Tesla Model Y Complaints (2021)

1,096 consumer complaints on file.

#11542589September 5, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When autopilot is engaged (I don't know if just cruise does this) on a highway entrance set to a reasonable speed like 35 or 45, as I approach the acceleration ramp the setting jumps to 90 and then quickly back to 85. I've found no reason to beleive that the car won't accelerate up to 85. There is no way for the driver to make such a jump. Driver is only able to jump in 1 or 5 mph increments. I have no trouble disengaging autopilot, but still... This has been going on for weeks, and despite a software update or two. I can provide video of this happening but I don't think I can upload it here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540383August 23, 2023
SUSPENSION
Suspension is failed at 68,000 miles. Their technicians don't know how to service suspension system, when there are any issues, they just replace parts and rob customers for diagnostic and test drive charges. After service my suspension is still making same noise and that will lead my car to a safety issues. Parts may be fall a part. I have complained many times, but they said this is not a safety issues. But this is a very risky to drive car with a suspension issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540029August 22, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was accelerating out of a parking lot and was up to 30 MPH when the vehicle suddenly shut down and the rear end began shaking. The control screen went completely black/off. I could not accelerate at all. A semi truck was coming from behind and the vehicle came to a sudden stop within a few seconds. I could not coast and pull into a parking lot. It felt like an emergency brake was turned on or the back wheels locked up. I had to turn into the center turn lane. Vehicle doors would not open and hazard lights would not turn on. Opened manual door handle and forced my way out. Shut door as I ran to safety and the window cracked. I could have been severely injured if that semi hit me from behind and especially if this would have happened on the freeway. Very scary that a car can suddenly shut off like that while driving. After repair I was informed that the 12V battery had failed. They said it’s very rare and they have not seen that happen while the car was driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11539680August 20, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Model Y Battery Problem. The battery died while my baby was inside the car. Phone app, remote control, key card, etc. did not work. We live in Las Vegas & August is very hot. Today is Sunday and nobody in Las Vegas was able to help. Customer Service took over 30 minutes just to connect, and was no help. I got transferred around numerous times because they have no solution. The frustrating part was that tesla employee wasn't willing to help. I understand that they might not be able to do anything, but their attitude and the unwillingness to help was just shocking. One of them even told me that there's nothing they can do and I need to contact someone in Las Vegas. Other employee who had no knowledge of the car told me to jump start the car. He gave me an attitude when I told him I cannot open the frunk. He told me to read the manual to manually open the frunk. I replied stating I already did read the manual already and do not have the tool to pop open the side frunk. I'm just disappointed with being transferred around and the waste of time while my child was stuck inside the car. Currently, there's no manual door unlock from the outside! There's no manual frunk or trunk unlock either from the outside. All Japanese cars, including hybrid and electric has emergency door lock built into their car. I believe this needs to change for Tesla, as it is putting kids and babies in danger. Thank you for listening to my concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11539408August 18, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
During raining multiple teslas including my tesla last week experienced hydroplaning lead to close ti fatal accidents I believe the car inappropriately used emergency breaking that lead to accident, i am not if that was due to the car seeing water/reflection ln the ground I was driving the speed limit and all cars were driving at the same speed 70-75 mile per hour) I suddenly started spinning with no warnings It is impossible that multiple teslas experienced the same thing more than other cars I am trying to get the data from tesla to confirm this, but it is not easy to make them get us what exactly happened I am seeking third party analysis hopefully once i get the data, but it would be best done from NHTSA The damage to my car was due to hitting the road and my car went to the middle due to hight difference No other cars or objects were hit If i hit anything, it could have been fatal
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11538805August 16, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This has occurred on three different occasions. I was driving on highway five on the way to Sacramento, and as I was passing a truck, I was in the fast lane, and the brakes came on, and the car slowed drastically. I was very lucky that I was able to hit the gas pedal to try to maintain speed so that I would not be rear-ended. I had the cruise control on. It is adaptive cruise control, there were no warning lights , and there was no indication to me that something was about to happen. This occurred on two other occasions always when the cruise control was on. I have not used the cruise control very much at all. I am afraid that the phantom breaking it will occur.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11538035August 11, 2023
STEERING
Unstable steering especially during freeway driving. No accidents, the warning just come up with steering need service. Then the vehicle cancel all the safety features. Vehicle accelerate by it self when go downhill, need extra effort to step on the brake and hold tight the steering wheel to control the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537566August 9, 2023
STEERING
Steering Rack Dual motor. My auto pilot and lane departure warnings started to deactivate randomly within 10 to 15 minutes of driving. I took it into Tesla and they are saying this part needs to be replace. I’ve only had the car three weeks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537255August 8, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving Down freeway at 70 mph when my car stopped immediately ! No one or nothing in front of me . 6 cars behind me and everyone swerved to avoid me or they would have hit me. I was terrified. I called Tesla and they said it was “phantom breaking”. It happens to model 3/Y from 2021 and 2022. It happened 2x in an 8 hr period. July 22, 2023
