2020 Tesla Model Y Steering Problems

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.

While driving at approximately 39,000 miles, the vehicle developed loud rattling and creaking noises from the front suspension when steering or backing out. A Tesla service center inspected the car and confirmed that both front lower lateral link assemblies were completely torn and required replacement. This failure placed safety at risk by compromising front suspension stability and steering control. The issue was confirmed and repaired by Tesla, and the replaced components are available for inspection. The defect, symptoms, and remedy match those described in NHTSA Recall 21V-835, which covers abnormal noise and damage caused by defective front lower lateral link fasteners. Despite this, the repair was classified as customer-pay instead of being covered under recall. No dashboard warning lights were displayed before the failure; the only symptom was abnormal noise when steering.

Steering became difficult to turn to the right with the wheel sticking to the right when trying to turn or drive the vehicle. Tesla claims we had some kind of a large impact. Maybe a pothole. Tesla claims well this is a heavy vehicle. Out of no where we had to replace the entire steering rack. I've never had to replace an entire steering rack for a pothole. Seems ridiculous.

The steering control arms were clicking and making noises when the steering wheel was turned. Reports on Reddit said dozens of people had this problem right before they completely busted and lost control of steering the vehicle. I took mine in to the service center and they acknowledged the problem and charged me over $750 to fix. This is a SAFETY ISSUE and should be recalled and fixed for free. I have owned cars for over 40 years and have NEVER had to replace steering control arms. They installed faulty parts.

I own a 2020 Tesla Y with Hardware version 3 and after a few weeks of a free trial, purchased Tesla's Full Self-Driving Software (FSD) version 12.3.6. Since then, the FSD software was updated to version 12.5.4 and then 12.5.4.1. FSD version 12.3.6 had some safety issues. But version 12.5.4 and 12.5.4.1 has had more issues that have resulted in nearly having accidents that I have had to suddenly avoid. FSD version 12.3.6 issues: 1. Wandering outside of center yellow dividing stripes when on a curvy two-lane roadway 2. Failing to yield to oncoming traffic when making a left turn and oncoming traffic was not clearly in view due to a curvy two-lane road 3. Attempting to make a left turn into a busy intersection when the turn signal was still red FSD version 12.5.4 and 12.5.4.1 additional issues: 1. Attempting to enter a two-lane roadway from a stop sign, when the perpendicular traffic was active and they had no stop sign, requiring me to slam on the brakes. 2. Sudden and erratic braking on a two-lane roadway, including directly under a signal, when no objects, people or other vehicles were in front of me, which nearly resulted in the vehicle behind me hitting me in the rear 3. Software sending a tone and screen alert to grab the steering wheel immediately, due to a "System Failure." 4. Software sending a tone and screen alert that to grab the steering wheel immediately, due to "one or more cameras blocked," when no cameras were blocked.

After being parked on a suburban street for about 3 hours, our Tesla Model Y experienced a complete loss of power-steering assist, requiring extreme hand-over-hand effort to turn the wheel and making it dangerous to drive. Warnings of "Steering assist reduced" and "Lane departure avoidance features unavailable" appeared on the display. After a 3-week wait, we finally got the vehicle to Tesla service, who diagnosed the issue and claimed that it was due to "...rodent damage to steering rack harness". They claim to have repaired the damage and the vehicle is again usable. Repair bill was $990. I have the vehicle and it is available for inspection. I cannot verify cause of the issue nor the repairs as they are not visible without a partial disassembly of the vehicle. No parts were returned to me (as I requested), so I must assume that none were actually replaced.

While driving on the freeway was unable to steer. It has happens multiple times. Once on the freeway while I was trying to exit, I suddenly couldn’t steer. Another time, I was merging when again I could not move the steering wheel. The third time was when I was in the middle of making a left turn. All these situations were incredibly dangerous.

When driving over 45 miles approximately the steering becomes sticky and hard to move. Feels like a bump in the rack and pinion and then it jerks which would cause a car to hit other vehicles or be out of control.

Tesla Model Y 2022 lost steering control April 20, 2024 Vehicles - Model Y While backing out of indoor parking garage Steering wheel locked up! Before I could hit the brake the car collided with the cement wall in the garage. Causing some damage to right side. I tried a system reset, no luck. Called Tesla they had me go into diag mode and try a few things with no success. They sent a tow trunk and took to car to the Tesla Highland Park then to the Collision center – they could not unlock the steering wheel and called in people from the FTS (Field Technical Support) team to look at it. Very UNSAFE, it could have been much worse. I do not trust the car anymore!

All the cameras in the vehicle are inoperable which causes autopilot not to work. The lane assist feature of the vehicle has stopped working. Driver has to constantly adjust to keep the vehicle from veering into traffic. The navigational system in the vehicle does not work. These safety issues require Tesla's immediate attention as this may lead to a fatal accident.

Was driving on the interstate and a notification that “Steering assist reduced” came on the screen. About 10 minutes later my steering wheel became extremely hard to turn. I almost crashed going thru the tunnel! For the next many days I never had issues and thought it was a technical problem, because you would think if power steering is not working it wouldn’t magically work again 5 minutes later when you turn the car on. I had service done to fix something else in the car and had them take a look. There is an issue with the steering rack and want me to pay 3k to fix. My car only has 54k miles on it. So I’ve done some googling and found that I am not the first and won’t be the last to have this issue! It’s funny that Tesla service knew immediately what was wrong but at the same time didn’t know why it would happen. Sounds like it’s not my problem and I shouldn’t be paying 3k for it. Especially if brand new cars are also having the same issue. Today it did the exact same thing but then magically works again after I power off the car. It’s been about a week since the first incident.

