There are 19 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2021 Tesla Model Yin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The paint on my Tesla Model Y is peeling and delaminating along both sides of the rear trunk/hatch seam, adjacent to the rear glass. The issue appears in the same location on both sides in a symmetrical pattern. There has been no accident, impact, or external damage to these areas. The peeling began gradually and has continued to worsen over time. The symmetry and location suggest this is not normal wear or environmental damage, but a potential defect in paint adhesion or manufacturing at the trunk seam. This condition exposes underlying material and may lead to further deterioration, including corrosion over time. I am reporting this as a potential manufacturing defect affecting durability of the vehicle exterior
Frunk (Hood) has been randomly opening at times when the car is parked. Today it opened after being parked at my office parking lot for 3 hours. I am concerned that this can occur while driving, especially on the highway, potentially causing a deadly accident.
My steering is making loud noises and so is the suspension. It’s so loud it’s embarrassing to drive. The steering wheel also came apart because it wasn’t glued down properly and had air bubbles. I see recalls for cars but not my specific vin. Tesla says no wheel replacement for me and cost of replacing link assembly parts and bolts would cost me 2000$
•Unknown parts or system malfunctions; yes, an inspection can be issued •The car is parked very close to the house and continuously producing poisonous and harmful gas, battery liquid and glasses splattered more than 20ft away. •No, before the incident there was no issue observed. •No, but from the fire department report the cause of the fire was "failure of equipment". •No, there was no warnings from the app, or signs of malfunctions. the car functions normally.
The arm felt on the driver side while I’m driving. Also, there is issue with the camera and the screen electrical problem.
Car was summoned and turned a sharp right directly hitting the car parked next to it while pulling out. The location was the parking lot of [XXX] on [XXX] . I have a full video of this which shows the car pulling forward then taking a sharp right impacting the vehicle parked next to it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS REQUESTED BY THE CONSUMER THAT THEY WISH TO HAVE IT REMOVED. DJR ******* DELETE VOQ ******* The contact is requesting this to be cancelled.
The contact owns a Britax, Model number: e1a267, Model Type: Advocate, and was manufactured on December 20 2020. The car seat was being utilized in a 2021 Tesla Model y The contact stated that while she was washing the covers for the car seat, she noticed that the metal bar at the rear top of the car seat had rusted. The car seat had not been repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the rust was actually discoloration.
When driving at highway speeds (55 MPH and above), the driver's side rearview mirror vibrates, making it difficult to see and identify back automobiles. This is a safety hazard when exiting the highway or merging the lines when the outside weather is raining/dark/snowing.
Rear doors are stuck and locked shut, the known defect is on youtube with experts explaining this safety flaw where the door handles get stuck and locked and now TESLA REFUSING TO SERVICE.
The rear hatch can be opened while the car is in drive or reverse from a remote input from the app. On several occasion my hatch has opened from a remote input while in traffic while stopped at red lights. Tesla says this is normal behavior. So what is possible is someone can open the hatch from a remote input from anywhere without being able to see the car. My concern is when this has happened item could have fallen from my trunk into traffic resulting in damage or vehicles behind me. To close the hatch you must place the car in park first. Having a vehicle in park in traffic could result in a collision. You can not move the vehicle while the hatch is closing or it stops closing it takes several seconds to open or close the hatch and additional time to realize you must place the vehicle in park to close it. Remote input to operate the hatch should be disabled while the vehicle is in drive or reverse. The event has occurred on 4 occasions while driving the vehicle over the last year.
Rear undertray composite cover partially peeled off and began dragging on the road creating a driving hazard. This problem has been reported in online forums on many occasions.
