Warnings problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y

Tesla’s full self-driving (fsd) system has repeatedly demonstrated unsafe behavior in my 2021 Model Y (VIN [xxx] , ~60,184 miles). The issues involve adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, and forward collision warning. Fsd frequently follows vehicles too closely, leaving insufficient distance. When I disengage, I am left with no safe option: braking hard risks being rear-ended and triggers a hard-braking event, while lifting off the accelerator leaves me dangerously close, still flagged as unsafe following. Fsd often waits until less than a mile before highway exits to attempt lane changes, causing last-second darting, missed exits, or unsafe maneuvers. It also performs excessive and unnecessary lane changes that add risk without improving efficiency. Merges are frequently unsafe, forcing me to brake hard to let others pass or accelerate aggressively to avoid being cut off. On several occasions, fsd has jerked or swerved into adjacent lanes without signaling, seemingly triggered by shadows or changes in the road surface. These phantom maneuvers are unpredictable and hazardous. On [xxx] at about [xxx], at a t-shaped intersection, fsd failed to yield to a vehicle traveling straight with the right of way while I was making a left turn. I had to slam on the brakes to disengage, narrowly avoiding a collision. This was the second such incident in the same intersection in one week. These repeated failures—unsafe following, late exit attempts, failed merges, phantom swerves, and failure to yield—create significant risks for me, my passengers, and surrounding drivers. The problem has been reported to Tesla multiple times via in-car voice reports and a written service request, and logs from my vehicle should confirm these events. No warning lamps or system alerts appeared before or during the failures. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Immediately after an over-the-air (ota) update on Aug 8, 2025, my vehicle began showing camera connection errors and disabled multiple safety/adas features. Over the following days, I repeatedly received alerts that aeb was unavailable. The vehicle remained drivable, but aeb and related safety functions were inactive. Chronology: Aug 8, 2025: ota software update to 2025. 26. 6 completed. Right after completion, the touchscreen displayed camera connection errors and disabled aeb / autopilot / cruise control. Aug 11, 2025: while driving, I again received an “aeb unavailable” alert. Similar alerts appeared intermittently throughout the week. There was no water intrusion, impact, or external damage. Cameras were clean and unobstructed. I scheduled the earliest available Tesla service appointment and reported the aeb failure as a safety issue. Service diagnosis: Tesla diagnosed a failure of the autopilot computer (hw3) and ordered a replacement. Cost/coverage: I requested that the repair be covered by Tesla because the failure started immediately after the ota update and I am a paid full self-driving (fsd) purchaser. My request was denied; I was charged ~$1,600 (slightly discounted) for the computer replacement. Safety risk description: the failure disabled aeb and other forward-collision mitigation features without an external cause, beginning minutes after the ota update. I consider this a safety defect because an advertised crash-mitigation system became unavailable during normal use, increasing crash risk. The timing suggests a possible software–hardware interaction (software change triggering or revealing a hardware fault) that could affect other vehicles.

All cameras went blank on vehicle 4 year and 7 months old. All driver assistance systems became suddenly disabled. Tesla service diagnosis established that computer needs to be replaced for a cost of $2,000.

The front collision warning is too sensitive and reacts unnecessarily to many events that are not a risk for collision. In addition, the sound of the warning is too loud causing the driver to become unnecessarily startled and may cause possible loss of control of the vehicle.

This report addresses concerns regarding recent safety updates in the Tesla Model Y, specifically focusing on the "rear cross traffic alert" and the blind spot warning system. These updates are intended to enhance driver awareness and prevent collisions. However, there are significant shortcomings in their current implementation that may compromise driver safety. 1. Rear cross traffic alert: intended functionality: the "rear cross traffic alert" is designed to warn drivers of approaching vehicles from the side when reversing, thereby preventing potential collisions. Current implementation: the system currently highlights a portion of the infotainment screen in red when a potential hazard is detected. There is no accompanying audible alert to notify the driver of the danger. Safety concerns: drivers are likely to be looking over their shoulder or at their mirrors while reversing, rather than at the infotainment screen. The lack of an audible alert means that drivers may not notice the visual warning, especially if their attention is directed away from the screen. This could lead to an increased risk of collision, as the visual cue alone may not be sufficient to capture the driver's attention. 2. Blind spot warning system: intended functionality: the blind spot warning system is designed to alert drivers of vehicles in their blind spot when the turn signal is activated, helping to prevent lane-change collisions. Current implementation: similar to the rear cross traffic alert, the system highlights the screen in red when a vehicle is detected in the blind spot. No audible warning is provided to alert the driver. Safety concerns: in adverse weather conditions, such as rain, drivers may rely more heavily on blind spot warnings due to reduced visibility. Drivers typically turn their heads to check for vehicles, which means they may not see the screen's visual alert. Without an audible warning, drivers may inadvertently change lanes into an occupied space, increas.

