2024 Tesla Model Y Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year cluster around driver-assistance and camera hardware: owners most often describe all cameras, navigation and safety features going dark at once, sometimes after a software update or an internal computer fault. A second common theme is unintended or unexpected acceleration and braking with Autopilot or Full Self-Driving engaged, and many reports are filed on vehicles with low mileage, often within the first few thousand miles.

1. 1
   Back-over prevention (rear camera)

   All cameras and driver-assist features stop working

   • 96 complaints (29%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 2.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the rear camera, side cameras, navigation and parking warnings all failing at the same time, sometimes overnight and sometimes after a software update. With no backup camera and dark-tinted mirrors, complaints say reversing and lane changes become difficult. Several report the service center attributed it to a failed computer or camera module and then had no parts, cancelling or pushing appointments out weeks. Reported from delivery up to roughly 25,000 miles, frequently within the first few thousand miles.

   Recall 25V0020001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Before buying, put the car in reverse and confirm the rear and side camera views and parking warnings appear, and ask whether the camera computer has ever been replaced. A recall addresses loss of the rearview image from a circuit board short.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Tesla has told me the AP4 computer has failed in my car which has resulted in them having to replace it. I had this issue start right around Thanksgiving. I scheduled the soonest appointment available for 01/03. Not offering me a rental or anything on my brand new '24 Tesla. It has just over 1,000 miles on it and is ~1 months old now. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11631121, filed 2024-12

   “Hello , I just bought the new Tesla Model Y 2024 in the October and all of a sudden all the driver assistance programs are not working, including the Rear Camera(Reverse camera) I took it for the service on December 4th and they fixed issue on December 5th. After few days on December 13th the same issue happened again and Tesla service center is saying I need to wait till February 20th 2025 for the repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11632123, filed 2024-12
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Sudden braking or missed stops with cruise and FSD

   • 75 complaints (23%)
   • median 18,445 mi at 1.8 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 21 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners report the car braking hard on its own with cruise control or adaptive cruise engaged and the road ahead clear, sometimes nearly causing a rear-end collision. Others describe Full Self-Driving failing to slow for a red light, a stopped vehicle or an exit ramp, or veering off the road, with drivers taking over at the last moment. Complaints say service visits often ended with the system reported as operating normally. Reported across the range from a few thousand to about 45,000 miles, on highways and in traffic.

   What to check: Drive the car with cruise and any driver-assist features engaged on a highway and in traffic, and ask which software version is installed and whether the owner has logged any braking or takeover events.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving ~40 mph with no Autopilot or cruise control active, my 2024 Model Y suddenly braked itself from 40 → 0 mph for no reason. The road ahead was clear. I did not touch the brake. My 3-year-old was in the car. We were nearly rear-ended and could have been seriously injured. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11699280, filed 2025-11

   “The vehicle was under full self-driving mode and approaching a shopping center. There was a crossroad with signs on the corner. The vehicle was supposed to turn left but kept slowly approaching the signs on the corner. I was ready to step on the brake to stop the full self-driving mode while expecting the vehicle to turn left or step on the brake. Instead, the vehicle accelerated toward the signs, so I had to steer the wheel to the left and apply the brake immediately. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11605368, filed 2024-07
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 22 complaints (7%)
   • median 10,370 mi at 1.2 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 18 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle speeding up on its own while maneuvering at low speed, such as pulling into a garage, backing up or using the tap-to-reverse feature, with the brake feeling unresponsive in some accounts. Complaints often say the car struck a garage door, barrier or another vehicle, and that no warning appeared beforehand. Several note the dealer or manufacturer was not contacted or could not reproduce the event. Typically reported at very low mileage, from delivery to about 16,000 miles, during parking or driveway maneuvers.

   What to check: Test low-speed maneuvering in a parking lot and confirm the pedal feel and creep behavior suit you; ask the seller whether any unintended-movement reports were investigated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while shifting the vehicle into drive (D), the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle was gaining forward momentum. Additionally, the steering wheel would not turn right or left. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle gained speed and crashed through a chain link fence and drove into an alley. The contact stated that the air bags deployed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11674618, filed 2025-07, 25 miles

   “The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH and making a right turn into an alley with another vehicle approaching, the contact stopped to reverse; however, while using the tap feature, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a concrete barrier twice. The vehicle was uncontrollable. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. The crash was not captured on the camera inside the vehicle. A Police report was filed. There was no injury reported. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11746167, filed 2026-06, 14,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering loss or locking while driving

   • 18 complaints (5%)
   • median 1,775 mi at 1.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the steering wheel suddenly locking or failing to respond mid-drive, or the car pulling hard to one side, in some accounts leading to a curb or roadside impact. Complaints mention no warning light beforehand and that a dealer could not find a stored code, so no repair was made. A separate group reports noise from the front half-shaft area that service described as a lubrication issue. Reported from delivery mileage up to about 3,500 miles in the locking accounts; noise reports at higher mileage.

   What to check: Steer through a slow full-lock turn in both directions and listen for clicking or groaning from the front axle, and ask whether any steering or half-shaft work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Attempted to make a right turn, which the steering wheel then locked; unable to control car. Resulted in the car hitting two restaurant signs. Front right side of the car damaged, right side damage, no air bags deployed. No warning lamps or messages prior to failure. Vehicle not yet inspected, waiting for appointment (August 21st)”

   NHTSA complaint #11599567, filed 2024-07

   “The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 38 MPH with his sister inside the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and failed to stop as intended, causing the vehicle to drive through a crosswalk. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond while being turned, causing the vehicle to crash into a curb and then into a parked vehicle, which was able to stop the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11669242, filed 2025-06, 3,500 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Screen or computer failure affecting basic controls

   • 28 complaints (9%)
   • median 8,790 mi at 2.0 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners report the center screen staying dark or rebooting, leaving no speed readout, no climate control and no camera view. A few describe a high-voltage controller fault that kept the car from going into drive or shut it down, and others note battery drain or overheating warnings. Complaints say repeat service visits did not identify the cause. Reported from very low mileage up to roughly 100,000 miles, with several accounts in the first few thousand miles.

   Recall 24V554000Recall 24V0510002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the screen wakes promptly and shows speed, climate and camera views, and ask whether the high-voltage controller or any warning-light font update has been handled.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The screen continues to not turn on with my Model Y. This is making it a dangerous situation with backing out of my house and while I’m at the store. Additionally, I can’t tell the speed I’m going or if there are any problems with the car while driving. I’ve gone back to Tesla multiple times and they have not figured out what is going on”

   NHTSA complaint #11688641, filed 2025-09

   “The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal battery drainage and was not operating based on the designed mileage. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was overheating, and the failure persisted after the vehicle had been parked and turned off. The contact also stated that the front passenger's side window would roll down unintentionally while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11591770, filed 2024-05, 6 miles

Buying note. This model year is recent enough that most reports come from early ownership, so a careful test drive of the cameras, driver-assist features and screen matters more than mileage. Ask for the service history on camera or computer replacements and confirm any open recalls have been completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.