2021 TESLA MODEL Y Steering Problems
76 NHTSA complaints on file
All Steering Complaints — Page 2
I was driving on the freeway, no one was near me (I had full control of the car, it wasn’t on autopilot) and the car’s brakes deadlocked while I was traveling high way speed and then made a sharp left turn which caused me to crash into the center divide and then hydroplane across the entire freeway uncontrollably
11/29/23: vehicle begins to flash warning alerts (e.g., traction control disabled, lane departure warning unavailable), then power steering stopped working, and brakes pulsed violently when used (almost like ABS was active). Software update was available shortly thereafter, assumed this would remedy the situation. 12/5/23: same problems recur (loss of power steering, odd braking behavior, vehicle alerts). Vehicle was towed to Tesla for service. Tesla was able to ID the alerts in the vehicle history but could not identify the root cause. Took the vehicle one extended test drives, but was unable to cause the problems to recur. Tesla is unable to identify any further actions to prevent recurrence.
Backing out of garage and driveway & heard loud pop. Immediately stopped, put into drive and moved out of street, approx 6' (with car making awful noise and terrible steering wheel feel).. Exited vehicle and observed that drivers side front wheel was aimed straight but passenger side was aimed 20+ degrees inwards. Found both passenger side lower control arm bolts in driveway, and linkage hanging down. Could have resulted in SERIOUS accident if compromised steering happened while driving at speed.
Car took over the control from the driver. Major crash could have happened NO Manufacturer No
Heard loud clicking noises upfront when turning hard out of parking spot.Immediately I Checked front wheels manually on looseness, but could not detect any movement. Decided to drive home (20miles).I was very careful not to steer to hard through curves. Upon turn into my driveway ( hard right turn which I took very slow) ,left front wheel suspension came unhooked and an approx 3” long x 1/2” galvanized bolt fell onto driveway. My 2020Tesla Model Y was stuck at the bottom of driveway. My company mechanic came about an hour later ,jacked up the left side,removed front left wheel : the bolt as pictured below had loosened entirely from its nut and galled off releasing the wheel suspension and allowing the wheel to come loose . We temporarily fixed the bolt and drove the ModelY into our garage ( flat surface) 500 feet further uphill. Upon further inspection we found...
When i was traveling at speed around 70mph on highway. Tesla has applied emergency brakes and locked the steering, which made telsa rotate(spinned) 3 times on its own and stopped.luckily no vehicles were near on either ways. The vehicle was all the way stopped on opposite road and I was able to start after some seconds it stopped and started my driving. No vehicles were near or nothing approached to apply emergency brakes. When contacted telsa they told to schedule service appointment and no help was given.
At night the wipers run when cruise control is engaged even though the windshield is clean and there is no precipitation. This situation also occurs when Autopilot is engaged. I've complained to Tesla's service center about this issue. I have text documentation to attach as evidence. A web search indicates there are many Tesla owners complaining about these issues for years. I've owned the car for 16 months and only in the last 2 months has this problem started. My daughter has the same car and does not have this problem. Years of complaints by other owners indicates this is a major problem why hasn't the NHTSA pressured Tesla Motors to address and repair these issues?
Autopilot was on during a light rain event where I was traveling less than the posted speed limit on the I95 northbound Highway. The autopilot appeared to force the car to abruptly jolt the steering wheel/tires, causing a slip/ hydroplane of the front end which forced the car into a left/sideways slide across the highway. The car slid sideways for about 100 feet or so before going straight into the concrete divider along the Highway (front driver side initial impact, then rear driver side 2nd impact). Control could not be regained with the vehicle. Steering did not work (tried to correct the path), it felt as if brakes did not slow the vehicle as the car approached the divider. Autopilot was fully engaged and lane keeping was active… with at least one hand on the steering wheel and moderate level of attention to the road. I must say I had...
My wife was driving on the highway on 8/16/22 at around 9:50pm on the garden state south and all of the sudden the car by itself started swerving lanes and my wife tried to stop the car but to no avail the brakes weren’t working as well. After some time the car finally got back into control and she was able to pull over. The car seemed to be hacked. No explanation how this happened. We didn’t pay for the whole self drive option so I’m not sure how this happened. Very furious. That could’ve been my wife’s life on the line if there were cars.
Going 40 MPH on CA 210W in left lane. Full Self Driving available on vehicle but no autopilot/lane assist activated at time of incident. Steering wheel locked up completely; I was unable to turn the wheel at all so I ended up drifting across 4 lanes of highway (miraculously didn’t hit anyone) and ended up under a semi. Car airbags did not deploy and system did not detect a collision. Contacted Tesla to ask about the cause of the accident multiple times; never got an answer. They had us pull the USB in glovebox and see if anything is on there but there wasn’t even though dash cam was activated. They “escalated” the ticket to a supervisor and have been ghosted ever since asking for an answer. We scheduled a service appointment to have them check out the vehicle and they canceled it. It is a miracle that I did...
