Tesla Model Y Complaints (2021)

1,096 consumer complaints on file.

#11535736August 1, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 12V in the Tesla died without any warning. I put my 2 year old child in his car seat directly behind the driver's seat. I closed his door and went directly to the drivers door and could not get it to open. I tried the app multiple times including refreshing the app and restarting my phone. I also tried using the keycard to unlock the doors. I tried using my spouse's app which also didn't work. Nothing worked and my son was trapped in the car in 100+ degree weather for over 15 minutes. My husband had to pry the front passenger door open so that we can could get him out and in doing so caused the window to crack. When contacting Tesla, they sent out a tow truck to get it to the service center. They fixed the problem and told us there was a manual latch for the front and rear seats, but there was no way our two year old would have been able to pull the latch, let alone reach it. There is also no manual latch on the exterior of the car that we could have used.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535358July 30, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Approximately 11:26 am on Thursday July 27, and approximately 110 miles east of Gallup, New Mexico, I experienced when driving a 2021 Tesla Model Y, a series of extreme phantom braking events. One phantom braking event resulted in an extreme braking and the car gave a loud alarm signal. This happened while passing two rather closely spaced semi-trailer trucks that were in the right lane of the interstate highway 40 roadway going westbound. Both trucks were traveling without making any unusual movements. They were steadily traveling between 70 and 80 mph. There was a large SUV following our vehicle. This event resulted in an extremely hazardous condition. A high-speed rear-end collision was imminent. I, as the driver of the Model Y, immediately accelerated and steered over to the left-lane shoulder. No collision occurred and I was able to pass the two trucks and return to the right lane. Clearly, this behavior of the Model Y is extremely hazardous and must be corrected. It is my recollection that I had disengaged the auto steer mode prior to passing the two trucks and then reengaged the auto steer after passing the two trucks and moving to the right lane. I have experienced this behavior before as I have been driving the vehicle for the past two years of my three-year lease. Strangely it always occurs, it seems when driving on rural interstate, such as this case. Fortunately, these experiences helped me to instantly respond by accelerating and moving onto the left lane shoulder to avoid a disastrous accident. It is appalling that this has been happening. The Tesla gives absolutely no indication of the cause of the urgent breaking either before or after the event. Also there has been no notifications from Tesla on this dangerous phantom breaking. I am sending this report to Tesla and the NHTSA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535014July 28, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery is not able to charge . The message shows need services Bring the car to Tesla service center , they told us the battery need to be replaced. They did not tell us what caused the battery to die. The car has about 30000 miles on it . Daily driving to work. Don’t understand why the battery dies so fast . Does anyone report the same problem on 2021 Tesla model Y ?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534869July 27, 2023
SEAT BELTS, SEATS
•What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The ‘Front Passenger Safety Restraint System’ had some unknown ‘fault’ and the car gave a prompt that service was required. This occurred: 6/2022 5/2023 8/2023 •How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Passengers in my vehicle had a ‘Safety Restraint System. that the vehicle communicated to them was ‘faulty.’ Presumably this put them at mortal risk should the car get into a collision. •Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, on 6/2022, 5, 2023, and 8/2023 my vehicle was taken to Tesla Store located at 9140 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105. It has yet to receive a permanent fix. •Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, on 6/2022, 5, 2023, and 8/2023 my vehicle was taken to Tesla Store located at 9140 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105. It has yet to receive a permanent fix. •Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The ‘Front Passenger Safety Restraint System’ had some unknown ‘fault’ and the car gave a prompt that service was required. This occurred: 6/2022 5/2023 8/2023
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534614July 26, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
sudden braking for no reason when driving with cruise engaged. several occurrence at different times. very dangerous. may be hit in rear
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534283July 25, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Computer will suddenly error out and cruise control, AEB, forward collision warnings, and lane keep assist are not available. A warning "cruise control unavailable" shows if you attempt to engage autopilot or FSD. No forward collision warnings, no auto slowing down. Not docked for close following. No visualizations made. Not resolved with soft or hard reboot. Sometimes will randomly will allow to re-engage, other times I have to park the car and let it go to sleep without charging or sentry mode for things to reset. I've driven many, multiple times including for 1.5-2hour segments with a frozen visualization and no AEB or cruise control or FSD. Speed independent, weather independent. Time of day independent.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11533222July 19, 2023
