2023 TESLA MODEL Y — Complaint #2165889
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE filed January 13, 2026
NHTSA complaint #2165889 (ODI reference 11710691) concerns a 2023 TESLA MODEL Y and was filed on January 13, 2026. The owner reports the failure occurred on January 10, 2026. The vehicle had 17,273 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Oregon based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as structure:body:hatchback/liftgate, 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: 1, fatalities: 1. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. 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 structure:body:hatchback/liftgate 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 2023 TESLA MODEL Y shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact's dad owned a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated the owner opened the liftgate, attempting to unload the vehicle after a trip, when the liftgate inadvertently fell on the head near the left ear area, fracturing his skull on the left side, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the asphalt. As a result, the contacts dads brain bled within both fractures. The contact's dad was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time of the failure. The vehicle was inspected by Tesla, and advised that a power lift strut replacement part was needed; however, the contact wanted NHTSA to inspect the original part before the replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed. The vehicle remained at his dad's residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was a faulty power lift strut and that the taigate had 1 powered strut, causing the liftgate to close inad
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2165889 |
| ODI Number | 11710691 |
| Date Filed | January 13, 2026 |
| Failure Date | January 10, 2026 |
| VIN | 7SAYGDEE4PF |
Similar STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE Complaints for 2023 TESLA MODEL Y
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.