general problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y - part 1

**what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?** the vehicle experienced a critical failure immediately on the same day of purchase, rendering it not functioning or inoperable. It was deemed to be preexisting from the dealership I bought it from. The battery is malfunctioning affecting the driving capacity and range. --- * was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?** the failure created a significant safety concern, as the vehicle was not operating reliably immediately after purchase. This placed me at risk of being stranded and potentially exposed to hazardous conditions, including loss of transportation in unsafe or uncontrolled environments. Or stopping while driving. --- * the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?** the issue was immediately reported to the dealership, and they acknowledged the problem by agreeing to an exchange of the vehicle due to its defective condition. It was confirmed by a service center of the car's manufacturer. --- * the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?** at this time, the vehicle has inspected by the manufacturer. --- **were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?** yes, although the manufacturer can't pinpoint when they started but said they had been on since atleast March 10. My purchase was made April 1, undisclosed to me of this huge issue.

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).

While on my way to run an errand, I opened up the back door to strap my 2 year old in, when I closed the door, the car would not open whatsoever, after trying for a few minutes with the phone key app for Tesla and the physical key fob, nothing would work. I had to end up calling 911 and firefighters came out and had to physically open the door, which broke the window. The car was completely unresponsive and would not turn on. After researching what happened, it turns out the 12v battery had died. I was able to jumpstart the car with jumpers and that was able to open up the rest of the car's doors. However, during the time my son was stuck inside with the over 95 degree weather, the had no safety mechanism in place to open it physically like a traditional key fob would. It is very disheartening knowing my son could have potentially lost his life over something so simple that could be resolved with a physical keyhole on the outside like almost every traditional vehicle has. This is something that should not occur, ever. The fact that the car was able to open up once more before completely dying and perfectly at the wrong time after closing the door while my son was trapped in there in complete heat was very disappointing.

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 of failure. The failure resulted in loss of vehicle function and inability to exit the vehicle, creating a serious safety concern.

After charging the vehicle threw error code “bms_a079 unable to charge - maximum charge level reached reduced maximum charge level - schedule service”. The car would no longer charge and had to be taken in for service. Tesla advised the high voltage battery needed to be replaced. Replacing the high voltage battery resolved the issue.

Detailed description of the defect: Friday incident: while picking up my son from school, the vehicle abruptly disabled multiple safety and driver-assist features. The car rolled backward on a slight incline, failed to display any surrounding vehicles on the fsd visualization, and retained accelerator input even after I removed my foot from the pedal. The vehicle continued to speed up slightly in drive and reverse without my input. Soft resets did not resolve the issue. Monday incident (collision caused by malfunction): on Monday morning, the same malfunction occurred. As I reversed into my garage with the door opening, the car again held the accelerator input after I lifted my foot, causing the vehicle to continue moving backward unexpectedly. The vehicle struck my garage door, causing property damage and a dent to the trunk. This was not driver error. It was unexpected propulsion after pedal release — an extremely dangerous condition.

I am filing this complaint regarding a high-voltage battery defect in my 2021 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle has been diagnosed by Tesla service, and both the technician and service advisor confirmed that the high-voltage battery has an internal short. This is a critical failure involving the primary energy/storage system of the vehicle. Despite acknowledging the internal failure, Tesla is denying warranty coverage for the battery replacement. They have stated that failure is internal, and is not caused by anything external the failure was not caused by an accident, environmental exposure, or improper use. This appears to be a component-level defect within the 2021 Tesla Model Y battery packs considering Tesla has issued prior service bulletins for Model Y high-voltage battery quality issues in adjacent Model Years, this may indicate a broader pattern of battery defects. They are trying to charge people over $12,000 for battery replacements that should be covered by Tesla due to poor workmanship and materials used. Many have had to have multiple battery packs replaced.

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.

The driver rear left side door is unclear electrical control and broke so I cannot open the door from the outside. I have a child inside. This is an extreme safety hazard were an accident to occur.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed the code bmsa079 on the computer, and messages "vehicle unable to charge to maximum charge level" and “maximum charge level reached - reduced maximum charge levels" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was determined that one coil in the battery was inoperative, and the dealer reduced the charge and refused to increase the battery charging level. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,000.

?? 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 review, and 2. That loaner or transportation support will be provided. I’ve been going back and forth with the wilmington team for a week, and this matter has not been resolved. Despite this being a safety concern and issue . I was told that that o would have to wait weeks to get this issue resolved. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving uphill at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud pop coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle lost automotive power and rolled away in reverse downhill towards oncoming traffic. The contact was able to avoid oncoming traffic and reverse onto the shoulder of the road; however, the driver’s side rear driver’s door failed to unlatch or open as intended while using the interior door handles. A local tow truck arrived on scene, and the passenger’s side door failed to open as intended with the exterior door handle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the 12-volt battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but remained at the local dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

