2021 TESLA MODEL Y Power Train Problems

27 NHTSA complaints on file

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Power Train Issues in the 2021 TESLA MODEL Y

27 power train complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 TESLA MODEL Y. Of these, 3 involved a crash, 2 involved a fire, and 1 resulted in injury.

27
Complaints
3
Crashes
2
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

All Power Train Complaints

#11712754 |
My heat pump and ac unit went out and Tesla wants me to pay $4000 for a faulty part that broke in less then 3 years
#11704381 |
In early Nov 2025 my Tesla Model Y began intermittently showing warnings about the forward collision warning system and multiple sensors being offline. Tesla service replaced a faulty connector on Nov 3. On Nov 15, 2025, about two weeks later, the car had a sudden drivetrain failure while I was parking on a steep hill. I heard a loud bang from the front of the car and the vehicle immediately lost drive power and had to be towed. Tesla diagnosed a failed front motor inverter that blew the high-voltage pyrofuse and damaged the 12V battery; they replaced those parts. The vehicle is available for inspection and the repaired components and records are with Tesla. After that repair the car needed another visit for alignment and has continued to show worrying behavior: “VCFRONT offline/unable to contact VCFRONT” in the service menu, repeated “autopilot computer overheating” messages, intermittent loss or reduction of...
#11700358 |
Detailed Description of the Defect: Friday Incident: While picking up my son from school, the vehicle abruptly disabled multiple safety and driver-assist features. The car rolled backward on a slight incline, failed to display any surrounding vehicles on the FSD visualization, and retained accelerator input even after I removed my foot from the pedal. The vehicle continued to speed up slightly in Drive and Reverse without my input. Soft resets did not resolve the issue. Monday Incident (Collision Caused by Malfunction): On Monday morning, the same malfunction occurred. As I reversed into my garage with the door opening, the car again held the accelerator input after I lifted my foot, causing the vehicle to continue moving backward unexpectedly. The vehicle struck my garage door, causing property damage and a dent to the trunk. This was not driver error. It was unexpected propulsion after pedal release — an extremely dangerous condition.
#11683010 |
Summary of Issue: The vehicle has experienced intermittent drive disconnections without warning. This occurred multiple times on August 9–10, 2025, during trips between Palo Alto and Monterey. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection? The suspected component is the drive unit (covered under Tesla’s 8-year Drive Unit & Battery warranty). The vehicle and its systems remain available for inspection by NHTSA or Tesla. How was safety put at risk? The intermittent drive disconnections can result in sudden loss of propulsion without warning while the car is in motion. If this occurs at highway speeds, it creates a serious safety risk of collision or loss of vehicle control. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? Tesla Service has attempted to inspect the vehicle but reported “no fault found.” Because the issue...
#11637075 |
A year ago I went on a road trip from Florida to Iowa in the winter, temperatures were freezing or below freezing. I got an alert to maintenance powertrain, after driving to Tesla they informed me the oil pump on the rear motor was falling apart. It was replaced. A year later on a second road trip to the same location also in sub freezing conditions the exact same error pops up, in service mode it says rear oil pump error
#11630674 | Fire
­•Unknown parts or system malfunctions; yes, an inspection can be issued •The car is parked very close to the house and continuously producing poisonous and harmful gas, battery liquid and glasses splattered more than 20ft away. •No, before the incident there was no issue observed. •No, but from the fire department report the cause of the fire was "failure of equipment". •No, there was no warnings from the app, or signs of malfunctions. the car functions normally.
#11588656 |
Steering disabled due to software update resulting in vehicle undriviable and having to be towed from driveway Tesla requiring customer to pay for hardware replacement due to software update failure costing $2,921.24 for the replacement, out of pocket. Required replacement of steering Rack (Dual Motor) Part - Steering Gear Left Hand Drive (1044832-00-A)
#11586653 |
The main screen on my Tesla Model Y flickers while driving, as well as charging. I have a video of it happening, if you slow the video down it completely shuts the screen down for a millisecond and then turns back on. I have sent this video to Tesla, as well as Tesla technicians has confirmed the issue happening when they had the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into Tesla 3 separate times for service, they don't know how to fix the issue and keep telling me to wait. I have been dealing with this issue since January 2024 and am tired of waiting and putting my safety at risk. I feel that I have been more than patient with them and now I feel that they are now blowing me off. They don't feel that it is a safety concern even considering that the display screen went out...
#11580562 | Crash
I was driving on PA Turnpike in light rain . I never drive fast . Somehow my car start shifting from one side of the rd to another I slow down but I did not feel connection with sterling wheels car start spinning in circles and I crashed with 2 kids in the car.
#11571568 |
When driving the car abruptly slows down. This also happened on the freeway. I get an error message that says “power limited” and a turtle symbol. This is the second time this issue has happened. Tesla service center has not been able to confidently diagnose this issue. They say it’s resolved and once I leave the service center and the problem comes back.
#11570374 |
The power steering went out and it was virtually impossible to turn the steering wheel. It was unsafe to drive because you were not able to turn the car unless you were very strong. Safety issue-unable to turn the car without possibly colliding with another car. Tesla replaced the drive train. Another incident happened while getting into the car and driving it. An alert came up on the screen saying that the power train needed immediate service and that I could not exceed 60 mph. I was driving at the time. As I continued to drive to my destination the alert kept coming on with different speeds I could not drive at. It eventually got down to 53 mph and it physically would not drive over that speed and it was on the freeway and dangerous because the car kept slowing down. Tesla replaced the oil pump in the back...
#11535014 |
Battery is not able to charge . The message shows need services Bring the car to Tesla service center , they told us the battery need to be replaced. They did not tell us what caused the battery to die. The car has about 30000 miles on it . Daily driving to work. Don’t understand why the battery dies so fast . Does anyone report the same problem on 2021 Tesla model Y ?
#11523750 | Crash