The car suddenly stops responding with the entire system seems to be shut down. I cannot access any controls including lights, brakes and any other safety features. I reached out to tesla regarding this and even sent them a video showing the same. They are not responsive at all and seem to not care about this. The car had sidetracked due to no visibility (Wouldn't consider a crash but almost one)This happened multiple times and is really a big safety concern. We were in the middle of woods when this happened and my wife was alone the other time. I would really appreciate if you expedite this issue and get us a solution. The image below is taken when the lights were on but eventually they were gone.
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.
On June 28th 11:50pm with 174 mile range, my Tesla Model Y LR died while driving on fwy 5 with my 10 year old. I barely had time to exit, it gave me warning “PULL OVER SAFELY” “VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN”. I barely made it to off-ramp, my car completely shutdown at the end of off ramp. Could not put it to neutral, me and my 10 years old had to exit the car immediately, called tow truck via tesla app. Tow truck showed up in 20 mins, can was not drivable. This could have been much worst, if I was not able to exit and my car stuck on middle of the freeway at night. This is a huge safety concern.
i DID NOT HAVE AN ACEDENT, BUT I have a bad control arms on my Tesla Y. I brought my Tesla to Tesla service for repair because I heard creaking noise coming when I turn my steering wheel left and right and Tesla team says that I need replacement for my left and right upper arm controls. But Telsa claim they do not have all parts for repair and they changed only my right upper control arm and order the left one. Also Tesla service claim is safe to drive with bad arm controls, which for me is not acceptable. I did not feel safe and Tesla claim is wrong for me.
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.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel seized and the brakes failed to engaged. The vehicle went into autocorrect on its own and was swerving then crashed into a semi truck. No medical attention was received on the scene but the contact later seeked medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla approved collision repair center. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they will escalate the file over to headquarter to evaluate. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.
I TALK TO SPECIALIST THEY SAID I HAVE COOLING SYSTEM FAILURE, AND GUY FROM TESLA FITZGERALD WHO REMOTELY CONNECTED TO MY CAR BEFORE MY APPOINTMENT WITH YOU , ALSO SAID I HAD COOLING SYSTEM FAILURE NOT RODENT PROBLEM... TESLA RODENT DAMAGE EXCUSE IS SCAM AND FRAUD NOT TO USE MY WARRANTY BUT PROFIT BY MAKING ME TO PAY DIRECTLY FOR DAMAGES THAT ITS NOT MY FAULT AND THATS ILLEGAL AND UNFAIR
MY CAR WIRES GOT OVERHEATED BECAUSE OF FAILING COOLING SYSTEM , TESLA REFUSED TO PULL LOGS ON MY CAR, TALK TO TESLA REPS NAMED FITZGERALD WHO SAID I HAVE FAILING COOLING SYSTEM ... BUT THEY REFUSED TO FIX NEW CAR UNDER WARRANTY FORCING ME TO PAY EXTRA FOR DAMAGES... TESLA MANAGER MITCH AT AGORA CENTER FAILED TO PROVIDE ME WITH VIDEO PICS OF RODENT EATING WIRES, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE CAMERAS AROUND MY CAR 24/7 SHOWING NO RODENT EVER APPROACHED MY CAR, BUT TESLA MANAGER REFUSED TO FIX MY CAR ASAP USING WARRANTY FORCING ME TO DRIVE UNSAFE CAR TO ANOTHER TESLA SERVICE ON MONDAY IN VAN NUYS... AND PAY FOR DAMAGES OUT MY OWN POCKET...
I WAS TRYING TO PARK THE TESLA MODEL Y AFTER FINISHING A 15-20 MINUTE TEST DRIVE ON FREEWAYS AND STREETS. I PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AT THE DEALERSHIP IN BETWEEN TWO OTHER CARS. IN ORDER TO PARK THE CAR, I WAS BRAKING TO BRING IT TO A COMPLETE STOP. AFTER THE CAR WAS POSITIONED INTO THE PARKING LOT AND JUST BEFORE STOPPING, IT ACCELERATED ALL OF A SUDDEN, SWERVED LEFT AND HIT A PLANTER IN FRONT AND ANOTHER PLANTER ON THE LEFT BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND MY FAMILY TOO AND REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I DID NOT LEAVE UNTIL TESLA FIRE AND TESLA SECURITY FOLKS CAME IN AND TOOK STOCK OF THE SITUATION. THEY FOUND THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL LOCKED IN POSITION AND HAD TO MANUALLY UNLOCK IT USING TOOLS. 3 OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE IN THE CAR (INCLUDING KIDS). TESLA...
HERE IS A 2021 TESLA MODEL Y IN THE JUNKYARD/ HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39928775?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=10 IT HAS DONE JUST 5000 MILES AND THE FRONT WHEEL HAS GONE WHOMPY THEN FALLEN OFF. TESLA IS STILL USING DEADLY DEFECTIVE SUSPENSION GIBLETS. ALL THE BALL JOINTS HAVE POPPED APART. IF YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE THIS YOU WILL SOON HAVE EVEN MORE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS. PLEASE GET THESE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OFF THE ROADS. THANK YOU. KEEF
HERE IS A 2021 TESLA MODEL Y IN THE JUNKYARD HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39612087?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=3 IT HAS BEEN IN A ROLLOVER AND IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED. THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS SNAPPED OFF AND IT IS MOST PROBABLE THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE ROLLOVER RATHER THAN DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE CRASH. MOST ALARMINGLY THE BASE OF THE STEERING KNUCKLE HAS CRACKED APART LEAVING HALF OF THE MOUNTING POINT STILL ATTACHED TO THE LOWER BALL JOINT. AN EXPANDED IMAGE OF THIS COMPONENT IS PROVIDED WITH THIS SUBMISSION. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT TESLA IS USING LOW QUALITY AND UNSAFE COMPONENTS ON THE CRITICAL SUSPENSION AND STEERING ASSEMBLIES. THE JUNKYARDS ARE FILLING UP WITH LATE MODEL TESLAS THAT STILL HAVE ABSURDLY WEAK SUSPENSION GIBLETS. PLEASE ASK THEM NICELY TO FIX THIS OR BETTER YET BAN THE WRETCHED THINGS FROM LEAVING THE TENT FACTORY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. KEEF
HEARD A LOUD POP WHEN TURNING WHEEL TO PUT IN REVERSE AND PARK. NOW ONE WHEEL POINTS STRAIGHT, ONE IS TURNED.
HERE IS A MODEL Y IN THE JUNKYARD HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39423095?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=11 THE FRONT WHEEL FELL OFF. ALL THE STUPID FLIMSY LITTLE BALL JOINTS HAVE SNAPPED OFF. THE WHEEL IS STASHED IN THE FRUNK. THE DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL IS A STRONG INDICATION THAT THE WHEEL WAS NOT TORN OFF IN A CRASH BUT THAT IT WENT WHOMPY AND THRASHED THE BEGEEZUS OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THIS A 2021 CAR AND THIS IS THE BEST THEY CAN DO? THIS THING IS A KILLER ON THE ROAD. PLEASE GET THESE DEADLY JUNKSTERS OFF THE ROADS. THANK YOU. KEEF
HERE IS YET ANOTHER TESLA WITH A BROKEN SUSPENSION HTTPS://EREPAIRABLES.COM/SALVAGE-CARS-AUCTION/TESLA/MODEL+Y/VID-45992776 IT HAS DONE JUST 283 MILES SINCE BEING FACTORY GATED. IT HAS NOT BEEN IN A CRASH, THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS SIMPLY FALLEN TO BITS. THIS IS SELF INFLICTED INJURY CAUSED BY BAD DESIGN, BAD CHOICE OF MATERIAL AND TOTAL LACK OF QUALITY CONTROL. THE MODEL Y APPEARS TO BE EVEN WORSE THAN ITS PREDECESSORS. HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOW THIS MADNESS TO CONTINUE? HOW MANY MORE LIVES MUST BE LOST? YOURS PERSISTENTLY KEEF
HERE IS A 2021 MODEL Y IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39198554?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=18 IN COMMON WITH MANY OTHER TESLA JUNKYARD CARS IT HAS NOT BEEN IN A CRASH BUT HAS SIMPLY HAD THE SUSPENSION FALL TO BITS. THE STEM OF THE BALL JOINT ON THE STEERING ARM HAS SNAPPED. THE LOWER BALL-JOINT IS HALFWAY FALLEN OFF. THE UNDAMAGED WHEEL IS LYING ON THE GROUND BESIDE THE CAR. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR MAJOR FORCE TO BE APPLIED TO THE SUSPENSION WITHOUT THE WHEEL BEING DAMAGED. THIS IS ONCE AGAIN THE FAULT OF CHAOTIC DISORGANIZED MANUFACTURING AND WIDESPREAD DRUG USE AT TESLA. WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE GOOD REASON WHY DRUGS ARE BAD. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=HF_ORMIY9TK M'KAY? PLEASE DO YOUR JOB. THANK YOU. KEEF
CLUNK NOISE COMING FROM FRONT END SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. THEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO GO OFF CENTERED, SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT, AND HAD SOME PLAY. THE STEERING WHEEL HAD TO BE HELD TIGHTLY TO KEEP CAR DRIVING STRAIGHT. I CALLED TESLA AND TOOK IT IN TO THEIR LAKE FOREST SERVICE CENTER. THE CLUNK CAN BE FELT AND HEARD WHILE TURNING LEFT ONTO DRIVE WAY. SERVICE WAS ABLE TO REPRODUCE NOICE BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE CAUSE. TECH DID STATE THAT A BOLT WAS 1/8 OF A TURN LOOSE. TECH PERFORMED ALIGNMENT AND STATE THST NOISE WENT AWAY. SERVICE ADVISOR RELEASED VEHICLE AND ASK TO INFORM HIM IF PROBLEM RESURFACE. SAME CLUNK NOISE PERSIST BUT AT A LOWER NOISE LEVEL WHILE TURNING LEFT ON DRIVEWAY.
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
Suspension
50 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
43 complaints
Visibilitywiper
40 complaints
Power Train
27 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