2021 TESLA MODEL Y Unknown Or Other Problems
123 NHTSA complaints on file
Unknown Or Other Issues in the 2021 TESLA MODEL Y
123 unknown or other complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 TESLA MODEL Y. Of these, 19 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 3 resulted in injury.
123
Complaints
19
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
1
Deaths
All Unknown Or Other Complaints
I parked my Tesla vehicle in a friend’s driveway. When I returned and opened the driver’s door, I entered the vehicle and attempted to put it into Drive. At that point, the vehicle display went completely blank and the vehicle became inoperable. I then attempted to open the door from inside the vehicle, but the door would not open and I was unable to exit the car. I was effectively locked inside the vehicle. I contacted Tesla customer support and remained on the call for approximately 1.5 hours before receiving assistance. Tesla customer support confirmed that the issue was caused by failure of the 12-volt battery. At the time of the incident, the outside temperature was below 0 degrees centigrade. The incident occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There was no prior warning or notification from the vehicle or the Tesla mobile app indicating that the 12-volt battery was at risk...
I noticed the windshield washer nozzle on the passenger side isn't either working or not there. I reached out to Tesla, and also stopped by a Local Dealership and they told me that it would cost me out of pocket, since it's out of warranty. Secondly, the left side driver repeater camera has a Glare when turned at night time only. which is quite dangerous due to very less visibility due to the Glare of the Turn signal light that causes the repeater camera to function properly. this is a on going known problem. I have reached out to Tesla for this matter. and I was advised that it would not be covered since it's not under warranty. This issue should be a recall that Tesla should fix. this isn't an issue caused by normal wear and tear it's a manufacturer defect.
Picked up car from tesla service on 12/30/2025. On [XXX] at around [XXX] I had pressed the car break and suddenly accelerated and lead to crashing into the pole. I am concerned about the safety and if it is drivable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
In May 2025, Tesla pushed an over-the-air (OTA) software update overnight while the vehicle was parked. When the vehicle was started the following morning, the update had failed mid-process and stalled at approximately 50%. Immediately upon startup, the backup camera and navigation/maps stopped functioning. The vehicle has been unable to complete subsequent software updates since. Tesla service later inspected the vehicle and indicated that the main computer/ECU was stuck in a loop and required replacement. The backup camera and navigation loss occurred immediately following the OTA update and persisted for several months despite multiple service attempts. Due to the vehicle’s rear design and limited rear window visibility, operating the vehicle in reverse without a functioning backup camera significantly impairs visibility. Even when using mirrors or physically turning to look backward, rearward visibility is restricted. As a result, the loss of backup camera functionality presents an ongoing, daily safety hazard during...
Tesla's Full Self Driving (FSD) stopped my car on trolley tracks today, and would have stayed on the tracks for a minute if I hadn't taken control and driven off the tracks. This occurred in downtown San Diego, where the trolley (light rail) has many level street crossings. They are well marked. You are not supposed to enter the zone around the tracks until the vehicle ahead of you has moved far enough for you to be able to cross the tracks and get safely past them. I was using FSD. It drove my Tesla onto the tracks before the car ahead of me had given me room to get off the tracks. The line of traffic was stopped for a red light. I would not have been able to drive forward until the light changed, perhaps over a minute. So, I took over and manually drove the car into...
I dropped my kids to school and started reversing the car without seatbelts. Thinking that I will get out of the parking lot and then put the seatbelt on. Car will stop and goes into park mode. Somehow I came out of the parking lot and about to put and drive again same thing. Car will go into park mode. Somehow I started coming out of the parking lot and took a pause. Same thing again car stops and goes into park mode. It was almost the car behind me about to hit. I guess this is a bug of the “Hold” mode.
I am reporting a safety issue involving my 2021 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle recently displayed a “Parking brake function degraded” warning. The car has only 91,000 miles and is approximately four years old, which is far too soon for a failure of a critical safety component such as the electronic parking brake. Please investigate whether this issue is part of a wider defect affecting Tesla Model Y vehicles. This should not occur on a relatively new car with moderate mileage.
