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2021 Tesla Model Y steering complaints

Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 97 of 97, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2021 Tesla Model Y steering problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jan 9, 2023 · Steering · AK

While driving, suddenly power steering failed. Impossible to steer for my wife who was driving, I am barely able to steer it. Shut off the veh and let it sit for a couple of hours and it started working. Have had it happen 3 times. Scared to drive it. Extremely hazardous situation.

Filed Dec 23, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash · 1 injury

I was driving on the freeway, no one was near me (I had full control of the car, it wasn’t on autopilot) and the car’s brakes deadlocked while I was traveling high way speed and then made a sharp left turn which caused me to crash into the center divide and then hydroplane across the entire freeway uncontrollably

Filed Dec 22, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MA

11/29/23: vehicle begins to flash warning alerts (e.g., traction control disabled, lane departure warning unavailable), then power steering stopped working, and brakes pulsed violently when used (almost like ABS was active). Software update was available shortly thereafter, assumed this would remedy the situation. 12/5/23: same problems recur (loss of power steering, odd braking behavior, vehicle alerts). Vehicle was towed to Tesla for service. Tesla was able to ID the alerts in the vehicle history but could not identify the root cause. Took the vehicle one extended test drives, but was unable to cause the problems to recur. Tesla is unable to identify any further actions to prevent recurrence.

Filed Nov 26, 2022 · Steering · CA

Backing out of garage and driveway & heard loud pop. Immediately stopped, put into drive and moved out of street, approx 6' (with car making awful noise and terrible steering wheel feel).. Exited vehicle and observed that drivers side front wheel was aimed straight but passenger side was aimed 20+ degrees inwards. Found both passenger side lower control arm bolts in driveway, and linkage hanging down. Could have resulted in SERIOUS accident if compromised steering happened while driving at speed.

Filed Nov 23, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · FL

Car took over the control from the driver. Major crash could have happened NO Manufacturer No

Filed Nov 13, 2022 · Steering, Suspension · 60,640 miles · TX

Heard loud clicking noises upfront when turning hard out of parking spot.Immediately I Checked front wheels manually on looseness, but could not detect any movement. Decided to drive home (20miles).I was very careful not to steer to hard through curves. Upon turn into my driveway ( hard right turn which I took very slow) ,left front wheel suspension came unhooked and an approx 3” long x 1/2” galvanized bolt fell onto driveway. My 2020Tesla Model Y was stuck at the bottom of driveway. My company mechanic came about an hour later ,jacked up the left side,removed front left wheel : the bolt as pictured below had loosened entirely from its nut and galled off releasing the wheel suspension and allowing the wheel to come loose . We temporarily fixed the bolt and drove the ModelY into our garage ( flat surface) 500 feet further uphill. Upon further inspection we found another bolt separated from its nut on the other side as well (4) other bolts totally loose almost entirely stripped from its counter nut. We found no sign of LOCTITE or similar. The bolt in question is on bottom of lit up spot ( in below picture) Bottom line: steering suspension bolts should not come loose on a vehicle not even 2 years old!

Filed Oct 31, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

When i was traveling at speed around 70mph on highway. Tesla has applied emergency brakes and locked the steering, which made telsa rotate(spinned) 3 times on its own and stopped.luckily no vehicles were near on either ways. The vehicle was all the way stopped on opposite road and I was able to start after some seconds it stopped and started my driving. No vehicles were near or nothing approached to apply emergency brakes. When contacted telsa they told to schedule service appointment and no help was given.

Filed Oct 29, 2022 · Acceleration, Steering · FL

At night the wipers run when cruise control is engaged even though the windshield is clean and there is no precipitation. This situation also occurs when Autopilot is engaged. I've complained to Tesla's service center about this issue. I have text documentation to attach as evidence. A web search indicates there are many Tesla owners complaining about these issues for years. I've owned the car for 16 months and only in the last 2 months has this problem started. My daughter has the same car and does not have this problem. Years of complaints by other owners indicates this is a major problem why hasn't the federal safety agency pressured Tesla Motors to address and repair these issues?

Filed Aug 26, 2022 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · FL · crash

Autopilot was on during a light rain event where I was traveling less than the posted speed limit on the I95 northbound Highway. The autopilot appeared to force the car to abruptly jolt the steering wheel/tires, causing a slip/ hydroplane of the front end which forced the car into a left/sideways slide across the highway. The car slid sideways for about 100 feet or so before going straight into the concrete divider along the Highway (front driver side initial impact, then rear driver side 2nd impact). Control could not be regained with the vehicle. Steering did not work (tried to correct the path), it felt as if brakes did not slow the vehicle as the car approached the divider. Autopilot was fully engaged and lane keeping was active… with at least one hand on the steering wheel and moderate level of attention to the road. I must say I had likely became over-reliant on the autopilot. No warning was provided to me as, prior to the incident. A similar hydroplane problem can also be seen on a YouTube video posted online for the same model car. I experienced the same outcome as the other vehicle except I hit a divider after crossing lanes. I am however very pleased with how well the car handled the impact and how well the airbags went off, although also unfortunate- I do feel like the car may have been partially responsible for the accident itself.I have experienced a few prior occurrences where the car will jerk the wheel when in autopilot to keep or find a lane, even with hands on the wheel and full attention facing forward.

