Steering
37 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model Y's steering. Loss of power steering, stiff or loose steering, wandering, column and rack problems.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles operating software prior to 2023.38.4. The printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist may experience an overstress condition, causing a loss of power steering...
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Model Y vehicles. The steering wheel fastener may be loose.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation. The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe...
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.
I own a 2025 Tesla Model Y, currently running software version 2026.38.5.12 with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.3.13. On multiple occasions while using FSD (Supervised), the vehicle has made sudden, abrupt lane changes out of the carpool (HOV) lane with little warning. This has happened repeatedly on [[redacted]] and [[redacted]] in the [[redacted]] area, most recently on [redacted]. The system initiates these exits late and aggressively, steering toward the double yellow lines that separate the HOV lane from...
regular traffic, and I have had to grab the wheel and take control to avoid an unsafe and illegal maneuver. I am concerned the vehicle could cross the double yellow lines into fast-moving traffic, or exit the HOV lane at a non-designated opening, creating a serious risk of collision. A driver should not have to fight the car to keep it from breaking traffic law. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On [redacted], I was driving my 2025 Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. While merging onto [[redacted]] in [[redacted]], the vehicle veered and crashed into the guardrail. I was not controlling the vehicle at the time - FSD (Supervised) was in control. Both of my child passengers were injured; one suffered a wrist fracture. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was totaled in the crash and has not been driven since. Vehicle software at the time of the crash: 2025.45.9.1; Full...
Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2.4. After the crash, I asked Tesla for the vehicle's driving data/logs to confirm that FSD was engaged at the time of the crash. Tesla did not provide the data. I am concerned that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) failed to safely execute a highway merge maneuver and drove the vehicle into the guardrail, resulting in injuries to my children. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving straight ahead in my lane on a wet freeway in an active construction zone, the vehicle abruptly and without warning lost traction and spun out of control. I was traveling in a normal, controlled manner with the flow of traffic and was not turning, braking hard, or making any abrupt maneuver when the loss of control occurred. It was so sudden that I initially believed another vehicle had struck me. I was unable to recover control, and the vehicle left its lane and was involved in a collision that...
resulted in the vehicle being declared a total loss. This is a nearly new all-wheel-drive vehicle, approximately 17 months old, equipped with electronic stability and traction control. I am an experienced driver with a clean record and had driven this same vehicle through mountain roads the week prior without any issue. A vehicle of this type is not expected to suddenly lose control while traveling straight. The specific component or system that failed is UNKNOWN. No warning lamps or messages appeared before the loss of control. The vehicle data available to me as an owner is limited and does not reflect the full diagnostic logs the manufacturer retains. The vehicle is a total loss but is preserved and available for inspection upon request. The manufacturer has not inspected or responded. A police report was filed.
am reporting a serious safety concern involving a 2025 Tesla Model Y, VIN [[redacted]] . On [[redacted]], the vehicle was being driven on [[redacted]] in Columbus, Ohio while the driver was traveling to Columbus Preparatory Academy. During the trip, the steering reportedly stopped responding properly, and the driver struggled to control the vehicle. Witnesses at the scene reported that the driver appeared to be fighting with the steering and trying to stop the vehicle or prevent it from drifting. The vehicle then...
lost control, accelerated or continued moving uncontrollably, flipped/rolled over, and sustained major damage. A police report was created by the Columbus Police Department under report number [[redacted]]. The vehicle involved is a 2025 Tesla Model Y. This was a serious crash involving a possible steering malfunction, loss of control, and rollover. The vehicle is currently located at Pro-Cars, 400 Stimmel Rd, Columbus, OH 43223. Tesla was contacted after the incident, and the representative advised that the vehicle should be taken to a collision center. I am filing this complaint because the incident appears to involve a potential safety defect affecting steering control and vehicle control. I request that NHTSA review this matter as a possible vehicle safety defect. The vehicle has not yet been repaired, and I am attempting to preserve it for inspection. I have supporting materials including the police report, photos/videos, witness information if needed, towing/storage documentation, and communications regarding the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Using Tesla FSD (full self-driving supervised) I drove home, approximately 120 miles, from a family visit. From previous experience with Tesla FSD, I knew that the navigation system would navigate into the incorrect of 2 driveways (left, instead of the correct driveway, right) leading to my parking space. Therefore, upon arriving at the building address I endeavored to take over full control by tapping break and manually turning to the right driveway, whereupon the steering wheel locked up completely and the car...
lurched forward crashing through the security gate and into a parked car directly in line with how the locked steering directed it. To the best of my knowledge, the car was removed to a salvage location where it was considered a total loss.
A 2018 Ford Explorer, marked police vehicles, was operating with lights and siren when it proceeded through a red traffic light at an intersection. The subject vehicle, 2020 Tesla Model 3, was proceeding through a green traffic light at the intersection and struck the Ford.
