general problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y - part 2

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? system computer. After a over the air (ota) update, most driver assistive functions are inoperative. System feedback display sometime goes black (speedometer, controls, backup camera, etc). After manufacturer serviced car to verify and resolve issue, issue was not corrected. Screen continues to error, asking for a software update. Per the manufacturer this is a computer issue with the cache, and being told to replace computer. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? since the driver feedback display and cameras are sometimes non-functional. Back up camera can be unusable, lane keeping, and cruise control are inoperative. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? by an manufacturer repair center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, they appeared after an ota update 9-Aug-2024.

On [xxx], the car was parked at my regular parking garage. The valet entered to the car to bring it down for pick up. After he entered, the power on the vehicle went out and the door would not open. He did not know about the manual door release. I walked up to see what the delay was and found him locked inside. The car was parked on an upper floor and the it was over 100 degrees in the car. We contacted 911 but eventually found the door release. Tesla was notified and towed the car several hours later. They jumped the car to get it open. It seems that the 12v battery had died without warning. Notes from Tesla concern: car won't power on/enter drive - case mergedcustomer states : vehicle will not power on or drive originating phone number : [xxx] ivr context - no results. Please check autodiag. | repair notes: verified customer concern. Diagnosed and found an internal short in the 12v battery: one or more of the six internal series cells has been bridged, resulting in five or less cells now being in series, reducing the voltage by at least 17%. This resulted in the e-fuse for the vcleft to trip and shut down the left side of the vehicle. Replaced 12v battery. Proactively perform 12v disconnect procedures. Update vehicle software to the latest available firmware. Performed validation test drive. Vehicle operating currently within Tesla specifications. Verified proper operation. No further action is needed at this time. Correction: general diagnosis correction: battery - 12v (lead acid) (remove & replace) - remove and replace information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On Thursday, June 20th my husband was taking our 2 year old son to the grocery store and put him in his car seat. He then shut the door and went to open the driver door and the car had locked and would not unlock leaving our 2 year old trapped in the car. We called Tesla immediately and they said the 12 volt battery had died and we needed to call 911. Luckily while I was on the phone with 911, one of the windows was slightly cracked and my husband was able to get the window down further so we could get our son out. You are suppose to receive 3 warning messages from Tesla saying the 12 volt battery needs to be replaced or is dying we did not receive a single one. This is life threatening and extremely dangerous. Our friends who had heard our story just sent us a news story that this happened to a grandmother and her grandchild recently in arizona too.

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.

I was trapped in my car when the 12v starter battery died without warning and everything in the car shut down. I was very fortunate that I had my cell phone with me to call my friend who had just left. However, he was unable to help me open the car from the outside. I spent several minutes going through several questions in an attempt to make an emergency request for roadside assistance on the Tesla app in hopes they could talk me through getting out. I finally received a text stating my request was 'being reviewed'! I have claustrophobia so by now I'm not breathing comfortably. I responded that I was trapped in my car and needed immediate help. They responded telling me where an emergency release was. A release which every Tesla owner that I know has told me they had no knowledge of. When I was towed to Tesla, the service adviser told me ' claustrophobic' people probably shouldn't buy a Tesla! well. . . He was partially correct. . . Only I would go further to say 'nobody' should be a Tesla. . . It is a death trap. What if I had put my 3 year old grandchild in her car seat and shut the door to get in the driver side? she would not be able to pull an emergency lever! I was sitting on a fully charged lithium-ion battery yet I was unable to open a door. . . So how about a safety bypass to this battery ?? seems to me the default with a dead battery should be that the doors unlock. . . Not lock! this is certainly not a 'Smart' car. . . . It is a potential death trap for which there are countless other reports in the news, yet Tesla and your organization has yet to take action.

Steering disabled due to software update resulting in vehicle undriviable and having to be towed from driveway Tesla requiring customer to pay for hardware replacement due to software update failure costing $2,921. 24 for the replacement, out of pocket. Required replacement of steering rack (dual motor) part - steering gear left hand drive (1044832-00-a).

The main screen on my Tesla Model Y flickers while driving, as well as charging. I have a video of it happening, if you slow the video down it completely shuts the screen down for a millisecond and then turns back on. I have sent this video to Tesla, as well as Tesla technicians has confirmed the issue happening when they had the vehicle. I have had the vehicle into Tesla 3 separate times for service, they don't know how to fix the issue and keep telling me to wait. I have been dealing with this issue since January 2024 and am tired of waiting and putting my safety at risk. I feel that I have been more than patient with them and now I feel that they are now blowing me off. They don't feel that it is a safety concern even considering that the display screen went out while driving 70 mph, for 13 miles and I couldn't get it to turn back on.  aditionally the side cameras on the vehicle intermittently go out. There is no warnings or symptoms prior to it happening it just happens. I have 29 times documented of it happening to me. I have requested a buyback which was denied as well as a loaner from Tesla until they can fix the issue, yet they denied that as well. It seems that Tesla does not care about the safety of me and I want this issue to be investigated. I have the video of the screen flickering reach out to me to get it since I cant post it in the place below.

The vehicle's primary autopilot processor randomly and completely failed while in active use on February 10th, causing the vehicle to immediately change course towards a highway barrier at high speed. Since that moment, every time the autopilot das computer is reset, the primary processor refuses to transition from the init state to the nominal state and instead transitions to critical state. The vehicle had software update 2023. 44. 30. 8 for recall campaign #23v-838, recall number sb-23-00-008 applied 1 month ago, which was supposed to decrease the probable misuse of the das system. However, many individuals reported that the recall immediately and irreversibly damaged their das computer, so Tesla offered them a free replacement without hassle. However, I have been struggling to work with Tesla's carlsbad, California service center for over a week to get the das computer replaced at no cost, since the computer was damaged after an update caused the computer to become irreversibly damaged after their software update was installed -- a software update which was supposed to have made the autopilot system safer, but which has instead unfortunately irreversibly damaged the autopilot computer, and caused my vehicle to randomly and immediately weave towards a highway barrier at high speed. I am wrongfully being asked to pay in excess of $2500 for a replacement computer as a result of the update damaging the das computer. They claim the catch-all diagnosis of a "short circuit" internal to the das computer caused the damage which would be out of warranty, except the computer has never been opened by myself. They confirmed to me that they chose that diagnosis after a process of elimination without actually probing the electrical system within the computer. The carlsbad service center refuses to give me an accurate estimate for any further engineering analysis, claiming it could take multiple hrs/days at $245/hr. This is extremely unreasonable and presents unlimited risk.

When driving the car abruptly slows down. This also happened on the freeway. I get an error message that says “power limited” and a turtle symbol. This is the second time this issue has happened. Tesla service center has not been able to confidently diagnose this issue. They say it’s resolved and once I leave the service center and the problem comes back.

Rear ultra sonic sensors (uss) sliding into the vehicle. No impact or cause for rear sensors to move. Two of the four rear uss pieces are moving back in their housing and are no longer flush with the bumper.

I understand that in September 2022 there was a recall because the windows were pinching people's fingers and not letting go. Why then did it happen to me in January 2024? the window closed on my finger and was trying and trying very hard to close, as if the sensor didn't detect an object at all. I pulled and pulled at it for a few seconds before my hand ripped out. I wasn't sure how bad the damage would be as it was cold outside. I had a raised red mark and no feeling in the entire tip for a few days. Today is day 8 and the mark looks exactly the same, but I have maybe half of the feeling back. I'm assuming it will be ok and I haven't gone to a doctor. Also, I did contact Tesla directly and they didn't care. They just had low-level people email me boilerplate language about a recall. No one reached out to say that they were sorry the car malfunctioned or express any concern.

The vehicle’s high-voltage battery and charging system experienced repeated failures, preventing charging while the vehicle was parked. This issue occurred three times: January 2024: charging error “bms_a079. Unable to charge” appeared. Vehicle was stranded and required service intervention. Mileage ~28,125. November 2024: same charging error during winter travel, vehicle stranded mid-trip, creating safety risk for passengers. Mileage ~38,744. September 2025: charging error recurred mid-trip, vehicle had to be left at a service location. Mileage ~48,918. All incidents were reported to Tesla under battery warranty. Repairs were attempted each time, but the problem recurred. A repurchase request was submitted after the third incident and was denied, with only a goodwill service credit offered. Safety concerns include the risk of being stranded, particularly during long trips or in winter conditions, which could affect passengers and other road users. The battery and charging system were inspected by Tesla service personnel after each incident, and the failure was confirmed each time.

In December 2023 I strapped my [xxx] son into his carseat in our Model Y and walked around to the front to get into the car as well. In those few seconds the 12v car battery died (I did not get any notification in my app) and I was unable to open any doors, so my infant son was trapped. We live in florida and this was an 80 degree day. With no other recourse I was forced to call 911 to have my son removed from the vehicle. 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 on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the master warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the firmware needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.

The power steering stopped working. "error ui_a020: steering assist reduced," and "error app_w264: lane departure avoidance features unavailable" appeared on the screen afterwards. I was driving home when suddenly I was unable to turn the steering wheel more than a quarter turn (even with all my weight and strength). I tried resetting my vehicle and the issue persisted. I also tried getting out of the vehicle, locking it and let it sit but the issue persisted when I got back in. Luckily, I had just entered my neighborhood and managed to get it parked in my driveway. After a couple hours of the vehicle sitting in my driveway, the issue stopped. I took the vehicle to the Tesla service center where it was inspected, they informed me this is a known issue with current firmware and an unknown future update will fix the issue.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that, while attempting to enter the vehicle, he was unable to access it via the remote access key fob. Upon gaining access to the vehicle through the rear passenger door, it then failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the battery management system had failed to properly notify him of the impending failure, either through the vehicle instrument panel or the Tesla vehicle phone application. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery management system and determined that the low-voltage battery required replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

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.

The 12-volt battery in the vehicle unexpectedly failed without any prior warning, contrary to Tesla's assurance that a warning should appear on the dashboard screen in advance to indicate the need for replacement. In our specific case, no such warning was given, resulting in the vehicle becoming inoperative. This situation could pose a significant safety hazard if the car had stopped in the middle of the road. On September 12, 2023, my son experienced an incident where he could open the driver's side door, but the dashboard screen went completely blank. Despite attempting to reboot the system, there was no response. After exiting the car and closing the door, we observed that the window did not behave as expected in typical situations, as it did not slide down when the door was closed. This unexpected malfunction led to the window breaking without any prior indication or warning from Tesla. The absence of any alert regarding this electrical failure is concerning, especially considering the potential danger if such an incident occurs on a busy highway. Regrettably, Tesla's service center has firmly asserted that the vehicle is no longer covered under warranty and has declined to provide any assistance or resolution for this issue.

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 cannot open the frunk. He told me to read the manual to manually open the frunk. I replied stating I already did read the manual already and do not have the tool to pop open the side frunk. I'm just disappointed with being transferred around and the waste of time while my child was stuck inside the car. Currently, there's no manual door unlock from the outside! there's no manual frunk or trunk unlock either from the outside. All japanese cars, including hybrid and electric has emergency door lock built into their car. I believe this needs to change for Tesla, as it is putting kids and babies in danger. Thank you for listening to my concern.

I was accelerating out of a parking lot and was up to 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly shut down and the rear end began shaking. The control screen went completely black/off. I could not accelerate at all. A semi truck was coming from behind and the vehicle came to a sudden stop within a few seconds. I could not coast and pull into a parking lot. It felt like an emergency brake was turned on or the back wheels locked up. I had to turn into the center turn lane. Vehicle doors would not open and hazard lights would not turn on. Opened manual door handle and forced my way out. Shut door as I ran to safety and the window cracked. I could have been severely injured if that semi hit me from behind and especially if this would have happened on the freeway. Very scary that a car can suddenly shut off like that while driving. After repair I was informed that the 12v battery had failed. They said it’s very rare and they have not seen that happen while the car was driving.