My wife was driving in moderate rain on the freeway. We were going about 70mph which was the same speed as the rest of the cars. We were going around a gentle turn in the road. Then without warning, our car started to slowly spin around. My wife instantly and completely lost control. We spun almost 180 degrees, crashed into two other vehicles, and came to rest against the cement barrier. Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, but we totaled two vehicles and damaged another. If the spin had happened along a different section of road we frequently drive on, we would have slid into oncoming traffic and people could have been killed. I requested that Tesla send the full data logs of the accident. It shows that my wife released the accelerator pedal right when the spin started. In most cars, releasing the accelerator causes the car to gently slow...
#11518510 |
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...
#11496213 |
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle rolled backwards. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently while at a complete stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
#11474647 |
The vehicle loose power all of sudden while driving disabling all power including loss of power steering, failure of lane departure avoidance, regenerative brakes, parking breaks, traction and stability controls. This has caused hazardous dangerous conditions on the road. The vehicle had to be towed to local Tesla repair/service center on 4 occasions. We have been given false reassurance with no definitive fix yet, continues to be an ongoing issues that recurs after few weeks that vehicle comes back from service center.
#11471459 |
Steering wheel locked up and would not let driver navigate off-ramp from freeway. Car attempted to force driver to merge into a stopped lane. Auto-pilot features engaged in screen but they were not manually activated. Car attempted to cause an accident.
#11448216 |
Received Error code: VCFRONT_447 indicating a cabin heat issue, and a complete loss of heat within the interior of the vehicle. It appears this also is preventing the battery from fully warming up causing severe vehicle power reduction and lack of regen braking. It being sub-zero and frost bite within minutes this poses a safety risk when traveling. The problem has been reported by other vehicle owners. It has not been inspected at this time. There were no other alerts prior to the issue starting on 1/20/2022 at ~6am CST.
#11439627 |
Sudden, hard self breaking when in autopilot mode. Danger of collision at high speeds.
#11432997 |
The car has less than 300 miles on it and I hear a loud clunk under the front of the floor by the pedals as if something is loose like the front motor or the suspension.
#11428759 | Fire
Backing out of garage, the driver began to smell acid and burnt electronics from the back of car. After driving back home from work the driver inspected the car. The back driver side door reeked of burnt electronics and the entire car had an acid smell. After consulting Tesla, the first Tesla maintenance worker noticed the entire inside of the door had melted and all electronics were fried. He claimed he had never seen this before. The second maintenance worker came with parts and determined the window module had overheated and caught fire. The fire melted many components inside the door. A brand new 2021 Tesla Model Y should not spontaneously catch fire. Especially if it is residing inside the garage of a house. After replacing all the components, Tesla deemed the car safe to drive. Yet, a couple days later they requested we bring the car in so that...
#11424607 |
This problem happens repeatedly. It has been reported by multiple Tesla owners but no action has been taken by Tesla. When driving with the cruise control engaged, the car will brake very aggressively. This happens most commonly when there is no other traffic on the road and no debris on the road. It seems the car believes there is something in front of the car for which it needs to stop, even though the road is clear. But if I press on the accelerator the car resumes normal cruise operation. If there is a car behind me I am worried that the car behind me will crash into me. The braking action is VERY aggressive.
#11406984 |
THESE ARE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS REGARDING COMPLAINTS NUMBERS 11406321, 11406325, AND 11406632. ACCORDING TO TESLA DOCUMENTATION, LOSS OF PHONE KEY COMMUNICATION SHOULD GIVE 2 TO 3 MINUTES DRIVABILITY TO GET TO A SAFE STOP. THERE WAS NO STATEMENT THAT I FOUND IN THAT DOCUMENTATION TO DESCRIBE HOW THE DRIVER IS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. REGARDING THE STATEMENT BY TESLA PERSONNEL THAT I TRIED TO SHIFT INTO PARK WHILE MOVING, THE CAR DOES, INDEED, PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING, AND GIVES THE DRIVER A LOUD AUDIBLE WARNING. THE DATE OF OCCURRENCE LISTED WITH THIS SUBMISSION IS APPROXIMATE.
#11406632 |
THESE ARE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS REGARDING COMPLAINTS NUMBERS 11406321 AND 11406325. SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE HAD INCREASINGLY FREQUENT PROBLEMS WITH THE PHONE KEYS ON MULTIPLE PHONES. MY SUSPICION IS THAT THE PROBLEM I INITIALLY REPORTED IN CASE NUMBER 11406321 WAS CAUSED BY LOSS OF COMMUNICATION OF THAT PHONE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO RE-ESTABLISH THAT PHONE AS A PHONE KEY, AND WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MULTIPLE PHONES. I MOST STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE PHONE KEYS. FAILURE OF THAT BLUETOOTH CONNECTION WOULD RESULT IN THE IMMEDIATE STOPPING OF THE VEHICLE.
#11406321 |
ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WE HAVE LOST COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE TESLA PHONE APP. THE PROBLEM EXISTS FOR THREE DIFFERENT PHONES OF TWO DIFFERENT MODELS. WE HAVE USUALLY BEEN ABLE TO RE-ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE TESLA PROCEDURES, BUT NOT ALWAYS. ON ALL BUT ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WE WERE ABLE TO USE A KEY CARD TO CONTINUE. BUT ON ONE OCCASION, WHILE MAKING A U-TURN ON A SIDE STREET, THE CAR JUST STOPPED MOVING, PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE STREET. WE HAD LOST COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PHONE APP. AFTER RECOVERING WITH A KEY CARD WE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE DEALER. EXAMINING THE SOFTWARE, THEY CLAIMED THAT I HAD HIT THE 'PARK' BUTTON WHILE MOVING. FIRST, I WOULD HAVE HAD NO REASON TO DO SO. SECOND, I KNOW OF NO VEHICLE THAT WOULD NOT BLOCK ANY ATTEMPT TO ENTER PARK WHILE MOVING. THIRD, IT KILLED ALL COMMUNICATION...
#11406325 |
THESE ARE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS REGARDING COMPLAIN NUMBER 11406321. WE DID HAVE TO SHIFT INTO PARK IN ORDER TO USE THE KEY CARD. THAT IS NORMAL AND EXPECTED.
#11376690 | Crash
THIS IS THE 2ND TESLA MY MOM OWNED, SHE DROVE A MODEL 3 WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS FOR MANY MONTHS. SHE PICKS UP THIS MODEL Y ON NOVEMBER 19 2020, AND DRIVES HOME FROM THE DEALER WITHOUT ISSUES. NEXT DAY NOVEMBER 20, 2020, DRIVES TO HER WORK, PULLS INTO A PARKING SPOT AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. APPROX 5-10 SECONDS LATER THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD, HOPS OVER THE PARKING CURB, OVER SOME GRASS AND INTO A BRICK WALL AT FULL ACCELERATION. LUCKILY NOBODY WAS HURT, BUT SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING AND THE CAR. THIS CASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION NEEDS INVESTIGATION. MY MOM DOES NOT FEEL SAFE GETTING BACK INTO THIS MODEL Y.

