Just a few hours before the expiry of the $7,500 EV tax credit in the United States, Tesla launched the Model Y Performance in its domestic market.
Priced from $57,490, the variant is the company’s most expensive and most powerful iteration of the model in the US catalogue.
According to Tesla‘s website, orders placed this Friday have an estimated delivery between January and February.
According to recent reports by customers on social media, deliveries of several vehicles purchased earlier this year — namely those placed on September 30 — appear to have been delayed.
Delivery Delays
In Facebook groups, subreddits, and on X, most customers report that their vehicles are estimated to arrive around mid-to-late December.
Some buyers have already received their VINs, while others are still waiting.
Forum users are speculating about the delivery delays — some believe the issue could be related to the battery, noting that the US version has a different battery setup than the European model, which launched about a month earlier.
Others suggest the vehicles might not yet be authorized for delivery because they lack EPA certification for emissions and energy consumption.
While the EPA does not yet list it on its website, Tesla says the Model Y Performance has an estimated EPA range of 306 miles.
Despite the assignment of their respective VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), delivery estimates have vanished for some prospective owners, while others saw the VIN itself disappear from the app.
Safety and Software Issues
Several users on X reported that their cars have already reached the delivery center, but Tesla won’t hand them over because they’re still waiting for a physical or software upgrade.
“It looks like your car has arrived, but there’s a hold on it to ensure that some safety equipment was installed correctly at the factory,” the company told one of the customers, according to X user ‘_ck_X_.’
“Once the part arrives and the service is completed, your Tesla app will notify you when it’s ready to schedule pickup,” Tesla added.
In the replies, user ‘bouillabae’ also said their vehicle is “on hold” at the center, pending a “software update since November 20.”
Tesla told the user that the update “usually completes within 24–48 hours,” which many owners say is far longer than a normal software update.
They noted in a separate post that the company keeps delaying the lift of the hold, “with no real update other than them saying ‘it’s not just your car’.”
Disappearing Assigned Model
X user ‘4RichardStand,’ which saw its delivery estimated time disappear from the app, said Tesla had contacted him to let him know that “the vehicle assigned won’t be ready for pick up as planned.”
“We are actively working with our factory team to build you a new Model Y for you as soon as possible,” the statement added. “We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide you with an update once we have a new Model Y assigned to your order.”
Similarly, Reddit user ‘007meow’ wrote in mid-November that they had “a VIN for almost 2 weeks now, but delivery date estimate has disappeared.”
“When I got my VIN, it was 11/8-21. Then it disappeared around 11/10 and hasn’t come back yet,” they noted.
User ‘Jairo485’ replied that they were in the “same exact situation,” adding, “when I reached out they just told me there was no accurate estimate date and to try again in a couple of days.”
Production Timeline
Although Tesla hasn’t officially confirmed that Model Y Performance production has started, drone images shared last month by X user Joe Tegtmeyer show that manufacturing is underway at the Giga Texas facility.
Other users have shared that their vehicles are already on the way to delivery centers across the US, with estimated arrival dates still scheduled for this year.
Despite communications with affected owners, Tesla has not publicly commented on the process.
