MODELYEARINDEX

Which Tesla Model Y years to avoid

Across 2 scored model years, the 2021 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Tesla Model Y Full report
F
Grade 2020–2021
2021 vs model median 1.5×
Model median3× median
Driver Assist 909
Brakes 175
Speed Control 152
Avoid

2021

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2020
0.45× 409 C
2021
1.55× 1,763 F
2022 P
1.42× 1,563 F
2023 P
2.00× 1,957 F
2024 P
0.70× 575 C
2025 P
0.25× 182 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2020 C 409 reports · median 3,000 mi

  1. Driver Assist 157

    We recently purchase tesla model y on 29th september 2020. We notice more than twice while driving model y on freeway at 65mph and the car decided to randomly slam the braked (panthom braking) while in autopilot in… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 34

    Went to see an eye dr, try to get to a parking spot which there were a whole row of empty parking spaces. As I turned into the parking spot it suddenly accelerated over the curb, I then applied the brake but still keep… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Speed Control 34

    I was slowly pulling the tesla model y, VIN #[xxx], on tuesday morning, september 1, at approximately 11:15am. I was about 3 feet from the front of the garage when the car without my prompting suddenly rapidly… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

85 crash · 36 injuries

2021 F 1,763 reports · median 4,000 mi

  1. Driver Assist 909

    Vehicle made a sudden right turn when it was on auto pilot and because of that there are minor cosmetic damages to wheel and tire. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 175

    When the gas pedal is released at speeds greater than 15mph, the regenerative breaking system is engaged to such a degree that the tires break traction when driving on slippery surface like snow or ice. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Speed Control 152

    The contact owns a 2021 tesla model y. The contact stated that while attempting to park into a parking space at a very slow speed the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

166 crash · 13 fire · 47 injuries

The best year for the Model Y

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Model Y model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 63.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.45× 409 C
2021 1.55× 1,763 F

Recalls

35 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
24V051000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2020–2024 2,193,869
23V838000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING:SOFTWARE 2020–2023 2,031,220
24V554000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH 2020–2024 1,849,638
22V702000 VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS 2020–2022 1,096,762
22V045000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2020–2022 817,143
24V935000 TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS 2020–2025 696,281
22V235000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2020–2022 594,894
22V063000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2020–2022 578,607
25V092000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2023 376,241
23V085000 STEERING:AUTOMATED/ADAPTIVE STEERING 2020–2023 362,758
22V844000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS 2020–2023 321,628
25V002000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2023–2025 239,382

+ 23 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 4,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Tesla Model Y years should you avoid?
2021 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Tesla Model Y model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Tesla Model Y?
2020 is the best-scoring Tesla Model Y model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 63.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Tesla Model Y have?
35 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Tesla Model Y model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Model Y
Complaints in window
1,763
Severity-weighted
2,387
Model median (weighted)
1,542
vs model median
1.55×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
22
Open investigations
7
Score 36.3 F