2021 Tesla Model Y Brakes Problems

I was entering the on-ramp to [XXX] , from [XXX] , to merge onto the freeway east bound towards [XXX] , when my Tesla suddenly lost all power, the brakes did not work and the power steering completely failed making it feel like it was locked up. I was traveling approximately 40-50 mph at the time nearing the gore point to merge onto the freeway. Fortunately I was in the inside lane and I rolled to a stop away from other vehicles. I could not steer at all. Had I been completely on the freeway, I could have been rear ended badly. I had my two young boys in the vehicle with me, both [XXX] and [XXX] . We were completely trapped in the vehicle with no power. My [XXX] old remembered to use the manual latch to get out. I opened my door manually and It broke my driver side glass window. Vehicles were passing us rapidly to enter the freeway. I called my husband who is a police officer and he came and picked us up. We called Tesla who said they could not get a read on our battery whatsoever. We called a tow company and had this vehicle towed to Tesla repair center in [XXX] , after reporting our traumatic event. They claim our warranty is expired, but our vehicle only has 37,638 miles and should be covered under the 8 year, 120,000 mile warranty that covers a major malfunction like this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When driving with cruise control engaged the car randomly brakes and shows a "curvature assist " indication. The car quickly slows from 55 to 35 with no warning. This primary happens on a straight road, not a curve. I am concerned about the traffic behind me.

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)

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.

On October 2, my Model Y battery was replaced with a defective cell. Tesla service center replaced the battery. The vehicle could not charge or operate, making it unable to be driven. Today, November 2, while driving my car, my Tesla ABS system and other battery components experienced total failure while driving. For a brief period of time, I was unable to brake completely and my vehicle felt like it was skidding. At the time this occurred, my 1 year old daughter and pregnant wife were in the vehicle. This could have been much worse.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal; however, the vehicle accelerated independently and failed to brake without warning. The contact assured there were no distractions that could have caused the crash. Due to the failure, the contact crashed into another vehicle as the air bags deployed. Despite the air bag deployment, the vehicle continued to accelerate and repeatedly hit the same vehicle. The brake pedal eventually responded after depressing multiple times to the floorboard and the vehicle finally came to a stop. The contact did not sustain any injuries and did not seek medical treatment. The driver of the other vehicle did not report any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent tow yard. The contact mentioned reviewing the Tesla App on the crash however it was not recorded and there was a recording lag. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 39,264

Alerts regarding vehicle steering, stability, emergency braking, lane control traction, received all at once and the Tesla AI advisor indicated others were reporting the same. No other vehicles in lanes around us showed up on the vehicle LCD screen as normally they do too. Car did not brake normally (foot off accelerator and no braking) and handling seemed different although we were very cautious. Tried to resolve with screen reboot and multiple drives as AI Advisor suggested and it did not self resolve. Contacted Tesla service and they suggested HCU was faulty (hydronic control unit) and ABS modulator. Also wanted to look at vehicle low voltage circuit. They scheduled me for a first available $1600 service on Feb 26th (in 9 days). See attached. Seems like a significant safety issue and defect and should be recalled before some gets hurt, especially if others are seeing this too.

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 rotating while the back tires were locked in place.

I was driving in the dark down a straight road traveling around 60mph when the car abruptly slammed on the breaks and came to an almost complete stop. I was not using self driving, I was in control of the car but when this occurred I did not release the gas. Out of Instict I tried to get the car moving again and pressed the gas but the car did not respond so I pressed the brake and then the gas and the car started driving normally again. Thankfully there was nobody in the car with me and no cars behind me. The braking was abrupt enough that my neck hurts from the jerking forward of my body.

Driving [XXX] enroute to Houston from Peoria, AZ, on cruise control, the auto braking activated aka ghost braking, causing the car to extremely brake. No other cars or trucks near us and no signs in area that might affect cruise control. I thought this was fixed! Totally unsafe. Luckily no one was behind us. This happened a lot back in mid 2021 and to have it still happen is hazardous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Power was lost completely while car was on the road, breaks stop working and unable to stop. Driver had to go off road to prevent collision and road a accident. Towed to Tesla center. Diagnosis is “internal short” but did not elaborate. No explanation and answer why break did not work. External damage due to accident was not covered.

