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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on I95 in Florida. Cruise control engaged at approximately 70 mph. Problem: sudden braking without my stepping on brake pedal. Car started slowing down immediately and veering to the left almost out of lane of traffic. I immediately pressed accelerator and avoided any collision. This happened 3 times to me, always on I95 where I do most driving, always with cruise control engaged. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am reading about the Tesla braking for no reason & wanted to report my own experiences with this. I have not reported this before to anyone at Tesla, just told my husband. Numerous times (at least 5) over the past year I have owned my Y it has suddenly braked for no reason. It either always or almost always happened when I was going freeway speeds on a turn & there was a vehicle in the lane next to me that I think my Tesla thought I was going to hit. But I wasn't. It was a sudden brake that if I had not been in full control of the car with my feet ready to move so I had to hit the accelerator pedal quickly there could have been a big problem if there was a car behind me. This issue made me stop using the auto pilot on the highway it happened the most on - Hwy 80 between Sacramento & Truckee CA. But it has happened on other freeways too. It makes me very hesitant to use the autopilot unless I am on a straight freeway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My Tesla model Y will experience phantom braking while in Auto pilot / adaptive cruise. It happens randomly but does occur every time at one point in Tacoma on I-5 head south on a bridge just before the Tacoma dome. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH with the adaptive cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated that the speed was then reduced to approximately 35-40 MPH inadvertently, and then resumed the set speed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there were no other vehicles or objects nearby to cause the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving in self-driving and adaptive cruise control modes. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,100. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,100 |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On Sept 2 or 3, 2021, I was using cruise control on long straight highway, with no other vehicles in sight, sunny clear weather, traveling at 65-70 mph. Suddenly brakes slammed on very hard. A short time later, same conditions, brakes slammed very hard 4-5 times in a row, rapidly. It was terrifying. I stopped driving for the day and I have never dared to use cruise control again. When I returned home I took the car to the dealer and told them time and location of incident. I assumed there was something wrong that would be corrected, like a Camera not pointing correctly. The Tesla employee checked the computer record of the incident, told me there was nothing wrong and changed the subject. This was an extremely scary thing for me, severe enough that I got a sore neck, and I have no doubt if another vehicle was following I could have been rear ended. I actually was relieved to read about other Tesla owners experiencing this, and thought there would quickly be a solution. I am disappointed there has not been. I have been driving for over 50 years, have never had an accident while driving….I am very cautious! I want to emphasize again, this was not a minor incident. It was very very frightening, and very dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We are experiencing two issues with our Tesla Y, one of which I have come to learn is common. That issue is the cruise control will suddenly "disengage" forcing the brakes on, either actively or just through the regenerative components. This has happened in several conditions from high speeds on interstates (>55 MPH) and on smaller state highways (<55MPH). The primary concern is being rear ended by cars following; effectively the Tesla is "brake checking". I am not aware of Tesla pushing updates or addressing this issue in any typeof inspection. There are no warnings, and I have noticed no pattern as to why it happens (and it happens frequently). I have notified Tesla of the issue. The second issue is that the control/infotainment screen has frozen and gone blank on at least four occasions. This as well has happened in various conditions, most recently on both legs of a long roadtrip on the highway. It effectively leaves all control of the car other than steering and velocity out of our control. It is scary. There are no warnings and I am not aware of Tesla doing anything to address the issue though I am aware that it is happening to other vehicles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on 2 lane highway at about 70mph with auto pilot enabled in left lane. There was a large truck on the right. No vehicles in front of the car. The truck on the right remained in its lane. The Tesla suddenly applied the brakes, dropping the speed to about 50 mph very quickly and unexpectedly. I disabled autopilot and pressed the accelerator to get back to the original speed. It almost seems like the auto pilot decided that the truck was in front of the Tesla when it was actually in a different lane. No accident or problems except for the shock of the car breaking suddenly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Due to the NHTSA demanding the removal of the boombox feature while driving I have had SEVERAL issues which were previously avoidable. The vehicle does not make a sound when driving and often times pedestrians cannot hear the vehicle. The horn without