2021 TESLA MODEL Y — Complaint #1904036
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY:VEHICLE CONTROLS:BRAKING filed June 22, 2023
NHTSA complaint #1904036 (ODI reference 11528331) concerns a 2021 TESLA MODEL Y and was filed on June 22, 2023. The owner reports the failure occurred on June 7, 2023. The vehicle had 40,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Florida based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as equipment adaptive/mobility:vehicle controls:braking, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 1, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same TESLA MODEL Y cohort independently describe similar equipment adaptive/mobility:vehicle controls:braking failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2021 TESLA MODEL Y shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle hydroplaned shortly after he merged into another lane. The contact stated that he left his foot off the throttle in an effort to not lose control of the vehicle; however, the vehicle's automated regenerative braking feature engaged and the vehicle drifted at a 90-degree angle. In an attempt to avoid hitting another vehicle, the contact hit a concrete barrier. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact suffered neck pain and a gash to his right arm but did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1904036 |
| ODI Number | 11528331 |
| Date Filed | June 22, 2023 |
| Failure Date | June 7, 2023 |
| VIN | 5YJYGDEE9MF |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.