Complaint volume
1019 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Tesla Model Y Complaints
1019 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Tesla Model Y, grouped by component category.
1019 Total complaints
85 Crash reports
6 Fire reports
22 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are forward collision avoidance, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance, service brakes,forward collision avoidance. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 85 crash reports, 6 fire reports, 22 injury reports, and 4 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 98 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 16,683 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance, service brakes,forward collision avoidance?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Tesla Model Y?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Tesla Model Y
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Tesla Model Y complaints?
85 Crash
6 Fire
22 Injury
4 Fatality
63 Towed
14 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Tesla Model Y complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 280
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 72
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 70
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 64
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 44
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34
SUSPENSION 30
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 29
STEERING 26
VISIBILITY/WIPER 19
1,019 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,VISIBILITY/WIPER | There are two concerns-first the phantom breaking using cruise control and the other is poor functionality of using the windshield wipers. I have experienced the phantom braking since shortly after ownership to as recent as 2 weeks ago. This has caused me to no longer use the cruise control. It is very difficult to engaged the windshield wipers. During nighttime driving and sudden heavy rain I could not locate how to turn the wipers on so I used the voice command button to do so. Thus had verying results it may not work at all, maybtake obe swipe or make continue to have wipers work until returning home. Thank you for your time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield wipers are difficult to engage. Doing so while driving requires me to take my eyes off the road | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving down the highway. The weather was clear. Sunny. The road was dry. Middle of the afternoon. I was using the Adaptive Cruise Control. I was driving the speed limit, 70 MPH after driving for a couple of hours, the car had about three different times when it felt like the brake was tapped, the car slowed a bit and then regained speed. I stopped at my destination for about 4 hours and then returned home. Same roads conditions, sunny, dry road, etc. Same road, 70 MPH, the car suddenly hit the brakes HARD. Slammed might be too strong of a word because it's not like the car left skid marks on the road, but the brakes hit very, very hard. The car slowed to 25 or 30 MPH. Fortunately there were no cars behind me or me and my wife could had been killed right then. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Last weekend, during a 600-mile road trip, I experienced at least 20 instances of phantom braking when using the traffic-aware cruise control. A rapid deceleration of the car for no apparent reason is dangerous and needs to be fixed. I have complained to Tesla on a couple of occasions and there now seems to be more instances of the braking issue occurring since my last highway trip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The car started to malfunction its ability for regenerative braking (regen.) upon release of the accelerator. The car felt as if the regen feature was slipping - so instead of a constant brake and deceleration, the car could be felt moving forward as if accelerating. Then while driving on freeway at 65-70 mph, car lost its ability to brake when I pressed on the brake twice, instead of slowing it felt as if the car just continued at its current speed. Then the car cut its power and flashed an alert "Power Reduced - exiting and re-entering vehicle may restore operation" it then flashed an alert "PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY - Unable to drive". According to Tesla, they said it was the "LH body harness. Found that the harness was not creating an efficient connection" but they never directly addressed why it felt as if the car was accelerating when I pressed on the brake. Safety was critically comprised for myself and others who I could have hit in a vehicle collision since the brakes did not respond accordingly and felt as if it accelerated or continue to maintain its speed. The problem was confirmed by Tesla but they only addressed the car going into what they refer to as "limp mode". Car was inspected by Tesla and diagnosed the problem to a faulty/bad body harness that caused an improper signal. No warning lights or messages prior to the failure. Symptoms started the morning of the incident with the noted regen not fully engaged/working correctly. I did not have any feature setting which would have caused or replicated the lack of regen. I can provide the dealer invoice if needed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking of Tesla: While using the AutoPilot feature to assist driving, on April 13, 2023 between 10 am and Noon while traveling on US Highway 2 on a clear sunny day on a 4 lane highway with excellent visibility and no traffic, the Tesla suddenly and unexpectedly slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason. I placed a service request to Tesla the next day and the texting Tesla service tech said he need a timestamp within 5 minutes of the incident. Because I could not define the time within 5 minutes of when it happened, there was no further information available. We finished the texting episode by cancelling the service appointment and I will not use the AutoPilot feature on the Tesla until Tesla says it is safe. I feel the phantom braking issue, if traffic had been present, could have caused a chain reaction collision by other cars trying to avoid the rapidly braking Tesla. