2021 Tesla Model Y electrical problems
149 of the 1,080 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Tesla Model Y name the electrical system (NHTSA’s “Electrical System” heading — wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading). Filed under the same heading: 9 manufacturer bulletins, 6 recalls, 9 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA complaint database13 of the 149 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 11 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 24 · 2022: 32 · 2023: 22 · 2024: 17 · 2025: 28 · 2026: 26
Half of the 31 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the electrical problem between 1,000 and 36,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
1,080 complaints in all about the 2021 Tesla Model Y, 26 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Electrical System” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Tesla Model Y electrical problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the electrical system. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
I received delivery of my 2021 Model Y on monday, march 29th. After 12 days of ownership and driving approx. 400 miles, on saturday, april 10th, the vehicle shut down while driving, leaving me stranded in a lane of traffic at night. The following error message appeared on the monitor: 'vehicle shutting down ' pull over safely'.
These are additional comments regarding complaints numbers 11406321, 11406325, and 11406632. According to Tesla documentation, loss of phone key communication should give 2 to 3 minutes drivability to get to a safe stop. There was no statement that I found in that documentation to describe how the driver is notified of the failure.
1.screen froze. When rebooted while driving by pressing both scroll buttons, the screen went black and could not access any information or functions on the screen. Put the car into park to fix the issue but then could not change to drive for a minute because the gear change lever wouldn't respond. 2.
These are additional comments regarding complaints numbers 11406321 and 11406325. Since that time we have had increasingly frequent problems with the phone keys on multiple phones. My suspicion is that the problem I initially reported in case number 11406321 was caused by loss of communication of that phone.
On multiple occasions we have lost communications with the vehicle through the Tesla phone app. The problem exists for three different phones of two different models. We have usually been able to re-establish communications through the Tesla procedures, but not always.
What is on file about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecalls filed under this heading
- 24V153000 MinorFeb 27, 2024 · 6,557 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- 24V051000 MinorJan 30, 2024 · 2,193,869 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
- 23V838000 ModerateDec 12, 2023 · 2,031,220 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature.
- 22V235000 MinorApr 12, 2022 · 594,894 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- 22V063000 MinorFeb 4, 2022 · 578,607 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- 22V045000 MinorFeb 1, 2022 · 817,143 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The audible chime may not activate when the vehicle starts and the driver has not buckled their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
NHTSA investigations
- EA26002 FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditionsopened Mar 18, 2026 · open
- The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system’s ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time …
- PE25012 Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engagedopened Oct 7, 2025 · open
- The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation sy…
- AQ25002 Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirementsopened Aug 20, 2025 · open
- The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to b…
- PE24033 Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.opened Jan 6, 2025 · closed Apr 3, 2026
- On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private prope…
9 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- SB-24-17-005 Service bulletinApr 3, 2025
- On certain Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles, the interior camera requires replacement to mitigate reduced driver attentiveness detection performance in low-light conditions.
The 1 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Other systems with a record on the 2021 Tesla Model Y
Source: the same files- automatic emergency braking problems 846 complaints
- brake problems 182 complaints
- cruise control problems 161 complaints
- steering problems 93 complaints
- lane-keeping problems 93 complaints
- suspension problems 77 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre electrical problems common on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 149 owner complaints naming the electrical system on this model year (14% of everything owners filed about it), and 9 manufacturer bulletins, 6 recalls, 9 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the electrical system on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
Yes — 6 campaigns are filed under this heading: 24V153000, 24V051000, 23V838000, 22V235000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do electrical problems show up on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 2,800 miles; half of them between 1,000 and 36,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Electrical System" heading cover?
Wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.