Filed Aug 22, 2022 · Brakes, Steering · NY

My wife was driving on the highway on 8/16/22 at around 9:50pm on the garden state south and all of the sudden the car by itself started swerving lanes and my wife tried to stop the car but to no avail the brakes weren’t working as well. After some time the car finally got back into control and she was able to pull over. The car seemed to be hacked. No explanation how this happened. We didn’t pay for the whole self drive option so I’m not sure how this happened. Very furious. That could’ve been my wife’s life on the line if there were cars.

Filed Jul 9, 2022 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA · crash · 1 injury

Going 40 MPH on CA 210W in left lane. Full Self Driving available on vehicle but no autopilot/lane assist activated at time of incident. Steering wheel locked up completely; I was unable to turn the wheel at all so I ended up drifting across 4 lanes of highway (miraculously didn’t hit anyone) and ended up under a semi. Car airbags did not deploy and system did not detect a collision. Contacted Tesla to ask about the cause of the accident multiple times; never got an answer. They had us pull the USB in glovebox and see if anything is on there but there wasn’t even though dash cam was activated. They “escalated” the ticket to a supervisor and have been ghosted ever since asking for an answer. We scheduled a service appointment to have them check out the vehicle and they canceled it. It is a miracle that I did not die; I have severe PTSD from the incident which has affected my career negatively. I would like Tesla to take accountability for things like this; it’s scary that they don’t and threaten legal action instead.

Filed Jul 1, 2022 · Steering · NJ

The car suddenly stops responding with the entire system seems to be shut down. I cannot access any controls including lights, brakes and any other safety features. I reached out to tesla regarding this and even sent them a video showing the same. They are not responsive at all and seem to not care about this. The car had sidetracked due to no visibility (Wouldn't consider a crash but almost one)This happened multiple times and is really a big safety concern. We were in the middle of woods when this happened and my wife was alone the other time. I would really appreciate if you expedite this issue and get us a solution. The image below is taken when the lights were on but eventually they were gone.

Filed Jun 28, 2022 · Brakes, Steering · WA

Steering wheel locked up and would not let driver navigate off-ramp from freeway. Car attempted to force driver to merge into a stopped lane. Auto-pilot features engaged in screen but they were not manually activated. Car attempted to cause an accident.

Filed Jun 19, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · CA

On June 28th 11:50pm with 174 mile range, my Tesla Model Y LR died while driving on fwy 5 with my 10 year old. I barely had time to exit, it gave me warning “PULL OVER SAFELY” “VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN”. I barely made it to off-ramp, my car completely shutdown at the end of off ramp. Could not put it to neutral, me and my 10 years old had to exit the car immediately, called tow truck via tesla app. Tow truck showed up in 20 mins, can was not drivable. This could have been much worst, if I was not able to exit and my car stuck on middle of the freeway at night. This is a huge safety concern.

Filed Mar 10, 2022 · Steering · FL

i DID NOT HAVE AN ACEDENT, BUT I have a bad control arms on my Tesla Y. I brought my Tesla to Tesla service for repair because I heard creaking noise coming when I turn my steering wheel left and right and Tesla team says that I need replacement for my left and right upper arm controls. But Telsa claim they do not have all parts for repair and they changed only my right upper control arm and order the left one. Also Tesla service claim is safe to drive with bad arm controls, which for me is not acceptable. I did not feel safe and Tesla claim is wrong for me.

Filed Feb 2, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IL

While on a 475 mile road trip, my vehicles emergency brake system was activated while using cruise control on more than one occasion with no visible hazard ahead of me. This caused my car to brake at speeds upward of 70 miles per hour on two lanes highways, leaving me to fear that any car behind me could easily rear end me and harm me or my children who were in the backseat. On another occasion during this same trip, the weather began to turn. Snow began to fall heavily leading to poor road conditions. My model y activated corrective steering twice at speeds of 10-20 miles/hr, both times attempting to swerve my car into the lane next to me occupied by a semi truck. These issues are unacceptable and need correcting as they pose a threat to passenger safety.

Filed Aug 5, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 2,800 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel seized and the brakes failed to engaged. The vehicle went into autocorrect on its own and was swerving then crashed into a semi truck. No medical attention was received on the scene but the contact later seeked medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla approved collision repair center. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they will escalate the file over to headquarter to evaluate. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.

