The Brakes On My New Tesla Model Y Juniper Failed as I Approached a Roundabout and Tesla Says It Must Have Been Accidental, But Now I Have Heard This Is a Known Fault - Part 1

Our title paraphrases Tesla owner N.P., who reports that he has had an apparent brake failure while driving a new Model Y. Let’s look with some skepticism into this issue and see if it's a real failure and if it is a “known fault.”

Be Advised - There is an update to this story  published at this location: Tesla Has Confirmed My Tesla Model Y Juniper Had a Firmware Glitch That Prevented Me From Regen Braking, Friction Braking, or Using the Parking Brake - Here’s What You Should Know If Your Model Y Has Braking Issues - Update

This story will examine a Facebook Model Y Group post by an owner that claims that the brakes failed on a new “Juniper” version of the Model Y. Before we begin, let us make clear that Torque News has not found any evidence that this is a widespread issue, and cannot confirm any actual failure has occurred. That said, let’s examine the post this owner placed in his Model Y group.

So, new Model Y brakes failed approaching a roundabout, pedal to the floor, vibrating, and I managed to pull over in a lane. Called Tesla, they said it must be accidental, not covered by warranty, so I would need to call roadside assistance. They came out, no brake leak? He felt the brake pedal vibrating, no brakes, and said he’d call a recovery truck. When he next got it, the brakes worked. Called Tesla again, and the person I spoke to asked if it was a new Model Y, It is! She said it’s a known fault! Arranged a truck through Tesla, and the guy also said it’s a known issue! Brakes failing! Are they joking? If you have a new Model Y, book a service immediately! They should recall before someone has a major incident. My wife was driving the car an hour before me with the grandkids in the car! Just to add, I had the old Model Y for 3 years and didn’t have this issue, it’s only the new Model Y apparently! (edited to substitute “roadside assistance for AA, and profanity removed)

This post, which you can find here, was accompanied by an image of the Model Y being towed and also an image of the infotainment screen saying “Brake Fluid Low.” We’ve requested permission to use the images and will add them if it is granted.

Torque News’ initial impressions. Our initial impressions are that if there is a “Brake Fluid Low” warning, the vehicle should be stopped immediately and towed for service. We checked with Tesla to see what its instructions would be in a similar situation and found this very helpful page:

Warning
Properly functioning braking systems are critical to ensure safety. If you experience a problem with the brake pedal, brake calipers, or any component of a Model Y braking system, contact Tesla immediately.

It sounds like this owner did exactly what Tesla should be done in such a situation. We cannot validate the allegations that this is a “known problem.” However, should this emerge as a problem that many owners report or a recall is issued, we will circle back to this story and add those updates.

Here is what some fellow Model Y owners thought of this report:
Owner J.B. was skeptical, saying, “Not sure I buy this.” 
Owner B.B. did not mince words and said, “Spam.”
R.H. was also very skeptical and added (in Spanish), “You're posting it in all the Tesla groups, and I think this may be manipulated news.”

As you can see, many of the Tesla owners in the community are very wary of such reports. Count us among them. Unless proven, we would discount the claim that there is a widespread braking problem with the new Model Y Juniper.

Although we will not say that this report is valid or not, we can say with certainty that braking problems were reported to Tesla in the past, and they were initially discounted. It was not until technical testing using instrumentation by both a vehicle publication and a consumer group confirmed the issue that Tesla took action. That action was in the form of an over-the-air update that shortened braking distances significantly in the Model 3.

Elon Musk took to X (then Twitter) to address this issue, saying, “Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car.” Those braking issues resulted in the Model 3 temporarily losing its “recommended” stamp from Consumer Reports.

Other Tesla Model Y owners questioned whether the one-pedal driving system allowed for regeneration power to slow the vehicle. Oddly, this was also disabled, and the screen showed a fault there as well. This was our biggest surprise overall. One owner said, “What about the motor brake? I don't even use my (friction) brakes on my Tesla.” The OP replied, saying “All braking went, the pedal was going to the floor and vibrating as it was pressed. Had another message not shown in the pic saying the parking brake wouldn't work either.”

The owner reports that the vehicle was towed to a Tesla facility for examination. After the vehicle arrived at Tesla, the OP reported the problem was identified as “a software-related issue.” We will watch this story and add to it if we obtain any more details. As far as our own research is concerned, we have found no similar reports on Facebook, via a Google Keyword search, or at CarComplaints.com. Nowhere could we find any corroboration of this supposedly “known fault.” Perhaps this is an isolated issue, or perhaps more reports will soon follow.

What do you think of this report? Is it accurate? A one-time issue with one car? Has your Model Y exhibited similar behavior?  Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. 
 

John Goreham is a long-standing member of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools. 

Tesla Model Y Juniper brake image courtesy of Tesla, Inc.