Rear cameras and side cameras suddenly failed resulting in low visibility and severe blind spots increasing the chances of collision with other vehicles, people, etc. It is reproducible at the dealer and they are trying to fix the problem by replacing the computer. It can be inspected until dealer repairs the issue. The vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer. There was a warning on the screen starting that cameras are temporarily unavailable but camera function did not return after a week and brought to the dealer for repair.
🚨 Immediate Escalation: Safety-Related HV Drive-System Concern / Diagnostic Fee Dispute / No Loaner – Urgent Review Needed VIN [XXX] I am requesting immediate escalation of a safety-related concern involving my 2021 Model Y (approx. 90,000 miles) currently assigned to the Tesla Wilmington Service Center. The advisors (Shelly & Amanda) has stated the diagnostic fee will not be covered until after inspection, but the earliest inspection is October 22, and I’m being asked to drop off the vehicle now with no loaner or transportation support. This is a High-Voltage Drive-System concern that may fall under the Drive Unit Limited Warranty (valid through Feb 2029). The local team refuses to classify the case under warranty review or confirm transportation support, leaving me without safe mobility for weeks. Please escalate this to a Corporate Service Manager or HV Warranty Specialist today and confirm: 1. That the diagnostic will be covered pending warranty...
After 4 years of ownership, the HV battery has failed. This has put the car at risk it stopped charging and without charging the car was no longer drivable. The battery was overheating the car was very hot the AC stopped working. This put the car at risk when drive the battery dropped significantly while driving. Yes we got it inspected they said that the battery is failing and needs to be replaced. I have a quote about the replacment parts. There was a message at the end that the battery was unable to charge.
I was driving on the highway with my 2021 Model Y Tesla when control arm detached from the frame. Tesla said they could not confirm if it was covered on the warranty over the phone.
The main vehicle computer (MCU) failed. The problem first appeared in May 2024 with intermittent rear camera malfunctions. It has since worsened. Most recently (08/28/25), the center display went completely black and the vehicle became inoperable — I could not start or move it. This left me stranded in a dangerous neighborhood late at night and required the car to be towed. When the display fails, I lose access to the rear camera, climate controls (including defrost), and turn signal indicators. These are safety-critical systems, and in this case the failure also disabled the ability to drive the vehicle entirely. The problem has been reported to Tesla. They inspected the vehicle but claimed the earlier camera malfunction was unrelated to the current computer failure. No independent mechanic has inspected it. The failures are ongoing and reproducible. No warning lights or alerts appeared before the system shut down. The vehicle is...
Brake line failed at the left rear tire. Corroded line. The line is corroded on the right rear also. These are my observations. The brakes failed when driving locally at lower speeds so the car was able to eventually stop due to the regenerative braking. Will be towed to the dealer for inspection/repair. Inspection/repair will occur on Sept.15, 2025. No warning until after the failure.
There is a latch sensor open kept Coming on. I have been to the Tesla dealership twice and nothing has been resolved.
Vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y VIN: [XXX] Date of Incident: [XXX] On the afternoon of Sunday [XXX], while my Tesla Model Y was parked at home and charged to approximately 80%, both my wife and I attempted to enter the vehicle to attend an important appointment. Upon approach, we found the car completely unresponsive — no power, no screen activity, and we were unable to start the vehicle or release the charging cable. Despite this, both front doors could still be manually opened. However, the frameless windows did not automatically lower as they normally would when opening and closing the doors, As a result, when we attempted to close the doors, both front door windows shattered, as the glass was unable to lower and collided with the door frame. This incident clearly resulted from a critical system failure that disabled essential safety and design functions. The vehicle was not damaged...
The bolts connecting the front upper control arm and steering knuckle may not have been tightened properly, potentially leading to detachment. This causes the car to have squeaky, leaking noises when going over bumps and making turns.
I was driving slowly at a parking lot of a supermarket and preparing to park on my right. When I saw a car on my left front backing up, I pressed on the brake pedal immediately and turned the wheel slightly to the right. All of a sudden, the Tesla accelerated on its own with a very strong force and high speed, with the wheel turned sharply on its own toward the right. The Tesla then run through the steel fence of the parking lot, flying past the sidewalk, and finally settled on top of a big rock on the ground (which is placed there to protect the supermarket building). All of these happened so fast with such a strong force and all in an unintended manner. I was not injured and luckily no other persons or vehicles were involved. However, the vehicle was totalled and there were damage of...