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On the evening of April 18, 2023, I was driving on the southbound 101 in Northern California using autopilot, and despite the surrounding area being clear of other vehicles, pedestrians or debris, without warning, the autopilot system forced the vehicle to suddenly and harshly brake. It was completely unwarranted and unexpected and really gave me and my passenger a scare, and this ain’t the first time it occurred. We purchased our vehicle in November 2022 and in December we were using autopilot on the 405 south in Los Angeles, traffic was moving at a steady 70MPH when the vehicle abruptly braked, thinking it was a one-off we didn’t report it but after reviewing several complaints of similar issues by other Tesla owners, this is a real problem. I saved the event on my Tesla dashcam. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SUSPENSION | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that on various occasions, while driving at various speeds and making turns, a squeaking noise was heard in the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the braking system needed to be adjusted. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the squeaking was also heard while exiting or entering the vehicle or if pressure was added to the hood. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front lower lateral link assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V835000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 47,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 47,500 |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The plugs and door latches on both rear doors have repeatedly failed, endangering the safety of my family and other occupants of the vehicle. I am concerned about the safety of drivers and passengers and believe that this issue requires your immediate attention. The plugs and door latches on both rear doors of my Tesla Model Y have failed repeatedly. The failure of the door latches and plugs has repeatedly endangered the safety of the occupants, particularly children who may be unable to exit the car in an emergency situation. The door trim falls out of place, locking the occupants in the back of the car. This problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealer, as evidenced by my car's multiple visits to the service center for the same issue. Attached are the documents, they are all for the same issue - though tesla classified them inconsistently. The vehicle has been inspected by the service center, but the problem has persisted despite their attempts to fix it. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure, making the problem even more dangerous as it can occur without the driver's knowledge. I am deeply concerned about this safety issue, particularly given that the 2021 Tesla Model Y is a popular vehicle that is widely used by consumers across the United States. It is vital that action is taken to address this issue and ensure that all affected vehicles are recalled and repaired. I strongly urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue and require a recall of all affected vehicles. The safety of drivers and passengers must be the top priority in the design and manufacture of all vehicles, and it is clear that the Tesla Model Y's rear door latches and plugs are failing to meet necessary standards of safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Severe phantom braking incident - 12:18 CST, March 12th 2023, followed by less severe braking problem at 1:16, 1:23, 2:18 on the same day and road. No forward traffic, no hazards, just bright sun. The car with a less experienced driver applied hard braking nearly causing a rear end collision with a truck approaching from the the back. The truck moved into the shoulder and passed to avoid hitting the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | FATAL TESLA BRAKE FAILURES. The brake of Tesla suddenly failed while I was driving, it has happened multiple times even after the service center claimed the issue was fixed. When the issue happened, the brake was not effective and made huge noise while I pressed it. Meanwhile the steering got pretty heavy, other components failed(front motor disabled, traction control disabled and stability control disabled) at the same time as well. Tesla Service Center has tried to fix this issue once, but the issue happened again after ONLY ONE WEEK since they fixed it. Luckily I was driving slowly on a local road both times, but it was apparently fatal if driving on a highway. I've uploaded the error message on Tesla screen and repair invoice as attachments. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicles continues to make random unwanted and dangerous sudden braking at highways speeds while the cruise control is engaged. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SUSPENSION | Suspension has a defect from factory that prevents proper alignment. Per alignment shop the car cannot be aligned to factory specifications. Premature tire wear is potential safety hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Right side passenger door doesn’t open. Since I purchased the car Tesla has fixed the problem but it keeps reappearing. My concern is that if I get in to an accident passengers in the rear seat can get stuck as the door doesn’t open either from inside or outside. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Defective battery, wont charge past 30% | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | I was backing up from the parking lot and heard a clank. I immediately got out to check what happened and saw that the suspension had completely detached itself from the wheel (see pictures). The wheel immediately started to go sideways. If I was on the highway or on the road this would have 100% caused an accident and quite possibly my life. Tesla says there is no recall and is blaming the problem on me. If this isn't recalled and fixed on other Tesla models, this will cause a crash and serious injury or even death to the driver/passengers and other drivers. This is a major safety issue and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I am lucky, but others may not be. I don't know why there was not a recall. Tesla needs to take responsibility. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SEAT BELTS | Hi, I just read the news about NHTSA on Model X pretensioner recall and found my Model Y may have the same issue. The seatbelt hold on the driver's seat is extended a lot compared to the passages seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH with the "auto pilot" and the "cruise control" functions engaged, the vehicle made an emergency stop. The contact stated that the force of the emergency braking had thrown him forward into the seat belt. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to disengage the auto pilot and cruise control and continued his trip. The contact stated that the emergency or "phantom braking" had become a recurring failure. The contact scheduled a remote service for the vehicle and an over-the-air software update had been performed. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure continued after the software update. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Mar 2023 | SEATS | Easy Entry resulted in fractured/ broken toe of back seat passenger. Foot was resting in seat rail when driver exited vehicle which caused the seat to auto position to rear and crushed passenger toe. Driver jumped back into vehicle and engaged park to auto move seat to forward position | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While utilizing the ADAS features including the adaptive cruise control, the vehicle unexpectedly applies its brakes while driving at highway speeds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicle began showing the below warning messages, followed by loss of power steering and abnormal braking behavior (brakes did not work properly). This is a recurrence of an issue that previously resulted in the vehicle being towed to Tesla, but whom were unable to diagnose the problem. -Automatic Emergency braking disabled -Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable -Traction control disabled -Automatic vehicle hold disabled -Stability control disabled -Steering assist reduced -Front motor disabled -Power reduced | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Sudden deceleration and braking while at interstate speeds and crossing over a bridge. I was using cruise control only, overcast day, dry pavement with moderate traffic. Cruise control strongly applied the brakes from interstate speeds while crossing over an overpass bridge. There was no danger or traffic ahead of me that should have triggered the emergency braking. This needs to be investigated, it will get someone killed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This is my second NHTSA report for this car, there was no reply to my first report. Since the manufacturer, without warning or owner consent, disabled radar systems for automated cruise control, the car is now exhibiting a new dangerous behavior when the camera detects the presence of emergency vehicle flashing lights and suddenly, and dangerously applies an emergency brake to slow the car, without taking into consideration the location of the emergency flashing lights relative to my car, or the presence of other cars around me that might be affected by the sudden, un-announced braking of my car. In many cases, the police/emergency lights are on the opposite side and direction of the freeway, 8+ lanes away from my car, and I am under no legal obligation to brake, nor would it be safe to do so. There is no warning by the car, only the sudden braking action and I have almost been hit from behind by other cars who were not expecting my car to brake while at freeway speed. This event has occurred at least 10 times in the past year regardless of time of day, weather or traffic conditions. I would like the previous complaint I filed about sudden, unexpected braking, as well as this new complaint reviewed by the NHTSA, as this is evidence of a critical, significant safety hazard by the car which the manufacturer has deliberately created. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We recently traveled about 300 miles on a roadtrip in this Tesla and while using the adaptive cruise control, the car would randomly slam on the brakes for no apparent reason. There was nothing in the road or any hazards at all. Also, it was not just a one time thing. It happened multiple times before I decided to not use the cruise control because it to dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This car is unsafe. 70K+ purchase price with the inability to use basic cruise control, must-less the 10K FSD purchase that is USELESS. The phantom braking is constant while trying to use the basic cruise control, auto-pilot/FSD. Driving this car makes me a nervous wreck and I am beginning to HATE it and regret my purchase. I am seriously concerned for the safety of myself and other Tesla owners based on the current radar-less autonomous features. NHTSA should get involved and force Tesla to address the phantom braking issues before more people are involved in an accident that could be avoided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |