2021 Tesla Model Y Complaint Log

I drove from Flagstaff, AZ to Las Vegas, NV on 10/26/2022. I attempted to put my car in AutoPilot (adaptive cruise control) around a dozen times during this 260 mile trip. Every 10-25 miles the car would brake extremely hard forcing the passengers to lunge forward as if the brakes were being slammed. In every case, the car was in the same lane (no lane changes) with nothing but open road ahead. In most cases there wasn't a vehicle in front or to either side of me (only behind me). No corrective messages or indications appeared on the screen to explain this action. The only corrective action I could take was to hit the accelerator to avoid a rear end collision. When I contacted Tesla about the issue, they checked the logs during this trip and found no faults in the system to explain this behavior.

Experienced phantom braking 6 times. There was no warning Automatic emergency braking system engages when there is no other vehicle around. Also experienced phantom braking with automatic emergency braking system turned off but cruise control was on, 2 times. Tesla shop replaced some type of coolant sensors and recalibrated mirrors but phantom braking still occurring. Technician took vehicle out on highway and did not experience phantom braking, and suggested more monitoring from me using "bug report" on screen to document incidents. Currently I avoid cruise control and automatic emergency braking system because of the potential of being rear-ended with rapid and unplanned slow down. This is a dangerous issue.

When activating the Tesla Autopilot, the lights are automatically controlled to activate the bright headlight mode. The vehicle does not permit the user to disable the automatic brights setting while the car is in Autopilot mode. While the Tesla vehicle attempts to turn off the brights when an oncoming vehicle approaches, the Tesla vehicle fails to detect the oncoming vehicle and the brights remain on. This causes the oncoming vehicle to flash their brights back at the Tesla vehicle because the driver of the oncoming vehicle is blinded by the brights of the Tesla vehicle. I have asked Tesla to fix this issue, but they refused to address it and provided a vague suggestion that a future software update will fix the issue. A recent software update has not fixed this issue.

The vehicle is subject to phantom braking. When I use the adaptive cruise control and am driving in the middle or left lane (i.e. when there is a clear lane to my right), the car will brake when there is no car beside me. Sometimes this occurs when I am passing a large truck on my right. Last weekend, I was driving 68mph on a highway during a bright sunny day. There were no cars on either side of me. The car braked for no reason. I had to step on the accelerator pedal to get back to highways speeds.

Phantom braking is common when driving on highway with advanced cruise control. On a recent trip from Tucson to San Diego I noted seven events in a 300 mile stretch. There were no cars within 1/2 mile in front of me, or any road debris during any event (I saved dash cam footage each time). There was a car behind me during one particularly violent event. I regularly commute on I-5 between San Diego and Irvine. One event per 70 mile trip is about the average. I’m almost used to it now.

I was returning home with my family at around 7 pm today (10/23/22). The autopilot (basic autopilot) was engaged and the vehicle was moving at 50 mph. Suddenly the car seemed to have engaged the brakes and I felt it almost came to a stop. At that time the red steering wheel alert appeared on the screen with the message to take control immediately. I had not braked nor there was a vehicle or any other object or vehicles in front of me or behind me. No vehicles were on the other lane either. The only thing I can clearly remember was a pickup truck waiting at a stop sign in a street connecting with the road I was on on the opposite side from me. Luckily there were no vehicles directly in front of me or behind me. It would have caused an accident if there was car behind me. All of us really got scared and my children are claiming they will never travel in my Tesla again. The vehicle may be inspected if needed. From what I read about this phenomenon it looks like what I experienced was a “phantom braking” event. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone at this time after the incident.

While travelling on TX-130 legally at 85 miles-per-hour with cruise control enabled, the braking system suddenly and without warning self-engaged, greatly reducing the speed of the vehicle. System available for inspection upon request (however I can help). The sudden speed change at such a high speed is alarming to the driver, possibly provoking unneeded corrective action which could destabilize the vehicle. If another vehicle had been following even reasonably closely, a collision was very likely. A collision at such high speed is obviously very dangerous. Manufacturer has not been contacted, but such "phantom braking" is the subject of frequent news articles from various sites. No explanation for the cause of the braking was displayed.

On many occasions while driving on a freeway near a feeder road the car automatically breaks by itself. I have come close to being rear ended several times. It appears the vehicle turns this feature on at the beginning of each new trip even after I have turned it off and the consumer must turn it off every time they begin to drive. I have also had instances of going around a bend and the car thinks it sees something, usually the barrier dividing traffic and breaks by itself.