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536724August 6, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The speaker volume will turn up to max constantly while driving randomly without user touching the screen. The display screen will constantly flash random map and zooming in and out of random places. The screen also flash the auto control constantly. It like a ghost in the screen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536632August 5, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving on 270 North from Washington to Frederick at around 70 MPH on cruise control. There were no cars in front of me. Then, all of a sudden, my Tesla Y braked hard (phantom braking) for no reason, to around 40 MPH, I panicked and had to override the cruise control to continue driving. There was a red car behind me; fortunately, he wasn't tailgating so he swerved in time to avoid crashing into the rear of my car. This is unacceptable!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536572August 4, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving on highway, my Tesla all of a sudden accelerated unintentionally and violently swiveled, not letting me take control of the steering wheel. My car spun 180 degrees and I had to drive to the grass on the side to stop the car. Autopilot was not on, cruise control was not on, I was driving normally. My entire family was in the car and they witnessed the situation. This was extremely scary and could have caused injuries or even death. This is the second time it happened to my Tesla (similar situation, my wife was driving that time).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536136August 2, 2023
SEATS, AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
Front passenger safety restraint system fault intermittently appears and disappears. Might be defect of manufacture of harness squezed. Lots of users are complaining about said and manufacture wants $500 to repair what seems to be a recall. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/front-passenger-safety-restraint-system-fault.161485/page-5#post-7714894
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536099August 2, 2023
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Dear Tesla Customer Support, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my extreme concern and disappointment regarding a serious malfunction I experienced with my Tesla vehicle, Model Y, on 08/01/2023. The incident has left me deeply troubled and has raised significant questions about the safety and reliability of your vehicles. On the aforementioned date, while I was driving my Model Y, I noticed an unusual burning smell coming from the vehicle. Shortly after, the cruise control system began to malfunction erratically, leading to a loss of control over the vehicle's speed. In a matter of seconds, the display and all lights on the dashboard went dark, leaving me unable to monitor crucial information such as speed, battery level, and vehicle warnings. Worse yet, the electronic power steering suddenly failed, causing an immediate stiffening of the steering wheel and making it incredibly difficult to control the vehicle. As a result, my car veered into a curb, causing damage to the wheels and suspension and fire. I cannot stress enough how distressing this situation was. Not only did it put my safety and the safety of others at risk, but it also raises questions about the reliability and effectiveness of the various systems within the vehicle. I have always trusted Tesla's commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology, but this incident has shattered my confidence in the vehicle's reliability. I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to investigate this malfunction thoroughly and provide a comprehensive explanation for what transpired. I request a detailed analysis of the root cause of the issue and assurance that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. I have been a loyal Tesla customer for 2 years and until this incident, I have been delighted with the exceptional performance and features of your vehicles. However, this incident has left me deeply concerned, and I sincerely hope
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536001August 2, 2023
STEERING
On July 19th around 6:45pm, I was driving on the left most lane of I-95S in VA towards NC near Exit 41 at 70mph. The care suddenly steered hard left towards the median. I tried to steer it back but the steering wheel was locked and would not let me steer back. The brakes would also not work and the car drove into the guardrail and spun180 degree and hit the guardrail again and spun180 and did that one more time and stopped facing the oncoming traffic. The impact tore the entire front left-wheel assembly off my Tesla, sending it more than 250 yards forward. Damaging the left side of the car front to back but the airbags did not deploy neither did the seatbelts locked. Fortunately, the entire cabin was intact and I walked away without any external injuries.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11535940August 1, 2023
STEERING
The steering wheel locked up for 3 seconds. I returned the vehicle to Tesla and they said they replaced the control arms. I suspect the bearings in the steering control arms seized. I suspect the steering control arms are not robust enough to handle the weight of vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535924August 1, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was on the highway with cruise set to 80. With no vehicles anywhere near in front of me, the car brakes hard and the cruise was set to 50. I was able to gain control by hitting the accelerator but slowed down quickly from the phantom breaking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535921August 1, 2023
STEERING
I encountered the issue where my car would lose all power steering and the following warning would present itself in 3 different errors "power steering reduced". The typical fix I came up with to resolve the issue was to put the car in park, exit the vehicle and then open a.nd initiate the vehicle with the physical key. The problem was first noticed in April of 2023 and an initial review of the vehicle by Tesla was done on May 9th after the vehicle encountered this issue while I was at a traffic stop. Issue was not resolved as it returned 2 weeks later which prompted me to send it back to Tesla on June 11th. Vehicle was kept for 14 days. As of August 1, 2023 the issue has not returned
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535910August 1, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Phantom Braking. When there are refractions on the road seen in my lane in bright sunshine. Also in a 2-lane highway with oncoming vehicles that have lots of chrome also in bright sunshine. Never happens at night or when cruise control not enabled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535764August 1, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My mother was involved in a fatal crash on August 30, 2022. We believe there was something unusual that occurred with the Tesla Model Y as it was on a quiet residential street and the car seems to have accelerated suddenly and she hit a pole. We are still waiting on the California Highway Patrol report.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
1

← Back to Tesla Model Y