NHTSA Complaint #11660772 — 2022 TESLA MODEL Y

Just days after taking delivery of our first Tesla (2022 Model Y, second-hand ), we experienced a dangerous incident. While Autopilot was engaged, the vehicle failed to slow down or properly navigate a curb near a roundabout. Despite our immediate manual intervention, the front wheel was damaged, resulting in loss of steering and a repair bill exceeding $7,000. After the incident, we were surprised and alarmed to learn that Tesla’s Autopilot is widely known to be unreliable and risky in urban settings. Yet, Tesla imposes no restrictions or clear warnings on its use in such areas, even where the vehicle’s software could easily identify elevated risks. Autopilot handles highways reasonably well, following lanes, making turns, and maintaining distance from other vehicles. This creates a misleading impression that it will perform just as effectively on city roads. However, city roads are far more complex, and the brief transition from Autopilot to human control is often insufficient to prevent accidents. Our experience painfully illustrates this. What concerns us most is that Tesla includes Autopilot as a standard feature but fails to adequately educate users about its limitations. There are no effective restrictions to prevent the system’s use in high-risk scenarios, nor are there built-in warnings when the system is engaged in unsuitable driving environments. This creates extremely dangerous situations for customers. Every life is valuable and deserves proper protection. In addition to the physical damage, the emotional toll after the incident has been significant. What feels especially unjust is Tesla’s response. The company has shown indifference, refusing to take responsibility or provide any compensation for an incident caused by clear system design flaws. We are submitting this report in the hope of preventing similar accidents and receiving the compensation we rightfully deserve. (The vehicle issue has been inspected and confirmed by the Tesla Service Center)