2021 TESLA MODEL Y Steering Problems

Both torn bushing and broken links at 29k miles.

The car suddenly reduced lane assistance and steering assistance functionality. After calling Tesla they said it is not a software issue. I checked the service mode and it indicated a malfunction in the steering assist motor, which apparently costs $3500 to replace. Online, I have found many complaints about this problem that are not resolved by software updates. In addition, there was a large number used steering assist motors for sale online which indicates a more wide spread problem. This is not normal for cars to have this failure prematurely and is a serious safety hazard. I read online that some had their steering EPAS get locked while driving on the highway and nearly destroyed their Teslas

front subframe and both front lateral links came loose due to welded nut not present

Received a notice that steering assist may be reduced. Other model year Ys have been recalled due to the same issue. It doesn’t make sense that this should fail in a vehicle that is 5 years old with no accidents and low mileage. This is a safety issue due to manufacturing defect and should be covered under warranty.

Lower front control arms are bad. Was told by tire company they need replaced. Quote about 2k

There is a rip in the lower control bushing making steering difficult to control. I see that this is a common issue but no recall yet. My car has only 28k miles.

On Monday 12/29/2025, while driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y on the highway at approximately 70 mph returning from DTW Airport to my home with my children in the vehicle, the steering suddenly locked / the steering wheel would not turn. I was able to pull over to the shoulder. There were no warning lamps or warning messages displayed before or during the failure. After pulling over, I powered the vehicle off and back on. The steering partially worked again, and I was able to drive home. Later the same day at my friend’s house/driveway, the steering locked out again and this time it was completely locked, making the vehicle not safely drivable. Again, there were no warning messages or symptoms prior to the lockout. Tesla Service provided a written estimate documenting the complaint “steering locked out / cannot drive” and proposed replacing the steering gear/steering rack (“Steering Gear LHD,”...

The car has a feature called "curvature assist" that takes control of braking and steering at times when using cruise control. The incidents are at times surprising as there is no curvature present but the braking is suddenly applied. This is a surprise for both the driver and any following traffic. The car would be safer if this feature could be disabled but that is not possible.

I’ve had to replace the steering rack, upper and lower control arm for the left wheel, entire computer motherboard. I drove the car for less than 70k miles and zero accidents and zero modifications. Yes I am open for inspection. While driving with fsd lane keep failed causing the car to veer to other lane. The tesla repair shop said the steering rack was sending errors and the whole rack needs to be replaced. They said it was both electrical and mechanical failure. Previously I’ve had the control arms replaced because it was making clicking noise when I turn the wheel. They said it was due to front compliance link and lateral link issues. Also had entire computer board replaced previously. The error message after the incident was lane assist disabled, steering assist reduced. In the maintenance mode it said “ The drive interface (DI) or drive inverter (DIx) electronic...

The power steering became reduced and diminished while driving. Tesla is stating that there is corrosion on the wiring harness ports on the power steering rack. There was no warning until after the incident, but now a “reduced power steering” annunciation appears in the screen. The Tesla repair station has confirmed the condition.

The vehicle lost steering at 10 mph as a bolt from the front suspension's upper control arm and lateral link fasteners became loose and detached rom the vehicle. The wheel was completely misaligned, and the vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle could not be moved to the side of the road, putting my safety and the safety of other drivers at risk. I fear that this could have been a fatal accident had I been on the highway. This issue has been confirmed by Tesla Service Center, and they acknowledged that this is a known issue. There were no warning indicators or recall notices sent to warn of this known issue. My vehicle should have been recalled. Tesla is making me pay $3,000 for repairs despite knowing this is a manufacturer defect, and they are continuing to put lives at risk by not issuing a wider recall.

Upper control arms wear out and start making sounds

My 2021 Tesla Model Y experienced a sudden loss of steering assist, resulting in an extremely heavy steering and loss of steering ability, at highway speed. I needed extreme efforts to push the steering wheel to go off highway to avoid accident. This happened on 6/14/2025 around 3PM. Tesla service diagnosed "internal electrical/mechanical steering rack failure", but no recall was issued for my VIN. I've reviewed NHTSA Recall SB-25-00-004 (2025) for 2023 Model Y involving EPAS/steering assist failure. The symptoms in my car appear identical. I believe the issue may affect more model years than the recall currently covers and request HNTSA investigate further.

Steering assistance reduced alert is showing up on vehicle. It is difficult to drive the car. The car has less than 33,000 miles on it.

The Adaptive cruse control would stop working off an on. also it would give false land departure warnings causing driver to swerve thinking they were going to run into another care

My steering is making loud noises and so is the suspension. It’s so loud it’s embarrassing to drive. The steering wheel also came apart because it wasn’t glued down properly and had air bubbles. I see recalls for cars but not my specific vin. Tesla says no wheel replacement for me and cost of replacing link assembly parts and bolts would cost me 2000$

Vehicle began making loud creaking noise audible at all speeds, loudest at low speeds. Car was maintained by Tesla dealership. Failure occurred at approximately 52,000 miles, just after 50,000 warranty expired. Diagnosed as failure of both control arms which need to be replaced at significant expense. Failure should not happen on such a low mileage and newer vehicle.