Windows on certain model year 2021-2022 Model S and Model X vehicles, model year 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles and model year 2019-2022 Model Y vehicles to correct performance of automatic window reversal systems to comply with regulatory standards

UNKNOWN This incident happened on 10/16/2022 while on I-95 while the vehicle was engaged in the Auto-Pilot mode on the highway (We do not use this autopilot mode unless we are o the highway for long distance drives and that is very infrequent). The vehicle suddenly swerved around and lost control while on auto pilot. As always my hands were on the wheel and I could undo the auto pilot and take control of the vehicle. Fortunately there were no other vehicles around us and there was no damage! We have filed another claim previously with the NHTSA - 11455695

While driving on freeway on a clear day with no other cars in front of me the car suddenly hard brakes such that one could feel the anti locking activating. I was lucky there were no cars behind me or it would have been vary dangerous. There was a car on my right but it was holding its lane and there was no visible reason for emergency braking.

When on cruise control, the vehicle frequently brakes hard at highway speeds, jerking our bodies and forcing cars behind us to brake hard as well. Sometimes this happens when we’re beside a semi truck or a car changes lanes far in front of us, but often there’s nothing. There is no warning prior to the braking.

My wife and I recently drove cross country in our Tesla Y. Occasionally, we had the forward collision warning go off for no reason. More importantly, when we had the adaptive cruise control on and particularly when the autopilot system on, we experienced episodes of sudden braking when there were no other vehicles or other objects in the vicinity. This happened, on average, once or twice every 30 minutes. It got to the point where we had to keep the cruise control off because it seemed to put us in potentially dangerous situations. My car’s software is and was up to date. I contacted Tesla about this issue. They blew me off. Thanks. Steve Steinberg

Phantom braking on 4-lane highway with no other vehicles near.

My Model Y applied the brakes suddenly when it was in Adaptive Cruise Control while I was driving in the interstate at 75 mph. This caused the vehicle to decelerate very abruptly. There was no vehicle in front of me and no obvious debris in the road. This happened several times on a trip from California to Kansas and back. On one occasion , I had just pulled back into the right lane after passing several tractor trailer rigs going 70 mph. I had to tromp on the accelerator to avoid being rear-ended.

I started a drive from my house. I entered a destination into the NAV system, it plotted a route. I then proceeded to start my drive. When I tried to backup, the backup cameras did not display any video, I waited over 1 minute and there was still no video. I then proceeded with my drive. The car would not start the cruise control, autopilot or FSD functions. Whenever I tried to engage the systems the car would state that they are unavailable. At this time, I also noticed that the NAV system was not updating the display, it continued to display the same image that showed that I was at home in the driveway. After 15 minutes, I pulled into a parking lot to video the problem. First, I put the car in reverse and recorded that the cameras did not display video for over 30 seconds, I then started to drive and recorded that the navigation display was not updating. The display that usually has the lane markings and displays the other vehicles was also not working, there was no information other than a picture of my car with a totally blank gray area around it. I have contacted Tesla about the problem, but they keep saying that they don't detect any problem with the car. I sent them the video and am waiting to hear back from them.

Vehicle was driving with auto steer enabled at 65 mph on freeway and braked unexpectedly and unnecessarily 3 times within a few minutes. Each time it occurred, I canceled auto steer and re-engaged. At no time were any obstructions or objects visible in front of the vehicle, and at no time did any warning lights or messages appear, the car simply braked without notice. Safety was at risk as cars behind me were traveling closely and were not expecting my car to brake suddenly, although I responded quickly enough to prevent further braking and accelerated out of danger. I have researched "phantom braking" and it seems this incident is exactly what was described in those reports. The car has not been inspected since the incident. I am hesitant to use auto steer since I do not trust that the cameras are adequately detecting what's in front of the vehicle.

While driving with cruise control set to 70-74mph, we had several incidents of phantom braking on a recent road trip. From 70mph with no obstacles, trees, structures, or other cars in sight, the car would suddenly brake itself. This happened multiple times, sometimes just a minute or so after the previous time. We were saved from being rear-ended only because the cars behind us were far enough back, but it was terrifying nevertheless. We cannot use cruise control anymore. Tesla must address this totally unacceptable safety issue.

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.

When driving with Autopilot enabled, the brakes suddenly and sharply come on when I crest a hill. It's very disorienting and could be dangerous if the road is busy. The Autopilot should not be beta tested on consumers and other drivers like this.

The rear passenger door was stuck in the closed position and would not open. We brought this to Tesla to fix 5 separate times. My kids sit in the back seat and were not able to get out of the car. We were very worried about their safety because if there was an accident or emergency and they had to get out, they would be stuck inside the car. Each time we brought it to Tesla for repair they "fixed it," only to have the problem occur again weeks to months later. This is a HUGE safety issue. We will attach invoices to this but the dates this occured were 10.3.22, 5.2.23, 6.5.23, 6.21.23, and 4.25.25,

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that on various occasions, while driving at various speeds and making turns, a squeaking noise was heard in the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the braking system needed to be adjusted. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the squeaking was also heard while exiting or entering the vehicle or if pressure was added to the hood. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front lower lateral link assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V835000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 47,500.

