Tesla Model Y Reliability — Best and Worst Years by the Data

Quick answer

Half of all complaints arrive by 1 year of age, so 13.9% land after the 4-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Forward Collision Avoidance, with 237 complaints, typically at 1.4 years.

Tesla Model Y years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Tesla Model Y — complaint rate by model year
Model year	Per run	Complaints	Runs	Enough history?
2026	5.69	290	51	too new
2025	2.08	106	51	too new
2020	12.77	281	22	yes

ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Tesla Model Y — age at failure
Age at failure	Complaints	Running total	Warranty
0 years	225	43.5%	covered
1 year	82	59.4%	covered
2 years	81	75%	covered
3 years	57	86.1%	covered
4 years	33	92.5%	you pay
5 years	22	96.7%	you pay
6 years	17	100%	you pay

ROWS 7·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 4 years / 50,000 miles. Only 86.1% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 13.9% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (8 years / 100,000–150,000 miles (battery & drive unit)) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for few of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Tesla Model Y, the early trouble is Forward Collision Avoidance and Unknown Or Other — reported at around 1.4 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it.

FIG.03·Tesla Model Y — what fails and when
System	Complaints	Typical age	Crash	Fire
Forward Collision Avoidance	237	1.4 yrs	54	1
Unknown Or Other	171	1.4 yrs	37	—
Electrical System	89	1.4 yrs	12	3
Lane Departure	82	1.4 yrs	17	1
Service Brakes	74	1.3 yrs	22	—
Steering	72	1.5 yrs	17	—
Vehicle Speed Control	71	1.4 yrs	25	—
Suspension	60	1.7 yrs	6	—

ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the Model Y's vehicle class. Per production run, the Toyota RAV4 draws 2.31, the Jeep Wrangler 4.69 and the Honda CR-V 3.7, against 5.46 for the Model Y. That is the most complaints of the group.

FIG.05·Tesla Model Y — rivals in the same class
Same class as the Model Y	Complaints on record	Recall campaigns	Years built
Toyota RAV4	9,332	168	1996–2026
Jeep Wrangler	16,434	285	1986–2026
Honda CR-V	15,948	207	1997–2026
Mazda CX-5	2,211	33	2013–2026
Nissan Rogue	7,253	94	2008–2026
Kia Telluride	2,014	33	2020–2026

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

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Everything on the Tesla Model Y

Recalls100 campaigns Fuel economy138 mpg best Common problems388 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Used prices1,295 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Insurance costEstimated per year Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means About this car2020–2026

Frequently asked questions

Is the Tesla Model Y reliable?

By complaints per production run it is worse than typical: 5.46 against 3.73 for the average car, and more than each of the 3 class rivals we compared.

When do Model Y problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 1 year of age. The most reported system is Forward Collision Avoidance, typically at 1.4 years, followed by Unknown Or Other.

Will the warranty cover Model Y problems?

Mostly yes: basic cover is 4 years / 50,000 miles, and 86.1% of reported failures fall inside it.

Is the Model Y more reliable than the Toyota RAV4?

No: 5.46 complaints per production run for the Model Y against 2.31 for the Toyota RAV4.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

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