Tesla Model Y Complaints (2021)

1,096 consumer complaints on file.

#11623289November 2, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The software for the car was showing multiple errors in the service page saying the disk space for the car was full. As a result, the car had severe lag issues and the screen completely shut down multiple times while driving on the highway. There were no user warnings and I only knew about the service warnings after speaking with Tesla support. They said it was definitely not user created and that it needed immediate service. However, the service center claimed it was not their responsibility and wanted to charge 300-500$ to look into it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622495October 29, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, WHEELS, SUSPENSION
Suspension noise, front suspension or steering squeak or groaning while turning. Tesla service identified LH half Shaft was damaged and blaming it's due to outside influence because impact to the undershiled. This car should be still under 4 years and 50K warranty but Tesla service refused warranty on the parts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622392October 29, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving in the dark down a straight road traveling around 60mph when the car abruptly slammed on the breaks and came to an almost complete stop. I was not using self driving, I was in control of the car but when this occurred I did not release the gas. Out of Instict I tried to get the car moving again and pressed the gas but the car did not respond so I pressed the brake and then the gas and the car started driving normally again. Thankfully there was nobody in the car with me and no cars behind me. The braking was abrupt enough that my neck hurts from the jerking forward of my body.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622056October 26, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Tesla released a feature called Obstacle Aware Acceleration. The Owner's Manual states: "Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is designed to reduce the impact of a collision by reducing motor torque and in some cases applying the brakes, if Model Y detects an object in its driving path. The touchscreen displays a visual warning and sounds a chime when the brakes are automatically applied. For example, Model Y, while parked in front of a closed garage door with Drive engaged, detects that you have pressed hard on the accelerator pedal. Although Model Y still accelerates and hits the garage door, the reduced torque may result in less damage. Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is designed to operate only when all of these conditions are simultaneously met: Drive or Reverse is engaged. Model Y is stopped or traveling less than 10 mph (16 km/h). Model Y detects an object in its immediate driving path." However, my vehicle (and at least some other Model Y Performance models) do not behave in this manner. Rather than reducing motor torque when all of the above conditions have been met, it reduces torque every time the vehicle accelerates from a stop. This has been replicated by my local Tesla Service Center, and they confirmed the vehicle did not detect any objects in it's path. This is dangerous because the vehicle accelerates so slowly from a stop that I may not be able to avoid an accident if the vehicle doesn't accelerate as expected.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11621456October 23, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
High voltage battery systems are failing at an extreme rate on 2021 tesla model 3 and Y. I am a used car dealer and have had 6 battery failures in the last 30 days. When addressing this with the local service center, they said they've reported this to Tesla engineers as they're prematurely failing at "an alarming rate". There is no advanced warnings. The vehicle just leaves you stranded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11621421October 23, 2024
SUSPENSION, WHEELS, STEERING
I was driving into a parking lot and heard a loud bang. I get out of my car and see that the metal that connects the tire to the car came down and screws came out. It is not drivable. I know this is not something normal and shouldn't happen. This is very dangerous and I am grateful I wasn't on the freeway when it happened. I was not involved in any collision and i did not hit anything. This simply happened on its own
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11621289October 22, 2024
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt does not buckle and stay attached. Tesla is saying that this is not a warranty issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11621250October 22, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Twice, while in full self-driving mode on I-395, my Tesla has made the potentially fatal mistake of trying to turn the vehicle directly into the closed gates of the so-called "hot lanes" (which separate the north and sound bound lanes) and into on-coming highway traffic on those lanes. This is a serious safety issue that must be fixed IMMEDIATELY. This happened most recently on Sunday October 20, 2024, when I was driving south-bound on I-395 with my wife and son in the car. I was in the far left lane with "full self driving" activated. The hot lanes were to our left with all traffic on those lanes driving northbound. The gates to the hot lanes were closed to southbound traffic to prevent someone from driving directly into oncoming traffic. Shortly before we were about to pass those closed