2021 Tesla Model Y Steering Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1179%
• 25k–50k
  17%
• 50k–75k
  17%
• 75k–100k
  00%
• 100k–150k
  17%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Tesla Model Y owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

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.

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. …

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. …

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. …

While driving, steering wheel locked! Prior to locking there were no warnings. While wheel locked, warning popped up-" steering assist reduced." I was going up a curved parking garage ramp when wheel locked, I was unable to turn my vehicle causing my car hit curb, scraping my rims. Cars were honking behind me, there was no where to move. I was scared, causing me to have a panic attack. I had to turn off/on car twice for steering to go back to normal. I took vehicle to Tesla and had to pay $387 for diagnosis. I was 4,000 miles over warranty. Tesla is saying it could be a possible steering rack replacement and cost $2,500. Tesla will not pay for rim damage or pay for fixing the steering issue, which is a major safety problem. Tesla needs to do better!

On July 19th around 6:45pm, I was driving on the left most lane of I-95S in VA towards NC near Exit 41 at 70mph. The care suddenly steered hard left towards the median. I tried to steer it back but the steering wheel was locked and would not let me steer back. The brakes would also not work and the car drove into the guardrail and spun180 degree and hit the guardrail again and spun180 and did that one more time and stopped facing the oncoming traffic. The impact tore the entire front left-wheel assembly off my Tesla, sending it more than 250 yards forward. Damaging the left side of the car front to back but the airbags did not deploy neither did the seatbelts locked. Fortunately, the entire cabin was intact and I walked away without any external injuries.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the lower and upper control arms were failing. The contact was informed that the lower and upper control arms needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in Autonomous Self-Driving mode driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop as another vehicle was approaching, causing the other vehicle to swerve. The contact stated that the vehicle responded insufficiently after the speed was set to 30 MPH. The contact then stated that a week later she received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V085000 (Steering, Electrical System). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was able to perform an OTA software update; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the master warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the firmware needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.

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

Related recalls

Steering complaints in other Model Y years