SEAT BELTS, SEATS
On 7/18/2023 - my car reported the following: Replace Occupant Classification System (OCS) of Front Passenger Seat. In essence the seat sensor on the car malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. Tesla charged me $466.29 to replace this and said that this was not under warranty, even though this was a safety issue on their part.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11533151July 19, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, STEERING
On, June 24th and July 15th my vehicle experienced multiple errors while driving. Indicator lights stated the following: stability control disabled, dash cam disabled, traction control disabled, regenerative braking disabled, emergency braking disabled. On July 15th the front motor was disabled, causing the vehicle to not have enough power to continue up the mountain. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway, and started rolling backwards. After I was able to turn the vehicle around, the brakes were grinding, and did not stop the vehicle. There as a smell of burnt rubber, and the brake pedal started “ popping” and moving back and forth on its’ own. The engine failure has occurred twice, and all of other errors have occurred 4 times since June 2023. I made an appointment with the Tesla service center and they cancelled my appointment, for no reason. After the July 15th incident, I took the vehicle into the service center myself. These issues are intermittent, which is very dangerous. The car will experience these errors, and then operate as normal. Tesla told me that they thought this entire thing was “ strange” and that they have never heard of this issue. All logs on the vehicle show these errors, and I have a witness. Tesla has not updated me with the status of my repair, or even a diagnosis. I am terrified to drive this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11533069July 18, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
My family and I were driving from San Diego to Arizona on Interstate 8. I was utilizing autopilot (adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assistance) and 4 different times the car slammed on the brakes from approximately 75 mph to 60 mph. We were driving on a bright, sunny, extremely hot day (116 degrees). Luckily there were no cars behind us or we could have been rear-ended. It's also noteworthy, there were no cars/vehicles in front of us or objects in the road when the phantom braking occurred. I now no longer feel safe using autopilot on our Model Y. No warning messages appeared and no additional information was provided by the car. We have used autopilot on several other road trips and never experienced this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11532811July 17, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated at high speed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a to stop. The dealer was contact, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531468July 10, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Yesterday morning I opened the car and put my dogs in the back seat. I closed the door. I then tried to open the driver’s door but the car became unresponsive. I tried to release the charging cable connected to my home charger. The car did not respond via bluetooth or mobile or access card key. The car was completely dead with my dogs inside. I live in Palm Springs. It was 90 degrees and sunny outside. I called Tesla roadside. Towing was dispatched. Eventually the passenger doors opened and I got the dogs out. My car was towed away. Dead. Nobody at Tesla seems to see how dangerous this situation was. It could have been a baby locked inside the car. Tesla has no culture or attitude of taking this seriously or seeing this as a potentially life threatening issue. It’s shocking to me how everyone I spoke with at Tesla saw this as just another glitch or customer trouble ticket. The severity of this issue was completely lost on every Tesla employee I encountered. Tesla must be held accountable. According to the tow truck driver this happens frequently. People are often stranded in extreme heat due to this 12v battery failure. This issue MUST be investigated and Tesla should be forced to respond.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531170July 9, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, VISIBILITY/WIPER
When driving at highway speeds (55 MPH and above), the driver's side rearview mirror vibrates, making it difficult to see and identify back automobiles. This is a safety hazard when exiting the highway or merging the lines when the outside weather is raining/dark/snowing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531125July 9, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? After closing the passenger side door, The 12v battery that controls the Tesla cabin died without any prior warning or car notification that it needed to be replaced, as a result the car instantly powered down , disabling the a/c, windows and door locks and we were unable to open the doors to access the car. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? At the time of the event no, just our personal belongings were trapped inside the car but as a parent of a small child I usually put my child in her car seat first and close the door then get in my seat, if this had occurred with my child being in the car , my only option would be to smash in the window to get her out as the car has no back up system to open the car doors if the 12v battery dies. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes , the tesla had to be towed to the service center we’re they had to run system test and replace the 12v battery. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes by Tesla , they ran test and determined that the 12v battery was the issue. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warnings or notifications were given prior , teslas are suppose to receive a notification to alert the owner the battery needs to be replaced as their cars have a lot of 12v battery drain.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530757July 6, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was driving the speed limit with the adaptive cruise control engaged on I-95 in Maine with no one in front of to the sides of me. All of a sudden without warning my car brakes on the middle of the highway. I regained control right after and did not use the adaptive cruise control for the rest of the drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528878June 26, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Phantom braking in autopilot. Traveling at 75mph with traffic behind, fortunately the car behind was not following closely. No warning message beforehand, just happened very suddenly with no obstructions in sight. Weather was clear and sunny, no traffic in front. Two minutes later, the car completely ignored a deer standing on the hard shoulder!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528331June 22, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY:VEHICLE CONTROLS:BRAKING
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle hydroplaned shortly after he merged into another lane. The contact stated that he left his foot off the throttle in an effort to not lose control of the vehicle; however, the vehicle's automated regenerative braking feature engaged and the vehicle drifted at a 90-degree angle. In an attempt to avoid hitting another vehicle, the contact hit a concrete barrier. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact suffered neck pain and a gash to his right arm but did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11527816June 20, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving my car when suddenly it started losing power while I was driving 70 - 80mph, and I noticed two messages on the screen: "power limited, schedule service" and "power reduced” and then my car would no longer drive above 50 - 55mph and the heat in the car was reduced . Concerned about the issue, I promptly contacted Tesla to have my vehicle serviced. However, to my surprise, after performing a diagnosis, they insisted that there was nothing wrong with the car. The component I believe failed is the heating pump, which is still installed in the vehicle. My safety was put at risk because I was on a highway with the speed limit was 75mph, and if other people were not paying attention they may have crashed into me due to me suddenly slowing down and also things could of turned fatal if someone were to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without a working heater when it is 0° outside. The issue was confirmed by the manufacturer as a “ engineering issue” that would be addressed with a software update.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527801June 19, 2023
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
“Full self driving” (Tesla’s beta feature) swerved erratically when used on highway with bike rack attached to tow hitch loaded with 4 bikes. The screen intermittently showed a car following closely (which wasn’t there) and likely swerved to try and get away from it. This caused the car to move onto adjacent lanes risking bumping into other cars in those lanes
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527468June 16, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Countless times, at high legal speed, with adaptive cruise control enabled, on a straight blemish-free level highway with perfect visibility, sudden automatic deceleration was experienced-- several times every hour over 11 hours of driving. I have video recordings.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527418June 16, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
We have recently experienced a significant and concerning increase in incidents of phantom braking and have thus far been unable to receive an adequate response from Tesla. We have had at least six instances of this occurring today, 16-Jun-2023 in the first 6-7 hours of our cross-country drive, and I’ve shared these time stamps with Tesla service. This is because we experienced this same thing 2-3 times on another long drive in November of 2022, and Tesla service told us at the time they couldn’t do anything about it unless we had time stamps because otherwise, it’s too many pages of code to sort through and beyond that, you have to notify them within 12 days of the incident or they can’t look into it at all (which is what happened with me- although I had to chase them to even get a response). They also said it was a “known issue” but were unsure about a planned remedy. I took screenshots of that conversation with Tesla service and have attached to this submission in the event that’s helpful. We are still pending a response from Tesla service for the multiple incidents today. Interestingly, we had taken this car on multiple lengthy drives in all types of conditions prior to Nov 2022, but never experienced this issue previously. It certainly seems to be increasing in frequency and intensity (I know my n=1 for my sample size here makes this somewhat anecdotal, but it’s terrifying regardless) and it seems like only a matter of time until tragedy strikes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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