Dear Tesla customer support, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my extreme concern and disappointment regarding a serious malfunction I experienced with my Tesla vehicle, Model Y, on 08/01/2023. The incident has left me deeply troubled and has raised significant questions about the safety and reliability of your vehicles. On the aforementioned date, while I was driving my Model Y, I noticed an unusual burning smell coming from the vehicle. Shortly after, the cruise control system began to malfunction erratically, leading to a loss of control over the vehicle's speed. In a matter of seconds, the display and all lights on the dashboard went dark, leaving me unable to monitor crucial information such as speed, battery level, and vehicle warnings. Worse yet, the electronic power steering suddenly failed, causing an immediate stiffening of the steering wheel and making it incredibly difficult to control the vehicle. As a result, my car veered into a curb, causing damage to the wheels and suspension and fire. I cannot stress enough how distressing this situation was. Not only did it put my safety and the safety of others at risk, but it also raises questions about the reliability and effectiveness of the various systems within the vehicle. I have always trusted Tesla's commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology, but this incident has shattered my confidence in the vehicle's reliability. I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to investigate this malfunction thoroughly and provide a comprehensive explanation for what transpired. I request a detailed analysis of the root cause of the issue and assurance that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. I have been a loyal Tesla customer for 2 years and until this incident, I have been delighted with the exceptional performance and features of your vehicles. However, this incident has left me deeply concerned, and I sincerely hope.

The 12v in the Tesla died without any warning. I put my 2 year old child in his car seat directly behind the driver's seat. I closed his door and went directly to the drivers door and could not get it to open. I tried the app multiple times including refreshing the app and restarting my phone. I also tried using the keycard to unlock the doors. I tried using my spouse's app which also didn't work. Nothing worked and my son was trapped in the car in 100+ degree weather for over 15 minutes. My husband had to pry the front passenger door open so that we can could get him out and in doing so caused the window to crack. When contacting Tesla, they sent out a tow truck to get it to the service center. They fixed the problem and told us there was a manual latch for the front and rear seats, but there was no way our two year old would have been able to pull the latch, let alone reach it. There is also no manual latch on the exterior of the car that we could have used.

Battery is not able to charge . The message shows need services bring the car to Tesla service center , they told us the battery need to be replaced. They did not tell us what caused the battery to die. The car has about 30000 miles on it . Daily driving to work. Don’t understand why the battery dies so fast . Does anyone report the same problem on 2021 Tesla Model Y ?.

Yesterday morning I opened the car and put my dogs in the back seat. I closed the door. I then tried to open the driver’s door but the car became unresponsive. I tried to release the charging cable connected to my home charger. The car did not respond via bluetooth or mobile or access card key. The car was completely dead with my dogs inside. I live in palm springs. It was 90 degrees and sunny outside. I called Tesla roadside. Towing was dispatched. Eventually the passenger doors opened and I got the dogs out. My car was towed away. Dead. Nobody at Tesla seems to see how dangerous this situation was. It could have been a baby locked inside the car. Tesla has no culture or attitude of taking this seriously or seeing this as a potentially life threatening issue. It’s shocking to me how everyone I spoke with at Tesla saw this as just another glitch or customer trouble ticket. The severity of this issue was completely lost on every Tesla employee I encountered. Tesla must be held accountable. According to the tow truck driver this happens frequently. People are often stranded in extreme heat due to this 12v battery failure. This issue must be investigated and Tesla should be forced to respond.

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? after closing the passenger side door, the 12v battery that controls the Tesla cabin died without any prior warning or car notification that it needed to be replaced, as a result the car instantly powered down , disabling the a/c, windows and door locks and we were unable to open the doors to access the car. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? at the time of the event no, just our personal belongings were trapped inside the car but as a parent of a small child I usually put my child in her car seat first and close the door then get in my seat, if this had occurred with my child being in the car , my only option would be to smash in the window to get her out as the car has no back up system to open the car doors if the 12v battery dies. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes , the Tesla had to be towed to the service center we’re they had to run system test and replace the 12v battery. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes by Tesla , they ran test and determined that the 12v battery was the issue. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warnings or notifications were given prior , Teslas are suppose to receive a notification to alert the owner the battery needs to be replaced as their cars have a lot of 12v battery drain.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle hydroplaned shortly after he merged into another lane. The contact stated that he left his foot off the throttle in an effort to not lose control of the vehicle; however, the vehicle's automated regenerative braking feature engaged and the vehicle drifted at a 90 degree angle. In an attempt to avoid hitting another vehicle, the contact hit a concrete barrier. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact suffered neck pain and a gash to his right arm but did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in autonomous self-driving mode driving 30 mph, the vehicle failed to stop as another vehicle was approaching, causing the other vehicle to swerve. The contact stated that the vehicle responded insufficiently after the speed was set to 30 mph. The contact then stated that a week later she received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v085000 (steering, electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was able to perform an ota software update; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20.

