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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving the vehicle on a 2 lane highway in sunny conditions, the vehicle suddenly braked while using cruise control. There was no traffic on the road ahead, no oncoming or traffic in my lane. Car slammed on the brakes slowing from 55 to 30 in about 2 seconds. If there was a vehicle behind me this would have caused a serious accident. This is NOT an isolated incident on my vehicle. The exact scenario has been reported a multitude of times by other people. This will kill someone and needs a recall. This is the standard equipment cruise control provided on all Tesla models. This isn't self driving or any other advanced feature. This is a critical issue that needs to be resolved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SEATS | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the middle seats were unlatched independently. The middle seat's unlatched warning message was displayed. No one was injured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 24,917. | Crash: No Fire: No | 24,917 |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while entering or exiting the driveway on an incline, the automatic braking system engaged and locked up the tires in icy conditions. While reversing, the contact noticed that he was unable to turn off the integrated braking feature. While driving the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to brake efficiently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 1,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,500 |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | There are multiple issues: 1. When trying to back up slowly, or move forward slowly, the car goes automatically on park "to prevent roll". I am intentionally trying to slowly back out of parking, and the car keeps stopping 2. When I try to change lanes, in many cases the car gives a solid "beep" which is equivalent to me almost crashing to another car. But there are no other cars! 3. The car keeps giving forward collision warnings when there is no immediate danger to collide with anything, and in most cases there is nothin in front. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SEATS | The trim that includes the controls for the front passenger seat became detached. I returned to the vehicle to find the seat had fully reclined on its own. This occurred in October 2022. I confirmed with other Model Y owners that they had the same problem occur. Tesla said the clip holding the trim in place popped out and replaced it. A similar repair was done for other owners. The problem reoccurred in March 2023. I confirmed with other owners that the problem reoccurred for them as well. Tesla replaced the trim this time instead of just replacing the clip. There were no notices from the car either time that the seat controls had become detached from the seat. While waiting for the repair to take place, Tesla did not inform me whether or not it was safe for a passenger to sit in the seat. I question if it was safe since the seat reclined on its own, the seatbelt is attached to this detached piece, as are the seat controls. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle independently and aggressively slowed without driver input. The vehicle then accelerated independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure occurred approximately 10 times. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 65,000 |
| Mar 2023 | SEATS | Much like SB-23-13-001 recall my rear seat bolt became lose. However it does not seem to be included in the current recall. Tesla is trying to charge me to resolve this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that her husband was attempting to drive from a stationary position and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact experienced the failure three times. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Multiple "phantom braking" events while using adaptive cruise control (no full self driving, just basic adaptive cruise). First time while going at interstate speed and crossing a bridge, vehicle saw a shadow on the road and slammed on the brakes thinking it was a vehicle. Obviously this is a startling and dangerous situation especially for vehicles behind you. This has also happened on the highway, flat terrain, roads were clear of any obstacles and it slams on the brakes thinking there is something in the road. Every time it does this, there appear to be shadows on the road (from street signs, light poles, trees, etc.). The sudden braking is of course bad, but there's also nothing in the vehicle that tells you why, no chime, it just hits the brakes. It still appears that cruise control is active, but it won't resume speed after an event like this until you turn cruise off and back on again. I know this isn't an isolated incident and it absolutely will cause a crash, if it hasn't already. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | It seems like this is a common problem if you search "tesla phantom braking," which very obviously needs a solution. I commonly experience the phantom braking when there is a shadow like passing under a bridge. The car will slam on the brakes thinking the shadow is another car, which is obviously extremely dangerous especially on the highway. A simple solution would be to add a legacy cruise control option, while fixing the phantom braking. This would cause a lot less wrecks and deaths. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | STEERING,SUSPENSION | On today’s day 2/24/23 approximately 13:18 hours. While I driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y ,the rear suspension failed. The steering wheel is not responding and I was unable to turn it or control it. This resulted in the rear tire and rim pointing to the left. This caused the tire to become unseated on the rim. The metal rim hitting the pavement and the angle of the Rim/wheel make me lose control of the vehicle and cross 4 lanes of traffic in a few seconds until I could get the car stopped. There was no prior noise or notice. It was raining lightly. I purchased the Tesla due to its reliability and all the safety features. As I know Tesla had been described as a high safety level with full automation engaged vehicle. However, I feel there is an issue with the suspension manufacturing defects of Tesla model Y which did not activate or warned me to avoid a simple collision. There was also no automatic breaking which occurred to avoid the collision. Luckily, there were no injuries on my accident. In fact, what if the driver had severe injuries, unconsciousness or even fatal during the impact of accident ? What if I was on autopilot? I am very concerned about the fact of Tesla manufacturing system. The dealership said this is common and caused by the rain which is an entirely dumb statement as I'm sure teslas are designed to be driving in all types of weather. I have seen numerous recalls and issues with the rear suspension and I am asking Tesla to take ownership of this issue and fix the problem. I look forward to your response on next steps to remedy this situation and repair my tesla. Thank you | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On February 20, 2023, my infotainment system console and screen completely failed as I was backing up to a Supercharger. This started with the typical lag I have filed service complaints for before, the camera occlusions, and then nearly caused an accident with the barrier pole in front of the Supercharger. This is the eighth near miss in over a year of ownership and the 27th occurrence of issues related to the infotainment system console and screen. Often, it is burning hot, other times it is woefully underpowered to accomplish anything in a timely manner (if at all) when these incidents occur. I have been to the Tesla service center twice about this very issue. Each time, I was told software update would be issued that would fix the problem(s). That has never been the case. With everything so reliant upon that center-mount display and its associated computer in this model of vehicle, it HAS to be considered a must-not-fail component to the extent humanly possible. I am taking this vehicle in for a third time for this and multiple other issues that seem to some degrees associated with the issue. After badgering the Tesla helpdesk personnel with demands to replace or fix the issue, they have told me on February 23, 2023 that they will be replacing the computer next week (whether this is to evaluate the device for issues or to hide evidence to their culpability in an incompetent design flaw, I cannot be sure). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | The vehicle heating/defrost system is not functioning in cold weather. It only functions in my heated garage. In cold weather it cannot defrost causing visibility issues, driver distraction (trying to get the heat/defrost to work while driving) and a reduction in blood flow to the extremities. The heating system blows freezing cold air into the cabin when on. I have written a lemon law letter to Tesla, demanding the vehicle be replaced under Alaska law, and they have not done so after 80+ days. The vehicle’s supermanifold was damaged the day we took delivery. Tesla has not honored Alaska law and I’ll be filing paperwork with the state’s attorney general’s office. Tesla should not be allowed to operate in the State of Alaska due to committing an unfair trade act in the State of Alaska and endangering the lives of their customers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving the all functionality was lost and the screen went black | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On February 19, 2023, I was driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y on I-5 from LA to Sacramento on a clear afternoon. I was using adaptive cruise control (ACC) set at 78 mph, but not using auto-pilot, in the fast lane with a car following me. My car suddenly braked aggressively without anything in the roadway ahead of me. I then applied the foot brake and veered off onto the gravel left shoulder to avoid having the car behind me hit me. I saw in the rear-view mirror the following car swerve to the right to get around me, entering the slow lane. I believe that when I stepped on the brake, the ACC turned off and the car's automatic braking ceased. I then got back into the fast lane as there were no other cars approaching and resumed my drive. I didn't notice the speed my car had decreased to during the incident before I resumed speed, but I guess it may have been about 40 mph. Phantom braking happened one other time on I-5 on my way to LA from Sacramento two days previously (Feb. 17) also while in ACC, but there were no other cars around me and the automatic braking stopped when I tapped the brakes and I resumed my speed. In the year and a half we have owned the car, we have experienced approximately 10 instances of phantom braking, but fortunately, no accidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have been driving long distance 418 miles today from Phoenix, AZ through Las Vegas, NV and north. In my 6 hour journey today my breaks were applied randomly by the computer around 20 or more times on autopilot and on cruise control. It is an extreme safety hazard. I want this on record because this is day one of a cross country trip and in case anything happens. The phantom breaking was so frequent in the last hour I could not drive with autopilot on anymore for fear of a car following me would crash into me at highway speeds above 65mph. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was in 2 accidents with this car within a span of less than a year all with the same problem. I had not been in any accident over 40 plus years until this car. First incident was at a drive through when creeping up to the next window the car took off hyperaccelerating. I was able to avoid the truck in front of me from back ending her however scraped her tailpipe causing extensive damage to my car. She then hit the car in front of her. Second incident was approaching my home in my 20-30 mph neighborhood and went to go from 20-30 when car accelerated at a fast speed and was unable to control it being it happened so fast. Hit a tree. All the airbags went off. I could have been seriously injured as anyone who had been on bikes or walking . | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact's client owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while they were driving approximately 50-55 mph with the vehicle in self-drive mode, the vehicle veered to the left and crashed into a guard rail. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Numerous times we have experienced phantom braking when the cruise control is engaged at highway speeds. We think it occurs when you are close to cresting a hill and a vehicle is detected in the distance. The vehicle is quite distant, perhaps 500-1000 ft, but the auto braking system only see a short distance of lane lines (because they are out of sight on the other side of the crest) and interprets the vehicle to be much closer. This generally occurs about once every 100 miles of highway driving. Because of this, we are reluctant to use the cruise control. The date provided below is just the latest occurrence. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | Experienced phantom braking twice today on I 5. Almost crashed or got rear ended. Car was on auto pilot. This needs to be fixed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | SYSTEM MALFUNCTION: Emergency braking ("phantom braking") while set to automated driving/adaptive cruise control. OUR SAFETY PUT AT RISK: On a 2,000 mi. road trip from Denver CO to Tucson, AZ and back, the vehicle slammed on the brakes at 75-80 mph speeds over two dozen times. All incidents occurred either driving south on I-25 or west on I-10 going to Tucson, or on I-10 east and I-25 north on our return. By far the most dangerous event occurred when we were driving east on I-10 in SE Arizona on our return to Denver on 29 January. Driving in the right lane at 75 mph on a perfectly clear day with excellent road conditions, the vehicle suddenly slammed on its brakes. Following closely behind us was a semi-tractor-trailer, that also slammed on its brakes, blasted its horn, and very nearly rear-ended us. The truck driver then followed us at very close range for the next ten miles, If we slowed down, the truck slowed down. If we speeded up, the truck speeded up. We disengaged cruise control so we wouldn't involuntarily brake hard once more. Finally, the truck drive honked once more and dropped back as we sped up. In our view, this was an evident case of road rage on the trucker's part that might have ended tragically. REPRODUCTION OF PROBLEM: We have a 2/27/23 appointment with a Tesla service center here in Colorado to check out the automated driving/cruise control/camera and sensing system. However, this problem only arose under quite specific topographical, and road surface/light conditions on I-25 and I-10 in rural areas, so I'm doubtful Tesla service techs would be able to replicate the conditions. WARNINGS: There were no warnings emitted by the vehicle either audibly or visually (on the display screen) prior to any of these incidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on the highway at 70mph, on two separate occasions while using autopilot and cruise control, the car suddenly braked for no apparent reason. There were no vehicles immediately behind me at the time, however this was terrifying because I was scared that I was going to be rear ended at a high speed. I can no longer trust this safety system due it has happened twice randomly now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car brakes at highway speed with no safety hazards in sight. This phantom braking occurs while on cruise control or when using the accelerator pedal. We don't use auto pilot. It is very upsetting and could cause a rear-ending accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I would like to report a safety issue with the Tesla Model Y 2021 about its "phantom braking" behavior in FSD-Beta mode. While driving on I-94 E, I was overtaking a Semi trailer, when suddenly the brakes were deployed and the the speed went from 76 MPH to 63 MPH in the blink of an eye. I was very fortunate that no other car was trailing behind me which would have caused a disastrous accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |