Problems · by component
2023 Tesla Model Y visibility/wiper problems
61 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2023 Tesla Model Y cite visibility/wiper, 5% of all 1,194 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
61
5% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the visibility/wiper
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“After purchase, the vehicle’s camera system behaved intermittently and unreliably. Camera views would malfunction or fail to display properly on the vehicle screen. This affects visibility while reversing and parking and may affect camera-based driver-assistance features. I am concerned because the vehicle was later identified by Tesla as salvage, and I do not know whether prior damage or repairs contributed to the camera/electrical malfunction. No crash, fire, injury, or fatality occurred. Audi Lafayette currently has the vehicle and is transporting it to a Tesla Service Center in New Orleans for a safety inspection. The vehicle is therefore available for inspection through Audi Lafayette and Tesla. Video evidence of the intermittent camera malfunction is available upon request but could not be uploaded with this submission.”
“The windshield fogs up in front of the front facing camera. It can get dirty such that it is not just a matter of waiting for it to defog. During this time the self driving feature is impaired. The camera should be sealed to the window such that it can not fog up on the inside. The date of incident is the day tesla technician cleaned my camera and I learned how fragile this system is.”
“The car is providing an error message while driving with FSD that the glass in-front of the forward-looking cameras used for full self driving have become obstructed by a film building up between the interior glass and the camera housing. I have opened a repair ticket with Tesla and they replied that they expect this area will need to be cleaned every 6 to 12 months at my own expense. The car is never exposed to smoke or vape fumes, but instead humidity appears to be causing the issue since the compartment is not fully sealed. The first time this happened Tesla offered to clean the compartment for free and indicated they sealed it in a way that would keep this from happening in the future that turns out not to be true and their technician now says the cost will be 60 per cleaning every 6 to 12 months their documentation further recommends against attempting to clean this area without their professional assistance.”
“The full self driving system has malfunctioned and is failing. I was put in incredibly dangerous situations that were near potentially fatal accidents. Had someone been a little bit closer when following me, I would not have had enough time to counter the issue. Yes it has been confirmed but not nearly to the extent that I have experienced it It has been inspected by a local service center from the company. There have been some visibility warnings but nothing else.”
“Washer fluid indicated low washer fluid. Refilled washer fluid, but shortly after washer fluid leaked out underneath the vehicle. Took the vehicle in for repair at an Tesla Service Center and service advisor indicated that the reservoir had cracked at the seam (an obvious defect of the reservoir). They stated it was not considered a defect even though it was obvious the crack was at the seam. Given the age of the vehicle and the fact that the vehicle is constantly garaged when parked this seems to be an abnormal issue. Had I not taken this in to get serviced there could have been an issue with not having any washer fluid in the reservoir when needing to clean the windshield which would pose a visibility hazard and could potentially lead to a collision.”
“We were driving and had the circulation on to make sure that no outside air was being circulated in so that condensation does not build up on the inside of the cabin. The circulation button auto turned off without us knowing. We then had all four windows, and our windshield and back window completely covered in condensation and it would not resolve. I had to manually wipe it away. We were traveling down a highway going 70mph when this happened. This is extremely dangerous and that circulation button should not have been auto shut off.”
Showing 6 of 61 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.