2025 Tesla Model Y Problems and Owner Complaints: Software, Brake & Electrical Issues
The 2025 Tesla Model Y faces numerous complaints involving braking, software, and Autopilot failures that have led to crashes and investigations. We conducted an analysis of NHTSA records and consumer data to identify patterns and better understand these recurring issues.
The redesigned 2025 Tesla Model Y is promoted as being more efficient and engineered for safety. The automaker boasts that “Forward Collision Avoidance, Active Emergency Braking, and Lane Departure Avoidance come standard.” However these, and other safety features are a critical cause for concern, with owners complaining that they malfunction, resulting in serious safety issues and numerous crashes.
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Most Common Problems
The most common complaints about the 2025 Tesla Model Y to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) relate to safety features, including forward collision avoidance, backover prevention, and lane departure, with many complaints linking more than one system in a single complaint. Similarly, the electrical system and brakes are cited in a large number of complaints, again often linked to forward collision avoidance and other components.
In addition to those already mentioned, other components and systems linked to complaints include vehicle speed control, visibility and visibility/wiper, steering, the fuel/propulsion system, airbags, engine, exterior lighting, latches/locks/linkages, and wheels.
The number of crashes cited in complaints is a grave cause of concern, especially since one resulted in death. Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has launched two investigations addressing various crash-related issues. As of late August 2025, both were still open.
There are also two recalls that relate to the 2025 Tesla Model Y.
It is worth noting that, despite these concerns, there are only two manufacturer communications on record with the NHTSA, one relating to magnets in the glove box that create an air gap. The other alerts dealers to a new firmware diagnosis feature that monitors wheel alignment to pick up issues like incorrect tire pressures, degraded ball joints, bushings, or damaged suspension links. There are no communications that relate to all the critical safety issues.
Investigations
The first investigation involves crash incidents during Actually Smart Summon sessions. The second, which is related, regards compliance with a Standing General Order on report requirements. Both are filed as electrical system issues.
Crash Incidents during Actually Smart Summons sessions
Smart Summon and Actually Smart Summon are features on certain Tesla vehicles that allow a user to remotely move the vehicle to the user or to another designated location through the use of a phone app.
ODI launched a preliminary investigation on January 6, 2025,after an allegation that an Actually Smart Summon session resulted in a crash. Subsequent investigations have revealed three similar crashes. “All four incidents involve the subject Tesla vehicles operating in Actually Smart Summon failing to detect posts or parked vehicles, resulting in a crash.”
Additionally, ODI reports that it is aware of multiple crash allegations, involving both Smart Summon and Actually Smart Summon, “where the user had too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”
Furthermore, “Tesla has not reported any Smart Summon or Actually Smart Summon crashes through the Standing General Order for crashes involving ADS or Level 2 ADAS, which requires reporting of crashes on publicly accessible roads.”
ODI’s stated mission is to investigate Actually Smart Summon’s capabilities as they relate to the subject and similar crashes, including the system’s operation and field performance in vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD). The NHTSA is also evaluating the top speed that a vehicle can attain while Actually Smart Summon is engaged, designed-in operating restrictions for usage on public roads, and line of sight requirements.
A primary issue is remote vehicle control through the phone app that causes delays resulting in increased stopping distances, as well as the ability to utilize Actually Smart Summon in “roadway environments and operating conditions for which the current version of the system is neither intended nor designed.”
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
This investigation was launched on August 20, 2025, after ODI identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla in response to Standing General Order 2021-01, in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. Most of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of Tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, Tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis.
It appears that the problem was due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which the automaker maintains has not “been fixed.”
“NHTSA is opening this Audit Query, a standard process for reviewing compliance with legal requirements, to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them.” The NHTSA will also assess whether there are any incidents that are still outstanding and whether reports that have been submitted include all the data required.
2025 Tesla Model Y Complaint Summary
Complaint Category
Number of Complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control
NHTSA Complaints that Report Crashes Involving 2025 Model Ys
While pulling his 2025 Tesla Model Y out of a parking lot garage, a Texas owner tried to shift the gear stalk down multiple times to engage drive mode. “Instead of moving forward, the car reversed and collided with the garage wall.”
An owner from Californian crashed and was injured when the Autopilot and FSD “took over, causing my vehicle to crash head-on into a tree.”
A New Jersey owner wanted to reverse, so he turned on the engine and put the Model Y into reverse gear. “The vehicle just zoomed out of the driveway, leaving me without the ability to control it, and hit a tree on a neighbor’s house and stopped.” He then engaged the drive gear to go back into the garage. “Again, the vehicle zoomed into the Garage, hit a few objects in the garage, and stopped. At that point, I just turned off (the) power and walked out.”
An owner from Washington was also backing out of a driveway when the Model Y crashed into a car that was parked in the street. “Essentially, the vehicle’s sensors did not see the vehicle directly behind it.”
Soon after purchasing his Model Y, an owner from Texas began experiencing multiple safety-related malfunctions, including Full Self-Driving (FSD) malfunctions. The third time he used FSD, the car tried unsuccessfully to enter a left-hand lane and collided with the bumper of a truck in the adjacent lane. There were no warnings, and the backup alert system also failed. When he reported this and other malfunctions to Tesla, they said there was nothing they could do, and the next step could be a buyback request. However, 45 days later, his request had not even been acknowledged.
Complaints Reporting Fire
Car fires are terrifying and can be fatal, as the first complaint here shows.
