2020 Tesla Model Y Complaints

SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/01/2026

Seat occupancy sensor failed for the second time. The car will randomly shut off if I am inside because it does not detect a passenger. When I exit the vehicle, the car will stay on for an extended period of time due to failed seat occupancy sensor. This is a widespread issue affecting all makes and models of Tesla. They are aware of the high rate of failure and have not made any attempt to issue a recall. This is dangerous and inconvenient as the infotainment system will not pair with your phone because it does not detect a driver. When moving, the car will also randomly throw itself into PARK at speed if you don’t put on your seatbelt before moving. The first time this happened, I smashed my head on the steering wheel.

SUSPENSION — Filed 04/27/2026

The contact's daughter owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, squeaking sound would emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact called the service center where they gave the contact an estimate for a diagnostic. The contact was also informed that the vehicle may be covered under a goodwill warranty. The vehicle several parts of the front control arm were defective and had caused several other defects related to the control arm. The contact was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle remained in the service center's possession but had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

SUSPENSION,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 04/14/2026

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

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/15/2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Tesla Model Y. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 78,823, but after driving the vehicle from the dealer's lot, the contact discovered through the vehicle settings that the actual mileage was 80,810. The dealer was contacted, but no resolution was provided. The dealer then updated the advertised mileage on the website.            

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 04/13/2026

My Tesla Model Y 2020 (VIN: [XXX] ) is stuck on software version 2023.44.1 for more than 2 years and has four incomplete NHTSA safety recalls: • 23V838 – Autosteer driver monitoring improvements • 24V051 – Brake/Park/ABS warning font size too small • 24V153 – Muted Pedestrian Warning System • 24V554 – Hood not detected as unlatched
Tesla Service in the Baltic region and Tesla Service in Warsaw (Poland) both refused to deliver the required OTA safety recall updates. They classified the vehicle as “unsupported” because it is a US-market vehicle located in Latvia.
I am unable to bring the vehicle to any Tesla Service Center.
Tesla is not fulfilling its legal obligation to provide the free safety recall remedies. Please require Tesla to deliver the updates or provide a proper solution.
Attached: screenshots of refusals from Tesla Service (Baltic Warsaw).
 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEAT BELTS,SEATS — Filed 02/02/2026

Vehicle had "front passenger safety restraint system fault" multiple times intermittently. Serviced by Tesla service center in Dublin, CA who confirmed the problem. Documentation on the invoice stated that there was an open service bulletin related to this issue and was related to "the occupancy sensory in the seat was not functioning as expected." Upon inspection by the technician they found "an open connection in the seat harness and seat cover that can cause intermittent alerts." Additional repair notes indicate that this was to "address a service bulletin related to the front passenger seat's occupant classification system. We identified the need for an update to ensure proper functionality. To resolve this, we retrofitted the system in the front passenger seat as per the bulletin requirements." The fact that there is an open service bulletin for this issue indicates that it is not isolated to just this vehicle. An issue with the occupant sensors of a front vehicle seat directly impacts whether the air bags will deploy in a crash, therefore this is a serious safety risk.

STEERING — Filed 12/11/2025

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.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 12/01/2025

The full self-driving (FSD) stopped working although it was fully paid for at the time of vehicle purchase. Along with that, the car stopped receiving/installing over the air software updates, the lane markings in the display disappeared, and the automatic cancelling turn signals stopped working (requiring me to manually cancel them). I took it to Tesla service and was told that the car needs a new computer at a cost of approximately $2,300. To answer the bullet points above: 1. The main vehicle computer malfunctioned. 2. I paid for FSD for the safety it provides - without FSD, the car is simply less safe in traffic. 3. The Tesla service center confirmed that the vehicle computer has malfunctioned. 4. There was no indication of any kind, until suddenly the FSD stopped working and I noticed subsequently that downloading/installing software updates failed, lane markings disappeared, and automatic cancelling turn signals stopped working requiring manual operation.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 01/08/2026

Observed intermittent center display/infotainment computer (MCU) crashes/reboots where the center display becomes blank and then restarts. In recorded events, when reverse was selected during an MCU reboot interval, the rearview camera image did not display until the reboot completed. Recorded rear camera unavailability during reverse was approximately 10–17 seconds. MCU crash/reboot behavior was observed to be repeatable, including predictable occurrence while the vehicle was in the built-in Service Mode. After a factory reset, repeated/double boot behavior was also observed. Additional observations: - With the turn signal activated, light leakage was observed in the side repeater camera image (glare/bloom present in the camera view). - With each windshield wiper sweep, the forward camera image was observed to briefly flicker to a purple/green distorted state and then return to normal. - During driving, the on-screen message “Auto Lane Change unavailable” was observed. A separate rear camera symptom has also been observed: intermittent freezing/stale frames (image appears not to update). This rear camera freeze behavior has not yet been captured on video. These conditions have been documented by video/screenshots and reported to the manufacturer/service center for inspection/diagnosis. No crash or injury occurred. The vehicle is currently located at the manufacturer’s service center and is available for inspection upon request.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 12/26/2025

Car was on complete auto pilot on mayland highway 270 and car suddenly took exit with any command and notification. Car was very close , few feet away from the guardrail at 55 mile per hour. This could have been a life threatening event with such decisions made by car. I saved all the dash cam videos of such two occurrence. I no longer have any trust in auto pilot software after too many mishaps with recent updates.