Home · 2025 Tesla Model Y · Complaints

What 86 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Tesla Model Y

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (86)Crash / fire / injury (29)Driver assistance (40)Electrical system (16)Lane Departure (16)Brakes (15)Backup camera & sensors (13)Speed control (9)Visibility & wipers (8)Steering (7)Airbags (4)Seat belts (4)

5 of 86 complaints match · Lane Departure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 2, 2026Visibility & wipersLane DepartureCrash

I am reporting a safety incident involving my 2025 Tesla Model Y and Full Self-Driving. While driving with Full Self-Driving engaged… latest update, the vehicle steered into an express-lane barrier/bar structure. The impact caused severe windshield damage and apparent body damage near the passenger-side A-pillar / windshield frame / roof rail area. The windshield is heavily cracked across the driver’s side and center area, and the vehicle is not safe to drive. I was able to get home safely and filed an insurance claim. I preserved TeslaCam footage and photos of the damage. The in-vehicle Tesla playback shows Full Self-Driving engaged during the incident. I also copied the TeslaCam files from the vehicle’s USB drive. The exported video file does not appear to show the same Full Self-Driving overlay that appears in the in-vehicle playback. I am reporting this as a potential safety issue involving Tesla Full Self-Driving steering behavior and impact with a fixed roadway/express-lane structure. No injuries occurred, but the vehicle sustained significant windshield damage and possible body/frame-area damage.

NHTSA ODI 11741689

Feb 18, 2026SteeringDriver assistanceLane DepartureCrash2 injuries

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.

NHTSA ODI 11718949

Nov 17, 2025Lane DepartureDriver assistanceCrash

Self driving was maintaining vehicle. Looked at roadway before reaching down to passengers side for water bottle. The weight shift in the seat turned the self driving off immediately while turning sharp left. The Tesla Model Y crossed the left interstate lane barely missing an 18-wheeler. Drove 80mph in the central ditch, branches, and rocks. Car was still in drive, and rolled up to roadside which was covered in dust. The two eighteen-wheelers that I cut off then Drove away, and drove tesla to next exit to see damage.(dashcam footage available.)

NHTSA ODI 11699999

Jun 23, 2025Lane DepartureBackup camera & sensorsCrash

Shortly after purchasing the vehicle in late 2024, I began experiencing multiple safety-related malfunctions. These issues include: Full Self-Driving (FSD) malfunction: On the third use of FSD, the vehicle attempted to enter a left-turn lane but failed to fully move into the lane, resulting in the right front panel of the vehicle colliding with the bumper of a truck in the adjacent lane. There were no warnings from the system prior to the collision. The incident occurred at low speed. The truck sustained no visible damage, and the rubber from the truck's bumper transferred to the car, which was removed by hand later. This event raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of the FSD system. No police report was filed, and the manufacturer was not present at the scene. Backup alert system failure: On several occasions while reversing, the car failed to issue audible or visual alerts despite vehicles being within 10–15 feet. In one instance, the screen finally showed a red zone when a car was within 10 feet, but still provided no audible warning. This issue has been intermittently reproducible but not consistent. It poses a significant risk to pedestrians and other drivers, particularly in low-visibility or driveway situations. Manufacturer's Response: The vehicle was inspected by Tesla. After one in-person service visit and extended discussions, Tesla service representatives stated there was “nothing more they could do” and that a buyback was the only next step. A buyback request was submitted by a Tesla representative but has not been acknowledged or resolved more than 45 days later.

NHTSA ODI 11668644

Mar 26, 2025Lane DepartureBackup camera & sensorsCrash

on 2/15/2025, while backing out of a driveway at about 7:30PM, the vehicle backed into a parked car directly behind it parked in street. There was no warning signal emitted that an object was behind the car. There was no safety alert on the display. Essentially the vehicle's sensors did not see the vehicle directly behind it.

NHTSA ODI 11650751

Working with the data? Download all 86 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2025 Tesla Model Y verdict →