2025 vs 2026 Tesla Model Y
Each year's own entries sit side by side, then what both share. Warnings of different generations are listed apart even under the same name, because what to check can differ.
Watch out for
Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.
2025
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Creaking front suspension All years
What to check: Drive slowly over speed bumps and turn the wheel to full lock, and listen for creaks or squeaks from the front.
BGR reports creaks and rattles from the suspension, and names two causes: water getting into the upper control arm ball joints and wearing them out early, and torn inner bushings on the lateral and compliance links. Owners in a Tesla Motors Club thread, one with a 2021 Long Range, say the creak can come and go with the weather before it gets worse.
BGR, owners' reports (unofficial)
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Panel gaps, paint and leaks All years
What to check: Look along every panel gap and over the paint in good light, and make sure the trunk floor is dry.
BGR reports paint that scratches easily and misaligned panels, with gaps wide enough to let rain into the trunk. Edmunds called the interior materials lackluster on the 2023 car.
BGR, Edmunds
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Sudden braking with nothing ahead 2021–2025
What to check: Try the cruise control on an open road and note any sudden, unneeded braking.
Cars built from May 2021 have no radar and rely on cameras. BGR calls phantom braking the Model Y's most common problem: the car brakes hard for an overhead sign, a shadow or something far away while on Autopilot or cruise control.
BGR, a published reference
2026
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Knocking from the front suspension All years
What to check: Drive slowly, under 20 mph, over rough road and bumps and listen for rattles or knocks from the front. Ask whether the work in Tesla's bulletins SB-25-31-005 and SB-26-31-003 was done.
Not a Tesla App calls it a persistent problem for owners, which service centers often called within spec until Tesla's two bulletins of May 2026. The fix is new front upper control arm mounts, removing two braces by the wiper bracket, and on Premium and Performance cars new front dampers. Drive Tesla says the Standard already has the updated dampers.
Not a Tesla App, Drive Tesla
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Rattles and fit All years
What to check: Drive on rough roads with the sound off and listen for rattles from the dash, and look along the panel gaps and the front light bar.
Three owners in a Tesla Motors Club thread report a rattle from the left front of the dash on refreshed cars, which service did not always cure the first time. BGR reports an owner whose front light bar was crooked.
BGR, owners' reports (unofficial)
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Loose front lateral link fasteners All years One source so far
What to check: Confirm with Tesla or NHTSA that recall 26V558000 was done.
Fasteners on the front lateral links may not have been tightened, and a link can come away from the subframe.
NHTSA
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Horn and reversing lights All years One source so far
What to check: Sound the horn and check that the reversing lights come on. Confirm that recalls 25V490000 and 25V658000 were done.
A loose ground wire can stop the horn working, and a wiring fault can stop the reversing lights coming on.
NHTSA
Rare catches
2025
Nothing that 2026 lacks.
2026
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Rare
Launch Series Trim
A limited run that opened the refreshed car's sales CarGurus, a published reference
Recalls
2025
- 24V935000 2020–2025
The low tire pressure warning light may not stay on from one drive to the next. Fixed over the air. NHTSA
- 25V002000 2023–2025
A circuit board in the computer can short and lose the rear camera picture. Fixed by software, and the computer is replaced where needed. NHTSA
2026
- 25V359000 2026
A hose connector may block the windshield washer nozzles. The connector is checked and replaced. NHTSA
- 25V410000 2026
Seat-back fasteners may not have been tightened properly. They are checked and tightened or the seat replaced. NHTSA
- 25V490000 2026
The horn's ground wire may be loose, so the horn may not sound. The steering wheel is replaced. NHTSA
- 25V658000 2026
A wiring fault can stop the reversing lights coming on. The lights and their harness are replaced. NHTSA
- 25V690000 2026
The battery pack's contactors can fail and cut drive power. The contactors are replaced. NHTSA
- 26V445000 2026
Cars first built for a foreign market lack knee airbags, may lack other safety features and may not have been tested for bumper impacts. Tesla buys back cars registered in the US. NHTSA
- 26V558000 2026
Fasteners on the front lateral links may not have been tightened properly and let a link loosen or come away from the subframe. They are tightened or replaced, and the alignment checked. NHTSA
Both years
- 26V315000 2025–2026
The certification label may be missing. It is fitted where needed. NHTSA
What changed between
After 2025, up to and including 2026.
- 2026Juniper begins.
- 2026The refresh reaches the US in March 2025 as the Launch Series, then as the Long Range RWD and AWD, with ventilated front seats, a rear screen and ambient lighting. The Standard and Performance come in October, when the Long Range is renamed Premium. In January 2026 the seven-seat option returns on the Premium AWD, and the Premium and Performance get a 16-inch screen and a black headliner. CarGurus, Edmunds, Drive Tesla, Electrek, a published reference
What it came with
2025
2026
Both years
Colors
2025
- Solid Black PBSB SlashGear, Drive Tesla
- Deep Blue Metallic PPSB SlashGear
2026
- Diamond Black Notebookcheck
Both years
- Pearl White Multi-Coat PPSW SlashGear
- Quicksilver PN00 SlashGear, Tesla Oracle
- Ultra Red SlashGear, Tesla Oracle
- Stealth Grey Tesla Oracle
Interiors
2025
- White Drive Tesla
2026
- Black and White Notebookcheck
Both years
- Black Notebookcheck, a published reference
- Black Part textile, Standard CarGurus, a published reference
What owners and buyers say
Reputation: what owners and the press report
2025
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Sought after: Late 2023 and later 2023–2025 One source so far
CarGurus says buyers should start with late 2023 cars, the best years in its guide, and Consumer Reports rates the 2023 better than average for predicted reliability. CarGurus
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Sought after: The Long Range All years
Edmunds picked a Long Range in every year it reviewed, for its range: the Long Range AWD up to 2024, and the Long Range RWD for 2025. Edmunds
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Avoid: The Performance's stiff ride All years Less sought after
Edmunds lists an overly stiff ride among the Performance's cons, and for 2025 called its ride harsh. Edmunds
2026
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Sought after: Long Range or Premium RWD All years One source so far
Edmunds picks the Long Range or Premium RWD, with the AWD for those who want more grip in winter, and says the refresh brought notable improvements in build quality. Edmunds