Unspecific event. I hope this report, without my having an incident myself is looked into enough to apply a standard across all manufacturers to make sure the public aren’t so unknowingly put at risk. All because of an ill thought through design. My vehicle has no easy access to exit rear seats if there is any kind of electrical failure. My rear passengers will not be able to exit the vehicle. Manual override of electronic door controls are hidden beneath door panels and trims. With no mechanical connection on the outer handle, even if the driver uses the front manual release, they cannot rescue rear passengers. The outside door handles are electronic ONLY. Imagine a fire like Vancouver happening, when a child is in a car seat or has less mobile passengers like seniors. Neither can be expected to climb to the front or out a side window to reach safety. No means to unlock doors or open doors makes this vehicle unsafe to carry passengers in the back, nevermind versions of my vehicle that have 7 seats and a third row, which will most certainly be carrying kids due to the available room. . This design flaw exists in Tesla Model 3’s also. I’m not sure of other vehicles or brands. Older vehicles with mechanical door controls still allow a door to be opened from outside if on fire or suffering an electrical problem. These back seats aren’t safe and for Model Y as an suv marketed to families, it’s only a matter of time til tragedy occurs.
The roof glass cracked with no impact and no accident. No chip or missing pieces of glass. Everything is in tack but has cracked
The incident occurred after a rainstorm and there was some debris laid out across the road. We were travelling in the morning before sunrise at 20 mph and we felt a small branch or object hit the underside of our car. We took it out to drive again at noon time and it warned us that the coolant was low and that car may not start up once shut down. We towed it to tesla service center in Paramus NJ and they informed us of the condition. They informed us that the coolant pipe was punctured and the coolant spread onto the battery. They explained to us that the branch hit an area and caused the coolant to leak inside the battery and there is no plate to protect it at the underside of the car. They also informed us that there could have been a fire accident if we put it on charge after the underside collision. They also informed us that the coolant pipe was plastic. Despite this flaw in their design, they insist that they will not cover it since it was an external issue and have asked us to pay close to $16,000. Please help
Tesla delivered a car with a concerning mechanical defect on all four hinges of both rear/forward doors. There are deep gouges to the metal on all four hinges. They have no explanation as to why the metal that holds the doors I place has been damaged. Multiple calls to Tesla has resulted in them saying they will absolutely not look at the issues on the car until December 10th. They said that I can't even bring it in to a service center for safety inspection. I wanted to reject delivery and get a safer car but they said that I would then not receive a car for 4-6 months later. Meanwhile they had already accepted payment, so I would be on the hook for payments. I don't know if these.doors are safe, I'm looking for a Tesla to say whether the car is safe to drive or not, and find out what caused the damage. Tesla will only tell me that they will look at the car in December.
Sudden acceleration while stopped. Car was stopped in the driveway of my home while waiting for the garage door to open. Suddenly the car bolted forward, crashed through the rising garage door and then through the side of the garage and into the front steps of my home. The car is equiped with auto pilot, but it was not engaged. While reviewing other incidents of this type on your website, I noticed that other people mentioned their Tesla's having the autopilot feature but I saw no mention of the Model Y. Although extensive damage happened to the car and my home, no one was injured. However if this had happened while at a stop light or at a crosswalk someone could have been killed or injured. My Insurance Co. did not seem interested in investigating this event, haven't heard back from Tesla.
PARKING MY CAR WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE AND READY TO ENGAGE PARK , CAR ACCELERATED IN HIGH SPEED AND DROVE TO ISLAND AND TRYING TO CONTROL THE WHEEL WHILE MY FOOT STILL ON BREAK TO AVOID HITTING OTHER CARS ON THE PARKING LOT , HIT SOME CURBS WHICH CAUSE THE TIRE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CAME OFF COMPLETELY WITH AXLE ATTACHED . THIS CAUSE THE CAR TO STOP AND DEPLOYED AIR BAG AND CAUGHT ON FIRE , THAT'S WHEN I IMMEDIATELY GOT OUT THE CAR. THE CAR MILEAGE IS 524 WHEN IT HAPPENED. MINOR BURN ON MY LEFT ARM FROM THE FIRE AND SORE SHOULDER LESS THAN 24 HOURS.
THE REAR BODY PANEL IN FRONT OF THE REAR WHEELS HAVE PAINT ISSUE BEING HIT BY DEBRIS COMING FROM THE FRONT TIRES.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026