Tesla Model Y Complaints (2021)

1,061 consumer complaints on file.

#11593968June 12, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
I recently saw there was a recall update issued by Tesla regarding the seatbelt alert. My driver seat does not sense I’m in the seat, and allows me to drive with out a belt on. Even if they send an update to my car, I won’t be alerted. Someone could use the lack of sensor to not remain in their seat. Inflatable doll with sunglasses could take my spot. My question is, is this included in the recall regarding the seat belt notification when not buckled since it’s part of the safety restraint system?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593754June 11, 2024
SUSPENSION
Today the “control arm” and “axel” suddenly broke and stopped my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592262June 3, 2024
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and attempting to open the rear passenger’s side door, the door failed to open from the outside. The contact attempted to use the emergency release and the door failed to open. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The contact reached out to the manufacturer. The manufacturer advised the contact there was no urgency in getting the failure repaired. The contact was informed by the manufacturer where the emergency release button was in the vehicle in the door behind the speaker however, the contact was unable to access the button. The contact was advised to contact the nearest Service Center for the vehicle to be inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592029June 2, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The automated wipers will stop working when it is raining making it very difficult to see the road and traffic, and they will start working when the windshield is dry. The speed that the wipers work at is also inconsistent - speeding up and slowing down even though the rate of precipitation has not changed. This happens randomly, and after learning that other Tesla Y owners have also had this happen to them, I suspect that this is a common issue in the Tesla Y’s wiper system / software. This has been ongoing since we bought our car in Nov 2021.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11591608May 30, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was trapped in my car when the 12V starter battery died without warning and everything in the car shut down. I was very fortunate that I had my cell phone with me to call my friend who had just left. However, he was unable to help me open the car from the outside. I spent several minutes going through several questions in an attempt to make an emergency request for roadside assistance on the Tesla app in hopes they could talk me through getting out. I finally received a text stating my request was 'being reviewed'! I have claustrophobia so by now I'm not breathing comfortably. I responded that I was trapped in my car and needed immediate help. They responded telling me where an emergency release was. A release which every Tesla owner that I know has told me they had NO knowledge of. When I was towed to Tesla, the service adviser told me ' claustrophobic' people probably shouldn't buy a Tesla! Well... he was partially correct...only I would go further to say 'nobody' should be a Tesla... it is a death trap. What if I had put my 3 year old grandchild in her car seat and shut the door to get in the driver side? She would not be able to pull an emergency lever! I was sitting on a fully charged Lithium-Ion battery yet I was unable to open a door...so how about a safety bypass to this battery ?? Seems to me the default with a dead battery should be that the doors unlock...not lock! This is certainly NOT a 'smart' car....it is a potential death trap for which there are countless other reports in the news, yet Tesla and your organization has yet to take action.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590710May 25, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Full self driving is not recognizing traffic signals. This results in the vehicle proceeding through red lights, and stopping at green lights. Without properly seeing/processing traffic signals, it approaches every intersection as if there are no traffic lights. Service center has had the car twice, without being able to remedy the problem. The 3rd appointment was cancelled by Tesla. I have called the corporate office and spoken with a service rep. He was unable to help provide resolution, saying only that my local rep would reach out. I have not been contacted. I've tried every other possible solution. Tesla doesn't want to fix it, or even acknowledge the problem, even though they've done a test drive with me and seen the issue with their own eyes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589951May 21, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY, ENGINE, VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 20–45 MPH on a six-lane highway, the contact attempted a hard acceleration, and there was an abnormal banging sound heard. The battery was disconnected. The pyrotechnic fuse went into failure mode. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle slowed down, pulsated, and then shut down. The hazard lights, steering, and brake system became inoperable. The brake pedal was depressed to stop the vehicle from rolling. Additionally, while closing the driver's side door, the glass window fractured. The local dealer was contacted and retrieved a system failure with the 12-volt battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 58,044.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589166May 16, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Tesla removed the ability to use only cruise control, with adaptive following distance, and have forced the only option to now use full self driving instead (with a recent soft-ware update). I do NOT feel safe using full self driving (even supervised) and believe Tesla is being unsafe forcing full self driving use. We used to be able to just use cruise control-with adaptive following distance-a driving option in all other recent cars!!! , but cannot do that now in Tesla? Why would a company take away what I consider to be a safer option?? This is not an improvement (but a forced help-Tesla-improve-it’s-unsafe-full self-driving-software!)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11588656May 14, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
