Model Y Seat Noise Came Back: Whole Seat Replaced

Tesla replaced the motor under my driver seat in May, and the Model Y seat noise came back anyway. The second time, the technician didn’t bother with the motor again. They replaced the entire seat, and all of it was covered under warranty.

If you read my first Model Y seat noise service visit, this is the sequel. Same high-pitched sound whenever the seat moved, whether Easy Entry kicked in or my profile loaded. This time it was random instead of constant, and that worried me more than the noise did. A problem that only shows up when nobody is watching is the one that gets you sent home with “could not replicate.”

Why I recorded the Model Y seat noise first

Of all the service issue videos I’ve done, my advice never changes: if you can record it, record it. A phone video gets you timestamps, evidence, and proof that something isn’t working within spec. I don’t think a noise like this shows up in any log, so the video is the log.

It paid off, because the noise was random this time. The technician replicated it, just not the usual way. I had to keep pressing the profile button and switching between Easy Entry and my user profile to force the movements. Before, it did it every time. Now it needed coaxing.

This was visit number two for the same issue. My own read going in: the seat itself isn’t the problem, it’s what moves it, the motor and components. At the Cybertruck’s service visit the week before, an advisor told me they’d probably replace the whole rail this time, not just the motor.

No seat in stock, and a Model X flashback

The reason I was back in my own car and they didn’t have it yet: the appointment was pre-planned around the last repair, so the shop already had the motor and rails on the shelf. Then the technician said this was the second time for the same thing, so they were going to replace the entire seat. Tesla doesn’t normally keep seats in stock, so the car went home and the appointment moved.

That sounds familiar if you’ve watched the Model X damaged seat service video. On that visit, the replacement seats arrived damaged, and nobody found out until they opened the box with my car already in the bay. That appointment turned into three trips. The message I got read: “the seats in the vehicle that are being replaced did come in a bit damaged.”

I’m not asking Tesla to be perfect. I am asking for a receiving check, where someone looks at a part when it arrives instead of when the car is on the lift. This time the seat was due on Friday and the appointment was rescheduled to Monday. Fingers crossed.

Loaner Model Y and a wrong-car moment

The following week I dropped the Juniper off and took a loaner, an All-Wheel Drive Premium Model Y Juniper. Two observations from it:

• Self-driving stats: my streak stayed at zero in the loaner, just like in the Cybertruck loaner. I wish there was a toggle for that.
• FSD 14.3.9 braking: this loaner ran 14.3.9 and braked noticeably harder than my Juniper or the Cybertruck ever have. Abby noticed it too on the drive to dinner. I’d also seen 14.3.9 change lanes for no reason, merging into the slower lane to get out of the way and then going right back when no car had passed us. My own cars are now on FSD 14.3.10.

The invoice also had a surprise. When the car was finished, it showed charges, so I messaged the advisor and said I thought this was a warranty repair. It was. They had a system glitch that morning, and they zeroed everything out.

Then the day got weirder. I walked up to what I thought was the Juniper and tried to pop the trunk. It didn’t open. I’d owned a Tesla since 2019 and, seven years in, I finally walked up to the wrong one. It wasn’t even the loaner. I waved at the Sentry Mode camera, laughed, and shrugged. It is one big reason I do something different on every Tesla I own, whether it’s wheel covers, tint, or a wrap, so I can tell it’s mine.

Loaner tip: clear the memory card

My loaner had a memory card in it. Not all loaners do, so check. If yours has storage for Sentry Mode and dashcam footage, delete anything you’re not comfortable leaving behind before you drop the car off. I also unlink my profile and remove my access. They reset these cars, but I don’t know that the reset wipes the external storage, so I don’t assume it.

The loaner also had no roof shade, and I felt it, with temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit. The glass is supposed to be better than the last generation, but I still feel the heat more without a shade. I have roof shade videos for different vehicles on the channel, and a page with every brand partner and discount code in one place.

The moment of truth for the Model Y seat noise

Back at service I walked past a real police car, an original Model Y for the City of Vernon, with a laptop setup inside, California Exempt plates, and K9 unit markings. It’s a Performance trim. I interviewed Upfit, the division of Unplugged Performance that outfits these, in a separate police Model Y video, so seeing one in person was a treat. The door alignment looked a little off, unless there’s extra impact protection on the exterior. The police Model Y I saw at Montebello was a Long Range, I believe. Also, the parking lot’s Sentry Mode caught me again, twice in two days.

Then my car. There’s a quarry across the street, so everything out there is dusty, but the moment I got in, it smelled like a new car. That’s what a new seat does. I pressed the brake, my profile loaded, the seat moved, and it was silent.

What the Tesla invoice says

You can see your service history in the Tesla app under the Service tab. Mine said the same issue as the last appointment, a high-pitched sound when the front driver side adjusts. One note on the ticket: the app errored when I tried to upload video proof while creating it, but I could attach it after the ticket existed.

The first fix did not work. The seat assembly did.

One first row seat assembly, with the motors and frame replaced alongside.

According to the technician’s notes, they confirmed the noise and replaced the first row height adjuster motor assembly, the same repair as May. The noise was still there. They then replaced the left-hand first row seat assembly, and the noise was gone. The assembly included the ventilation, lumbar support, airbag, height adjuster motor, seat cushion, frame, power controls, the rails below, and the motors underneath. Pay type: Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty.

There was one more line: the technician performed a windshield protection plan inspection. You can’t just buy that Tesla plan, they have to inspect the glass first, and I passed. There’s actually a tiny chip in front of me on the driver’s side, millimeter-sized and not spreading in the weeks since I found it. They missed it. I wash my own cars, so I see everything.

My auto insurance includes windshield replacement with a comprehensive deductible of either $100 or $250. That feels cheaper than a monthly subscription. A windshield replacement runs over $1,000, partly because of the camera calibration. Check what your own policy covers before you pay for the plan.

If your Model Y seat noise comes back

• Bring it in for small things while you’re under warranty. This sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard, and I’m glad I made the appointment anyway.
• Document everything. Tesla bases the next step on your service record. If the issue keeps happening, the record is how you get past the first fix.

The appointments take real time out of your day. It’s worth it.

For perspective: we’ve had two Model X buybacks, both over $100,000 vehicles with numerous service visits before each. Our Model 3 wasn’t a buyback, and this is our third Model Y. This Juniper might be the one that’s visited service most, though my previous Performance Model Y had a few appointments too. I wish I’d been making YouTube videos back when we had the seven-seater Model Y, because I have a lot of thoughts on that one.

Thanks to everyone who commented saying they had the same seat noise and got it taken care of. Keep an eye on it, because it may come back, and if it does, Tesla may just replace your entire seat too.