2021 Tesla Model Y complaints

I experienced multiple instances of ghost braking while driving at highway speeds, one that resuled in a near collision with the vehicle behind me.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in Autonomous Self-Driving mode driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop as another vehicle was approaching, causing the other vehicle to swerve. The contact stated that the vehicle responded insufficiently after the speed was set to 30 MPH. The contact then stated that a week later she received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V085000 (Steering, Electrical System). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was able to perform an OTA software update; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20.

The windshield wipers are difficult to engage. Doing so while driving requires me to take my eyes off the road

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.

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.

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.

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 wh

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.

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.

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.

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 a

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.

Vehicles continues to make random unwanted and dangerous sudden braking at highways speeds while the cruise control is engaged.

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.

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.

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.

Defective battery, wont charge past 30%

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.

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.

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.

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

While utilizing the ADAS features including the adaptive cruise control, the vehicle unexpectedly applies its brakes while driving at highway speeds.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

ON MARCH 18, 2023 WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 80 FROM Winnemucca NV TO FERNLEY NV. At 3pm and about 3:10pm the car suddenly decelerated from ~82mph to ~50mph. The road ahead was clear of obsticles. Luckly there were no cars following close behind us, if there had been the unnecessary and unexpected deceleration could have been dangerous.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 fi

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.

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).

While driving the all functionality was lost and the screen went black

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

Experienced phantom braking twice today on I 5. Almost crashed or got rear ended. Car was on auto pilot. This needs to be fixed

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.

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/ligh