The trim that includes the controls for the front passenger seat became detached. I returned to the vehicle to find the seat had fully reclined on its own. This occurred in October 2022. I confirmed with other Model Y owners that they had the same problem occur. Tesla said the clip holding the trim in place popped out and replaced it. A similar repair was done for other owners. The problem reoccurred in March 2023. I confirmed with other owners that the problem reoccurred for them as well. Tesla replaced the trim this time instead of just replacing the clip. There were no notices from the car either time that the seat controls had become detached from the seat. While waiting for the repair to take place, Tesla did not inform me whether or not it was safe for a passenger to sit in the seat. I question if it was safe since the seat reclined on its own, the seatbelt is attached to this detached piece, as are the seat controls.

Adaptive cruise control has failed many times. Recently had adaptive cruise control set at 75 mph on interstate. With no warning, the car instantly slowed to 55 mph. If a car would have been behind me I would have been rear-ended. Or worse, if someone behind me thought I was intentionally braking hard or "squating" they could become angry and instigate a road rage incident. The car provided zero warning before it braked. The car has not been inspected yet. Yes, the car is available for inspection.

I have experienced phantom braking numerous times with this car so I plugged in an arbitrary date below. Fortunately it has generally been on rural, open roads where there was nobody close behind me, but there have been at least a couple of times where there were cars behind me and the braking came close to causing accidents. It is also terrifying when it does happen and has nearly caused me to lose control of the car more than once as I attempted to compensate for the abrupt braking. I understand that you are already investigating this issue with these cars so you know the details. Generally it happens when I am on 2-lane roads that don't have good dividers. The cruse control seems to mistake oncoming cars in the opposite lane as being cars in my lane and it will slam on the brakes. It also seems to be triggered by highway mirages and shadows. I have managed to capture the issue on video at least once.

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.

I was going on I-95 North (Palm Beach County) on Autopilot (and I had Full Self Driving enabled in my car). It was raining, and I was at moderate speed, I would say 45-50 mph. The car started spinning uncontrollably. By miracle nodoby hit me, the card corrected after what I believe were 2 spins and continue on the same direction as traffic. I believe, with the nerves of the moment, that about 45 to 60 seconds later, I put auto pilot again, not knowing what hapened. And the car, out of nothing, started spininng again. 3 times, and I hit the opposite wall of the highway. By another miracle, nobody hit me (rush hour, I-95 north, 820am)

The "Traffic Aware Cruise Control" and "Auto Steer". Yes, available for inspection. During driving on a long highway trip with these features turned on, the car suddenly braked severely for no reason(no objects or other vehicles were in front of car). This caused a large truck, which was following me to also brake and nearly collided with my car's rear. Repeat experiences like this "phantom braking" occurred. Based on other reports, this is common in other Teslas. No warning alerts in car.

When in autopilor mode (cruise controll) the vehicle ocassionally brakes for no known reason (phantom braking). This usually happens at the crest of hill if there is a guard rail. or if there is a low overpass overhead. I have reported this before (it is an ongoing problem) and discuss with Tesla representatives who reply that the car will "learn" to avoid this behavior. It is an obvious collision danger if someone is following closely. On 09/27/2022 this occured 8-10 times during a 600 mile trip

5YJYGDEE2MF161659 VIN 2021 Tesla Model Y AWD with basis cruise control This last weekend we drove from our home in Arroyo Grande CA to the Mammoth Lakes area. Enroute, we experienced a number of unneeded emergency braking events while on the highways at speed (65-72 mph). While this happened about a dozen time, 5-6 of them were significant slow downs and could have caused us to be rear ended. In none of these events was there any reason for the emergency braking. One happened when another car was approaching from the rear quickly to pass. These events led us to stop using the cruise control entirely for the last 2 hours of our trip home. I have not yet contacted Tesla about this which I will be doing right after I submit this report. Prior to this, the adaptive cruise control had functioned normally with very few unexpected emergency braking events in the last year or so. We did disable the feature of “automatic emergency breaking” but that had no effect at all. This is a serious issue that need to be addressed immediately.

Using normal cruise control in the highway, my car brakes randomly and suddenly. This phantom braking has happened over 10 times in the past two weeks! It's very dangerous.

My Tesla model Y has been braking for no apparent reason when using the adaptive cruise control. Sometimes there may be a car coming in the opposite direction, but most times there is no other cars within miles. Several times the braking has been extremely aggressive causing me to have to hit the accelerator hard to avoid somebody behind me running into me. This has happened many times on long,straight, flat roads in the middle of the Arizona desert.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 221V7020000 (Visibility). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and informed the contact that there would be a delay in the software update. Parts distribution disconnect.

Vehicle is experiencing “phantom braking”. Has happened dozens of times. I have contacted Tesla a few times regarding this, and they downplay everything.

The contact owns a 2021Tesla Model Y. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact was stated that the driver’s side window would independently roll down while turning the steering wheel. A technician from Tesla reset the computer however, the contact was unsure if the repair addressed the failure stated in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a wheel alignment, and at that time he was informed that the lower control link subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated that while his wife was making a right turn, the front passenger’s side control arm and wheel detached from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the two control arm bolts needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, who confirmed the independent mechanic’s diagnosis; however, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V835000 (Suspension) as a possible solution to the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,386.

While car was on cruise control. The car went off cruise control without intervention or warning and slowed down quite abruptly. This occurred about 4 times in a 4 hour period while going interstate speeds.

The vehicle brakes for no apparent reason without any other vehicles in near vicinity, both in adaptive cruse control and autopilot. This has improved with updates, but on a recent trip we experience six phantom breaking events on interstate travel.

B pillar cameras have a known water intrusion issue rendering the camera inoperable and compromising the safety features of the vehicle. Tesla refuses to remedy this known design flaw.

During a drive on 09/06/222 the car had 3 instances of phantom emergency braking while using autopilot. All the times there were no cars around the Tesla, the stop was a hard brake that jerked passengers around as well as shifting cargo. This has happened periodically before but now it is become common on every drive. Two of these instances occurred with in minutes of each other. The other happened later in the drive after stopping to charge. A hard stop like these could cause a serious accident if someone is following to close. These hard brakes could also cause whiplash style injuries, seatbelt abrasions, or bruises to passengers. There were no warnings, messages or sysmptoms prior to the issue.

Tesla's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control system has malfunctioned on my vehicle several times. It will often brake hard at high speeds despite there being no vehicle or object in front of me.

Traveling at 80 MPH using autopilot on an open freeway when suddenly a phantom braking event occurred and slows us down to 50 MPH in 5 seconds. There were no objects on the freeway and the closest car in our lane was at least one mile in front of us.

I was driving my Tesla Model Y using “navigation with autopilot” on 9/4/22, from San Francisco to San Jose. The vehicle suddenly stopped while traveling at high speed after crossing “green” metering light in the ramp from 237 to 880S. The vehicle behind had to make a sudden stop, barely avoiding a rear end collision. This is the 4th time I have experienced this “phantom braking” while traveling at high speed on freeways.

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?

Hi, I just read the news about NHTSA on Model X pretensioner recall and found my Model Y may have the same issue. The seatbelt hold on the driver's seat is extended a lot compared to the passages seat.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated on two separate occasions while idled in a parked position and the brake pedal depressed, he shifted into reverse position and the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward approximately 5ft without acceleration. The vehicle then performed as normal. The contact then stated that on a separate occasion while idled in a parked position and the brake pedal depressed, he shifted into drive without the accelerator pedal depressed and the vehicle lunged forward 15 ft without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a restaurant window. No warning lights was illuminated. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was currently being towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

My mother was involved in a fatal crash on August 30, 2022. We believe there was something unusual that occurred with the Tesla Model Y as it was on a quiet residential street and the car seems to have accelerated suddenly and she hit a pole. We are still waiting on the California Highway Patrol report.

Frequent, random, phantom braking using cruise control. Informed Tesla with times +/- one minute. Sometimes the braking was very hard and could cause a rear-end collision (at highway speeds). Always occurred with no warning and highly variable conditions (light, or hills, or overpasses, and then apparently nothing). I called Tesla and technician said overpasses were a problem. Vehicle and components have not been checked.

I own a 2021Tesla Model Y. I took possession of it on August 7, 2021, in Santa Barbara, Ca. Ever since, I have had numerous instances of abrupt automatic emergency braking (phantom braking) episodes while using cruise control or autopilot. On January 26, 2022, I had 47 episodes, in just a couple of hours. This is typical. Several of the phantom braking episodes occurred with vehicles tailgating me. This is a grave safety issue and requires immediate attention. My Tesla Model Y has been to the Tesla service center over 4 times regarding this problem without resolution. They say phantom braking is a software issue and only the engineers can fix it. I was assured soon after delivery that the software would be updated quickly, and it would fix the problem. The issue still exists. I am very disappointed with the vehicle and fear for my safety. Please require Tesla to remedy this very serious safety issue immediately.

I had unexpected and sudden braking while using Tesla autopilot while in TAC mode or adaptive cruise control. Not Autopilot that steers and keeps you in the lane and not Full self driving, my car does not have FSD. I had 5 or 6 incidents while heading West on I 10 towards Yuma on I 8. There was no rhyme or obvious reason for the braking. No one in front of me or behind me. The amount of braking over the separate incidents was different each time. On the way back to Tucson it happened another 5 or 6 times.