Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Tesla Model Y owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his grand-son was driving 40 MPH with his friend in the front passenger's seat, he depressed the brake pedal as he was approaching a stopped-occupied vehicle. A light indicating that the brakes were engaged illuminated, but the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the automatic emergency braking system failed to engage, and the vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. The air bags deployed. The contact's grandson and his friend were able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle then turned off and locked, which rendered the vehicle unnoticeable by oncoming drivers. Another driver who noticed the incident parked behind the vehicle and activated the hazard lights to prevent other drivers from crashing into the vehicle. …
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH in light rain, the vehicle suddenly braked and causing the vehicle to lose control. The contact stated that the vehicle was on cruise control and auto drive assist. The contact stated that the vehicle veered to the left, crossed two lanes of traffic, and crashed into the highway divider wall. The contact stated that there were no warning lights. The contact stated that the left front end had crashed first, and then the driver's door and left front fender had crashed into the dividing wall. The contact stated that the driver's front air bag had deployed and burst; there was a large tear starting from the top of the air bag all the way to the steering wheel. The contact stated that he had burns on his hands due to the air bag explosion, bruises on his chest, and right arm. …
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and struck an occupied parked vehicle ahead. Upon shifting into Reverse (R), the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to strike the front bumper of a parked and unoccupied USPS truck, which then struck a parked, unoccupied vehicle. The contact engaged the electric parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the forward collision avoidance system failed to engage to prevent the collisions. The front driver's side air bag failed to deploy as expected. The vehicle sustained rear-end damage. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision center, where a superficial diagnostic inspection was performed, and the contact was informed that no failure was found. …
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, the back-over protection camera was inoperable. The contact stated that due to the failure, the contact crashed into a parked vehicle which was parked behind the contact's vehicle. There was no damage to the other vehicle. However, the contact's vehicle was damaged on the driver's rear panel. The contact stated that after researching, the contact discovered the soon-to-be Tesla recall SB-24-00-002, in which notifications will be sent out in March. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,702.
I was pulling up to a ticket machine in a parking garage. I had my foot on the accelerator and was using regenerative braking and was essentially stopped. I was short a few inches from the button to get the ticket so applied almost no pressure to the accelerator - more like a tap so I could go forward a few inches. The car went into full acceleration mode, broke through the ticket machine barrier and kept accelerating. As soon as I sensed going forward too fast, I took my foot off the accelerator and put it onto the brake. I did not feel any response from the brake. With my foot. I managed to steer away from a wall in front of the car but hit a parked car. The impact pushed that car into a second car and then that car pushed into a third car and the third car pushed into a fourth car. My car was totaled as well as three others. …
I purchased a new 2023 Tesla Model Y long range Dual motor AWD in September 2023. On March 20, 2024, while I was parking my car in parking lot of strip mall, I somehow became confused and panic. I unintentionally pressed the accelerator with some force which resulted in movement of car in speed and it hit a structure. The car failed to apply the emergency breaks before collision and hit the glass wall of a structure (dining room beside footpath) with great force and break the glass wall. Even then it did not stop after passing through the glass wall. I then turned the car on the foot path beside main boulevard road and then applied the break to stop the car. Front of the car, windshield and battery was badly damaged. The car was latter shifted to Tesla collision center. Battery damage was irreparable and needed replacement. …
I [redacted] was driving at around 50mph with 100% visibility and in few seconds I got in to fog ( see pic shows clear condition ). I took of the accelerator and tesla slow down but not like it normally does auto braking ( hold mode ). The car in front of me that I didn't see was in the dense fog section in full stopped state and I crash into her. With no visibility and driver in front in full stop condition I could not avoid accident. I had no time to react. At the time crash my speed might be around 10/15mph. The point I am trying to make is Tesla Y model which is using Camera based collision prevention didn't delect car in front of me maybe because of fogged camera. Tesla Y didn't warned me for collision to avoid car crash. Tesla Y also blanked out on screen, didn't show me lanes which in normal case does. …
The primary safety restraint system, specifically the driver's side airbag, failed to deploy during a significant frontal impact collision. This severely compromised my personal safety, as my head struck the steering wheel with force, leading to injury and pain. Had the impact been more severe, the lack of airbag deployment could have led to much more serious, potentially life-threatening, injuries. Immediately after the impact, the primary braking system also malfunctioned, and the vehicle's warning and autopilot systems became compromised, posing further safety risks. …
While attempting to park my Tesla, I accidentally struck another vehicle's side step with the front passenger side of my car. The other vehicle was not damaged, but my Tesla sustained visible damage. The vehicle's camera system failed to detect or display the side step, giving the impression that there was sufficient clearance. As a result, I relied on what I believed to be accurate visual guidance from the Tesla camera system. During a follow-up visit to the Tesla Service Center in Gilroy, California, I was told that similar incidents have occurred before. According to the technicians, the camera system has known limitations in detecting low-profile or side-mounted obstacles, such as running boards or side steps. This presents a significant safety concern. Tesla vehicles rely heavily on cameras and sensors for driver awareness, particularly during parking maneuvers. …
While operating my Tesla using the Auto Park function (on 12/8/2025 between 8:45 am and 9:00 am) , which is part of the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, the vehicle initiated an automated parking maneuver. During the maneuver, the vehicle was reversing into a parking space when it failed to detect a stationary wall located behind the vehicle. The vehicle continued reversing without issuing any visual or audible collision warnings and without performing automatic braking. The Auto Park system did not disengage or request driver intervention prior to impact. The vehicle subsequently collided with the wall, resulting in damage to the vehicle. Based on the vehicle behavior, it appears that the object detection and/or obstacle avoidance functions-relying on onboard cameras and proximity sensing-did not properly recognize the stationary obstacle during the automated maneuver. …
Related recalls
Back over prevention › Software
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017, 2021-2023 Model 3, 2020-2023 Model Y, 2021-2023 Model S, and Model X vehicles operating software version 2026.8.6. The rearview camera image may be delayed when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
Remedy: Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 3, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, X, and Y vehicles equipped with full self-driving computer 4.0 and running a software release version 2023.44.30 through 2023.44.30.6 or 2023.44.100. Software instability may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
Remedy: Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
Forward collision avoidance › Sensing system › Camera
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The forward-facing camera may be misaligned, causing some of the active safety features such as emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane assist to become unavailable without alerting the driver.
Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and adjust the pitch angle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected Brake Activation
On February 16, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22002) to investigate reports of unexpected deceleration while driving with the adaptive cruise control system engaged in Model Year (MY) 2021 - 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla. The subject systems include Autopilot (all versions), Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC).
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Model Y years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2023 Tesla Model Y?
NHTSA has 545 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2023 Tesla Model Y, 46% of the model year's 1,185 complaints. The component named most often is adaptive cruise control (306 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2023 Tesla Model Y collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 26V-283 (software, May 4, 2026); NHTSA recall 24V-035 (camera, Jan 22, 2024); NHTSA recall 23V-489 (camera, Jul 14, 2023). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2023 Tesla Model Y collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 87% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 78 crashes, 0 fires and 31 injuries to driver assistance 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.