gates, the Tesla left indicator light came on and the car began to turn. The map showed the car was trying to turn us directly into the closed gates and oncoming traffic. Fortunately, I was paying close attention to this potential problem because the identical thing had happened previously, during the prior 30 day period when full self-driving was made available for free to all Tesla owners in April 2024. On that weekday evening, I was my driving my son northbound on I-395 after his basketball practice. The hot lanes were running southbound. Once again, as I approached the closed hot lane gates, the left indicator light came on as the car prepared to drive us through the closed gates and into the on-coming hot lane traffic. I am not a Tesla critic. I really like the car, but please address this issue ASAP before somebody gets killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620760October 19, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This morning when operating on FSD trail version, at tye stop sign I had to make left. This is at intersection of Rueslane and Old bridge Turnpike of East Brunswick, NJ. My car started to make a left when there was an incoming car from the left, and they do.not have to stop. Thank fully the car on the left applied instant brakes and avoided tye accident. FsD failed to make right judgement if left turn was possible or not. Fsd version is v12.3.6
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11619845October 15, 2024
STEERING, WHEELS
The bushing spontaneously separated from the axle/wheel making the car unsafe and undriveable. I cannot believe I am the only one. This needs to be investigated and the car needs to be recalled
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11619769October 15, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My Tesla still has the phantom braking problem. It is repeatable and consistent. I can tell when it will occur on a route that I drive regularly. Day or night does not seem to alter the occurrence. There is no indication on the touch screen when this occurs. Traffic volume does not matter. It always occurs at the same places so it should be relatively easy to fix if someone would just monitor my computer when it occurs. I regard this as a dangerous problem on the freeway because my car suddenly slows and if the person behind me is not paying attention, I am going to be rear ended. Such a serious fault for a vehicle that performs so well otherwise. Since Tesla does not have a service center in my town no one has offered to look at the problem but since it has been reported so often, I'm not sure they would. I would be happy to demonstrate the problem to a technical person who might be able to diagnose it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11619375October 11, 2024
AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that his wife was driving at 5 -10 MPH and traffic ahead was slowing down, the vehicle in front stopped and the driver depressed the brake pedal however the vehicle then unintendedly accelerated. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. No warning lights were illuminated and no air bags were deployed. No police report was filed due to no injuries being sustained and the insurance company would be handling the incident. The vehicle was towed to a body center where it was diagnosed that the front air bag sensors were fractured in half and failed to activate the air bags but did activate the seat belts during the impact. The vehicle was not repaired, and the repair decision from the insurance company was pending. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure via the app however the contact was still waiting for a return call to speak with a live agent. The failure mileage was 18,680.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11619321October 11, 2024
SUSPENSION
I noticed some alignment issues becoming progressively worse with my car. Suddenly in a parking garage my front right tire over rotated and became stuck in the wheel well. I was able to free the wheel and the car said "alighnment issues but car is safe to drive." I drove home with my sister and her baby on the highway. Then I got off the highway and the car did the same thing becoming stuck in the middle of an intersection. I was able to free the car and proceed carefully home. The next morning my front control arm completely broke free and was dragging on the ground leaving the car completely inoperable. I never had any accident or hit any curb with the car. In fact we brought it in 1 year ago to check alignment issues on the same front right suspension. In the shop now the service technician is saying this is a known issue on the MY resulting from not torqueing the bolts enough. I am shocked that the car has not been recalled for this known issues that is a major safety impact. I don't trust this car at all and frankly makes me question the oversight of NHTSA. When I look online apparently many people have been talking about this issue for over a year.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618369October 7, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, SERVICE BRAKES