On February 10, 2025, an attorney filed a complaint with the NHTSA about an incident that occurred in Beverly Hills, California, on January 28, 2025. The owner of a 2025 Tesla Model Y was “driving on a neighborhood street at an unknown speed with Autopilot engaged when vehicle control was lost. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a traffic light pole, where it came to a stop and caught on fire. The owner was unable to exit the vehicle and was pronounced deceased on the scene.”
The location of the fire was under the front end of the engine compartment, where the battery was stored, and the origin of the fire was deemed to be the lithium battery. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed in the crash, and the light pole was damaged. It wasn’t known whether the airbags were deployed when the Model Y crashed.
An owner from Michigan also experienced a fire. When smoke started coming out of the vents while driving, he pulled over and got out of the car. Within two minutes, flames were captured on video coming from the center dash area of the vehicle. The fire developed rapidly, and at the time of the complaint, the fire department was still investigating. According to the owner, the battery was at 2%.
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Forward Collision Avoidance Safety Problems
A remarkably large number of complaints filed in this category talk about safety issues. Some say the only solution is to take over by driving manually.
An owner from Maryland states that “In FSD mode, my Tesla Model Y always heads to the ‘Do Not Enter’ road and I have to take over manually. This is very unsafe.”
An owner from Virginia tells how the Autopilot system malfunctioned without warning when there were no obstacles in the road. The car veered right suddenly, directly toward two vehicles driving in the adjacent lane. Luckily, he was holding the steering wheel and was able to countersteer and prevent a collision.
The “Curvature Assist Active” message causes problems for an Arizona owner. It happens while Cruise Control is on, and the car suddenly reduces speed. “This happens on a straight road with no curves or slope. It also happens at random. On the same stretch of road at the same time of the day, this issue pops up sometimes and doesn’t on other times.” The Tesla technicians were unable to find the cause, so they recalibrated the sensors. But the problem recurred at least twice a day after this. “If there is any safety incident due to these issues, Tesla will have to be held liable.”
Computer and Software Safety Problems
Before his 2025 Tesla Model Y had done 700 miles, all the cameras and sensors, as well as GPS navigation, stopped working. This prevented navigation and self-driving from functioning and caused many safety features to be disabled. At first, Tesla said the system needed “a new component.” But then, they said it needed a new computer. Two months later, the vehicle was still awaiting repair. Only threats of legal action persuaded Tesla to give the owner a loan vehicle.
The automatic pilot computer (AP4) of a Virginia owner’s Model Y failed after only about 400 miles. “This controls a lot of the vehicle’s Autopilot features, but it also controls a lot of its safety features, such as the back-up camera, forward collision warning, and blind spot warning.” He issued the complaint after waiting for two weeks for a fix that he understood wouldn’t be available in “the foreseeable future.”
An owner from New Jersey states that the AP4 computer in his Model Y shorted out, causing everything controlled by the computer to fail. “The failure of these systems, especially safety features like forward collision warning, lane keeping assistance, and blind spot monitoring, puts both the driver and others on the road at risk. Losing access to safety-critical functions after an update is unacceptable and poses a serious danger to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic.”
An owner from Ohio reported that the computer system failure caused “all cameras to fail, mirrors to stay darkened even in daylight, navigation system not updating, collision and lane departure feature failure.” Tesla scheduled a computer replacement, but at the time of the complaint, three weeks later, it hadn’t happened.
Brake Problems
Most brake problems reported in complaints are also recorded as forward collision avoidance problems.
One complaint states that it is impossible to disable the automatic emergency braking system permanently. “The vehicle brakes strongly and abruptly causing the cars behind to slam on their brakes and potentially cause accidents. Every time I disable it, it comes back on next time we get into the car. There have been several instances where the vehicle hit the brakes really hard, even if there was nothing in front of it.” The owner was told that this happens because Tesla does not use sensors, relying on cameras instead. “I don’t know how to drive this car safely because the car makes decisions for me.”
Another owner, whose Model Y was three months old at the time of the complaint, states that when cruise or auto-steer is enabled, and using cruise control only, he experiences unexplained, unexpected hard, sudden braking that reduces vehicle speed dramatically. “The problem could easily cause a rear-end collision soon if another car is following closely, and I’m not able to correct and accelerate fast enough.”
An owner from Arizona states that twice, when the Model Y applied the brakes suddenly when there were no obstructions ahead, he had to take over manually and speed up to avoid any issues with the cars behind.
In a complaint listed only as a service brake problem, an owner from California points out that Tesla removed the creep/roll braking function (which mimicked an automatic transmission) from the Model Y 2024 forward. “You now have to use the accelerator to control slow speed maneuvers like backing. It seems that it would be pretty easy to press the accelerator too much and have the car lurch forward or backwards. Seems like an accident waiting to happen.”
What Can You Do If You’ve Got a Lemon?
If your 2025 Tesla Model Y has recurring issues, or if it’s been out of service for 30 days or more, you may be dealing with a lemon. In this situation, speaking with a qualified lemon law attorney can help. Every year, automakers like Tesla are required to buy back, replace, or provide cash settlements to thousands of owners with defective vehicles. Best of all, under federal and state lemon laws, Tesla must cover your legal fees. That means pursuing a claim won’t cost you anything upfront.
Lemberg Law has helped countless vehicle owners secure settlements from major manufacturers. We offer a free case evaluation to review your 2025 Tesla Model Y issues and explain your options. Call our Helpline or complete our quick contact form today. We’ll assess your case and get back to you right away.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
