2021 Tesla Model Y Seat Problems

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 drivers seat is not bolted down properly, it moves while driving. It makes it so that I don't feel in control of the vehicle and I may accelerate unintentionally as my foot is moved by the seat moving. I also fail to break as I need to as the seat moves back and my foot fails to engage on the brake. There are no warnings, and Tesla service is aware and maintains it is "under spec" I have attached a copy of their work order information

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the middle seats were unlatched independently. The middle seat's unlatched warning message was displayed. No one was injured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 24,917.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The 'Front Passenger Safety Restraint System' had some unknown 'fault' and the car gave a prompt that service was required. This occurred: 6/2022 5/2023 8/2023 How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Passengers in my vehicle had a 'Safety Restraint System. that the vehicle communicated to them was 'faulty.' Presumably this put them at mortal risk should the car get into a collision. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, on 6/2022, 5, 2023, and 8/2023 my vehicle was taken to Tesla Store located at 9140 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105. It has yet to receive a permanent fix. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? …

Hello, We have 46224 miles on the car currently. A couple of weeks back the whole battery died. Tesla replaced the battery and we picked up the car this past Friday, the [redacted]. After picking up the car the driver's seat does not slide. I looked it up online on the Tesla website as well as on the app and at both the places it was strongly recommended to bring the car back to Tesla as the problem was very very likely secondary to the battery replacement. the seat does not move at all. When I spoke to customer service at out local Tesla dealership in [redacted], the earliest date they could provide us was in the first week of August! This is an urgent issue. We happen to be away on vacation that week. So we were told to review the cost estimate and then find a date on the app to bring the car in. When I questioned the estimate price, I was told that this was the worst case scenario. …

"Front passenger Safety restraint system fault, service required" RCM2_a636 message keeps appearing on the screen. It happened right after I bought the car, so I took it to Tesla to fix. It went away for a few months and now it's back again. According to Tesla, this fault, " Based on the airbag system's self-diagnostic checks, a persistent fault has been detected in one or more safety restraint components. This could involve seat belts, impact sensors, occupant sensors, or related safety components. If the airbag warning indicator stays on, the vehicle should not be driven until inspected. Recurring faults require immediate Tesla service attention. Pre-tensioner or sensor damage can compromise proper seat belt functionality." This is a serious safety issue that should be addressed in a recall as it could jeopardize occupant safety of the seat belts or air bags do not work. …

I have a notice that a sensor went out in my passenger seat. I took it into Tesla to get a quote to repay rid and was quoted $2,000 to fix it. When I asked why it is so expensive I was told it is be cause Tesla has to retrofit my car to fit the new sensors because they stopped making my years sensors, my car is only a 2021. This is safety issue that should be a recall, I have several other friends that own teslas that have had the same issue. The sensor that is not working properly is the sensor that registers if a passenger is in the seat or not determining if the airbag needs to deploy when in an accident. so without a working sensor it puts the passenger at risk. …

The trim that includes the controls for the front passenger seat became detached. I returned to the vehicle to find the seat had fully reclined on its own. This occurred in October 2022. I confirmed with other Model Y owners that they had the same problem occur. Tesla said the clip holding the trim in place popped out and replaced it. A similar repair was done for other owners. The problem reoccurred in March 2023. I confirmed with other owners that the problem reoccurred for them as well. Tesla replaced the trim this time instead of just replacing the clip. There were no notices from the car either time that the seat controls had become detached from the seat. While waiting for the repair to take place, Tesla did not inform me whether or not it was safe for a passenger to sit in the seat. …

Airbag is OFF for a 123 lb front seat passenger (adult female). This is an intermittent fault -- the passenger airbag status changes during the drive. Possibly half the time the airbag is OFF, when it needs to be ON. Two Tesla Service Center visits were made. The first Tesla Service Center visit reproduced the fault but did not correct it. The second Tesla Service Center visit did not reproduce the fault and did nothing. The passenger airbag status OFF is displayed on the touchscreen. The faulty component(s) could be the seat occupancy sensor(s). This has been an issue since vehicle delivery. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

This is for a recurring front passenger safety restraint system defect on a 2021 Tesla Model Y, VIN [redacted]. The defect has now resulted in at least six service visits or invoices involving the same front passenger restraint / occupancy system concern, and Tesla has now charged $1,582.18 for another repair involving the front passenger seat cushion trim and seat back trim even though prior repairs did not permanently correct the condition.

The software was updated and I am no longer able to access control for the window defoggers or windshield wipers with one button press. This creates a hazardous driving situation when I need to focus on driving the car. Additionally, the seat will automatically adjust itself to other driver profiles and I am unable to quickly control it, once again creating potentially dangerous conditions.

Seat complaints in other Model Y years