2026 TESLA MODEL Y — Complaint #2143579
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH:EMERGENCY MECHANICAL RELEASE filed October 28, 2025
NHTSA complaint #2143579 (ODI reference 11695965) concerns a 2026 TESLA MODEL Y and was filed on October 28, 2025. The owner reports the failure occurred on October 27, 2025. The report was geocoded to Texas based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch:emergency mechanical release, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same TESLA MODEL Y cohort independently describe similar latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch:emergency mechanical release failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2026 TESLA MODEL Y shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
Description of the problem: The front trunk (âfrunkâ) of my 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper is missing the interior emergency release button and light. This component, which was present in earlier Model Y versions, allows a person trapped inside the frunk to open it from the inside. In my vehicle, there is no visible button, glow-in-the-dark handle, or wiring harness for this feature. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The malfunction involves the frunk emergency release mechanism (illumination and release button assembly). The component appears to have been omitted during manufacturing. The frunk and all relevant panels are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Without an interior release, a personâespecially a childâcould become trapped in the front trunk with no way to exit, posing a risk of suffocation or heat-related injury. The frunk is large enough for a
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2143579 |
| ODI Number | 11695965 |
| Date Filed | October 28, 2025 |
| Failure Date | October 27, 2025 |
| VIN | 7SAYGDED8TA |
Similar LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH:EMERGENCY MECHANICAL RELEASE Complaints for 2026 TESLA MODEL Y
The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the model year was advertised with a front trunk emergency release and interior lighting. The contact stated that after purchasing the ve
There is no safety frunk release to open the hood from inside if a child is trapped inside.
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.