2021 Tesla Model Y transmission problems

Filed Oct 22, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · CA

Subject: Front suspension failure and wheel detachment — 2021 Tesla Model Y Vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y VIN: [XXX] My wife's 2021 Tesla Model Y experienced a serious failure involving the front-right suspension, resulting in the wheel detaching from the vehicle. Following the incident, we observed a disconnected suspension arm at its mounting point and recovered a loose fastener. We understand that another fastener associated with the connection was already missing. We have photographs documenting the detached suspension connection and the recovered fastener. We are concerned that this failure may involve a safety-related defect in the front suspension mounting hardware. We request that the federal safety agency investigate whether this incident is related to recall 21V‑835 / Tesla campaign SB-21-31-003, or any other suspension defect or recall affecting this vehicle. Please review this incident for potential safety implications for other vehicles and determine whether further investigation is warranted. We can provide photographs, the failed hardware, repair records, and additional details about the circumstances of the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Suspension, Transmission · NJ

What failed: Front and rear suspension and drive components; the root cause is not resolved. Since at least June 2025, my 2021 Tesla Model Y Dual Motor (110,864 miles) has made a grinding, clunking and knocking noise, loudest at the front on the driver's side. It now happens on almost every drive, including on the highway, and the car sometimes shakes at speed. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. Safety risk: We drive this car with our young family, including on the highway. I am worried a suspension part could fail and cause loss of control. On XXX Tesla's technician wrote that the rear knuckles "have play and need to be replaced soon"; they have not been replaced. My car is also in the model years covered by the federal safety agency's XXX preliminary evaluation of front lower lateral link detachment on 2021–2023 Model Y. No crash or injury so far. Confirmed by a service center: Partly, by Tesla Service.XXX ([XXX]): confirmed front suspension noise and replaced both front lower lateral links and compliance links ($1,620.03); the noise continued. XXX [XXX]): verified a rear humming noise and a split rear drive unit bushing. XXX replaced the rear drive unit, verified front vibration on a test drive, and noted the rear knuckle play. XXX: verified front grinding, attributed it to brake wear, and did brake burnishing; no change. SXXX: unable to replicate. I also reported a noise on XXX Inspections: Tesla Service only. No police or insurance involvement. Warning lights: None related to this that I have noticed. I sent Tesla written notice on XXX THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Electrical, Transmission · FL

This vehicle presents a safety risk because it can lose power unexpectedly while driving in traffic. The 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range currently displays alert BMS_a074 and will not charge above approximately 32%. This is a recurring high-voltage battery failure. The car has already required two battery replacements under warranty (June 2025 at 90,707 miles and February 2026 at 92,077 miles). Only months after the second replacement, the same issue returned. Tesla Service has quoted $17,550.18 for a fourth battery and has not offered further investigation into the root cause, despite three batteries being needed within roughly 16 months on a 2021 vehicle. The car has been charged exclusively at Tesla Superchargers and is otherwise well maintained.

Filed Aug 8, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · GA

The high-voltage battery failed unexpectedly shortly after the warranty expired (with only 9,000 miles past warranty). Tesla Service confirmed a main high-voltage battery defect and quoted a full battery replacement. A sudden high-voltage battery failure causes a complete loss of propulsion/power, creating a severe collision and safety hazard on public roads. There were no prior warnings until the system suddenly failed and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle is currently available for inspection. This appears to be a premature latent defect in 2021 model high-voltage battery packs.

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA

The vehicle’s secondary Autopilot Processor / car computer is internally faulted and stuck in a continuous wake/shutdown loop. This causes severe standby battery drain (~20 miles of range lost per day while parked) and completely prevents all over-the-air software updates - including federally mandated safety recall remedies. On April 4, 2024, Tesla Service diagnosed the fault and linked it to the drain and inability to update. On the same visit, Tesla added two safety recalls (23V‑838 Autosteer controls and 24V‑051 Brake/Park/ABS indicators) to the work order. They then demanded ~$3,000 customer payment for computer replacement before the recalls could be performed. After I declined the paid repair, Tesla marked both recalls as “completed” via software update despite the same invoice stating the vehicle could not receive updates and remained on software version 2023.38.9 (which predates both remedy firmwares they claimed was installed). Tesla is effectively paywalling federally required safety recall remedies by requiring the customer to first pay for computer replacement first. Two additional recalls remain open (21V‑389 seat belt fasteners and 24V‑554 hood latch). The problem has been confirmed and documented multiple times by Tesla Service.

