The recall covers only the warning system, not the belts themselves. The problem is that the car may not remind you, so an unbelted driver could pull away without noticing. Tesla fixes this with a software update sent to the car.
Electric cars are quiet, so they are required to make a sound at low speeds to warn people walking nearby. On these Teslas, doing a factory reset turned that warning sound off. With no sound, someone crossing the street or walking through a parking lot may not hear your car coming. Tesla fixed this with a free over-the-air software update, version 2023.44.30.14, that your car downloads and installs on its own.
The Brake, Park, and Antilock Braking System warning lights on the dashboard display are printed in a font that is too small. The lights still work, but the small size can make these important warnings hard to read while you are driving, and it does not meet federal safety rules. Tesla has been sending a free over-the-air software update to the car to correct the size, so the fix can install without a trip to the shop.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles have Autosteer, a feature that helps steer the car but still requires the driver to stay in charge. Tesla says the on-screen controls and warnings for Autosteer are not clear or strong enough to keep drivers from misusing it, and a driver may not notice when Autosteer has shut off or was never turned on. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent over the internet.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles running Full Self-Driving Beta software, or waiting for it to be installed, may behave unsafely at intersections. The car may drive straight through an intersection from a turn-only lane, roll through a stop sign without fully stopping, or enter an intersection on a steady yellow light without slowing. It may also handle speed limit changes poorly. Tesla sends a free software update over the internet.
On some Model 3 and Model Y cars, one or both taillights can stop lighting up now and then. Working taillights are how drivers behind you see your car, especially at night, in rain, or when you slow down. If they go dark, another driver may not spot you in time. Tesla has already sent out a free software update that fixes this over the internet, so no dealer visit is needed.
Tesla found that the automatic reversal feature on the power windows may not react correctly. Normally, a window that hits your hand or arm while closing should stop and go back down. On these cars it may not respond the right way, so the window can press harder than it should before it reverses. This does not meet the federal safety rule for power windows. Tesla fixes it with a software update sent to the car over the air, so no dealer visit is needed.
These vehicles have a "Boombox" feature that plays sounds through an outside speaker. The problem is that it can play while the car is moving, drowning out the quiet electric car's required warning sound that alerts people walking nearby. Someone on foot may not hear the car coming. Tesla is fixing this with a software update sent over the air, which turns Boombox off whenever the car is in drive, neutral, or reverse, including Summon.
These vehicles have a Boombox feature that plays sounds through a speaker on the outside of the car, and it can play while the car is moving. Electric cars are required to make a warning noise at low speed so people walking nearby can hear them coming. Boombox sounds can cover up that warning noise, which is why the vehicle does not meet the federal rule. Tesla fixes this with a free software update sent to the car.
A software error can leave a valve in the heating system open when it should be closed. Refrigerant gets trapped in the wrong place, and the defroster does not clear the windshield as well as it should. With fog or ice sticking around longer, the driver cannot see clearly. Affected are certain 2021-2022 Model 3, Model S and Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y cars. Tesla fixes this with a free over-the-air update.
When you start one of these Teslas and the driver's seat belt is not buckled, the chime that should sound may not go off. Federal rules require that reminder, so the car does not meet the standard. This recall covers only the missing warning sound. Without it, a driver could start off unbuckled without realizing it, which matters if there is a crash. Tesla sends a free software update to the car over the air.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Beta) software had a setting called 'rolling stop.' With it turned on, the car could go through an intersection where every direction has a stop sign without ever coming to a complete stop. That is not how a stop sign works, and it can lead to a crash. Tesla sent out a free over-the-air software update — one your car downloads by itself — that turns the rolling stop feature off.
Tesla has found that a part called the suspension knuckle — a metal piece that connects each wheel to the car — can crack on some Model Y vehicles, front or rear. If it breaks, the arms holding the wheel in place can come apart. That can make the car hard to steer or keep straight, especially at speed. Tesla will look at all four knuckles and put in new ones wherever they are needed, at no cost to you.
Certain Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y cars running software version 2021.36.5.2 have a communication error in the camera-based crash-avoidance system. The car may warn you about a collision that is not actually happening, or apply the automatic emergency brakes on its own when nothing is in the way. A hard, unexpected stop can catch you and the driver behind you by surprise. Tesla corrects the problem with a free over-the-air software update sent to the car.
Each front wheel is held in position by suspension arms bolted to the car's frame. On these cars the bolts on one of those arms, the lateral link, can work loose over time and let the arm come away from the frame. If that happens the wheel can shift out of position, the car can feel unstable, and you may lose control. Tesla Service will tighten the bolts, or replace them if needed, at no cost to you.
The brake caliper is the clamp that squeezes the brake pads against the disc to slow each wheel. On these cars the bolts holding a caliper in place may be loose. If a caliper comes free it can rub against the wheel rim and let the tire lose air. A tire losing pressure while you drive raises the risk of a crash. Tesla will check the bolts and tighten or replace them free of charge.
On some 2019-2021 Model Y cars, one or both of the bolts holding the second-row seat belt reels to the body may not have been attached properly at the factory. Those reels are what pull the belt tight and hold a passenger in place in a crash. If a bolt is loose or not fastened, the belt may not do its job when it matters. Tesla will check both bolts on the left and right rear belts and replace them if needed.
The shoulder part of the front seat belt bolts to the pillar between the front and rear doors. On some cars one or both of those bolts may not have been fastened properly at the factory. A bolt that is not properly attached means the belt may not hold you the way it is designed to in a crash, so you could be hurt worse than you otherwise would be. Tesla will inspect both fasteners and fix them at no cost.
The bolts joining the front upper suspension arm to the wheel assembly may not have been tightened properly at the factory. If they are loose, that arm can come apart from the wheel. When that happens the wheel can lean in or out and you lose much of your ability to steer. Tesla will inspect the bolts on certain 2020 Model Y vehicles and tighten them if needed, free of charge. The recall began January 15, 2021.
Certain 2020 Model Y vehicles built with the tow package had a software bug: when you are pulling a trailer and press the brake pedal, the trailer's brake lights may not come on. Drivers behind you would have no warning that you are slowing down. Tesla fixed this with a free software update sent to cars over the air starting September 23, 2020, so most affected vehicles already received the fix automatically.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model Y. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 276 | 47 | 0 | 25 |
| 2025 | 98 | 30 | 3 | 13 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: