I was making a right turn from local streets and the steering wheel locked up as I executed the turn. I took my foot off the accelerator and the regenerative engine brakes didn't engage. I pressed the brakes as soon as the regenerative engine brakes didn't kick in, but the brakes wouldn't engage either. I ended up jumping the curb and hitting a tree. None of the automatic emergency braking or safety systems engaged.
Acceleration & cruise control
Tesla Model Y Acceleration problems by year
49 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model Y's acceleration & cruise control. Unintended acceleration, surging, throttle problems and cruise or adaptive cruise faults.
Acceleration complaints by model year
Latest Model Y acceleration complaints
Please see attachment
The Full Self Driving software does not allow the user to limit the maximum speed of the vehicle while in use. The car frequently drives 15-20 MPH over the actual limits in typical driving modes with no ability for the user to safely and precisely restrict its speed to a more safe and appropriate level. The car may begin a journey at an appropriate speed, and continue at that speed for miles, but for no reason that is apparent to the user, the system may begin to accelerate beyond a safe limit. This makes the...
Read the full complaint
driving experience while using this software less predictable and compromises the safety of the user and others on the road. The user controlled speed limiting feature was previously available, and worked well, but was removed as part of an update to version 14.x of the software. An alternative that is being used, which is much less safe, is that users can restrict the speed of the entire vehicle such that its speed may never pass a certain level, under any circumstance, even if the accelerator is fully depressed (by the user). Once enabled, this feature cannot be adjusted or disabled while driving. Users are using this vehicle speed restriction feature to more precisely restrict the excessive and unpredictable speeding of the automated system because they are not given the ability to do so safely and precisely via other means.
Component/Issue Description: Following a recent over-the-air (OTA) software update to the vehicle's Full Self-Driving system, a dangerous user interface defect was introduced. Immediately upon an FSD disengagement - the critical transition window where the operator must resume manual driving control - the center touchscreen populates a mandatory, invasive feedback popup menu. This menu causes a severe driver distraction and creates an immediate safety hazard. The popup blocks vital driving visualizations and navigation...
Read the full complaint
data on the screen at a high-stress moment. Furthermore, the UI creates a functional touchscreen lockout, demanding manual and visual interaction from the driver to clear the box while the vehicle is actively in motion. Forcing a driver to divert their eyes from the roadway to navigate a touchscreen menu immediately following a system intervention creates an unreasonable and systemic risk of collision. The manufacturer has provided no setting to disable this dangerous distraction.
I was at full stop on [[redacted]] facing [[redacted]] at a red traffic signal at intersection. Then while still at light which was red the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated toward [[redacted]] on its even with feet on brake, I attempted to maneuver to avoid colliding with vehicles traveling on [[redacted]] , then made a sharp right turn on sidewalk of [[redacted]] drove striking a "Bee Line Bus" sign located in front of [[redacted]] . I was able to maneuver not hitting any pedestrians and crashing vehicle out a brush on sidewalk without putting passengers/family in car at risk of injury INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On February 11, 2026, the 2025 Tesla Model Y "Vision AutoPark" system initiated an uncommanded high-speed reverse acceleration into a stationary yellow concrete bollard in a parking lot. The vehicle's vision-only parking assist hardware failed to detect a clearly visible, fixed obstruction and displayed a clear path on the system interface immediately before impact. No warning lamps, chimes, messages, or other alerts preceded the failure. The system provided zero indication of the imminent collision. The vehicle...
Read the full complaint
closed the distance to the bollard in under one second, exceeding human reaction time and making manual braking intervention impossible before impact. This failure mode - autonomous acceleration toward a stationary object without detection or warning - creates a severe crush hazard for pedestrians and property. The vehicle and its onboard data logs are available for inspection upon request. High-definition video evidence of the failure has been preserved showing the system ignoring the visible obstacle. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer. The manufacturer's service center refused to inspect the vehicle or review data logs on the date of the incident despite an immediate in-person request. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by insurance, police, or the manufacturer. The failed component is the Tesla Vision-only AutoPark system, including its camera-based object detection and autonomous vehicle control software.
Tesla Supervised Self Driving (FSSD) update 14 removed the ability for the vehicle operator to set speed targets. Additionally, their system is unable to accurately determine speed limits for many roadways. The discrepancy between FSSDs perceived speed limit and actual speed limit can be as much at +/- 25mph. The discrepancy can occur suddenly and at any time during a drive, even on stretches of road with a consistent speed limit. This results in moments of dangerous acceleration and/or deceleration that is not...
Read the full complaint
requested by the vehicle operator or can be reasonably anticipated. This causes erratic driving behavior to both the Tesla and to other motorist in the vicinity. Erratic, unpredictable driving is a major cause of traffic accidents that can lead to serious damage, injury, or death. Prior versions allowed the operator to set a speed target, similar to standard cruise control, that the vehicle attempted to maintain and would not exceed. FSSD v14 does not allow the vehicle operator to have any control over the speed of the vehicle to any degree that meaningfully contributes towards safe, legal driving.
The contact owned a 2025 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a school zone area, and while engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward with no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after lifting their foot from the brake pedal, they heard a hissing sound and the vehicle accelerated. The contact attempted to avoid a collision by making a left turn; however, the vehicle traveled into a bushy area and rolled down a hill. The contact sustained...
Read the full complaint
injuries, including head, neck, and back injuries, and received medical attention at a local emergency room. The contact stated that the air bags deployed during the incident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,213.
