2026 Tesla Model Y

Too new to assess

The 2026 Tesla Model Y is too new for this measure. Almost every complaint about a vehicle this recent is a first-year complaint, because that is all the service life there has been, so the figure cannot separate a genuine early defect from simple youth. The complaint counts, systems and recalls below still stand on their own. The most-reported system is collision avoidance (117 complaints), typically at 7 mo or about 13,001 miles.

Complaints: 530
Median age at failure: 6 mo
Median mileage: 5,000 n=30
Crash / fire / tow: 26.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 8

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Collision avoidance

117 reports · 13,001 mi

7 mo

35.9%

Other

98 reports

5 mo

21.4%

Electrical system

47 reports · 4,800 mi

7 mo

27.7%

Lane departure

42 reports · 300 mi

8 mo

16.7%

Steering

38 reports

5 mo

21.1%

Speed control

27 reports · 5,000 mi

5 mo

33.3%

Structure

25 reports · 13,000 mi

6 mo

20%

Suspension

24 reports

6 mo

4.2%

Back over prevention

20 reports

10 mo

75%

Service brakes

19 reports · 4,900 mi

6 mo

31.6%

Exterior lighting

17 reports

2 mo

11.8%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

26V558000 2026-09-01

Suspension:critical fasteners

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y vehicles. One or more front suspension lateral link fasteners may not have been properly tightened, allowing the lateral link to loosen or separate from the sub-frame.

A lateral link separation could shift the wheel alignment, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

26V445000 2026-07-07

Structure:body:bumpers

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y and 2024 Model 3 vehicles. The vehicles were originally built for a foreign market and do not have knee air bags, may not be equipped with certain interior safety countermeasures, and may not have been tested for bumper impact resistance procedures. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers, 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact," and Part 581, "Bumper Standards."

A noncompliant vehicle may have reduced occupant protections, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

26V315000 2026-05-19

Equipment:other:labels

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Model Y vehicles. The certification label may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. Part 567, "Certification."

Missing weight information provided by the label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V690000 2025-10-10

Electrical system:propulsion system:fuses, relays, contacts, and shunts

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y vehicles. The battery pack contactors may fail, causing a loss of drive power.

A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

25V658000 2025-10-01

Electrical system:wiring

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y vehicles. The reverse lights may fail to illuminate while the vehicle is in reverse, due to a defect in the wiring. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Reverse lights that fail to illuminate reduce visibility and may not alert pedestrians or other drivers that the vehicle is backing up, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V490000 2025-07-28

Electrical system:horn

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y vehicles. The ring terminal of the horn ground wire may be improperly secured, allowing the circuit to open and preventing the horn from sounding.

An inoperable horn may prevent the driver from alerting other drivers as needed, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V410000 2025-06-18

Seats:critical fasteners

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The fasteners attaching the seat back to the seat bottom may have been improperly tightened.

The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

25V359000 2025-05-30

Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y vehicles. The hose connector may block the windshield washer nozzles, preventing washer fluid from reaching the windshield. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."

The inability to clean the windshield reduces the driver’s visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Exterior lighting mileage not reported 2 mo in service crash / fire / tow

FSD was unable to avoid object in road, may be due to how the adaptive headlights work as I was unable to see the object as well FSD/adaptive headlights may may it hard or impossible to see objects on road at night No In the process of a insurance claim No

Exterior lighting mileage not reported 2 mo in service

In my 2026 Tesla Model Y Long Range, there is no emergency release in the frunk (front trunk). I do believe there is a law that requires this. What if the unthinkable happens and someone gets stuck inside of it? I have seen others post about not having it as well, so it is definitely not limited to a small number of vehicles. I do not even see the harness for the emergency release inside of the panel. This is a huge safety issue.

Exterior lighting mileage not reported 3 mo in service

New 2026 Model Ys made after October 2025 no longer have an emergency release/opener for the front trunk. Easily large enough for a child to lay in and be trapped.

Steering mileage not reported 2 mo in service

Car seemed to have no power steering when I tried to leave this morning, brand new car less than 5000 miles and itâs glitching.

Other Model Y model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.