Filed May 14, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 2,500 miles · CA

My car wires got overheated because of failing cooling system , tesla refused to pull logs on my car, talk to tesla reps named fitzgerald who said I have failing cooling system ... But they refused to fix new car under warranty forcing me to pay extra for damages... Tesla manager mitch at agora center failed to provide me with video pics of rodent eating wires, even though I have cameras around my car 24/7 showing no rodent ever approached my car, but tesla manager refused to fix my car asap using warranty forcing me to drive unsafe car to another tesla service on monday in van nuys... And pay for damages out my own pocket...

Filed May 14, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 2,500 miles · CA

I talk to specialist they said I have cooling system failure, and guy from tesla fitzgerald who remotely connected to my car before my appointment with you , also said I had cooling system failure not rodent problem... Tesla rodent damage excuse is scam and fraud not to use my warranty but profit by making me to pay directly for damages that it’s not my fault and that’s illegal and unfair

Filed May 13, 2021 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA · crash

I was trying to park the tesla model y after finishing a 15-20 minute test drive on freeways and streets. I parked in a parking lot at the dealership in between two other cars. In order to park the car, I was braking to bring it to a complete stop. After the car was positioned into the parking lot and just before stopping, it accelerated all of a sudden, swerved left and hit a planter in front and another planter on the left before coming to a stop. I got out of the car and my family too and reported to the dealership. I did not leave until tesla fire and tesla security folks came in and took stock of the situation. They found the left front wheel locked in position and had to manually unlock it using tools. 3 other family members were in the car (including kids). Tesla has not offered any explanation for the last 6 days as to why this happened.

Filed May 6, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 5,000 miles · CA

Here is a 2021 tesla model y in the junkyard/ https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/39928775?tenant=us&rownumber=10 it has done just 5000 miles and the front wheel has gone whompy then fallen off. Tesla is still using deadly defective suspension giblets. All the ball joints have popped apart. If you continue to ignore this you will soon have even more blood on your hands. Please get these weapons of mass destruction off the roads. Thank you. Keef

Filed Apr 6, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 1,000 miles · CA · crash

Here is a 2021 tesla model y in the junkyard https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/39612087?tenant=us&rownumber=3 it has been in a rollover and it looks as though the occupants were injured. The front suspension has snapped off and it is most probable that this was the cause of the rollover rather than damage caused by the crash. Most alarmingly the base of the steering knuckle has cracked apart leaving half of the mounting point still attached to the lower ball joint. An expanded image of this component is provided with this submission. It is obvious that tesla is using low quality and unsafe components on the critical suspension and steering assemblies. The junkyards are filling up with late model teslas that still have absurdly weak suspension giblets. Please ask them nicely to fix this or better yet ban the wretched things from leaving the tent factory. Thank you for your attention. Keef

Filed Mar 26, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 7,716 miles · MO

Heard a loud pop when turning wheel to put in reverse and park. Now one wheel points straight, one is turned.

Filed Mar 20, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 100 miles · CA

Here is a model y in the junkyard https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/39423095?tenant=us&rownumber=11 the front wheel fell off. All the stupid flimsy little ball joints have snapped off. The wheel is stashed in the frunk. The damage to the wheel well is a strong indication that the wheel was not torn off in a crash but that it went whompy and thrashed the begeezus out of the front of the car. This a 2021 car and this is the best they can do? This thing is a killer on the road. Please get these deadly junksters off the roads. Thank you. Keef

Filed Mar 2, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 283 miles · CA

Here is yet another tesla with a broken suspension https://erepairables.com/salvage-cars-auction/tesla/model+y/vid-45992776 it has done just 283 miles since being factory gated. It has not been in a crash, the front suspension has simply fallen to bits. This is self inflicted injury caused by bad design, bad choice of material and total lack of quality control. The model y appears to be even worse than its predecessors. How much longer are you going to allow this madness to continue? How many more lives must be lost? Yours persistently keef

Filed Feb 28, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 198 miles · CA

Here is a 2021 model y in the junkyard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/39198554?tenant=us&rownumber=18 in common with many other tesla junkyard cars it has not been in a crash but has simply had the suspension fall to bits. The stem of the ball joint on the steering arm has snapped. The lower ball-joint is halfway fallen off. The undamaged wheel is lying on the ground beside the car. It is impossible for major force to be applied to the suspension without the wheel being damaged. This is once again the fault of chaotic disorganized manufacturing and widespread drug use at tesla. Watch this video to see good reason why drugs are bad. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf_ormiy9tk m'kay? Please do your job. Thank you. Keef

Filed Jan 5, 2021 · Steering, Suspension · 300 miles · CA

Clunk noise coming from front end suspension while driving on the freeway. Then the steering wheel started to go off centered, slightly to the right, and had some play. The steering wheel had to be held tightly to keep car driving straight. I called tesla and took it in to their lake forest service center. The clunk can be felt and heard while turning left onto drive way. Service was able to reproduce noice but was not able to pinpoint the cause. Tech did state that a bolt was 1/8 of a turn loose. Tech performed alignment and state thst noise went away. Service advisor released vehicle and ask to inform him if problem resurface. Same clunk noise persist but at a lower noise level while turning left on driveway.

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