Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Tesla Model Y owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle rolled back and crashed into a concrete wall. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. Additionally, on October 17, 2021, the contact slightly depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle accelerated abruptly and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The other driver in the second vehicle required medical attention. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to World Collision at The Mall of Georgia (4641 Harrison Run, Buford, GA 30518), where it was repaired. …
Re: VIN-[redacted] My wife was driving the car in this accident. I am reporting it as it happened. When: Oct 29, 2021 at about 2:45 +/- 40 minutes. Where: in the parking lot of a shopping center. In Quail Hills shopping center in Irvine, California. Summary of what happened: a) Unintended and sudden acceleration. The car accelerated suddenly by itself and caused an accident when I was trying to park the car. b) Two more cars were involved and were damaged. My car did not respond to brake and it hit two other cars. c) The car was inspected by repair center and was fixed. Damages were extensive. d) A warning appeared on the screen that said "Automatic braking disabled." during or after the accident. e) We reported the accident to Tesla and requested the EDR/crash data report. They have not provided that. I called several times, sent emails and even went to a Tesla service center. …
The car suddenly picked up the speed in the parking lot, went over the car stopper, curb and hit the Tree. The airbags never got activated, OR the sensors were nonfunctional. I received a call in less than 1 minute from Tesla Roadside if I was safe. Paramedics took me to the ER by 911. I had some injuries because of a malfunction of airbags, brakes, and warning systems. The car is towed to the nearby Tesla-approved repair place. I am somewhat concerned about the cause, and I believe Tesla knew what had malfunctioned in their car. I have been a safe driver without traffic tickets and accidents ever in the last 45 years.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at various speeds with the adaptive cruise control activated the vehicle would erroneously reduce speed. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. On another occasion, while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle abruptly decelerated to 50 MPH. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
i WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON i-75 ABOUT 10AM on January 16, 2022. Traffics was moderated as I was driving in the left lane about 60 mph following another car. It had suddenly started snowing rather hard and the road was wet as it had been for the previous 50 miles. I felt no change in the road or car handling. Another dark SUV started passing me on the left. That seemed normal until the dark car was about 3/4 of the way passed me. Suddenly my Tesla swung to the left and came in contact with the right rear panel of the SUV. I tried to correct my car but it suddenly went out of control to the left. My car suddenly was out of my control and skidded side ways with the right side of the car coming in contract with the guard rail in the center. It happened so fast I could not react as the car took out about 20-30 feet of metal guard rail. …
When I went to my local garage to have a wheel rotation and wheel alignment done, they discovered that my rear driver side break hose was leaking. They also discovered that the rear passenger side break hose was showing similar wear/damage. I had the car towed to Tesla repair center because the replacement parts were backordered for the local garage. At the Tesla repair center, I asked if this was a potential build quality issue or something else, which they couldn't answer. Besides tire related items, like new tires and wheel alignment, all my other servicing was done thru Tesla. They noticed that they had done some half-shaft lubrication work that would have required them to disassemble the breaks. Of course they are not going to speculate or admit wrong doing. …
I noticed a screeching sound from the rear of the vehicle when brakes were being applied in September 2022. I took the vehicle to a local tire/ brake store where the mechanic informed me that a brake caliper nut is missing and that brake caliper is bent. He strongly advised me against driving the vehicle any further until the nut bolt is replaced. Since they did not have Tesla brand bolt they used a similar bolt from their supply and asked me to have the original bolt replaced by Tesla. I am planning to take the vehicle to the Tesla repair center to have the vehicle inspected. …
On 9/15/2022 around 12:15pm right before exit 180 on I40 East at Bermuda Run NC 801 in North Carolina, during moderate to heavy rain, our Tesla Model Y hydroplaned and spun twice doing two full 360 spins from the left most interstate lane and ending up in the right shoulder. Fortunately we made no contact with anyone and nothing was damaged and no one was hurt. We believe the car started to hydroplane causing me to let go the accelerator. This caused the Tesla Regenerative braking to kick in and made matters worse and caused the car to spin. Popular wisdom seems to be to tun off or reduce regenerative braking during rain or slippery conditions. We did not know this. Tesla should do this automatically or provide an option to do this. We think many people may not know this and this could get them to have a similar incident with more tragic results. …
I purchased our Tesla model Y 3 years ago. I intentionally disabled and did not subscribe to any autonomous driving features because I don't trust them. I disabled all aspects of auto pilot functions. Despite this, my car still will automatically swerve at random times, slam on the brakes randomly with no reason to break, etc. It is terrifying when this happens unexpectedly and infuriating that I have disabled all these features, but it still does this. This is most common when I put it in cruise control. Rarely these will happen when, for example you cross a double yellow line, but most of the time they happen when nothing has occurred to prompt them. I believe this is an unsafe feature, and needs to be investigated. Unfortunately, with Tesla they have no customer service so there's nobody that I can report this to.
There was a grinding sound coming from the LF wheel. This was progressively getting worse. Car was shaking while driving so dropped it off with my mechanic due to safety concerns. Per the mechanic that fixed the issue: Inspection found LF wheel bearing is loose. A bolt backed out on inside rubbing through axel shaft. Allowed wheel bearing to damage to damaged from moving in place. Axle shaft damaged from rubbing on backed out bolt. Replace LF axle shaft and wheel bearing. Informed by mechanic that wheel could have fallen off while driving. No prior work. Mechanic believes most likely issue was not having the bolts appropriately installed at time of manufactue
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Critical fasteners
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Model 3 and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles. The brake caliper bolts may be loose, allowing the brake caliper to separate and contact the wheel rim.
Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and tighten, or replace the caliper bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2021.
Brake complaints in other Model Y years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2020 Tesla Model Y?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the brakes of the 2020 Tesla Model Y, 13% of the model year's 282 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2020 Tesla Model Y brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-387 (critical fasteners, May 25, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Tesla Model Y brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.