I was driving along one of the main highways in orlando, florida called [xxx], on Wednesday [xxx], in my Model Y Tesla. I was between the exits of [xxx], and [xxx]. I was in the middle lane. There was a software update issued the previous Sunday. The warning came on the display that the lane changing was not valid. At that point the car took over and accelerated. The brakes would not work, until I slammed on it after 3 times, and the car began to decelerate. The air conditioner went off, along with the electrical turn signals. I as able to get off at the [xxx] exit for it is a bit of a "hill" up in florida, but knew I could coast into a lane hopefully no one would be in. I was able to at least coast into a parking lot, and bump the car into a concrete barrier, and a tree infront of the barrier. The car would not respond to park, neutral or the emergency brake. I tried re-booting the car 3 times and nothing. I had to call a tow truck to tow to the Tesla service center in clermont, florida. They could not get it in park either and had to drag the Tesla onto the flatbed. After 5 days of not responding to my text, I walked into another Tesla service center to plead my problem. Long story short, there is an unexplained anomaly that is in the canbus and cannot duplicate the error. More $ to have to tested for another week. They gave me a loaner to use, a model s. After a few days driving it the loaner screen went blank and I was stranded. I had their loaner towed back to the service center. They will not 100% address the problem. They know it is in the canbus system, but now I definitely am scared to drive the car or get it back. How do I know if they will really tell me it is fixed? I fear if I get back in the car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

This incident appears to relate to NHTSA ongoing investigation at Tesla's low voltage battery system failure causing door handle malfunction. (September 26, 2025) 2021 Model Y front and rear doors (all four) was locked down with a seven years old child inside the car at home garage driveway. Mom unable to open up doors from exterior. A few hours later, left driver door was able to open but other passengers door remained locked down. (October 2, 2025) sent Model Y to Tesla service center and identified low voltage battery and vehicle controller failure. Tesla technician replaced those electrical components with service fee charged.

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 available for inspection upon request. Being that this issue originally arose back in may, 2024- it should fall under Tesla’s warranty which expired in December 2024.

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.

A [xxx] child could not open the left rear passenger door due electrical failure. This is a known safety failure for Teslas. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The gps and camera functionality went out on the same day several days ago. The car thinks it is at Tesla’s headquarters in CA and so you cannot find a charging station near your actual location, and no cameras work meaning the additional safety features for collisions do not function at all. This is a widespread issue based on Tesla user forums.

I’ve had to replace the steering rack, upper and lower control arm for the left wheel, entire computer motherboard. I drove the car for less than 70k miles and zero accidents and zero modifications. Yes I am open for inspection. While driving with fsd lane keep failed causing the car to veer to other lane. The Tesla repair shop said the steering rack was sending errors and the whole rack needs to be replaced. They said it was both electrical and mechanical failure. Previously I’ve had the control arms replaced because it was making clicking noise when I turn the wheel. They said it was due to front compliance link and lateral link issues. Also had entire computer board replaced previously. The error message after the incident was lane assist disabled, steering assist reduced. In the maintenance mode it said “ the drive interface (di) or drive inverter (dix) electronic control unit (ecu) detects a low voltage (lv) battery undervoltage event. ”.

8k miles after warranty expired, I got this notification in my Tesla. Bms_u018 maximum battery charge level reduced ok to drive - schedule service car won’t charge anymore, Tesla says it’s a high voltage battery issue and are charging $14,000 out of warranty. Online it says others have the same issue of it not working sometime after warranty expires. Tesla states batteries should run from 200-300k miles? wanted to make this complaint since I don’t do anything to cause the battery to have a malfunction this early. No supercharging or charging to 100%.

On [xxx], after placing my young child in my Tesla and closing the door, the 12v battery failed suddenly and the vehicle became inaccessible. I was unable to unlock or enter the car. I did not receive any warning or alert that the 12v battery was about to fail. The vehicle was in my garage, and the window automatically cracked, which allowed me to monitor my child while I sought help. I called Tesla roadside assistance at 8:59 am. During the call, the representative reassured me that help was being dispatched and at times described the service provider as “on the way” (timing details such as “within ~45 minutes” and the length of the initial call are my best estimates). After continued waiting with my child confined inside the vehicle, I contacted emergency services due to the safety risk. I called 911 at 10:03 am. I later had the 12v battery replaced at my own expense. This incident involved a sudden electrical failure without warning that resulted in a child being trapped inside a disabled vehicle, and I am also concerned about the accuracy and effectiveness of roadside assistance dispatch communications during the incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On July 5, 2025, I entered my vehicle parked in my home garage and the door latched shut. Upon putting my foot on the brake. Center screen was blank (did not power on). I attempted to press the unlock button on the door and there was no sound from the motor to open the door. The door was still locked from the inside of the vehicle and I was locked inside. I waited around 5 minutes (after attempting to call my wife to try to let me out of car and tried the open the drivers door again by pressing the exit button. The door unlatched by normally the window rolls down partially to exit. This time the window did not move and I have to force the door open by pressing my shoulder hard against the interior door panel. I hear a popping sound from inside the door and the window would not roll up. I did not drive the vehicle fearing that the car would not start and my family could be trapped inside the car. I created an appointment for Tesla service for July 7, 2025 for the door locks and the driver's window that would not roll up completely and also would roll down but return to a 70% rolled up position automatically. I did received an error warning on the late evening of July 6, 2025 that the 12 volt battery voltage was low on the main center screen of my vehicle. I took the vehicle to Tesla service on July 7, 2025 and it was determined that the 12 volt auxiliary battery that was faulty and my window was repaired and recalibrated. I never saw an alert for the 12 volt auxiliary battery low voltage prior to when I was locked inside the car.

Vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y VIN: 5yjygdee4mf122832 date of incident: 06/29/2025 on the afternoon of Sunday 06/29/2025, 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 prior to this event, and there was no impact or external force involved. This malfunction rendered the vehicle inoperable and directly caused costly damage. I am requesting the following: a full investigation into the root cause of the power system failure immediate replacement of both shattered front windows at no cost a written explanation of what caused the vehicle to become unresponsive this issue raises serious concerns about vehicle safety and reliability, especially when essential functions like glass auto-drop are disabled without any warning, leaving the glass vulnerable to breakage. Hani amin.

Plugged a charger cord for a garmin watch into the center console usbc right side port. Overnight the usbc port, while connected to the cord but not to the watch or any other device, overheated and melted. It burned the cords male connection into two pieces and melted plastic into the center console. The male end of the cord is now fused into the usbc port of the car. No messages/alerts on the car. Manufacturer inspected and invoiced $970. 00 for parts and labor. From forums online this is not the first instance a similar situation has occurred. Assuming paper or another flammable substance was in the console, it would have caught fire.

Vehicle shut down and individual was locked in the car. Unable to release the doors. Incident occurred on June 23rd with a temp of 95 degrees and higher heat index. Individual was stuck in the car in a parking garage with no one around to hear screams for help. Called home for assistance to come to the parking garage to help free them. Informed by online article about the Model Y 2021 model having other incidents of the same. We thought it was just a freak occurrence of our vehicle until reading about the probe. No warning indications that the auxiliary battery needed replacing that controls such functions. Tesla's repair notes: "the vehicle was unable to power on when parked, which was verified by the technician's inspection and the customer's report. The issue was caused by a failing 12v battery. The technician replaced the 12v battery to resolve the problem. After the replacement, all systems were checked and confirmed to be running properly".

[xxx] , my [xxx] son, was strapped in his car seat, wide-eyed and confused, as we sat trapped in our Tesla for thirty agonizing minutes. The battery had died without warning, leaving us locked inside our own garage. No power, no way to open the doors. I tried to keep [xxx] calm, singing his favorite songs, but my heart raced as I called for help. A tow truck finally arrived and jumped the car—not enough juice to start the engine, but just enough to unlock the doors. Freedom at last. Tesla’s response? no roadside service; they insisted the car be towed to their service center. Easier said than done—the tow truck couldn’t maneuver it out of the garage. Frustration mounted as I realized I’d have to miss work. Days later, I drove to the service center, where they replaced the battery. But the ordeal wasn’t over. The trim was damaged during the chaos, and now every drive is accompanied by relentless wind noise, a constant reminder of that day. [xxx] still talks about being “stuck in the car,” and I can’t help but feel let down by a system that left us stranded. 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 normal vehicle operation.

2nd Tesla loaner is damaged by rodents chew on car wires.

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 1. Dangerous because you can't defrost your windshield. 2. You cold freeze to death in very cold conditions. 3. A very expensive repair pn a part that should last mire than a 1 or 2 years. Home heat pumpsvlast 10- 24 years!!.

- computer appears to stop working in colder temperatures (or random). - all cameras, including rear view camera (needed for backing up) and side cameras stop working. Error message shown on touch screen saying cameras are not available. - all road sensing information including other cars, lanes markers (everything) disappears from touch screen dashboard and no longer works. There are no longer any warnings for anything. - gps tracking stops and no longer tracks along with the car. Car becomes a safety hazard due to poor visibility. Especially evident during reverse.

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.

The arm felt on the driver side while I’m driving. Also, there is issue with the camera and the screen electrical problem.

The contact's client owned a 2021 Tesla model y. The contact stated that while his client was driving at an undisclosed speed under 60 mph, the vehicle caught fire in an unknown location. The origin of the fire was unknown. The contact stated that his client attempted to unlock the vehicle doors, but the driver's handle did not work as intended, trapping the contact's client in the burning vehicle. The contact stated that the police and fire department arrived, but were not able to get close enough to the vehicle due to the inferno. The contact's client succumbed to the fire. The fire department extinguished the fire after approximately 40 minutes. The vehicle was destroyed but towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was notified of the fatality. No further information was available as of yet. The failure mileage was unknown.

The software for the car was showing multiple errors in the service page saying the disk space for the car was full. As a result, the car had severe lag issues and the screen completely shut down multiple times while driving on the highway. There were no user warnings and I only knew about the service warnings after speaking with Tesla support. They said it was definitely not user created and that it needed immediate service. However, the service center claimed it was not their responsibility and wanted to charge 300-500$ to look into it.

The front passenger safety restrain system keeps switching off and showing an error randomly during driving, especially with younger passengers on the passenger seat. The problem was already fixed by Tesla 4 times and is appearing again.