2021 Tesla Model Y automatic emergency braking problems
846 of the 1,080 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Tesla Model Y name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). Filed under the same heading: 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation. 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 automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA complaint database42 of the 846 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 7 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 1 · 2021: 98 · 2022: 577 · 2023: 95 · 2024: 28 · 2025: 18 · 2026: 29
Half of the 26 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 2,000 and 12,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
1,080 complaints in all about the 2021 Tesla Model Y, 29 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 “Forward Collision Avoidance” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Tesla Model Y automatic emergency braking problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Since purchasing the car less than a month ago, there have been over 100 phantom braking events while using cruise control. The vehicle will suddenly SLAM on the brakes with no apparent reason, even when there are semi trucks following closely behind.
I was driving in cruise control at the posted speed limit of 80mph. The conditions were dry and sunny. Without warning the car braked hard and decelerated from 80mph to 69mph in less than a second. The braking was so violent, my head snapped forward and I almost lost control of the car.
My car brakes for no apparent reason when cruis control is active of autopilot. Sometime it is about sometimes it is gradual. In one instance on the interstate at 75mph it took me down to 50 befor I could hit the accelerator petal to make it continue. This is a hazard for drivers around me.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would slow down without warning while using the smart cruise control feature. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure.
This 2021 Tesla Model Y struck and killed a motorist who was outside of his disabled vehicle with the hazard flashers functioning on the motorist's vehicle. I represent the wife of the deceased. You are already investigating this accident as part of a larger investigation. See article below.
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 21V846000 HighOct 29, 2021 · 11,728 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
NHTSA investigation
- PE22002 Unexpected Brake Activationopened Feb 16, 2022 · closed Jun 29, 2026
- On February 16, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22002) to investigate reports of unexpected deceleration while driving with the adaptive cruise control system engaged in Model Year (MY) 2021 – 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla. The subject systems include Autopilot (all versions), Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Traffic Aware Cru…
Other systems with a record on the 2021 Tesla Model Y
Source: the same files- brake problems 182 complaints
- cruise control problems 161 complaints
- electrical problems 149 complaints
- steering problems 93 complaints
- lane-keeping problems 93 complaints
- suspension problems 77 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 846 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (78% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation 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 automatic emergency braking on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 21V846000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 4,000 miles; half of them between 2,000 and 12,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Forward Collision Avoidance" heading cover?
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.