Tesla refuses to clear this recall, despite the software having been rolled out via over-the-air updates years ago. I now have to sell my vehicle because I'm unable to import it to Canada.
The heat pump stopped working twice, which requires a trip to the service center and the repair to restore function is a minimum of $3,000. The vehical has no heat at all, no defrost, no cabin heat nothing! This defect happens in the coldest parts of winter and leaves the owner stranded wherever this occurs. The first time was at 52,000 miles. It wouldn't turn on. The heat pump seized. The second time was on a trip, it blow out all the freon and stopped working in Waterloo, Iowa. I was 4 hours from home and it was -4F outside. The car had 136,000 miles. Many others have had heat pumps go out in the same situation...dead of winter. The repair is $3,000 to get heat back into the car. The heat pumpscare clearly defective or not big enough and are destroying themselves every other winter in Minnesota. This is...
The pedestrian warning system and horn are speakers in newer Tesla's. The speaker is in the front right ahead of the wheel facing down towards the road. When it is raining or snowing, rain or snow get lodged into the speaker and it is completely inaudible. I stood 4 feet away from my vehicle and had someone honk the horn and couldn't hear anything at all. This is very dangerous. The pedestrian warning system is complexly inaudible also. Issue persists for approx. 2 days after rain. If it continues to rain for several days, the horn does not work the entire time. I have contacted Tesla support and they state there is nothing they can do to fix it since it is how it was designed.
After a snowstorm, I shoveled my driveway in front of the car which was facing toward the road (the driveway is on an incline, not steep), cleared the snow off the car and then pulled the car forward/put it in park so that I could shovel the rest of the snow. It took me and my 15 year old son 10 or so minutes to clear the snow behind the car. Then I started to salt the driveway behind the car and a snowplow driving by started honking. I looked up and the car was sliding down the driveway towards the road. Luckily it slowed and stopped, only slightly into the road and did not hit the snowplow, or anything else and I was able to get in and move it. I have a video clip of it which I am unable to upload here - the front tires were...
Summoned my car in parking lot. Vehicle showed on app that it planned to go straight then turn left but instead cut to a left and thus colliding with the car that was parked next to me. I have the footage if needed. Car should have stopped instead, or followed planned route. I was staring at the car the whole time and it looked that it was going straight, even after colliding, it looked like it was aimed to go forward. The car created a log of what happened if needed.
Suspension noise, front suspension or steering squeak or groaning while turning. Tesla service identified LH half Shaft was damaged and blaming it's due to outside influence because impact to the undershiled. This car should be still under 4 years and 50K warranty but Tesla service refused warranty on the parts.
This morning when operating on FSD trail version, at tye stop sign I had to make left. This is at intersection of Rueslane and Old bridge Turnpike of East Brunswick, NJ. My car started to make a left when there was an incoming car from the left, and they do.not have to stop. Thank fully the car on the left applied instant brakes and avoided tye accident. FsD failed to make right judgement if left turn was possible or not. Fsd version is v12.3.6
The issue appears to be an acceleration malfunction and brake failure in my 2021 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. On [XXX] at [XXX], while waiting for the garage door to open, the car experienced an unknown unintended acceleration malfunction, surging forward uncontrollably. It didn't wait for the garage to open, crashed through the garage into the family room, causing significant structural damage to the framing and door. The City of Eastvale declared the house unsafe, sealing it off. I am now homeless and staying with friends temporarily. During the crash, the airbags did not deploy, and the ABS system failed, preventing an emergency stop. The car stopped 4-5 feet away from my wife, who was on the sofa, posing a critical life-threatening situation. Thankfully, [XXX] and I survived, but this incident caused severe mental trauma for my family. We have not reported the incident...
NHTSA Recall No: 22V-702, in 2022, was where there was supposedly an OTA update to stop the windows from increasing force in some situations when an object was stuck in the gap between the window and the frame. My 2021 Tesla received that update at the time, and I didn't think much of it...until January 2024 when it actually happened to me. I shut the door with my hand on the window, and at the moment it closed, the window went up to close the small gap. My finger was in there and as I tried to pull it out, the window was still trying to close, not allowing me to do so. Component that failed -- the window, supposedly fixed in 2022 Available for inspection upon request -- returned the leased car in September 2024 How was safety put at risk -- could not remove finger from gap between...