Other 2021 TESLA MODEL Y Problem Areas

Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control 397 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 318 complaints Service Brakes 175 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 152 complaints Unknown Or Other 123 complaints Electrical System 105 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 100 complaints Steering 76 complaints Suspension 50 complaints Lane Departure Assist 43 complaints Visibilitywiper 40 complaints Seat Belts 24 complaints Lane Departure Warning 23 complaints Air Bags 19 complaints Structurebody 18 complaints Seats 17 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 15 complaints Engine 14 complaints Wheels 13 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 12 complaints Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch 12 complaints Electrical System12v24v48v Battery 11 complaints Exterior Lighting 9 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 9 complaints Structurebodydoorhandleexterior 8 complaints Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera 7 complaints Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Driving 6 complaints Visibility 5 complaints Service Brakes Hydraulic 3 complaints Tires 3 complaints Air Bagssensoroccupant Classification 2 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Controlsoftware 2 complaints Latcheslockslinkages 2 complaints Service Brakes Electricsoftwareprogramming 2 complaints Suspensionfrontcontrol Arm 2 complaints Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System 2 complaints Air Bagsfrontaldriver Sideinflator Module 1 complaint Back Over Prevention 1 complaint Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 1 complaint Chest Clip Buckle Harness 1 complaint Child Seat 1 complaint Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel 1 complaint Electrical Systemadas 1 complaint Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Drivingsoftware 1 complaint Electrical Systemadasdriver Monitoringcamerasensor 1 complaint Electrical Systemalternatorgeneratorregulator 1 complaint Electrical Systemhorn 1 complaint Equipment Adaptivemobilityvehicle Controlsbraking 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Steering 1 complaint Lane Departure Lane Keep Steering Assist 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmission 1 complaint Structure 1 complaint Suspensionsubframemounting Bracket 1 complaint Tether Lower Anchor On Car Seat Or Vehicle 1 complaint Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 1 complaint Tirestreadbelt 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control 1 complaint Visibilityglass Siderear 1 complaint
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