There are 8 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2026 Tesla Model Yin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I am reporting a safety issue with my 2026 Tesla Model Y. The rear seatbelt system has experienced three separate mechanical failures, each requiring service and replacement. The vehicle was purchased new from Tesla, Inc.. Due to these repeated failures, I have had to adjust seating arrangements for my two children in booster seats, including temporarily relocating one child to the middle seat when a side seatbelt became inoperable. The issue has since recurred on the opposite side. This pattern represents a significant and ongoing safety concern.
Rear-end collision. My Tesla impacted the rear of another vehicle at approximately 15–18 mph. No forward collision warning observed. Owner-provided data shows AEB status as SNA. Impact is such that the car is totaled.
New vehicle was delivered from the factory with an inoperable seat belt. After removing a trim piece, I found the seatbelt wrapped around several trim clips inside the pillar.
Right rear passenger seat belt malfunctioned after owning the vehicle for one month. When I called the service department to discuss the issue, they said the part would take 5 days to come in. They denied me a loaner car to drive while I waiting for the part. The malfunction was confirmed by the dealership the following week and required replacement. I still cannot believe that a company who values safety, expected me to continue to drive my children in a car that had a malfunctioning seatbelt, until the part came in.
The contact is a police officer from the Simi police department, who called on behalf of the owner of a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated the owner was driving at 30 MPH with full autopilot mode with direction destination set, the vehicle increased in speed to make a U-turn on the opposite side of a driveway; therefore, the driver attempted to disengage the autopilot and depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle failed to stop and instead increased in speed, causing the driver to crash into a curb, a Dodge Ram truck, a light pole, and an occupied Nissan Maxima vehicle, where the vehicle came to a stop. Both vehicles that were crashed into were occupied by 1 occupant each. The contact stated the owner's air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the owner did not sustain any injuries. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision center; however, the vehicle looked drivable. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
1) FULL SUPERVISED DRIVINGD ENTERED 3 LANES OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. A TRUCK AVOIDED BROAD SIDING THE DRIVERS DOOR OF MY VEHICLE BY ENTERING ON COMING TRAFFIC DRIVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. LUCKILY THE ON COMING TRAFFIC STOPPED FOR THE TRUCK. THE NAVAGATION SYSTEM SEEMED TO BE LOST AS WELL. 2) THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT ALERT ALARM BEGAN TO CONTINUALLY GO ON STATING THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT FASTENED. IT WAS BROUGHT INTO THE SHOP TWICE FOR REPAIR. THE SEAT WAS REPLACED. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT ALERT STARTED DOING THE SAME THING WITH NO ONE OR OBJECTS ON THE SEAT. IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE SHOP. 3) UPON DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE THE LOW WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID WARNING CAME ON. I SUPPLIED MORE FLUID TWICE WITH NO RESOLUTION. THE SHOP REPLACED A FAULTY HOSE AND RESERVOIR. THE WINDSHIELD WASHER CONTROL COULD HARDLY AND BARELY SPRAY ANY FLUID OMTO THE WINDSHIELD. THE SHOP ADJUSTED THE PRESSURE WHICH HAS QUICKY FAILED. A TECHNICIAN DETERMINED IT IS A NEW DESIGN AND IS WORKING FINE. A TECHNICIAN VERIFIED TO ME THAT THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID DOES CLEAN THE CAMERA'S FOR SUPERVISED DRIVING. I DO NOT USE THE FSD DUE TO THE FLAW IN THIS SUPPOSED NEW DESIGN. THE SHOP STATED THAT THEY HAD DIFFICULTY REPRODUCING THE SEAT BELT ISSUE AND KEPT THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS TWICE IN ORDER TO REPRODUCE THE RANDOM OCCURANCES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED AT 2 SERVICE SHOP LOCATIONS. NO POLICE OR INSURANCE REPRESENTATIVES HAVE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. IN REGARD TO THE SEAT BELT ISSUES THERE WERE MESSAGES, WARNING LAMPS AND SIREN ALERTS IN SOME CASES FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR EVERY FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING. IN REGARD TO THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ON AS SOON AS I PICKED UP THE BRAND NEW CAR ON AUGUST 27, 2025 THE SEAT BELT ISSUES SEEM TO BE RESOLVED THUS FAR, THE WINDSIELD WASHER FLUID IS ONGOING.
24 hour after taking delivery, operating on Full Self Driving on a residential street at 25-30 mph, the car struck a landscaping trailer parked on the right.The tailgate of the trailer was down and the car struck the left rear upright post of the trailer causing significant damage to my car. No automatic breaking occurred: the car struck the trailer at full speed. The collision alarm sounded just as the vehicle struck the trailer, not before. I requested vehicle status info form Tesla, but the video stops well before the collision and I can't decipher the rest. But I can send it to you if it would be helpful,.
I was driving my 2026 Tesla Model Y when another vehicle pulled out from a driveway and struck the front/side of my car. The Tesla failed to initiate Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and no airbags deployed. This raises serious concerns about the functionality of Tesla’s safety systems in real-world scenarios. The vehicle has not been modified in any way and was in standard driving mode. I have contacted Tesla Support requesting a diagnostic and explanation, but I believe this incident should also be reviewed as a potential safety defect.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026