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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On multiple occasions when auto pilot engaged, car will suddenly brake with extreme force. I have not been rear ended because of it, but it could very well happen. On Jan 30, as an example, travelling on divided 4 lane highway, no one in front of back, autopilot engaged, for no reason, it tried to come to a sudden complete stop while going 70mph. There was nothing in the road whatsoever. MULTIPLE other instances of this. On 2 lane roads, this happens even more frequently, I would estimate once every mile, though not always as severe. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | Phantom braking on Autopilot, multiple times Car just brakes out of the blue and it’s not safe | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Chronic problems with phantom breaking. We’re deathly afraid of getting rear-ended on the interstate. It’s a scary situation - we’re terrified. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using auto pilot our car will suddenly slam on the brakes usually for no reason. Sometimes it will if there is a large vehicle in the oncoming lane. Other times it will do this if we are the only car on the road. It will also do this even more frequently at night. It does this even if emergency braking is turned off. It causes us to panic and search around for a problem. At minimum they need a way to turn this "feature" off and offer normal cruise. This system is not ready for road use. This happens multiple times every time we use the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have consistently experienced “phantom braking” when using cruise control. (I do not use full driver assist). I drive frequently on two lane highways and the braking occurs seemingly randomly, sometimes even when no other vehicles are close enough for concern, but usually when a large truck is approaching on the opposite side. I don’t recall having the problem while driving on divided highways. Each time this has occurred I am startled by the warning beep and am in fear of a rear-end collision, so I have stopped using cruise control except on multi-lane, divided highways. I read about “phantom braking” in the Washington Post and was surprised that there were not more similar complaints. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have experienced several instances of the phantom braking in my Tesla model Y. it primarily happens when I’m on a two-lane road and there is a large truck approaching on the opposite lane. However it will also phantom brake on a highway where there are two lanes going in one direction separated by a median with two lanes going the opposite direction. It seems to happen when it’s coming up on a slight hill, where you cannot see over the hill. The car will slam on the brakes in the middle of the freeway, which when going at speeds of 65 to 75 miles an hour when traveling with other vehicles going the same speed, it can be especially dangerous in Texas where the giant pick up trucks like to tailgate electric vehicles. In one instance the pick up truck behind me thought I was brake checking him and jamming on my brakes to be a jerk; he then “coal rolled” me, putting out a giant cloud of black smoke. This situation has made it so I am afraid to use traffic aware cruise control, which I need to be able to use on road trips. It is especially bad in the two-lane winding roads around Amarillo, Texas, but I’ve also had it do this on a much larger road that goes through Chandler, New Mexico to Colorado. I absolutely love my Tesla, but the phantom braking is concerning, and the response I’ve gotten from Tesla service is that the car adapts and will eventually learn where not to do it. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it doesn’t seem to be getting better, and it does it at the same locations on the road. I need cruise control to be working. Another suggestion might be to have the ability to turn off traffic aware cruise control. I paid for full self driving but have not had the courage to apply to use it because of phantom braking. I would also like to see federal laws passed to address coal rolling of electric vehicles. It is extremely dangerous and it’s happening a lot in Texas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On a recent trip to Minnesota when adaptive cruise control was engaged there were several ( >10) episodes when the car would suddenly decelerate for no apparent reason. On a two lane highway it might occur if a large vehicle such as a truck was oncoming in the opposite lane. On the interstate, the common scenario was traveling in the right lane going up a slight upgrade with a car passing in the left lane. Often the sudden speed reduction was 25 mph or more. On occasion even on a flat section the car might suddenly brake for no apparent reason. On one occasion this happened in the afternoon going west with the sun glinting off some shiny asphalt crack filling. No accident occurred, but if a car were following closely, sudden braking could cause a crash. Because of this erratic behavior I don't use adaptive cruise control except for short distances. This is a known Tesla problem, but it seems the company is more interested in enhancing games to be played while charging rather than attend to a major flaw. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On 2 occasions within the last month my Tesla Y experienced a radical but brief stopping response. This happened on a freeway while passing a large truck in an adjacent lane. The car suddenly slowed down and then immediately speeded back up. This happened a second time on a freeway but I am unsure of the specific circumstances. I got delivery of the car in Oct 2021 and both of these incidents happened in Jan 2022. It has only happened those 2 times. Thank You [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This car has had numerous phantom braking incidents. It is unusable on 2 lane roads. It breaks suddenly for trucks in the opposite lane. It can also begin to brake for cars in the opposing lane. The only remedy is to press on the accelerator to turn off the Autopilot. It also slows down periodically for shadows (for example when going thru an underpass). It was reported to Tesla service and evidently nothing can be done since it seems to be a software issue. I am unsure of that since this car no longer has the radar that previous versions of this car did have. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Sudden braking while passing semi-trucks on a 2-lane highway while using Autopilot and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control. I made a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW-nrsR1Bg0 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have a 2021 Tesla Model Y. Washing Post reported an increase in phantom breaking recently. It's not just recent. I took delivery of my car in May 2021 and quickly learned that when in cruise control this car will randomly apply the brakes - at times going from 70's to 30's very quickly. In a simple drive from Las Cruces, NM to Albuquerque, NM with no traffic on the freeway the system will throw on the bakes while in cruise control at least 6 times. And it's repeatable. You simply cannot use cruise control on the free with any traffic for concern of the system engaging and causing an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This car is continually slamming on the brakes when in cruise or autopilot I have reported this to Tesla and tried to have them repair it but they say it’s normal. My 2019 didn’t hav3 this issue. One time I’d did this my wife started to chock on her gum when it slammed the brakes on so hard it dropped about 40mph in a few seconds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have experienced 3-4 occurrences of "phantom braking" while driving on the freeway with the autopilot system engaged on my Model Y. Each time, i have been traveling at 70mph+ when the automated system suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing me to decelerate by 20-40mph before I was able to override the systems by stepping on the accelerator and disconnecting the autopilot system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Since delivery the vehicle has experienced several "phantom braking" incidents in situations where no threat was evident, including some in which braking was initiated on clear, straight highways with no other traffic anywhere in sight. The events are aggressive and result in immediate profound loss of speed, making the threat of a collision an issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The manufacturer updated the vehicle software in January 2022. This caused the rear camera to malfunction. The malfunction is that the view of the camera inside the vehicle pauses for periods. The driver is becomes unaware of the true distance between the vehicle and objects behind it. This is worsened as the driver is unaware of the issue. This is a safety issue for any object behind the vehicle when it moves in reverse - including People. It could also easily result in damage to the rear of the vehicle being driven. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My 2021 Tesla Model Y has a huge problem with phantom braking. It even occurs when I am only using cruise control. Sudden stops and slow downs. I clearly has problems with large vehicles approaching in adjacent lanes. Not only does it scare the daylights out of my passengers, but it is a major safety issue is someone is following closely behind. The answer I get from Tesla Mobile service is to keep reporting it as a "bug". The answer I get from my Tesla Service center is "what to you expect...Tesla Vision is still in Beta mode". I am selecting a date below because your form requires it, but the problem has been occurring since I took delivery in July of 2021 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The full self-driving mode in my tesla does not react correctly to speed limit changes in small towns. I will be driving with the FSD at 65 MPH when I get to a small town and the speed limit changes to 45 and then down to 25 for residential area the cars speed does not decrease quickly enough to be at the correct speed limit by the time the car reachs the speed limit sign. Based on the speed limit laws I was taught was the car you are driving and are slowing down you must be at that limit when you reach the speed limit sign or else you can be ticketed for speeding. The Tesla FSD is not in compliance with that specific rule of the road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | A well known phenomenon of "phantom breaking" occurs frequently and without warning with the Traffic aware cruise control engaged. This occurs not only on 2 lane highways, but even on undivided and divided highways. On the 17 mile commute to work everyday, this will occur 5-10 times, which results in rapid, unanticipated deceleration. At the time of these deceleration events, there is no visual cause to the driver that would have resulted. Often it appears to be activated by oncoming traffic lights, lights on the side of the road at businesses, when cresting the road, and when the road naturally has a bend or swerve in the traffic pattern. These rapid deceleration events place the occupants at risk of rear end collisions and also are uncomfortable as you must immediately place your foot on the acceleration pedal, which results in a jerking movement to the occupants. Telsa needs to either employ a "dumb" cruise control or greatly improved their TACC system before continued use of their system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving down the highway/interstate when autopilot is on and the brakes are automatically applied for no reason. This happens frequently, especially on two lane roads to the point where I am not able to use autopilot anymore of fear of the car behind me crashing into me when brakes are applied suddenly for no reason. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I’m experiencing “Phantom Braking” in my Tesla Model Y. I live in a rural area where 2 lane roads (1 lane each direction) are the only roads around. Larger pick up trucks, pickups with trailers, busses, semi trucks, dump trucks, sprinter vans, and other vehicles of that size in the opposite lane trigger my vehicle, when in cruise control, to slam on its brakes. This happens when it’s sunny, cloudy, any type of weather condition. Occasionally, when in cruise control, I notice the car makes slight braking attempts, even when there is no traffic in the other lane. It’s as if it’s sensing a ghost it doesn’t want to hit… This has happened ever since we purchased the vehicle. I do not use auto pilot because I do not see the point where I live. This issue happens when using the adaptive cruise control. I have not noticed it when using auto pilot as, mention before, I rarely use that feature. I recently say articles where many other Tesla owners were having this problem so I thought I would add to the awareness of this issue. My wife does not use cruise control nor auto pilot for fear the car will slam on it’s brakes and someone might rear end us. Speed limits range from 35-55mph in my area. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | -Tesla autopilot phantom emergency braking, multiple times makes using the autopilot useless, can't even set it to just cruise control. Yes. -Hard, unexpected, emergency braking at highway speeds from 75mph to immediate 35mph. Dangerous to passengers and other motorists due to the sudden, unexpected high deceleration speed. -Yes. Reported the problem to Tesla service center Spokane on 11/15/2021. They performed a remote investigation and told me I had used the car in a manner/location that was outside the current limitations of the software. No further action until the software system is updated sometime in the future and remotely closed the service appointment without any further input from me. - No. Phantom braking started the day I picked it up 9/24/2021 and continues to this day. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While on a 475 mile road trip, my vehicles emergency brake system was activated while using cruise control on more than one occasion with no visible hazard ahead of me. This caused my car to brake at speeds upward of 70 miles per hour on two lanes highways, leaving me to fear that any car behind me could easily rear end me and harm me or my children who were in the backseat. On another occasion during this same trip, the weather began to turn. Snow began to fall heavily leading to poor road conditions. My model y activated corrective steering twice at speeds of 10-20 miles/hr, both times attempting to swerve my car into the lane next to me occupied by a semi truck. These issues are unacceptable and need correcting as they pose a threat to passenger safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have experienced many episodes of sudden, unexpected and seemingly inappropriate strong braking. The most common circumstance is overtaking semi truck/ trailers that are slowly ascending the mountain slopes of Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Often the trucks have their emergency flashers in use. IT self-brakes from 65 mph down to perhaps 30-35 mph and I "take over" by depressing the accelerator. It also happens frequently with oncoming traffic on 2 lane highways night or day and usually on a curve. The problem is frequent enough to avoid using cruise control on 2 lane roads and on I-5 mountain grades. It happens reliably on my way to town where an intersection has a flashing light and the approach is downhill into a right hand turn. It does not happen travelling the other direction and does not require any other traffic. For all of these, the sudden braking puts myself and others at significant risk for a rear-ender" collision. There are no lights, warnings, or ability to learn what triggered the inappropriate braking. I do not have the full self-driving option on this vehicle. A call to Tesla for service concludes with, " There are no faults with any of the hardware in the vehicle and these behaviors are a limitation of software in the system at this time". I did not take it to them to look at the car as it is 5 hours of driving plus the service time to do so. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My Tesla Model Y seems to be suffering from what is called "phantom braking". My vehicle was produced shortly after the radar was removed and Tesla went to a camera only system. My car has the lasted updates installed. It is not a Full Self Driving vehicle. Since I purchased the vehicle it has had a problem during low light or sunny conditions with suddenly braking when using the cruise control. The situation has been reported to Tesla multiple times and "bug reports" were recorded and reported to the service center. During one morning drive of about 35 minutes I reported 8 occurrences. Sometimes the vehicle will sound the emergency avoidance braking. The car will suddenly slow from 60 to 30 mph. On multiple occasions the vehicle behind me had to take evasive action to avoid rear ending me. During one of my service visits the vehicle was taken on an extended over night test drive and the technician confirmed the problem. During the other visit the service center did not even take the vehicle for a drive. in both cases Tesla said the hardware was functioning normally and this was a "normal" operating condition for the vehicle. The car does better if I am following another vehicle because it seems to be able to maintain it's depth perception better if it has that reference point. I did report to the service center that the car seems to follow closer at night, even at the max following distance setting. The vehicle also struggles with the automatic high beam headlights which the computer turns on automatically if cruise control is activated. Very often the car is slow to turn the high beams off but in other cases it will turn the high beams off and then turn them back on as another car approaches. I am flashed by other drivers on a daily basis because of this. Tesla does not seem concerned with resolving these known issues. I hope NHTSA involvement can get their attention for these safety related items. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The Tesla adaptive cruise control has been malfunctioning for the past 12,000+ miles (since new). Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. When the cruise is set, there are a significant number of phantom breaking events, making it a real hazard for anyone following our vehicle. The breaking can happen as often as 3 times every minute, and can decelerate 10-15 mph within seconds before I am able to react and override the cruise. The vehicle has been inspected 2 times by the manufacturer and has been found to have no hardware failure. There is no warning prior to the phantom breaking. However, periodically there are warnings during the phantom breaking events in the form of alarms sounding. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |