2021 Tesla Model Y Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 161 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2021 Tesla Model Y, 15% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 524 miles. The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (55% of reports).
- 161vehicle speed control complaints
- 524median miles at failure
- 19mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 92%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Cruise control: mentioned in 89 of 161 complaints (55%)
- Phantom braking: mentioned in 41 of 161 complaints (25%)
- Rear ended: mentioned in 20 of 161 complaints (12%)
- Auto pilot: mentioned in 10 of 161 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 9 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 161 complaints, 19 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 5 an injury.
Tesla Model Y vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model Y | 33 | 8% | 4,950 |
| 2025 Model Y | 10 | 9% | 7,213 |
| 2024 Model Y | 37 | 11% | 13,133 |
| 2023 Model Y | 167 | 14% | 5,000 |
| 2022 Model Y | 140 | 16% | 5,000 |
| 2021 Model Y | 161 | 15% | 524 |
| 2020 Model Y | 37 | 13% | 900 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists vehicle speed control for the 2021 Tesla Model Y. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
On September 23, 2026, the vehicle was being driven at low speed when the driver experienced sudden and unexpected acceleration. The vehicle rapidly accelerated and a collision occurred. The driver reports that she did not intentionally accelerate the vehicle to this degree. Vehicle data and the…
I own a 2021 Tesla Model Y with an HW3 car computer. At approximately 54,000 miles, the vehicle developed intermittent failures of the cameras, GPS/navigation, and cruise control. On two occasions during the same routine drive, about 40 minutes into the trip, the GPS, cameras, and cruise control…
Separately, the system could not hold a consistent speed on open highway with no vehicle ahead. It would surge from a set 70 mph to roughly 72-73 mph and then drop back, repeatedly, producing a pulsing acceleration and deceleration. The system also hesitated frequently and issued repeated audible…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2021 Tesla Model Ys have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 161 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 2021 Tesla Model Y (15% of the 1,089 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 524 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2021 Tesla Model Y?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 89 of 161 complaints, followed by “phantom braking” (41).
Other 2021 Tesla Model Y problems
See all 2021 Tesla Model Y problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Model Y years.