"Hopefully, this information will help other Tesla owners stay vigilant if they ever find themselves in a similar situation." That's what John Sixte says in a recent Tesla Model Y Owners Club Facebook post. Imagine driving a Tesla Model Y and seeing a red warning alert on the car's computer, instructing you to "pull over safely," while on a busy highway. However, before you can get off the highway, the car shuts down and will not restart. Now, it's not just an inconvenience, it's a serious safety issue. As vehicles fly by at 70 miles per hour, panic sets in. This is what happened to John's wife as she sat in their disabled Tesla Model Y, a situation that could have turned disastrous. John has a warning for all Tesla owners if you ever find yourself in this scary situation. He says, "I wanted to share my wife's experience when our 2022 Tesla Model Y unexpectedly lost power and came to a halt in the middle of the freeway during rush hour." "While she was driving, the car's computer suddenly instructed her to pull over immediately, but she was given insufficient time to do so before the vehicle shut down. Despite multiple attempts to shift into drive, reverse, reset the screen, and troubleshoot in every possible way, the car remained immobilized." "With fast-moving cars swerving to avoid her vehicle, she quickly called 911 as panic set in. For approximately 10 minutes, she remained stranded, fearing a collision. Fortunately, no cars hit her, though the stalled Tesla caused a significant roadblock in the fast lane." "After 20 minutes, traffic began to slow, and police arrived on the scene. Roughly 30 minutes later, they coordinated with a tow truck to transport the car to the service center." Here are the screen images "I shared video footage and photos of the notification she received during the incident to raise awareness." Tesla Was Able To Troubleshoot the Problem John says, "The Tesla service center did a wonderful and exceptional service in resolving the issue, identifying the root cause as a failure in the inverter main unit. They replaced the entire drive unit to restore functionality." Tesla Fixed the Issue Under Warranty "Thankfully, the car is under warranty. While this was a stressful experience for my wife, Tesla remains the best car and an absolute pleasure to drive." Does the Tesla Model Y have a problem with the rear motor inverter? A report from autoevolution states that some Tesla Model Y owners have reported rear motor inverter failures, which can cause the vehicle to lose power and come to a stop suddenly. These failures have been reported on cars produced in both Germany and the US. The issue can be frightening, as some owners have experienced the vehicle becoming disabled in traffic. A Reddit user reports that their new Tesla Model Y experienced a rear drive unit failure shortly after they purchased it. "One of our Ys suddenly was completely dead one morning, a week after getting it. There are no warnings in the car or on the app. Got the frunk opened, hooked 12V power, and called Tesla roadside." "They sent a mobile tech out who discovered there was a short in the rear drive unit that had drained the 12V battery somehow (I guess it couldn't power down or something). The car had to be towed 2.5 hours away to the nearest service center." "Five weeks later, the car is towed back with a new rear motor. We were on the verge of lemoning the car since it only had 806 miles on it when this happened and was out of service for so long, but we decided to keep it." Reddit user davis_doe9 said, "It happened to me back in my 2023 Model Y when it was a month old at about 8,000 miles. It stopped in the middle of the I-5 freeway in downtown Seattle. "Motor Overheating" un-drivable, hard, and soft reboots didn't work. I towed it to the Tesla service center to have the issue diagnosed." "SC Seattle was unable to figure out the issue. They replaced the complete rear drive unit after 2-3 weeks, during which they provided a loaner. My Model Y now has 45,000 miles on it with no issues, fingers crossed." Is The Rear Drive Unit Failure a Widespread Problem? Another Reddit user states that, based on a Tesla owner's survey, the rear drive failure rate of the surveyed population was less than 1%, specifically around 0.7%. About 93% of failed motors were replaced under warranty. Conclusion: While Tesla Model Y rear motor inverter failures are a known issue, they are typically resolved under warranty and don't appear to be widespread. "Hopefully, this information will help others stay vigilant if they ever find themselves in a similar situation," John concludes. How About You? Have you experienced a rear drive unit failure in a Tesla vehicle? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know. Check out my Tesla Model 3 and Model Y story: We Own a Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, We Love Our Cars But Are Becoming Increasingly Concerned About Our Safety, We Will Probably Ditch Our Teslas I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram. Photo credit: Denis Flierl via John Sixte