Tesla released a feature called obstacle aware acceleration. The owner's manual states: "obstacle-aware acceleration is designed to reduce the impact of a collision by reducing motor torque and in some cases applying the brakes, if Model Y detects an object in its driving path. The touchscreen displays a visual warning and sounds a chime when the brakes are automatically applied. For example, Model Y, while parked in front of a closed garage door with drive engaged, detects that you have pressed hard on the accelerator pedal. Although Model Y still accelerates and hits the garage door, the reduced torque may result in less damage. Obstacle-aware acceleration is designed to operate only when all of these conditions are simultaneously met: drive or reverse is engaged. Model y is stopped or traveling less than 10 mph (16 km/h). Model y detects an object in its immediate driving path. " however, my vehicle (and at least some other Model Y performance models) do not behave in this manner. Rather than reducing motor torque when all of the above conditions have been met, it reduces torque every time the vehicle accelerates from a stop. This has been replicated by my local Tesla service center, and they confirmed the vehicle did not detect any objects in it's path. This is dangerous because the vehicle accelerates so slowly from a stop that I may not be able to avoid an accident if the vehicle doesn't accelerate as expected.

I was driving to work this morning, February 7th, 2024 driving at freeway speeds. My Tesla touchscreen dropped out and went completely dark. The reset process is to press and hold for about 30 seconds and another 30 seconds for the full restart. I attempted this twice and proceeded to pull off the highway. During this period, I could not see how fast I was driving, whether my brake lights, turn signals, or headlights worked at this time to safely transit through traffic to get off the road. I put my hazard lights on, but again did not know if these worked or not. The screen finally came back online and seemed fine until I could get to work, this was an extremely scary experience and a perfect example as to why all cars should have a cluster driver screen mandatory, I will be getting rid of this car as soon as possible.

Subject: formal complaint regarding vehicle fire - Model Y performance 2021, 5yjygdef6mf256685 dear Tesla customer relations & carmax, I am writing to express my deep concern and file a formal complaint regarding a serious incident involving my Tesla [model y performance ,, 2021, 5yjygdef6mf256685], which caught fire on August 1st 2023 while in operation. This incident has raised significant safety concerns for me and my family and requires immediate attention and resolution. The vehicle fire occurred under normal driving conditions, and thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. However, the fire resulted in substantial damage to the vehicle and posed a significant risk to nearby properties and individuals. The incident has left me shaken and worried about the safety of Tesla vehicles. I have attached the following documents and information for your reference: I have been a loyal Tesla customer and have appreciated the innovative features and benefits that your vehicles offer. However, this incident has eroded my confidence in the safety and reliability of your products. I kindly request a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and an explanation of the circumstances that led to this incident. Additionally, I request information on any recalls, technical bulletins, or potential issues associated with the model of my vehicle. Furthermore, I urge you to take immediate action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in other vehicles. Safety should be the utmost priority for any automobile manufacturer, and I hope Tesla will take swift measures to address any potential risks. I understand that accidents can happen, but it is essential that Tesla demonstrates transparency, accountability, and a commitment to ensuring the safety of its customers. I expect to be kept informed about the progress of the investigation and any steps that will be taken to prevent future incidents. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and expect.

I was driving on highway when the car in front of me brake hard. Tesla failed to detect imminent crash and did not provide warning and emergency braking. The vehicle has been recently serviced in Tesla service center. There were no other warning lamps / messages / symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

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.