The car started to malfunction its ability for regenerative braking (regen. ) upon release of the accelerator. The car felt as if the regen feature was slipping - so instead of a constant brake and deceleration, the car could be felt moving forward as if accelerating. Then while driving on freeway at 65-70 mph, car lost its ability to brake when I pressed on the brake twice, instead of slowing it felt as if the car just continued at its current speed. Then the car cut its power and flashed an alert "power reduced - exiting and re-entering vehicle may restore operation" it then flashed an alert "pull over immediately - unable to drive". According to Tesla, they said it was the "lh body harness. Found that the harness was not creating an efficient connection" but they never directly addressed why it felt as if the car was accelerating when I pressed on the brake. Safety was critically comprised for myself and others who I could have hit in a vehicle collision since the brakes did not respond accordingly and felt as if it accelerated or continue to maintain its speed. The problem was confirmed by Tesla but they only addressed the car going into what they refer to as "limp mode". Car was inspected by Tesla and diagnosed the problem to a faulty/bad body harness that caused an improper signal. No warning lights or messages prior to the failure. Symptoms started the morning of the incident with the noted regen not fully engaged/working correctly. I did not have any feature setting which would have caused or replicated the lack of regen. I can provide the dealer invoice if needed.

Defective battery, wont charge past 30%.

On February 20, 2023, my infotainment system console and screen completely failed as I was backing up to a supercharger. This started with the typical lag I have filed service complaints for before, the camera occlusions, and then nearly caused an accident with the barrier pole in front of the supercharger. This is the eighth near miss in over a year of ownership and the 27th occurrence of issues related to the infotainment system console and screen. Often, it is burning hot, other times it is woefully underpowered to accomplish anything in a timely manner (if at all) when these incidents occur. I have been to the Tesla service center twice about this very issue. Each time, I was told software update would be issued that would fix the problem(s). That has never been the case. With everything so reliant upon that center-mount display and its associated computer in this model of vehicle, it has to be considered a must-not-fail component to the extent humanly possible. I am taking this vehicle in for a third time for this and multiple other issues that seem to some degrees associated with the issue. After badgering the Tesla helpdesk personnel with demands to replace or fix the issue, they have told me on February 23, 2023 that they will be replacing the computer next week (whether this is to evaluate the device for issues or to hide evidence to their culpability in an incompetent design flaw, I cannot be sure).

The driver side window doesn’t roll all the way up when trying to close it automatically with one button push. It goes partially up the side and then will automatically roll down.

The car stopped suddenly in the middle of the street. By the grace of g-d, this happened on a quiet street because we decided to take a detour and could have instead been on the freeway! we were with our 3 young children (all in carseats). We could not restart the car after it stopped, and there was no warning it was going to stop. We were not using autopilot.

Vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer and they have advised it has been completed/fixed but it's been in more than four times within the last 12 months.

Tesla y unintended acceleration! driving my Tesla I got a phone call that did not show up on screen then 1-3 seconds later my car took control of itself and rapidly accelerated. I had no control with no steering or brakes. Powerless inside an accelerating vehicle! the car then crashed up on the median through a private community light post and into a tree. The car did not stop until the battery was severed and destroyed by the tree. All airbags went off and all glass shattered. There was no prior warning at all. Insurance adjuster deemed the car a complete total; not worth repair.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, while making a turn beside the driveway, the vehicle crashed into the curb, roll down the hill, and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle continued to roll. No air bags were deployed, and no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop where the headlight assembly, the hood, and the full front assembly of the vehicle were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 400.