The vehicle was in supervised full self driving on the turnpike, when all of a sudden it darted out of the lane into th grass hitting a guard rail.
Both my wife and I accidentally used the right side stalk to signal for a turn. Our mistake, except the car responded by suddenly accelerating. Fortunately we were both able to put on the brake. In the wrong situation this could be very dangerous.
On Tuesday, [[redacted]], around [[redacted]] returning home and in my driveway when the following happened. Pulling into the left side of the driveway because a utility van was parked on the right side of the driveway with the rear door and driver's side door opened with no one in the vicinity. There was not enough room to go forward into the garage. I was almost at a complete stop with the intention of getting out of the car to shut the drivers side door. That was when the car sped up at full speed and turned...
Read the full complaint
to the right into the van and continued in the right direction into the garage. The car was headed to the right back corner of the garage smashing into paint cans, a freezer, sink and cabinets. I had no control over the car from the time the car sped up and smashed into the back of the garage and it all happened in a matter of a few seconds. The vehicle has been totaled by the insurance company. This incident was recorded in the vehicle's computer. The police department was called the same day and a police officer came to the house to record the incident. The car was towed to Gerber Collision & Glass, 10491 Corkscrew Commons Dr., Estero, FL 33928, phone (239) 947-6050. The car computer system should have recorded the event. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was trying to reverse the car from my Garage. I turned on the Engine and put the vehicle in Reverse Gear. The vehicle just zoomed out of the driveway leaving me without the ability to control it and hit a tree on a neighbor's house and stopped. Then I tried to bring the Car into the Garage by engaging the Drive Gear. Again, the vehicle zoomed into the Garage, hit a few objects in the garage and stopped. At that point I just turned off power and walked out. I took pictures of the damaged parts. At that time, I...
Read the full complaint
only noticed damage to the Rear on the Driver Side and the front on the Driver Side. When a tow-truck came a couple of days later, I noticed damage on the Front on the Passenger side also. When the incident happened , the street was empty and luckily no one (including me) was hurt n
2025 Tesla model Y cameras and sensors all stopped working within 700 miles driven from brand new. Affected systems included all cameras, including backup camera, as well as GPS navigation, with the GPS system believing the vehicle to be static at a Tesla facility in California. This not only prevented the self-driving and navigation from functioning, it caused numerous safety features to be disabled including (mandatory) backup cameras, collision-avoidance system, lane-departure warning system, cross-traffic alert...
Read the full complaint
system, rear collision avoidance system, and automatic safety braking. Upon reporting to Tesla, was told a "new component" was required, which later was told was a new computer. The manufacturer initially set a date 2 weeks in the future for a repair; then they pushed it a month; then tried to push it another month before I pushed back. This resulted in it being taken in earlier than the repair date. The vehicle is still awaiting repair. There were no warnings of this failure, it simply all happened at once. Upon confronting Tesla service with this being a known issue [[redacted]] ) and requesting a loaner for the meantime, they eventually found one, but only after great protestation and pushback, with eventual threats of legal action leading to a more personal touch. This is clearly a known issue which they are downplaying. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On drives longer than 40 miles, camera faults cause cruise control systems to degrade in function and then when the faults are cleared, full functionality resumes without driver alerts. Side repeater camera feeds and rear camera feeds inconsistently load, or take an extended time period to load (10+ seconds). Tesla has confirmed that the autopilot computer (HW3) likely needs to be replaced, but this error/messaging is not directly accessible to the customer. The inconsistent failure behavior of the vehicle could...
Read the full complaint
easily lead less technical owners/drivers to incorrectly interpret how the car is behaving. The only message you receive while driving could be that 'cruise control is not available', and 'automatic emergency braking unavailable' with a message that the features may be restored later in the drive. My coworker has a 2022 Model Y and the same component failed on his vehicle and needed to be replaced under an extended warranty that was purchased from Tesla. I'm unsure how widespread the failure of this critical safety system is; we both purchased FSD and both had the same component fail and need replaced. I don't personally know others who own this vehicle with the FSD package to know for sure.
I own a 2020 Tesla Y with Hardware version 3 and after a few weeks of a free trial, purchased Tesla's Full Self-Driving Software (FSD) version 12.3.6. Since then, the FSD software was updated to version 12.5.4 and then 12.5.4.1. FSD version 12.3.6 had some safety issues. But version 12.5.4 and 12.5.4.1 has had more issues that have resulted in nearly having accidents that I have had to suddenly avoid. FSD version 12.3.6 issues: 1. Wandering outside of center yellow dividing stripes when on a curvy two-lane...
Read the full complaint
roadway 2. Failing to yield to oncoming traffic when making a left turn and oncoming traffic was not clearly in view due to a curvy two-lane road 3. Attempting to make a left turn into a busy intersection when the turn signal was still red FSD version 12.5.4 and 12.5.4.1 additional issues: 1. Attempting to enter a two-lane roadway from a stop sign, when the perpendicular traffic was active and they had no stop sign, requiring me to slam on the brakes. 2. Sudden and erratic braking on a two-lane roadway, including directly under a signal, when no objects, people or other vehicles were in front of me, which nearly resulted in the vehicle behind me hitting me in the rear 3. Software sending a tone and screen alert to grab the steering wheel immediately, due to a "System Failure." 4. Software sending a tone and screen alert that to grab the steering wheel immediately, due to "one or more cameras blocked," when no cameras were blocked.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data