My wife was driving the car on our downsloping driveway when the car suddenly accelerated without her pressing the accelerator pedal. She slammed on the brakes and was able to bring the car to a stop before colliding with the garage door.
Tesla Model Y's windshield is terribly and soft. A small stone fallen on the windshield it cracks right away. I had to replace my windshield every year or so.
Car was summoned and turned a sharp right directly hitting the car parked next to it while pulling out. The location was the parking lot of [XXX] on [XXX] . I have a full video of this which shows the car pulling forward then taking a sharp right impacting the vehicle parked next to it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Full self driving is not recognizing traffic signals. This results in the vehicle proceeding through red lights, and stopping at green lights. Without properly seeing/processing traffic signals, it approaches every intersection as if there are no traffic lights. Service center has had the car twice, without being able to remedy the problem. The 3rd appointment was cancelled by Tesla. I have called the corporate office and spoken with a service rep. He was unable to help provide resolution, saying only that my local rep would reach out. I have not been contacted. I've tried every other possible solution. Tesla doesn't want to fix it, or even acknowledge the problem, even though they've done a test drive with me and seen the issue with their own eyes.
Yes, available for inspection Broken glass injury potential Not reproduced Not inspected yet No warning Spontaneous breakage. On the morning of the 9th, went to garage to leave for work and fracture was present. This was not present when arriving home the previous evening. I work 1.4 miles from home and travel surface streets with speed limit of 45MPH
Lane departure warnings activate briefly when driving straight ahead. Sometimes results in disablement of lane departure assistance feature. Tesla has attempted several repair attempts but issue persists: Calibrate radar Replace steering rack Correct steering angle
Please look up my Facebook post for public safety awareness. All the details are explained [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle not acting safely, speeding up to pass stopped school bus with stop sign out and yellow lights flashing. This is a generic VIN as it applies to the current software on all FSD cars.
I am writing to file a formal complaint against Tesla, regarding a significant issue with my Tesla Model Y 2021, which I purchased in December last year. This matter pertains to false advertising and a failure to uphold the promised capabilities of the vehicle. Despite Tesla's advertising and product descriptions promising a range of 330 miles on a full charge, my car has consistently achieved at least 40% less than this advertised range. This drastic shortfall has severely impacted the vehicle's usability and the value I derive from it. I scheduled a service appointment with Tesla. The resolution proposed by the service team was both shocking and unacceptable. They suggested that to achieve the advertised range, I would need to disable the vehicle's cameras. This advice is not only impractical but also negates one of the key safety features of the car. There was no disclosure at the point of...
The horn placement on my car VIN [XXX] ) 2023 Tesla Model S Plaid is difficult to find when in an emergent situation. The horn is a small button on the right side of the steering wheel rather than the center of the steering wheel. Twice in the past week, I have failed to alert another car that they were about to hit me. I reflexively hit the middle of the steering wheel to alert the other vehicle. Given the horn doesn't reside in the middle of the steering wheel, I failed to get the drivers attention and had to swerve erratically to avoid an accident. The horn placement is dangerous, non functional and needs to be addressed by Tesla and NHTSA immediately. Tesla drivers who drive an updated steering wheel are essentially driving with no horn. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle screen has phantom touches. Extremely unsafe as the vehicle will turn volume to max, turn heat/air up and down, and make other changes on its own and while driving. Almost caused several accidents. Tesla had made me wait for a month before they will fix.
After the latest recall (campaign #23V-838), the automated warnings while using autosteer becomes so frequently that it becomes distractingly dangerous. Even when i briefly avert my eyes while driving on an empty highway results in the warnings
Water collects in the rear bottom trunk compartment. This flooding has resulted in moId. It appears as though the rear trunk is not properly installed and I have seen this reported on forums by other Tesla owners. Here is an example: [XXX] I have sent my Tesla for repair but it’s out of warranty. Tesla is also really poor when it comes to service times etc so I want to file a formal complaint to see if this helps other Tesla owners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
After Tesla software update 2023.44.30.2, the rear back up camera no longer works. It’s just a black screen. Failure first occurred on 12/20/2023. Also, Tesla “Auto pilot” no longer works (cruise control and lane assist). Support team could not fix both issues. Have a service appointment scheduled on 12/27/2023. Thank you and happy holidays.