I was driving into a parking lot and heard a loud bang. I get out of my car and see that the metal that connects the tire to the car came down and screws came out. It is not drivable. I know this is not something normal and shouldn't happen. This is very dangerous and I am grateful I wasn't on the freeway when it happened. I was not involved in any collision and i did not hit anything. This simply happened on its own

The bushing spontaneously separated from the axle/wheel making the car unsafe and undriveable. I cannot believe I am the only one. This needs to be investigated and the car needs to be recalled

When driving on highways the car will jerk the steering wheel and cause the car to turn when the car is in the center of the lane. This causes the driver to counter the force from the steering wheel to keep the car on the road. This only happens when autopilot and full self driving are not being used. I have taken it to the service center twice. The first time they said it was an issue with the car alignment so they realigned the tires and the second time they said it was a problem with the car’s computer so they replaced the computer. This continues to happen and is dangerous. Sometimes it will give a lane departure warning while other times there are no warnings.

At 59k miles the steering rack failed, warranty expired at 50k miles. This was a $3,000 repair. A number of fellow Tesla owners have encountered this same failure.

My husband was driving the used Tesla we recently purchased from the Tesla dealership. We were driving on the highway with regular traffic and no issues around us. Autopilot was not on (we have never employed this feature). All the sudden, the car quickly jerked to the right on its own and then swerved back on its own. We were driving towards the sun so maybe the camera saw a shadow that wasn't actually there. We think either there is a steering issue or that the car might be reacting erroneously to something that isn't there. Just wanted to report this safety concern because I had my baby in the car and this could have caused a car accident.

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)

while driving on the NJ Turnpike I heard a large "pop" noise. Shortly after as I was on the Exit 7A exit ramp I lost all power steering. I nearly hit the guardrail before the car came to a complete stop. I was able to maneuver the car off the exit ramp and pulled over. The was an error message appeared on the screen indicating "power steering reduced." It wasn't reduced it was non-existent. The car was flat bedded to the Tesla service center and a week later the car repair was completed. The service center indicated it was the "steering rack" broke. Although I don't know exactly what that means, even the service center admitted that this failure should not have occurred. The car is 2 1/2 years old with 90k miles. It is out of warranty so i was responsible for payment. The reason for my complaint is...

Loss of steering control, frequently accompanied by driver-facing messages indicating that power steering assist is reduced or disabled.

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.

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...

Steerling wheel malfunction, can't control.

Got into the car, put it in drive. Warning something like "steering assist not available". My wife was driving and could not turn the steering wheel. I made a service appointment and they returned an estimate for replacing the "PT SENSOR, HIGH PRESSURE (1510047-00-C)" qty 2 and the "PRESSURE TEMPERATURE SENSOR - LOW PRESSURE(1510048-00D) qty 1 and "WASHER, 1/2, STL ZN,SEAL.(1111739-00-A) qty 1 under warrantee.

Front left wheel of vehicle started pivoting under causing tire to bottom out on inner fender without any prior incident or issues. Inspection revealed one of two bolts missing on the lower lateral control link, which was later found in the driveway. Second bolt was 1/3 loosened. Car was towed to Tesla and they proceeded with repairs to include replacing both sets of lower lateral control links. After looking into this further, we found Tesla service bulletin SB-21-31-003 which issued a recall for this problem for 2019-2021 model Y and 3, however, according to Tesla our vin was not included in this recall. These bolts hold the linkage that secures the wheel to the frame, without which the wheel and tire assembly will likely separate or collapse causing major damage and possible death to any occupants that are traveling at normal highway speeds. The SB refers to a torque inspection...

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the master warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the firmware needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.

The power steering stopped working. "Error UI_a020: Steering assist reduced," and "Error APP_w264: Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable" appeared on the screen afterwards. I was driving home when suddenly I was unable to turn the steering wheel more than a quarter turn (even with all my weight and strength). I tried resetting my vehicle and the issue persisted. I also tried getting out of the vehicle, locking it and let it sit but the issue persisted when I got back in. Luckily, I had just entered my neighborhood and managed to get it parked in my driveway. After a couple hours of the vehicle sitting in my driveway, the issue stopped. I took the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center where it was inspected, they informed me this is a known issue with current firmware and an unknown future update will fix the issue.

I was backing up in a parking lot with steering wheel turned to the far right. Steering wheel started to shake then froze up. I could just barely turn it. I can't remember how I got it to work, maybe I had to restart the car. No one was at risk since it was just me in the car and I was going really slowly, but if it were on a street it could be risky. The dealer replaced a steering part and it seems OK now. There were no warnings ahead of time.