Filed Jan 22, 2026 · Transmission · IN

My heat pump and ac unit went out and Tesla wants me to pay $4000 for a faulty part that broke in less then 3 years

Filed Dec 11, 2025 · Driver assistance, Seat belts · CA

In early Nov 2025 my Tesla Model Y began intermittently showing warnings about the forward collision warning system and multiple sensors being offline. Tesla service replaced a faulty connector on Nov 3. On Nov 15, 2025, about two weeks later, the car had a sudden drivetrain failure while I was parking on a steep hill. I heard a loud bang from the front of the car and the vehicle immediately lost drive power and had to be towed. Tesla diagnosed a failed front motor inverter that blew the high-voltage pyrofuse and damaged the 12V battery; they replaced those parts. The vehicle is available for inspection and the repaired components and records are with Tesla. After that repair the car needed another visit for alignment and has continued to show worrying behavior: “VCFRONT offline/unable to contact VCFRONT” in the service menu, repeated “autopilot computer overheating” messages, intermittent loss or reduction of regenerative braking (braking feel changes unpredictably), a rear right seatbelt malfunction warning (later inspected and cleared by Tesla), and what appears to be significantly increased battery drain compared to before the inverter failure. This has now resulted in four service visits within about a month, all at Tesla service centers (no police, insurance, or independent shops involved). Tesla has confirmed the inverter/pyrofuse/12V failure and says the overheating was due to an air pocket in the cooling system, but the VCFRONT messages, inconsistent regen braking, and increased drain have not been fully resolved or clearly explained. I am concerned that a sudden loss of power, loss of regen, or failure of VCFRONT/autopilot systems could recur at speed or in traffic, creating a serious safety risk. Please note that I'm only able to view partially-complete paperwork from the latest service appointment in the Tesla app. I have requested this documentation from Tesla and will be able to provide all the service reports and communication as a follow-up.

Filed Nov 19, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · NC

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.

Filed Aug 25, 2025 · Transmission · CA

Summary of Issue: The vehicle has experienced intermittent drive disconnections without warning. This occurred multiple times on August 9–10, 2025, during trips between Palo Alto and Monterey. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection? The suspected component is the drive unit (covered under Tesla’s 8-year Drive Unit & Battery warranty). The vehicle and its systems remain available for inspection by the federal safety agency or Tesla. How was safety put at risk? The intermittent drive disconnections can result in sudden loss of propulsion without warning while the car is in motion. If this occurs at highway speeds, it creates a serious safety risk of collision or loss of vehicle control. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? Tesla Service has attempted to inspect the vehicle but reported “no fault found.” Because the issue is intermittent, Tesla did not reproduce it during their inspection, though I documented it on August 9–10, 2025. Has the vehicle/component been inspected by the manufacturer or others? Yes, the Tesla Service Center inspected the vehicle 25 August 2025. However, Tesla has refused to provide a detailed record of what diagnostic steps were actually performed (log review, physical inspection, or drive unit stress testing). Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms? No warning lamps or messages appeared at the time of the failures. The vehicle resumed propulsion after several seconds, clearing the condition without leaving an active customer-facing alert. Concern: Because the failure is intermittent and leaves no persistent alerts, Tesla has returned the vehicle without resolving the problem or providing adequate documentation. This leaves a potential safety-critical drivetrain failure unaddressed. Requested Action: I request that the federal safety agency investigate potential drive unit intermittent disconnection failures in Tesla Model Y

Filed Jan 20, 2025 · Transmission · FL

A year ago I went on a road trip from Florida to Iowa in the winter, temperatures were freezing or below freezing. I got an alert to maintenance powertrain, after driving to Tesla they informed me the oil pump on the rear motor was falling apart. It was replaced. A year later on a second road trip to the same location also in sub freezing conditions the exact same error pops up, in service mode it says rear oil pump error