My vehicle loss it’s autopilot mode. I called Tesla repair center multiple times but they keep on saying that the engineering department still looking into it and they don’t have any timeframe to when will it be fix.
The bolt holding my control arm bushing came completely out dropping my front passenger side of the car on to my tire. In research and talking to mechanics this is a known problem Tesla is refusing to help me or acknowledge it is an issue
The LTE system for navigation stops working during normal commuting, the system helps with directions when in a town that this unfamiliar. I'm an insurance adjuster who counts on these systems working correctly. I have reviewed several sites and thousands of people are having the same problem. This become a safety issue if the car fails during normal commuting and the drive then becomes lost and is looking down to fix the problem or turns off the road because this system fails. This system is also connected to other system which create a since of failure within the vehicle its self. If you could please look into this issue. thank you
Main console computer spontaneously rebooted mid-drive. Ability to know vehicle speed is not possible during reboot. After reboot, the vehicle turn indicators would not activate and when I attempted to enter “park,”, the vehicle continued to indicate that it was in “drive.” It did not respond to the accelerator pedal after it was attempted to be set to “park,” so the vehicle state and the indicator remained inconsistent. Vehicle appears to have returned to normal operation after manual reboot.
On Wednesday, our 2021 Tesla Y - which we have LOVED driving for the last 3 years - took off on its own while I was sitting in traffic - where traffic was at a standstill, and the max speed was probably 4 MPH. Construction ahead had closed a lane, so there was a massive back-up and cars were creeping along each time the traffic light ahead turned green.) As any Tesla owner will tell you, the best way to slow down is to remove your foot from the gas pedal, and the car will slow down and come to a stop on its own. That had always been the case for our vehicle until Wednesday. Shockingly, for no reason at all, the car massively accelerated. I slammed on the brakes, but the brakes did not slow or stop the car. Luckily, the car in front of me was only...
Model Y Battery Problem. The battery died while my baby was inside the car. Phone app, remote control, key card, etc. did not work. We live in Las Vegas & August is very hot. Today is Sunday and nobody in Las Vegas was able to help. Customer Service took over 30 minutes just to connect, and was no help. I got transferred around numerous times because they have no solution. The frustrating part was that tesla employee wasn't willing to help. I understand that they might not be able to do anything, but their attitude and the unwillingness to help was just shocking. One of them even told me that there's nothing they can do and I need to contact someone in Las Vegas. Other employee who had no knowledge of the car told me to jump start the car. He gave me an attitude when I told him I...
During raining multiple teslas including my tesla last week experienced hydroplaning lead to close ti fatal accidents I believe the car inappropriately used emergency breaking that lead to accident, i am not if that was due to the car seeing water/reflection ln the ground I was driving the speed limit and all cars were driving at the same speed 70-75 mile per hour) I suddenly started spinning with no warnings It is impossible that multiple teslas experienced the same thing more than other cars I am trying to get the data from tesla to confirm this, but it is not easy to make them get us what exactly happened I am seeking third party analysis hopefully once i get the data, but it would be best done from NHTSA The damage to my car was due to hitting the road and my car went to the middle due to hight...
The speaker volume will turn up to max constantly while driving randomly without user touching the screen. The display screen will constantly flash random map and zooming in and out of random places. The screen also flash the auto control constantly. It like a ghost in the screen.
I was driving on 270 North from Washington to Frederick at around 70 MPH on cruise control. There were no cars in front of me. Then, all of a sudden, my Tesla Y braked hard (phantom braking) for no reason, to around 40 MPH, I panicked and had to override the cruise control to continue driving. There was a red car behind me; fortunately, he wasn't tailgating so he swerved in time to avoid crashing into the rear of my car. This is unacceptable!
While driving on highway, my Tesla all of a sudden accelerated unintentionally and violently swiveled, not letting me take control of the steering wheel. My car spun 180 degrees and I had to drive to the grass on the side to stop the car. Autopilot was not on, cruise control was not on, I was driving normally. My entire family was in the car and they witnessed the situation. This was extremely scary and could have caused injuries or even death. This is the second time it happened to my Tesla (similar situation, my wife was driving that time).
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
Electrical System
105 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
100 complaints
Steering
76 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