While driving, steering wheel locked! Prior to locking there were no warnings. While wheel locked, warning popped up-“ steering assist reduced.” I was going up a curved parking garage ramp when wheel locked, I was unable to turn my vehicle causing my car hit curb, scraping my rims. Cars were honking behind me, there was no where to move. I was scared, causing me to have a panic attack. I had to turn off/on car twice for steering to go back to normal. I took vehicle to Tesla and had to pay $387 for diagnosis. I was 4,000 miles over warranty. Tesla is saying it could be a possible steering rack replacement and cost $2,500. Tesla will not pay for rim damage or pay for fixing the steering issue, which is a major safety problem. Tesla needs to do better!

Unstable steering especially during freeway driving. No accidents, the warning just come up with steering need service. Then the vehicle cancel all the safety features. Vehicle accelerate by it self when go downhill, need extra effort to step on the brake and hold tight the steering wheel to control the car.

Steering Rack Dual motor. My auto pilot and lane departure warnings started to deactivate randomly within 10 to 15 minutes of driving. I took it into Tesla and they are saying this part needs to be replace. I’ve only had the car three weeks.

On July 19th around 6:45pm, I was driving on the left most lane of I-95S in VA towards NC near Exit 41 at 70mph. The care suddenly steered hard left towards the median. I tried to steer it back but the steering wheel was locked and would not let me steer back. The brakes would also not work and the car drove into the guardrail and spun180 degree and hit the guardrail again and spun180 and did that one more time and stopped facing the oncoming traffic. The impact tore the entire front left-wheel assembly off my Tesla, sending it more than 250 yards forward. Damaging the left side of the car front to back but the airbags did not deploy neither did the seatbelts locked. Fortunately, the entire cabin was intact and I walked away without any external injuries.

Dear Tesla Customer Support, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my extreme concern and disappointment regarding a serious malfunction I experienced with my Tesla vehicle, Model Y, on 08/01/2023. The incident has left me deeply troubled and has raised significant questions about the safety and reliability of your vehicles. On the aforementioned date, while I was driving my Model Y, I noticed an unusual burning smell coming from the vehicle. Shortly after, the cruise control system began to malfunction erratically, leading to a loss of control over the vehicle's speed. In a matter of seconds, the display and all lights on the dashboard went dark, leaving me unable to monitor crucial information such as speed, battery level, and vehicle warnings. Worse yet, the electronic power steering suddenly failed, causing an immediate stiffening of the steering wheel and making it incredibly difficult to control the...

I encountered the issue where my car would lose all power steering and the following warning would present itself in 3 different errors "power steering reduced". The typical fix I came up with to resolve the issue was to put the car in park, exit the vehicle and then open a.nd initiate the vehicle with the physical key. The problem was first noticed in April of 2023 and an initial review of the vehicle by Tesla was done on May 9th after the vehicle encountered this issue while I was at a traffic stop. Issue was not resolved as it returned 2 weeks later which prompted me to send it back to Tesla on June 11th. Vehicle was kept for 14 days. As of August 1, 2023 the issue has not returned

The steering wheel locked up for 3 seconds. I returned the vehicle to Tesla and they said they replaced the control arms. I suspect the bearings in the steering control arms seized. I suspect the steering control arms are not robust enough to handle the weight of vehicle.

On, June 24th and July 15th my vehicle experienced multiple errors while driving. Indicator lights stated the following: stability control disabled, dash cam disabled, traction control disabled, regenerative braking disabled, emergency braking disabled. On July 15th the front motor was disabled, causing the vehicle to not have enough power to continue up the mountain. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway, and started rolling backwards. After I was able to turn the vehicle around, the brakes were grinding, and did not stop the vehicle. There as a smell of burnt rubber, and the brake pedal started “ popping” and moving back and forth on its’ own. The engine failure has occurred twice, and all of other errors have occurred 4 times since June 2023. I made an appointment with the Tesla service center and they cancelled my appointment, for no reason. After the July 15th incident, I took...

On. 12 June 2023 between 6-7 pm the steering wheel jammed off in the Mountain house shopping plaza . I could not move the steering wheel as it was very hard to move it . Next day on 13 June 2023 around 7-9 pm in Modesto downtown the steering wheel jammed again while I was turning left on the light . This is very scary as the vehicle could not be tunrned at all.

The right tie rod suddenly disconnected when I turned the steering wheel. The tie rod did not look damaged. The car lost all steering control. Fortunately I was in my driveway when it occurred. The car has 24,000 miles and has never been in an accident. The car was towed to Tesla for repairs on 5/19/23

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

If you turn the steering wheel in a Tesla Model 3/Y all the way to either direction then apply light force the car will slowly start to push back with a lot of force till the wheel reaches about 45°. At that point if you try to turn the wheel in either direction you will be unable to as it completely locks up for a few seconds. This behavior will happen in any gear including park with the vehicle on. In my case I was backing up onto a busy street and was waiting for a gap in traffic with my wheel turned all the way. At this point it had begun pushing back then when I finally backed out I was unable to turn the wheel the opposite direction and ended up blocking traffic for a few seconds. This was a very terrifying situation and had the potential to...

While driving, suddenly power steering failed. Impossible to steer for my wife who was driving, I am barely able to steer it. Shut off the veh and let it sit for a couple of hours and it started working. Have had it happen 3 times. Scared to drive it. Extremely hazardous situation.