1. Under certain circumstances, the vehicle is able to decelerate using its regenerative braking system without illuminating the brake lights. This occurs during "one pedal driving" where the operator is driving only using the throttle to both accelerate and decelerate the car, without the input of mechanical brakes. This is a programming issue, not a mechanical issue. The brake lights are "triggered" when the car decelerates at a threshold of -0.1G or greater. At anything less than -0.1G, the lights will not turn on. This drastically increases the risk of a rear-end collision. 2. Under the right conditions the operator could decelerate from a speed of 45 mph to 5 mph without the brake lights ever coming on, not until they reach a near-complete-stop. This poses a high risk to all drivers that are behind the vehicle, and fails to give warning to other drivers. It should never be possible for this to occur. 3. This problem has been in discussion on Tesla owner's forums; specifically "Tesla Motors Club". (see attached posts) Tesla has the highest accident rate, and no one has yet figured out why. A typical internal combustion vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission coast-down decelerates at an average rate of -0.02G. The Tesla's regen brake light turn-on threshold of -0.1G is 5X more than the deceleration of a typical coasting ICE car (-0.02G) . For slow-downs between -0.02G and -0.1G, where the Tesla's deceleration exceeds an ICE car by up to 5X, there is no warning to other drivers, as the brake lights will not turn on. Any braking force above -0.02G of deceleration exceeds that of an ICE car, and should be made-known via the brake-lights. I hope that this is not overlooked; it is extremely important for this to be addressed to reduce rear-end collisions involving EV's. 99%+ of vehicles in the USA are ICE, and do not coast-down at a rate of -0.1G. The brake lights must indicate this above-normal reduction in speed.

Phantom braking. We were going at around 45 miles per hour on route 30 and the car suddenly engaged brakes without anybody in front of me. Apparently it's a known issue called phantom braking and I wanted to report it

Car will, without warning brake aggressively while in cruise control, without pressure applied to brake. No other factors on road, except cars behind. This occurs frequently when car is driven in autopilot. Car will, without warning accelerate to a high speed without pressure applied to the accelerator. This acceleration is stopped with pressure being immediately applied to brake.

Findings from Tesla technician: Verified customer concern for active low brake fluid level alerts. Technician performed a brake inspection and found the rear right brake hose is damaged due to incorrect hose routing. Found the hose is rubbing on the wheel arch liner. The brake calipers have been modified/painted. Technician recommends to replaced rear right brake hose and bleed entire brake system to remove air pockets. Removed and replaced right rear brake hose. Performed brake fluid flush. Performed brake pressure test and passed. Removed and replaced right rear wheel arch liner. Performed validation road test and verified repairs. Vehicle operations is normal at this time and no alerts are active. Further findings from Tesla technician: During brake fluid flush found left rear caliper mounting bolt is not installed. During brake fluid flush found left rear caliper mounting bolt is not installed. Installed new caliper bolt. Torqued both caliper bolts to factory specifications. Test drove vehicle. Verified repairs, operation is normal at this time and no alerts are present at this time.

To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding a recent experience with my 2021 Tesla Model Y, which is still under warranty. While using the vehicle, I observed an abnormal sound when reversing. After seeking Tesla’s service, I was informed that the rotors on my car needed replacement. What greatly concerns me is that, despite the car being under warranty, Tesla charged me an amount of one thousand dollars for this repair. It is essential to note that this malfunction wasn’t due to any negligence or external factors on my part. I have video evidence that captures the sound the vehicle made while reversing, further emphasizing the unexpected nature of this issue. My understanding of the warranty terms led me to believe that such unforeseen defects should be covered without any additional charges. It is deeply unsettling to be presented with such a significant expense for a problem that, in my view, should have been resolved under the warranty’s purview. I am reaching out to the NHTSA to shed light on this matter, as it brings forth concerns about the potential for similar experiences faced by other Tesla Model Y owners. I request the NHTSA’s assistance in investigating this incident to ensure consumers like myself are not unduly burdened with unjustified costs. Your attention to this matter is highly appreciated. I am hopeful for a just resolution that aligns with the NHTSA’s dedication to safeguarding consumers and ensuring vehicular safety standards. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Phantom Braking. When there are refractions on the road seen in my lane in bright sunshine. Also in a 2-lane highway with oncoming vehicles that have lots of chrome also in bright sunshine. Never happens at night or when cruise control not enabled.

Driving Down freeway at 70 mph when my car stopped immediately ! No one or nothing in front of me . 6 cars behind me and everyone swerved to avoid me or they would have hit me. I was terrified. I called Tesla and they said it was “phantom breaking”. It happens to model 3/Y from 2021 and 2022. It happened 2x in an 8 hr period. July 22, 2023

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 the vehicle into the service center myself. These issues are intermittent, which is very dangerous. The car will experience these errors, and then operate as normal. Tesla told me that they thought this entire thing was “ strange” and that they have never heard of this issue. All logs on the vehicle show these errors, and I have a witness. Tesla has not updated me with the status of my repair, or even a diagnosis. I am terrified to drive this vehicle.