custom sounds is aggressive and could incite road rage from pedestrians or other vehicles when previously being able to play music via the outside speakers via boombox alerted pedestrians and in extreme cases a funny sound accompanied with the horn would cause the pedestrian or other vehicles to notice but not incite road rage. I am imploring NHTSA to allow Tesla to bring back the boombox while driving and the custom horn sounds before more people get hurt! This is an NHTSA demand issue and not a Tesla issue. This is a daily issue when driving in parking lots or through neighborhoods!! NHTSA's original demand being that the PWS was not able to be audibly heard while boombox was engaged is garbage, boombox enabled an audible warning to pedestrians in conjunction with the PWS. Now with the lack of boombox while in drive or custom horn sounds there are many instances personally witnessed, told to me, and experienced where road rage has occurred and pedestrians are in the roadway unaware of a vehicle approaching. I propose the solution of returning to allow custom horn sounds and boombox while driving but when in reverse to mute the boombox and allow the PWS to be heard loudly. This will appease all sides and allow pedestrians a warning signal that the vehicle is in reverse while also not inciting road rage from a gentle or funny custom horn and alerting pedestrians and other vehicles a moving vehicle is nearby when in drive. Again, I implore you to make the right decision and allow Tesla to enable custom horns and boombox while driving to save lives!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On multiple occasions, I have experienced the "phantom breaking" problem when using either adaptive cruise control or the limited self driving feature on my Tesla. I've experienced the problem when driving in traffic (me in another lane, passing a larger vehicle) when the breaking system will activate and all kinds of warning sounds given by the vehicle. I've also experienced the problem when driving alone on the highway (no traffic in either direction), usually in daylight conditions, when the breaking system activates and alarms go off. Additionally, I've experienced the problem when cruise control is activated and a vehicle turns in front of me (either in the same direction or sometimes when turning on a cross street), it's just strange for this to happen when the vehicle is about 1/4th of a mile (or more) in front of me and the turning action of the other vehicle will be complete without causing any concern for my vehicle. This has happened 30-50 times since I purchased the vehicle in late September 2021, so I don't have specific dates for each of these occurrences but it happens so frequently that I pretty much don't use the cruise control or self driving function anymore. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car was on autopilot full self driving. Truck hit car and vehicle was severely side scrapped. Over 35k in damages. Autopilot did not stop or drive to the side to avoid collision. Autopilot failed Videos can be provided. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving using cruise control or auto drive the car randomly brakes while at highway speeds. There are often no cars or objects in front of the car. I have almost been rear ended, because the car hit the brakes to almost stop. This happens every time the vehicle is placed in regular cruise control or auto drive. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking on highway when using ACC and FSD. When going 80 mph car will suddenly brake for no apparent reason. This happened over 12 times in one day on a recent trip. I sent video clips to Tesla for every event. This is the second report of this defect. I have ever had and ACC act this way. I am afraid I will get rear ended. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My Tesla Model Y has phantom braking issue. When on autopilot (not full self-driving) traveling io the freeway, it just suddenly slows down to 45MPH for no obvious reason. This problem happens every time on the southbound direction of Interstate 5 when the car passes under the overpass bridge at Valley View Blvd in Santa Fe Springs, CA. The slow down also happens without fail in the same general area on the northbound direction of the same freeway. This incident last happened on May 27, 2022 but has happened numerous other times. It has also happened randomly on other freeways. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Traveling at highway speeds (70mph) while adaptive cruise control was active, the car applied the brakes suddenly with no apparent reason. No obstructions were present and no traffic was in the area. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 79 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1. Pulling the car into a parking spot at a low speed (tight parking space for which you had to turn the car at a 90 degree angle, so had to be slow). 2. Applied brakes BUT the brakes didn't work. 3. Car went through very thick hedges and over a ledge (parking collision and emergency brakes didn't work). Follow up: Filed a data request with Tesla and they denied the request. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STRUCTURE | Rear undertray composite cover partially peeled off and began dragging on the road creating a driving hazard. This problem has been reported in online forums on many occasions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The roof glass cracked with no impact and no accident. No chip or missing pieces of glass. Everything is in tack but has cracked | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the adaptive cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal to disengage cruise control. The contact then depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that there were no other vehicles around the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred three more times while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure through email. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,300 |