The driver infotainment system locks up randomly. Which makes all safety features, turn signal indicators, backup camera, reverse mode (mirrors drop), speedometer, collision sensors, etc non-functional. Until either the system crashes or finally unfreezes. This also removes one-pedal driving as well when frozen. Version is 2022. 16. 3.

Car was on autopilot full self driving. Truck hit car and vehicle was severely side scrapped. Over 35k in damages. Autopilot did not stop or drive to the side to avoid collision. Autopilot failed videos can be provided.

Recently while pulling into my children's school, my car has started deciding that the entrance to the parking garage is a large truck stopped diagonally in front of me and slams on the brakes scaring me and causing everything in the car to go flying. Luckily no one has been behind me while this has happened. I am always entering very slowly, maybe 5 mph at the very fastest.

I was stopping at the parking lot of my church st. Thomas syro-malabar catholic forane church (508 elizabeth Ave, somerset, NJ 08873) to drop my daughter. I applied the break but the vehicle kept moving and hit the gas line of the church. The gasline broke and car front got damaged. There was no auto break and warning of the obstacle.

Sudden and dramatic application of emergency collision braking for no apparent reason. No objects in the road in the driving path of the vehicle, but the emergency braking system engages. Available for inspection upon request. Having this occur during traffic can result in being rear ended as the braking can be so severely applied. Bodily injury in the form of whiplash is also foreseeable. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealer or service center. The vehicle has not been inspected for these problems. There is a warning chime prior to almost every event. Sometimes it just slows without warning. They first occurred on our first long road trip beyond twenty miles.

I was traveling early morning before sunrise over the tehachapi pass towards mojave in California. Someone had lost a camper shell from the top of a pickup truck in the lane. It was still dark outside. I saw the obstruction in the road but the car cameras did not pick it up. I pulled into the left lane to try to get around the camper shell. The lane assist pulled me right back into the camper shell which tore down the side of the car doing 10k in damage. The car never recognized impact or an accident. I have the videos from the cameras of the car. The lane assist, as far as I know, only doesn’t activate when the turn signal is used, which I did not have time for, as I had less than 200 feet between me and the camper shell.

Sudden braking while passing semi-trucks on a 2-lane highway while using autopilot and traffic-aware cruise control. . Read more...

I’m experiencing “phantom braking” in my Tesla Model Y. I live in a rural area where 2 lane roads (1 lane each direction) are the only roads around. Larger pick up trucks, pickups with trailers, busses, semi trucks, dump trucks, sprinter vans, and other vehicles of that size in the opposite lane trigger my vehicle, when in cruise control, to slam on its brakes. This happens when it’s sunny, cloudy, any type of weather condition. Occasionally, when in cruise control, I notice the car makes slight braking attempts, even when there is no traffic in the other lane. It’s as if it’s sensing a ghost it doesn’t want to hit… this has happened ever since we purchased the vehicle. I do not use auto pilot because I do not see the point where I live. This issue happens when using the adaptive cruise control. I have not noticed it when using auto pilot as, mention before, I rarely use that feature. I recently say articles where many other Tesla owners were having this problem so I thought I would add to the awareness of this issue. My wife does not use cruise control nor auto pilot for fear the car will slam on it’s brakes and someone might rear end us. Speed limits range from 35-55mph in my area.

Frequent phantom braking when in cruise control. The vehicle unexpectedly brakes often while in cruise control when there is an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming traffic lane, despite the fact that both my vehicle and the oncoming vehicle are in their respective lanes (in other words there is no apparent danger of collision). The phantom braking also sometimes happens apparently at random, in other words when I can't see anything in the vehicle pathway that could be interpreted as dangerous. I am entering a date under "additional details" below, but this has happened repeatedly on many different dates.

On 2 occasions within the last month my Tesla y experienced a radical but brief stopping response. This happened on a freeway while passing a large truck in an adjacent lane. The car suddenly slowed down and then immediately speeded back up. This happened a second time on a freeway but I am unsure of the specific circumstances. I got delivery of the car in oct 2021 and both of these incidents happened in Jan 2022. It has only happened those 2 times. Thank you edward everett.

Unexpectedly slamming on my brakes in response to imagined hazards, such as oncoming traffic on two-lane roads. This happens often and I have to shut off this feature to avoid a spin out on icy roads. Very hazardous. Overly sensitive to trucks in the opposite lane. Car lurched from 50 mph to a near-stop in response to a large truck. Is this phantom braking?.

