Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Tesla Model Y owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The vehicle swiped the side of an apartment building before crashing into a tree and coming to a complete stop. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact sustained chest pain, and his daughter, who was a passenger, sustained chest and ear injuries from the air bags deployment. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
On two occasion, our brand new Tesla model Y lurched forward from a complete stop. The first time, on 2021/10/09 at 4:36pm I was at a car wash and trying to put the car in neutral. Fiddling with the gear selector, the car jumped forward without me touching the pedals. I hit the breaks and neither the car or anyone else was injured. The second time, on 2021/10/25 at 8:10 am, my wife was dropping off the kids at school. At full stop the car lurched forward again without her touching the pedals or the speed controller. The car hit the car in front of it 3 times with force. The car as well as the two other cars in front of it got seriously damaged. My two year old son was on board, there was many middle schoolers around but thankfully no one was injured. …
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. …
On Wednesday, our 2021 Tesla Y - which we have LOVED driving for the last 3 years - took off on its own while I was sitting in traffic - where traffic was at a standstill, and the max speed was probably 4 MPH. Construction ahead had closed a lane, so there was a massive back-up and cars were creeping along each time the traffic light ahead turned green.) As any Tesla owner will tell you, the best way to slow down is to remove your foot from the gas pedal, and the car will slow down and come to a stop on its own. That had always been the case for our vehicle until Wednesday. Shockingly, for no reason at all, the car massively accelerated. I slammed on the brakes, but the brakes did not slow or stop the car. Luckily, the car in front of me was only 2 - 3 car lengths away, so my Tesla which was rapidly gaining speed stopped only when it crashed into that car. …
On 6/25/22 our 2021 Tesla Model Y with 16,163 miles had a sudden unintended acceleration, it didn't responded to the breaks and within seconds hit a parked car and finally stopped when it crashed to a large tree. It was a "Total Lost" by the insurance. Around 1pm on a clear sky day, driving out of a small gated residential community, before exiting I pulled over the side of the road for a few minutes, when I resumed the car suddenly accelerated to what felt like full speed. While I stopped by the side of the road the car remained in "D" mode, when I resumed I forgot that it was already on "D" and pushed the shift level down; we think the car went to Cruise Control to the last used speed which was probably a highway speed. The breaks didn't stopped the car and didn't cancel the accelaration. It traveled out of control less than 150 feet before it crashed to a large tree. …
On June, 4th, 2021 in the morning I went to Markham Park with my 13 year old daughter for the covid vaccine. We arrived and right after the shot on her we stopped our Tesla in a line where we should wait for about 15/20 minutes to see if everything was fine with my daughter. While the car was stopped in the line, I was talking to my daughter and the car started moving in the direction of the car in front of us and it hit the car many time till I turned the steering wheel to go away from there. Everything was very fast and confusing. I`m still trying to understand what happened with the car. The car was out of control and the car never tried to break or stop. I think it has stopped because I pressed the P button. I am so frightened and scared about what happened. My daughter and I, the passengers in the car in front of us and the people in the park could have been seriously injured. …
I was in 2 accidents with this car within a span of less than a year all with the same problem. I had not been in any accident over 40 plus years until this car. First incident was at a drive through when creeping up to the next window the car took off hyperaccelerating. I was able to avoid the truck in front of me from back ending her however scraped her tailpipe causing extensive damage to my car. She then hit the car in front of her. Second incident was approaching my home in my 20-30 mph neighborhood and went to go from 20-30 when car accelerated at a fast speed and was unable to control it being it happened so fast. Hit a tree. All the airbags went off. I could have been seriously injured as anyone who had been on bikes or walking .
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 50-70 MPH on cruise control, the vehicle would inadvertently decelerate, almost causing other vehicles to crash into the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle was designed with no radars and was built with camera vision instead. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring more frequently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20.
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 coasting into the garage, the vehicle independently accelerated. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic or dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. However, the contact was in the process of repairing the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,727.
NHTSA investigations
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial.
Acceleration complaints in other Model Y years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
NHTSA has 161 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2021 Tesla Model Y, 15% of the model year's 1,091 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Tesla Model Y acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2021 Tesla Model Y, though it has 23 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2021 Tesla Model Y acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 1,000 miles, and 78% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 19 crashes, 1 fire and 7 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.