2021 Tesla Model Y Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year center mostly on driver-assistance behaviour: owners describe the car braking on its own, or decelerating sharply, while cruise control or Autopilot is engaged. A second cluster involves unintended acceleration and brake-pedal response, and a third involves front suspension fasteners and control-arm noise. Most sampled complaints were filed at low mileage, within the first few thousand miles.

1. 1
   Forward collision avoidance

   Phantom braking on cruise control / Autopilot

   • 474 complaints (43%)
   • median 6,725 mi at 1.4 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 18 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,791 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle slowing or stopping suddenly while cruise control, adaptive cruise or Autopilot is engaged, often with no obstacle visible and no warning message shown. Some say it happened repeatedly on the highway and that they had to press the accelerator hard to keep following traffic from closing in. Several report the brake applied and released on its own, and some say a service center attributed it to software without offering a fix. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 65,000 miles, most often at highway speeds with driver assistance active.

   Recall 21V846000Recall 22V317000

   What to check: Drive the car on a highway with cruise control set and confirm the current software version is installed. Ask the seller whether any forward-collision or camera-related recalls were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would brake independently without warning. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 970.”

   NHTSA complaint #11440921, filed 2021-11, 970 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would experience random braking without input from the driver. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,450”

   NHTSA complaint #11439689, filed 2021-11, 6,450 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front suspension clunk, loose fasteners, link separation

   Mentioned in 11 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report clunking or popping from the front end, sometimes with the steering wheel off-centre, and in some cases bolts found loose or missing with the lateral link separating from the subframe. Several say a service center replaced control arms or fasteners, and some note the repair was handled outside warranty or that their vehicle was not covered by the related recall. Reported from a few hundred miles up to roughly 100,000 miles, with many cases in the first several thousand miles.

   Recall 21V835000Recall 21V912000

   What to check: Ask whether the front lateral-link fastener recall was performed on this VIN, and listen for clunks over speed bumps or while turning during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11386558, filed 2021-01, 300 miles

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11486040, filed 2022-09, 32,386 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration or unresponsive brake pedal

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the car accelerating without input — while manoeuvring in a parking lot, entering a garage, backing up or driving at low speed — and in some cases say the brake pedal did not respond until pressed repeatedly. A few describe the vehicle continuing to move after an impact. Others report lunging when shifting between park, reverse and drive. Mostly at low speed and low mileage, several under 2,000 miles, with some reports past 35,000 miles.

   What to check: Test low-speed manoeuvring in a car park and in reverse, and make sure the pedal position and one-pedal driving settings feel predictable to you before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated at high speed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a to stop. The dealer was contact, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11532811, filed 2023-07, 42,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while coasting into the garage, the vehicle independently accelerated. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic or dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. However, the contact was in the process of repairing the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,727.”

   NHTSA complaint #11695849, filed 2025-10, 38,727 miles

Buying note. Check that outstanding recalls for this VIN were completed and that the car is on current software, since several reported symptoms are software-related. During a test drive, exercise cruise control at highway speed, listen for front-end clunks, and test the climate system and each door.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.