Steering disabled due to software update resulting in vehicle undriviable and having to be towed from driveway Tesla requiring customer to pay for hardware replacement due to software update failure costing $2,921.24 for the replacement, out of pocket. Required replacement of steering Rack (Dual Motor) Part - Steering Gear Left Hand Drive (1044832-00-A)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11588507May 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Yes, available for inspection Broken glass injury potential Not reproduced Not inspected yet No warning Spontaneous breakage. On the morning of the 9th, went to garage to leave for work and fracture was present. This was not present when arriving home the previous evening. I work 1.4 miles from home and travel surface streets with speed limit of 45MPH
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587822May 9, 2024
STEERING
while driving on the NJ Turnpike I heard a large "pop" noise. Shortly after as I was on the Exit 7A exit ramp I lost all power steering. I nearly hit the guardrail before the car came to a complete stop. I was able to maneuver the car off the exit ramp and pulled over. The was an error message appeared on the screen indicating "power steering reduced." It wasn't reduced it was non-existent. The car was flat bedded to the Tesla service center and a week later the car repair was completed. The service center indicated it was the "steering rack" broke. Although I don't know exactly what that means, even the service center admitted that this failure should not have occurred. The car is 2 1/2 years old with 90k miles. It is out of warranty so i was responsible for payment. The reason for my complaint is that a catastrophic failure in the steering rack should not happen on a 2 1/2 year old car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587776May 9, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Lane departure warnings activate briefly when driving straight ahead. Sometimes results in disablement of lane departure assistance feature. Tesla has attempted several repair attempts but issue persists: Calibrate radar Replace steering rack Correct steering angle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587038May 5, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Please look up my Facebook post for public safety awareness. All the details are explained [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586744May 3, 2024
SUSPENSION
Squeaking sound at low speeds, and turning. Tesla advised the problem is the suspension and control arms. Stated it is a safety issue. Repair cost about $1900.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586653May 2, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The main screen on my Tesla Model Y flickers while driving, as well as charging. I have a video of it happening, if you slow the video down it completely shuts the screen down for a millisecond and then turns back on. I have sent this video to Tesla, as well as Tesla technicians has confirmed the issue happening when they had the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into Tesla 3 separate times for service, they don't know how to fix the issue and keep telling me to wait. I have been dealing with this issue since January 2024 and am tired of waiting and putting my safety at risk. I feel that I have been more than patient with them and now I feel that they are now blowing me off. They don't feel that it is a safety concern even considering that the display screen went out while driving 70 mph, for 13 miles and I couldn't get it to turn back on. Aditionally the side cameras on the vehicle intermittently go out. There is no warnings or symptoms prior to it happening it just happens. I have 29 times documented of it happening to me. I have requested a buyback which was denied as well as a loaner from Tesla until they can fix the issue, yet they denied that as well. It seems that Tesla does not care about the safety of me and I want this issue to be investigated. I have the video of the Screen flickering reach out to me to get it since I cant post it in the place below.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586213April 30, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle not acting safely, speeding up to pass stopped school bus with stop sign out and yellow lights flashing. This is a generic VIN as it applies to the current software on all FSD cars.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585630April 27, 2024
SUSPENSION
Cracked suspension way as described by Tesla service: Verified customers concern right away without driving vehicle. Inspected suspension and found that the ball joints on the upper control arm are making the noise. Inspected entire front end and found the the compliance and lateral links have cracked bushings. Replaced upper control arms, both lateral links and both compliance links. Test drove vehicle and verified that the noise is now gone. Performed four wheel alignment after repairs. Cost $2000 to repair. Ridiculous that these are failing so early in the life of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585465April 26, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Since December when Tesla did their software update to supposedly make my car safer, I have been BURIED in warnings to keep my hands on the steering wheel and my eyes on the road. It seems like every 25-30 seconds, if I even glance over at the speedometer, I get a red "keep your hands on the steering wheel" / "Pay attention" warning. This is ridiculous. These distracting notifications could cause an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585115April 25, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
We Americans need you to stop auto manufacturers from using blinding headlights on their cars. This will cause accidents and you will be liable for allowing this to begin with.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11584763April 23, 2024
STEERING
Loss of steering control, frequently accompanied by driver-facing messages indicating that power steering assist is reduced or disabled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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