The car experiences phantom braking when adaptive cruise control is engaged. Happens most often when going under an overpass but has happened on clear open roadway as well (no cars around).

Blind spot warning on the lower left corner of the screen, which is covered by the right hand when driving. With the turn signal, it is impossible to the blind spot warning video without taking the right hand off from the steering wheel. A dangerous situation trying to turn the vehicle with one hand! also Tesla Model Y phantom breaks every time I used autopilot on interstate. Fortunately, no vehicles were behind me. An accident waiting to happen.

When traveling down a clear road with no obstructions, the Tesla will unexpectedly put the brakes on, sometimes mildly and sometimes severely when the speed sensitive cruise control or the autopilot is engaged. This is not Tesla full self driving, just standard cruise. This is a known problem that Tesla is aware of and has not addressed. The problem has become much more pronounced in recent software updates. This happens frequently and sometimes causes an unsafe condition causing me to not want to use this feature while driving at all.

Driving down the highway/interstate when autopilot is on and the brakes are automatically applied for no reason. This happens frequently, especially on two lane roads to the point where I am not able to use autopilot anymore of fear of the car behind me crashing into me when brakes are applied suddenly for no reason.

When driving on cruise control the car will suddenly and randomly decelerate and/or break for no reason. I have had this happen on empty two lane highways and on 4 lane highways with cars around me. It's incredibly stress full and if cars are following too close very dangerous.

On Monday November 22 at around 6:15 pm cst, I was driving my Model Y and had Tesla's full self driving beta software engaged. A right banked curve on a two lane road in a rural area came up with a vehicle coming around the curve the opposite direction. The Model Y slowed slightly and began making the turn properly and without cause for concern. Suddenly, about 40% of the way through the turn, the Model Y straightened the wheel and crossed over the center line into the direct path of the oncoming vehicle. I reacted as quickly as I could, trying to pull the vehicle back into the lane. I really did not have a lot of time to react, so chose to override fsd by turning the steering wheel since my hands were already on the wheel and I felt this would be the fastest way to avoid a front overlap collision with the oncoming vehicle. When I attempted to pull the vehicle back into my lane, I lost control and skidded off into a ditch and through the woods, causing significant damage to the vehicle. I was able to retrieve the dashcam footage of this incident and it is attached here. I did analyze the footage myself briefly. You can see the vehicle leave the lane, and within about 10 frames, I had already begun pulling back into the lane before losing control and skidding off the road. Since this video is recorded at about 36 fps, this would mean I reacted within 360ms of the lane departure. I understand it is my responsibility to pay attention and maintain control of the vehicle, which I agreed to when I enrolled in fsd beta. I was paying attention, but human reaction does not get much faster than this and I am not sure how I could have otherwise avoided this incident. I am thankful this was the outcome rather than a front overlap collision with the oncoming vehicle, which would have likely resulted in bodily injury. Tesla has confirmed that fsd beta was engaged, per the attached correspondence, but insists that this incident and the resulting accident are my responsibility.

I had 2 accidents both caused by the wheel forcefully turning and not letting me take over. First incident: on 8/31/21 I was driving on the right lane of the palisades pkwy s (NJ) the car was on “autopilot” my hands where on the steering wheel. It was raining, there was no car around me for at least a few hundred feet. Suddenly the “forward collision warning” started beeping, and I felt the steering wheel is forcing itself very sharply to the left, I tried turning back to the right, but I couldn’t. Fearing that the car will end up in the lane of the opposite traffic, I slammed the breaks. The car ended up doing a 180 hitting the dividing guardrail against oncoming traffic. The car was towed to a shop where it was until oct 18 when it was ready for pickup, damage costed about 15k to repair. There was no injuries, and no other car involved. Second incident: on oct 26 a week after I picked up the car from the repair shop, I was driving on the NJ turnpike n on the left most lane. It was raining, and the car drove over a small puddle of water. Suddenly I felt the steering wheel turning very forcefully to the right. I tried pulling back to the left, but was unable. It felt as if the steering wheel was locked, causing the car to abruptly make a hairpin curve, bypassing the next lane, and hit a car two lanes over. From the impact the car was thrown back to the left, knocked into the highway divider, the car then spun and flew all the way to the other side of the highway. This time there was another car involved. I was in the car with my wife, both of us besides being all shaken up had no injuries, it is not known to me if there was any injuries to the other driver my car was a total loss. In both instances I felt the car taking over the steering wheel and not letting me take back control. The first incident was on autopilot, second time was not. I have dash-cam footage of both incidents (can’t upload it here, will provide upon request).