The issue appears to be an acceleration malfunction and brake failure in my 2021 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. On [XXX] at [XXX], while waiting for the garage door to open, the car experienced an unknown unintended acceleration malfunction, surging forward uncontrollably. It didn't wait for the garage to open, crashed through the garage into the family room, causing significant structural damage to the framing and door. The City of Eastvale declared the house unsafe, sealing it off. I am now homeless and staying with friends temporarily. During the crash, the airbags did not deploy, and the ABS system failed, preventing an emergency stop. The car stopped 4-5 feet away from my wife, who was on the sofa, posing a critical life-threatening situation. Thankfully, [XXX] and I survived, but this incident caused severe mental trauma for my family. We have not reported the incident to Tesla. The dashcam footage appears deleted during the crash and the car seemed to have only recorded footage before the crash and after. This issue has not been reproduced or confirmed by any dealer or service center, but further investigation needs to be done. The vehicle has not been inspected by Tesla or any service center. However, the police and insurance representatives have been involved. We are coordinating further inspections to find the cause of the acceleration and brake failure. We aim to invoke the Tesla Event Data Recorder (EDR) tool to investigate what exactly went wrong with the car. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11617335September 30, 2024
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
When driving on highways the car will jerk the steering wheel and cause the car to turn when the car is in the center of the lane. This causes the driver to counter the force from the steering wheel to keep the car on the road. This only happens when autopilot and full self driving are not being used. I have taken it to the service center twice. The first time they said it was an issue with the car alignment so they realigned the tires and the second time they said it was a problem with the car’s computer so they replaced the computer. This continues to happen and is dangerous. Sometimes it will give a lane departure warning while other times there are no warnings.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616961September 27, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NHTSA Recall No: 22V-702, in 2022, was where there was supposedly an OTA update to stop the windows from increasing force in some situations when an object was stuck in the gap between the window and the frame. My 2021 Tesla received that update at the time, and I didn't think much of it...until January 2024 when it actually happened to me. I shut the door with my hand on the window, and at the moment it closed, the window went up to close the small gap. My finger was in there and as I tried to pull it out, the window was still trying to close, not allowing me to do so. Component that failed -- the window, supposedly fixed in 2022 Available for inspection upon request -- returned the leased car in September 2024 How was safety put at risk -- could not remove finger from gap between window and frame since window was continuously trying to close Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center -- I was ignored by Tesla HQ, and by my closest dealer. The Tesla dealer from which I leased the car (a different one) told me to make a service appointment. Has the component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others -- no Were there any warnings or symptoms -- no. No reason to think it would ever happen, then it did in January 2024.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11616057September 23, 2024
STEERING
At 59k miles the steering rack failed, warranty expired at 50k miles. This was a $3,000 repair. A number of fellow Tesla owners have encountered this same failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11613703September 10, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? System computer. After a Over the Air (OTA) update, most driver assistive functions are inoperative. System feedback display sometime goes black (speedometer, controls, backup camera, etc). After manufacturer serviced car to verify and resolve issue, issue was not corrected. Screen continues to error, asking for a software update. Per the manufacturer this is a computer issue with the cache, and being told to replace computer. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Since the driver feedback display and cameras are sometimes non-functional. Back up camera can be unusable, lane keeping, and cruise control are inoperative. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? By an manufacturer repair center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, they appeared after an OTA update 9-AUG-2024
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11613490September 9, 2024
STEERING
My husband was driving the used Tesla we recently purchased from the Tesla dealership. We were driving on the highway with regular traffic and no issues around us. Autopilot was not on (we have never employed this feature). All the sudden, the car quickly jerked to the right on its own and then swerved back on its own. We were driving towards the sun so maybe the camera saw a shadow that wasn't actually there. We think either there is a steering issue or that the car might be reacting erroneously to something that isn't there. Just wanted to report this safety concern because I had my baby in the car and this could have caused a car accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611757August 30, 2024
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SEATS
The front passenger safety restrain system keeps switching off and showing an error randomly during driving, especially with younger passengers on the passenger seat. The problem was already fixed by Tesla 4 times and is appearing again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Tesla Model Y