Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact is a police officer from the Simi police department, who called on behalf of the owner of a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated the owner was driving at 30 MPH with full autopilot mode with direction destination set, the vehicle increased in speed to make a U-turn on the opposite side of a driveway; therefore, the driver attempted to disengage the autopilot and depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle failed to stop and instead increased in speed, causing the driver to crash into a curb, a Dodge Ram truck, a light pole, and an occupied Nissan Maxima vehicle, where the vehicle came to a stop. Both vehicles that were crashed into were occupied by 1 occupant each. The contact stated the owner's air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the owner did not sustain any injuries. No medical attention was required. …
The contact owned a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal to attempt to stop at a stop sign, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact mentioned that when attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle crashed into a curb and merged into a landscaping facility. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into neutral, then reverse. The vehicle began to work as intended, and he looked out of his rearview mirror. He could see smoke coming from the rear passenger side, and he heard an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger tire. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnosis was unknown. The contact mentioned the dealer, and insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss. …
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 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. …
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 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 contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact's daughter was driving at approximately 30 MPH when the vehicle had independently accelerated. The contact said that her daughter drove through an intersection and crashed into another vehicle. The contact's vehicle crashed into the other vehicle's driver's left front door. The contact stated that her vehicle's front end was crushed, and the other vehicle's driver's side door, driver's side rear wheel, and tailgate were damaged. The contact stated that both vehicles had to be towed. The contact stated that the air bags had deployed in her vehicle. The contact stated she drove her daughter to the hospital. The daughter only had pain in her neck and shoulders; there were no cuts or abrasions. The police arrived and issued an incident report. …
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into a second vehicle. During the crash, the frontend of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bag did not deploy. The contact sustained a right-hand injury that did not require medical treatment. Three occupants from the second vehicle sustained undisclosed injuries and were transported to the hospital. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,608.
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 at a stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she rear-ended the vehicle in front as she turned the steering wheel to the left and landed in a ditch. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she and her front-seat passenger sustained no injuries however the other vehicle driver was seen by the EMTs on the scene. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Tesla Center and was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact stated that she was informed by the manufacturer that a diagnosis team was working on the diagnosis. The approximate failure mileage was 473.
NHTSA investigations
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial.
Frequently asked questions
Which Tesla Model Y years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2023 (168), 2021 (161), 2022 (140), 2020 (37) and 2024 (37) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 14% of all complaints for the 2023.
Is there a recall for Tesla Model Y acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Tesla Model Y model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Tesla Model Y acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 5,000 miles; 98% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (10 mentions), followed by the cruise control (2).
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.