First, the car was not in auto pilot mode or cruise control. The car was driven into the garage, 22 inches from the landing and put in park. The “p” was lit so it was in park when it suddenly lurched forward and hit the landing and the four way flasher came on. Damage has been repaired but was $2500. Per Tesla, the car was not at fault and the car functioned as intended but it was driver error. With all the safety features that this car has, why did it not sound a warning or apply brakes to prevent this from happening. I have read about hundreds of thousand’s of incidents of sudden unintentional acceleration but yet nothing has been done about it. There is another problem with phantom braking when the car suddenly stops if you use the cruise control. I do not use cruise control because of this problem. Tesla continues to add games and other nonsense but have done nothing to fix these problems. I reported this to the minnesota attorney generals office and they suggested that I contact the NHTSA. Their response from Tesla was also that it was driver error and it was not, the car was in park.

We were driving roughly 80 mph on an open highway. Clear skies. No cruise control/autopilot engaged. Vehicle slammed on the brakes. Threw both occupants rapidly forward in our seats. Lucky no cars behind us.

We are familiar with managing the controls which, in my experience, operate similarly to other vehicles with similar safety and driver-assist features. Unfortunately, in regards to the effectiveness and ease of operation of the tacc, our Tesla is by far the worst of the 5 vehicles with which I'm familiar. The experience of managing tacc with oncoming traffic is frustrating, distracting and sometimes unsafe. Autosteer, because it builds on tacc's systems, is similarly deficient although the features it provides would be extremely welcome when tacc is improved. Nearly every oncoming large truck (including many pickup trucks) caused tacc to brake the car tacc assisted braking was inconsistent. Sometimes an immediate, slight reduction in speed (5-10mph) and other times it was an immediate major reduction in speed, on the order of half-speed within 3 - 5 seconds. It was common to have the car brake from 65 - 35 for no other reason than a large, oncoming truck. After 3 or 4 occurrences of heavy braking, I would turn off tacc and manually maintain speed with the accelerator. This in itself is fatiguing and I would eventually resort to a system in which I would disengage tacc when approached by a truck, usually 200 - 300 yds away and then reengage when traffic was clear heavy braking was severe enough that, if a there had been a closely following/unaware car, it would have rear-ended our vehicle tacc (and autosteer) seem "happiest" when following other vehicles and, even on 2 lane highways, phantom braking was much less frequent a standard cruise control (no traffic assist except for following distance) is not available but would be welcome summary: on the interstate highway system taac works reasonably well but could use improvement. On 2 lane highways tacc is more work and less safe than operating the vehicle manually and, as a system designed to reduce driver workload and improve safety, it fails.

I purchased the Tesla full self-driving capability via subscription for my 2021 Tesla Model Y on Saturday, July 17, 2021. On Sunday, July 18, 2021 at approximately 12:40pm CT. While activating the Smart summon feature in a private residential parking lot, the car drove itself into a tree damaging the front of the car resulting in a total cost of $1,799. 32. Tesla is refusing to refund me the $200. 00 for the self-driving subscription after their software malfunctioned. This is a dangerous feature that is available to millions of drivers. Video footage of the incident is here: https://vimeo. . Read more...

This is the 2nd Tesla my mom owned, she drove a model 3 without any problems for many months. She picks up this Model Y on November 19 2020, and drives home from the dealer without issues. Next day November 20, 2020, drives to her work, pulls into a parking spot and came to a complete stop. Approx 5-10 seconds later the car lurches forward, hops over the parking curb, over some grass and into a brick wall at full acceleration. Luckily nobody was hurt, but severe damage to the building and the car. This case of unintended acceleration needs investigation. My mom does not feel safe getting back into this Model Y.