On January 28, 2026, the vehicle (a Tesla Model Y) was operating with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system actively engaged in normal highway traffic conditions. Without any prior warning messages, chimes, or system alerts, the FSD system abruptly disengaged approximately 1 second before the vehicle steered into a concrete road divider. Component failed: The Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and underlying perception/control systems failed to maintain the lane and abruptly handed over control with insufficient...
time to react. The vehicle and its data are available for inspection. Safety risk: The sudden, sub-second disengagement provided the driver with zero time to react, take manual control, or perform an evasive maneuver. This system failure directly resulted in a high-speed collision with a road divider, causing significant vehicle damage and physical injuries to the driver that required medical treatment. Inspection/Confirmation: The vehicle is currently subject to an open insurance claim and has been evaluated for repair. Warnings: There were no warning lamps, messages, or requests for the driver to take over prior to the immediate 1-second window before the crash. Evidence: I have downloaded and preserved the complete Event Data Record (EDR) and the multi-angle dashcam video files. The EDR data mathematically documents the sub-second disengagement, and the video files confirm normal traffic flow with no external hazards forcing the collision. I can provide the EDR PDF and video files to NHTSA investigators immediately upon request.
I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving a Tesla vehicle and to document multiple critical system failures that occurred during an accident, resulting in physical injuries to me. On the 12/24/2025, while operating Tesla under rainy conditions, I experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction of the vehicle. During the event, the steering system became unresponsive and appeared to lock, preventing me from maintaining control of the vehicle. Simultaneously, the braking system failed to...
respond as expected despite my attempt to apply the brakes. These failures significantly impaired my ability to avoid or mitigate the collision. Most concerning, the vehicle's airbag system did not deploy during the impact. Given the severity of the collision and the resulting injuries, the lack of airbag deployment represents a serious failure of a critical safety system designed to protect occupants in such events. As a direct result of this incident and the apparent malfunction of multiple safety systems, I sustained physical injuries that required medical evaluation and treatment. Beyond the physical harm, the incident caused significant emotional distress and raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of the vehicle. I am submitting this complaint to formally document these safety failures and to request a thorough investigation into the performance of the steering, braking, and airbag systems involved in this incident. I believe this matter presents a significant safety concern not only for myself but also for other drivers and passengers who rely on these systems to function properly in emergency situations. Please confirm receipt of this complaint and advise me of the next steps in your investigation process. I am prepared to provide additional documentation, including medical records, photographs, vehicle data, and incident details, upon request. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter
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.
I would hear squeaking/tearing/rattling noises, this was found to be due to malfunctioning/broken nuts and compliance arms and control arms. This happened three times so far, attached are two repairs that was required previously. Per report with Tesla staff, this has been a recurring issue. Per additional Tesla owners, this has been a frequent issue amongst many different Tesla forums. Now I have to get it repaired for the third time. I bought a used Tesla that was certified by Tesla, problems occured at 37876 miles, but car was bought at 34529 miles.
While driving at approximately 39,000 miles, the vehicle developed loud rattling and creaking noises from the front suspension when steering or backing out. A Tesla service center inspected the car and confirmed that both front lower lateral link assemblies were completely torn and required replacement. This failure placed safety at risk by compromising front suspension stability and steering control. The issue was confirmed and repaired by Tesla, and the replaced components are available for inspection. The...
defect, symptoms, and remedy match those described in NHTSA Recall 21V-835, which covers abnormal noise and damage caused by defective front lower lateral link fasteners. Despite this, the repair was classified as customer-pay instead of being covered under recall. No dashboard warning lights were displayed before the failure; the only symptom was abnormal noise when steering.
Steering became difficult to turn to the right with the wheel sticking to the right when trying to turn or drive the vehicle. Tesla claims we had some kind of a large impact. Maybe a pothole. Tesla claims well this is a heavy vehicle. Out of no where we had to replace the entire steering rack. I've never had to replace an entire steering rack for a pothole. Seems ridiculous.
The steering control arms were clicking and making noises when the steering wheel was turned. Reports on Reddit said dozens of people had this problem right before they completely busted and lost control of steering the vehicle. I took mine in to the service center and they acknowledged the problem and charged me over $750 to fix. This is a SAFETY ISSUE and should be recalled and fixed for free. I have owned cars for over 40 years and have NEVER had to replace steering control arms. They installed faulty parts.
While driving towards our friends place, an alert came up saying "Steering Assist reduced" with error code GTW_w075. The car was running at about 60 to 65 mph and at that speed l, we didn't notice much issue in handling the car. When we were leaving for home, the alert was still active and at that time, we realized that the steering was extremely difficult to use. Herculean effort was required to turn the car left or right and we decided it was unsafe to drive. I then researched this alert and lots of other drivers had observed this error on their 2023 or older model 3 or Yes. Mine is 2025 and not even 20 days old since I took delivery. The car had to be towed to the nearest service center.
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
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