2023 Tesla Model Y · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 154owner reports
- 8,613median miles
- 37involved a crash
Newest report Sep 22, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
154 of the 1,166 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 154 reports
Brake wear on other Model Y years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2025.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the ABS module (5 reports) and the pads and rotors (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2023 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 4,423 and 16,300 miles, from the 9 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“We were driving at highway speeds in I-5 and had incidents of phantom braking on the car when it automatically slammed the brakes almost causing us to be rear ended.”
Filed Apr 16, 2023
“on 30th MAR 2023, when my wife drove on to our drive way with gentle speed, car rammed into closed garage door and broke the door and rammed into living room wall with breaking room entry door . there is neither emergency breaking /stop nor collision warning . it damaged wall , garage door and more living room property damage with addition to damage to the car. i am really worried about the safety of the car..”
Filed Apr 3, 2023
“Tesla model y 2023 phantom braked on the intestate. The emergency braking system and adaptive cruise are not correct. I almost got hit because my tesla auto pilot braked on the interstate for no reason.”
Filed Mar 21, 2023
“Driving on highway with cruise control activated. No traffic around. Experienced phantom braking taking me from about 80mph to 65mph before I was able to react. Had this happened in traffic there is a good chance i would have been rear ended. No notifications or emergency lights appeared on my dash.”
Filed Feb 23, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 37 of 154 reports involved a crash and 15 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 259 reports
- Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking) 229 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 126 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 106 reports
- Forward collision warning goes off or the camera drops out 92 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 77 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 58 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 45 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 42 reports
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) does something unsafe 41 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 40 reports
- Windshield wipers stop working 32 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 27 reports