I purchased our Tesla model Y 3 years ago. I intentionally disabled and did not subscribe to any autonomous driving features because I don’t trust them. I disabled all aspects of auto pilot functions. Despite this, my car still will automatically swerve at random times, slam on the brakes randomly with no reason to break, etc. It is terrifying when this happens unexpectedly and infuriating that I have disabled all these features, but it still does this. This is most common when I put it in cruise control. Rarely these will happen when, for example you cross a double yellow line, but most of the time they happen when nothing has occurred to prompt them. I believe this is an unsafe feature, and needs to be investigated. Unfortunately, with Tesla they have no customer service so there’s nobody that I can report this to.

I would hear squeaking/tearing/rattling noises, this was found to be due to malfunctioning/broken nuts and compliance arms and control arms. This happened three times so far, attached are two repairs that was required previously. Per report with Tesla staff, this has been a recurring issue. Per additional Tesla owners, this has been a frequent issue amongst many different Tesla forums. Now I have to get it repaired for the third time. I bought a used Tesla that was certified by Tesla, problems occured at 37876 miles, but car was bought at 34529 miles.

Tesla advertises lane keeping assist, emergency lane departure assist etc. What happens is if you trigger this feature too many times during a drive the software disables this safety feature entirely. There are plenty of disclosures about not relying on the features etc. The issue i feel that warrants intervention from your departments is, how can a manufacture completely disable a safety feature just because a driver actually relied on said safety feature.

This year I was charged $650 to replace both upper control arms, lower suspension links that I now find out was a known quality problem with Tesla. No recalls were issued despite this being a safety concern for drivers since it affects steering. I read that Tesla told service employees to tell customers that they had "abused" their car and that was the reason for the failure. I drive on perfect roads and without any load in the car, so clearly I didn't abuse it. It began with a Creaking sound when making a sharp turn or parking from steering or front suspension They replaced: Replaced LH Front Upper Control Arm. Replaced RH Front Upper Control Arm. Replaced LH compliance Lower Front Suspension Link. Replaced RH Aft Lower Front Suspension Link. NOTE: I tried two different browsers buy your site has a bug that won't allow uploads of documents, so I could not include the receipt. When one clicks on "upload files" the button disappears, and it won't let you upload.

I am writing to file a complaint against Tesla, Inc. for refusing to repair recurring suspension issues that were supposedly addressed through previous recalls. As an owner of a 2020 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX] ), I have experienced numerous problems related to the vehicle's suspension system, steering, and safety restraints, which I believe pose serious safety risks. My vehicle has undergone multiple repairs at Tesla service centers for issues such as squeaking noises when turning, vehicle shutdowns while driving, steering difficulties, and excessive tire wear. Many of these problems are related to the vehicle's suspension system, which has been the subject of several recalls by Tesla in recent years, including recalls [XXX],[XXX], [XXX], and [XXX]. Despite these recalls supposedly addressing the suspension issues, my vehicle continues to experience problems. Most recently, on [XXX], I brought my vehicle to a Tesla service center for a loud and distinct sound coming from the steering system. The service center diagnosed the issue and recommended repairs to the front half shaft assembly, front damper assembly, and front lower lateral links, with a total estimated cost of $3,670. These issues should be covered under warranty and are directly related to the previous suspension recalls. However, Tesla has refused to cover the repairs under warranty. Furthermore, I have experienced recurring issues with the front passenger safety restraint system, which required a retrofit of the Occupant Classification System (OCS) on two separate occasions. This suggests that the initial repair was ineffective and that the system may have an underlying design flaw. I request that the NHTSA investigate these issues and take appropriate action to ensure Tesla addresses these safety concerns and honors its warranty obligations. I have attached documentation detailing the repair history, invoices, recall notices, and correspondence with Tesla. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1. Forward Collision Warning false alarm is very frequent. Often triggered by pedestrian on nearby sidewalk or parked car on street side. Tesla is using Forward Collision Warning to lower my safety score and raise my insurance premium. 2. Tesla sold me "Full Self Driving" package to me for $8000+taxes for more than two years and still have not delivered the product. It's a faulty system with lots of safety hazards. 3. Window not functioning per the recall notice.

We were driving on a highway and suddenly we got a red steering weel image with a sharp noise and a warning message something about automatic emergency braking disable and we can't use a cruise control feature. I don't feel safe to drive. Tesla can't tell me when it will be fixed.

The GPS is malfunctioning- showing the car in a random location, direction and speed. All automation needs to be disabled. The car will attempt to make a non-existent turn based on where it thinks it is, or will speed up or will suddenly decelerate because it thinks it is coming up to a cross street or traffic control.

My wife made a left turn onto Agana Drive from Patterson Avenue in Santa Barbara, California a few blocks our home. After coming to a complete stop before making the turn, she drove about 150 feet when the car swerved to the right and the right rear passenger side of our Tesla Model Y hit left rear driver’s side of another car (BMW). I drove over to assist her and it appears from the AAA tow truck driver that a part of the axle on the right passenger side rear wheel broke later confirmed by my insurance agent and my auto mechanic. It was surprising since she was had completed the turn, was driving slowly straight on Agana Drive at approximately 25mph when this part broke. Apparently, nobody was seriously injured, the parked car had nobody in it and no real estate property damage appears to have occurred. was knocked up and over the curb due to the force of the impact braking the other car's rear axle and bending the frame. Our car is still being repaired a month later. Tesla appears to know about the problem since, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there is a recall scheduled for 2020-2021 Tesla Model Y cars with a recall date of 2021-11-20, recall no. 21V912000, recall notification stating Tesla, Inc (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The front and rear suspension knuckles may fracture, causing the suspension links to separate, recall consequence stating Suspension links that separate can reduce vehicle stability and control, increasing the risk of a crash and a recall action stating Tesla Service will inspect and replace the knuckles as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed 18 January 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-21-31-004. Contact for more details and information.