Selling a wrecked or dead Tesla Model Y

That matters if yours is the one that braked hard, got hit, or now sits with a dead screen. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Model Y trouble spots, year group by year group

The Model Y went into production in January 2020 and is built in Fremont, California; Austin, Texas; Shanghai; and Grünheide, Germany, per Wikipedia. It shares about 75 percent of its content with the Model 3. Electric motors drive it, so instead of engine generations, the years are grouped by how Tesla built the car.

2020: the radar year

The first model year has 280 complaints. Forward collision avoidance leads even here, with 61, ahead of unknown or other (35) and service brakes (29). The 2020 also appears in 24 recall campaigns, more than any other Model Y year, because it was swept into most of the fleet-wide software recalls of 2022 to 2024.

2021-2023: camera-only cars and most of the complaints

Wikipedia says that from May 2021, Tesla built the Model Y without radar, relying on cameras alone for its driver-assistance features. In February 2022, NHTSA opened an investigation into "phantom braking," where cars on adaptive cruise control or Autopilot slow suddenly with nothing in the way.

These three years hold 3,122 complaints. Forward collision avoidance tops each one: 337 on the 2021, 283 on the 2022 and 242 on the 2023. Service brakes comes next on the 2021 and 2022.

Steering is the other story on the 2023: 158 complaints, second only to collision avoidance. Under recall 25V092000, some 2023 Model 3 and Model Y cars on software below 2023.38.4 can overstress the power steering circuit board. The fix was a free over-the-air (OTA) update. Its 376,241 vehicles include Model 3s.

Doors drew federal attention too. In September 2025 NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation of about 174,000 model-year 2021 Model Ys after nine reports of parents unable to reopen exterior doors.

Other campaigns here are shared with other Teslas, so their vehicle counts are not Model Y counts. A heat pump valve could trap refrigerant on some 2020-2022 cars (22V050000, 26,681 vehicles across four models). Some 2023 cars with the full self-driving computer 4.0 had camera software trouble (24V035000, 199,575 vehicles across the S, X and Y).

2024-2026: newer cars, and the Model Y L

The 2024 has 326 complaints and the 2025 has 103. The 2026 already has 394, with unknown or other (92) and forward collision avoidance (66) on top. EPA's list for these years includes the longer Model Y L, which Wikipedia calls a mid-size crossover with a 119.7-inch wheelbase. As the youngest Model Ys, these years are still adding reports.

The hood latch recall, 24V554000, runs from 2020 to 2024 Model Ys: the car may not detect an unlatched hood. It was a free OTA update, and its 1,849,638 vehicles include the Model 3, S and X. Wikipedia also lists a July 2025 recall of five 2026 Model Ys for a loose horn ground wire.

Model Y complaints and recalls, year by year

Source: the Model Y owner complaints in NHTSA's download on October 10, 2026. These are reports owners filed, not a reliability score. Each year's recall count includes campaigns shared across years, so the column does not total 43.

How to sell a Model Y whole

1. Note what it does now: does the screen wake, does it shift, does it roll? Add the VIN and mileage.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it is. A body shop lot, a garage, an apartment space or the street all work. Our truck comes to that spot, with free pickup anywhere in the US.
4. Keep the Model Y battery, wheels and glass on the car. If anything has been removed, say so, since that affects the offer.
5. Wipe the screen. Your Tesla account, home address and phone keys live there; see wipe your data.
6. Our driver takes the Model Y title and keys when loading. Is there still a loan on it? See still owe on the loan.

Fix the Model Y, or sell it?

Look up what a running Model Y like yours goes for, then hold the shop's quote up to it. When the fix costs that much or more, letting it go now is the better move.

• Recalls first. Most Model Y campaigns here are free software updates. Check your VIN at NHTSA's lookup.
• After a crash. The 2023 has 152 complaints that report a crash, the most of any year. If the insurer wrote it off, read insurer totaled it.
• Battery or drive trouble. The EV battery guide covers when a pack repair stops making sense.

Own the sedan version instead? The Model 3 page covers it. Bigger Teslas: the Model X and Model S. Tesla's truck: the Cybertruck. All of them: Tesla.