| May 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | With AP and AS activated the vehicle will have multiple episodes of phantom braking. With no vehicle in front, next to, or behind for 100’s of feet or even visible to the naked eye on a divided highway. No flashing lights, no moon visible, no signs just a straight stretch of flat highway 70-50 hard stop before deactivated. Nothing on the driving display to indicate a need to brake. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On multiple occasions the rear hatch has opened while the vehicle was in drive stopped at traffic lights. During each event the only two users were present and neither were interacting with the phone app or the vehicle touch screen. The rear hatch should not open when the vehicle is in drive or reverse under any circumstance and it does. To close it in this situation you must place the car in park and wait for the screen that allows you to close it while sitting at a red light. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Going on highway at 70mph at around 440pm on I76 on 5/23/22 with autopilot with no cars in front. Clear weather and suddenly car brakes on the highway to almost 30mph. Thankfully there was no car behind me. It could have been a grave mishap. Have reported about this earlier also and has happened multiple times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STRUCTURE | Unspecific event. I hope this report, without my having an incident myself is looked into enough to apply a standard across all manufacturers to make sure the public aren’t so unknowingly put at risk. All because of an ill thought through design. My vehicle has no easy access to exit rear seats if there is any kind of electrical failure. My rear passengers will not be able to exit the vehicle. Manual override of electronic door controls are hidden beneath door panels and trims. With no mechanical connection on the outer handle, even if the driver uses the front manual release, they cannot rescue rear passengers. The outside door handles are electronic ONLY. Imagine a fire like Vancouver happening, when a child is in a car seat or has less mobile passengers like seniors. Neither can be expected to climb to the front or out a side window to reach safety. No means to unlock doors or open doors makes this vehicle unsafe to carry passengers in the back, nevermind versions of my vehicle that have 7 seats and a third row, which will most certainly be carrying kids due to the available room. . This design flaw exists in Tesla Model 3’s also. I’m not sure of other vehicles or brands. Older vehicles with mechanical door controls still allow a door to be opened from outside if on fire or suffering an electrical problem. These back seats aren’t safe and for Model Y as an suv marketed to families, it’s only a matter of time til tragedy occurs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ENGINE | My son was driving my Model Y Performance Trim Tesla Model Y on May 23,, 2022 and thank god he was in a relatively safe parking lot; the vehicle had a loud thud noise coming from the rear and then it spontaneously died due to allegedly a rear motor failure (it's a dual motor Model Y). The Tesla then turned off essentially and locked itself in "Park" -- the vehicle could not be taken out of Park. Had to get it on a flatbed -- it now sits at the San Antonio, Texas Service Center off interstate 10 where allegedly it will be undergoing a diagnosis. But this rear motor failure (according to some of the indicator lights) is unbelievably dangerous inasmuch as the failure occurred without warning and without an opportunity to apply reasonable contingency protocols -- had this happened on a highway or street lane -- the complete unexpected stopping of the vehicle would assuredly be cause for grave damage and serious bodily injury or death. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE | Driving south on Interstate 89 in Vermont, approaching exit 2. Auto-pilot and auto-steer engaged. (Note: this vehicle does not have the optional "full self-driving beta" mode.) In the right lane, road curving to the left. The right-hand exit ramp appeared almost directly ahead. Auto-steer tried to continue straight ahead into the (low-speed) exit ramp at full highway speed. I had to physically wrestle the auto-steer for a short period, which forces it to disengage, to keep in my lane on the highway. Daylight, clear weather. Had I not had my hands on the wheel and had I not paid attention, the car would have taken the sharply curving exit ramp and I would have run off the road into trees. This is a failure of the auto-steer software. I have also had issues with auto-steer when driving past on-ramps and off-ramps that do not have dashed lines that continue the right-hand edge of the driving lane. In these cases, the auto-steer attempts to abruptly correct into the middle of the suddenly wider "lane" as indicated by the edges of the ramps and the left side dashed line. It should maintain its standard distance from the left lane markings instead of trying to center itself in the suddenly wider perceived lane. I have the auto-steer lane correction enabled and set to "early" mode (which is the most aggressive setting). This is a software bug, not a component failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |