Tesla Model X Complaints
402 consumer complaints on file.
- #11576369March 9, 2024VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I took delivery of a Tesla Model X Plaid in December. The turn signal and horn buttons on the steering wheel vs. stalks is a major safety concern to me. Finding the buttons, espcially in an emergency situation is next to impossible without looking down to find them. Obviously looking down is the last thing any driver should have to do during an emergency. Please pressure Tesla to do something about this critical safety issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576355March 9, 2024VISIBILITY/WIPER
The new stockless button controls on the Tesla are entirely unsafe. The buttons themselves are extremely unreliable and don't always respond, and the placement on the steering wheel requires you to take your eyes off the road in order to locate the correct button. I was recently driving on the freeway with my wife and kids in the car, it had been raining earlier and the roads were wet. A car in the opposite fast lane hit a puddle which sent wave of water over the center divider. It covered our windshield to the point where I couldn't see. With previous cars, including previous Teslas, it was easy to quickly tap the stalk and engage the wipers, but now with this new button system I had to look down at the steering wheel to find the button to quickly engage the wipers. From the surprisingly blinding wave and the time it took to clear the windshield, I veered into the next lane and almost hit the car next to me. It was an eye-opening experience with a car I've really enjoyed owning. The buttons are terrible, and a deviation from a universal, internationally accepted system that was not broke, did not require fixing, and has created a safety hazard.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576119March 7, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The problem is with the design of the steering wheel. The turn signals are buttons on the left side of the steering wheel, but when you have to signal a turn while on a curve or anytime the steering wheel is not in the original or “home” position it is difficult to signal my turn. And depending on the position of the wheel, the buttons to signal a turn may be upside down or pointing in the wrong direction. Also, the horn is another button and is difficult to reach and find quickly among the other four buttons it is hidden among. The instances I have needed to use the horn to quickly to alert another driver of where I am, I haven’t been able to find the horn button in time. It’s a problem that it isn’t the center of the steering wheel where I instinctively reach for it
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575806March 6, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Every time I put vehicle in reverse, the main screen display which shows vehicles and objects behind and surrounding the vehicle turns almost completely white. I reached out to Tesla and booked a service appointment and was told that the issue I was experiencing was a result of a software upgrade. When I challenged the service advisor to explain how this was an upgrade, he said there was a issue with the software that had been released and that it would improve over time. It has been about two months now and nothing has improved. The safety features of the car when reversing are severely compromised and yet Tesla is unwilling to sort it out.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575507March 5, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The horn is a small button on the steering wheel instead of the larger pad in the center of the steering wheel. When making turns or complex maneuvers the horn is not easily found since the steering device is turning. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575437March 5, 2024STEERING
Steering wheel does not have a center horn button which is a defacto standard on every car. Sounding horn is by a small button on the side of the steering wheel. It would be difficult or slower to sound the horn in an emergency without a central button.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11574797February 29, 2024AIR BAGS
The car was parked on street and when I go inside the car and try to start car first on my tesla screen show alert 7 error after that couple minutes the front passenger airbag is deployed for nor reason I want to let you know the car it’s not involved any accidents or any impact
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11574596February 28, 2024SEATS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The falcon doors (Model X) has sensors that either permit or prohibit safe and prompt exit of the vehicle. Due to the doors being motorized, the rear passenger presses a button to begin to open the doors. In the case where the passenger feels their safety is compromised, or due to a safety hazard where they need to leave the vehicle - both of my doors have been repaired in total, or individually eight times to no resolve. These sensors are intended to detect (using ultrasonic sensors) whether there’s something blocking the door. It will open a quarter of the way, then stop and the passenger must hold the button for several additional seconds in order to further open the doors. Not only is this sensor defect a safety hazard, but also the delay after pressing the button and holding it is increasing the time it takes to safely and promptly exit the vehicle. One final note is that passengers cannot exit the rear doors (Model X) if the vehicle loses power due to not having a physical latch release like the other Tesla models. The right falcon door had this issue prior to taking and upon delivery. The sales person informed me it was common for this issue and blamed it on the interference from nearby vehicles. Even after six or more repairs, the issues continue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11574352February 27, 2024SEAT BELTS
On November 29, 2023, my car indicated there was a "Rear left safety restraint system fault", code RCM2_a160. I've taken it in for service 3 times and Tesla has been unable to identify the issue or correct the issue. I have since sent them documentation under the Texas law and they have not responded. The technician advised me that if someone were to be sitting in the left rear passenger seat and I stopped quickly the seat belt pretension would not engage and the passenger would not be properly restrained. Obviously I can not have anyone sit in that seat safely.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11573092February 21, 2024STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while accelerating up an incline, an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the steering wheel while making right turns. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center where the mechanic informed the contact there was no issue with the vehicle and the noise was normal. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 300.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11572794February 19, 2024SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I continue to experience accelerated severe rear tire wear since my original purchase of this car new in February 2022 on both rear tires (275/45R20). The car has had the alignment specifications confirmed by Tesla. Yet I have had to replace two sets of rear tires in less than 36,000 miles due to the inside edge of both tires being worn through the rubber and into the steel cords of the tires. This last set of tires went ~14,000 miles and still had 5/32" tread depth remaining across all treads. This substantial wear is not readily observed by the vehicle operator without crawling under the car. The wear on these tires is indicative of excessive negative camber settings of the suspension. However, TESLA states the rear suspension alignment is within camber specifications at -2.13 to -2.06 degrees. The tires appear road worthy during a casual walk around of the vehicle. I have been fortunate these tires have not experienced a blow out, which at highway speed could have resulted in loss of control of the vehicle. I have retained both removed rear tires. Repair orders, alignment details and picture of excessively worn tire are attached.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11572610February 18, 2024LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
Tesla Model X all doors are 100% automatic which means that they cannot be manually opened from the outside if the car software is not working. I have been facing a lot of issues with the Falcon doors and to my surprise a lot of other Tesla X users on Reddit face the same issue. So, when you press the open button on your app to open the rear falcon doors it might not open at all and just make a beep sound. It's hard to replicate this issue but I shot a video showing how it happens. This is not the first time that it had happened with my car. I have had this happen multiple times to my car. Every time the service center would simply change the door sensor which would fix the issue but temporarily. I think it a big safety issue as I have 2 toddlers who occupy the rear row in their car seats. I cannot get them out of the car when such issue arises. I have done a workaround to make it work which takes at least 2 minutes to work properly. A lot can go wrong in 2 minutes with kids. This issue happens very randomly and there is no prior warning. Earlier tesla told me that it had to do something with the climate. If it's too hot outside then the door sensors might get fried up, which I think is not completely true. I have heard different explanations from their different technician. Well yesterday when it happened, it was 34F and windy. I was outside of the car in this cold weather trying to get my daughter out of the car and figuring out how to open these damn falcon doors.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11571823February 14, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I would like to report an issue with the Tesla model X, which is present in all but the very most recent versions. The issue is with the horn function, which most would agree is essential for safe and defensive driving, as well as notification and communication while in automobiles. Nearly all vehicles have this function on the steering wheel to be activated with an obtuse press of the center region of the steering wheel or a well-demarcated and palpable (as well as ergonomically placed) button for the thumb on both sides of the wheel. The Tesla model X, and I believe other models as well has a single button press they can just barely be reached with my relatively larger male hands. It is also texturally indistinguishable from the rest of the steering wheel functions. This makes it extremely challenging to activate in an urgent situation. And while the feature can also be activated by pressing your palm on the right side of the steering wheel, the concave shape of this portion means that more often I have activated a different feature of the car, rather than activated, the horn because a more precise hand placement is needed. I have had several near accidents that would have been less close had I been able to more easily reach and activate the horn function. There must be many more people who have suffered injury and property damage or caused such due to this safety issue. It appears they are now manufacturing cars with a more typical center press steering wheel to activate the horn, but this does not solve the issue for the thousands of us stuck with the less safe version.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11571323February 11, 2024STEERING
The touch sensitive horn button on the right side of the steering wheel is dangerous. It cannot be located and used in time to avoid a collision, and may cause an accident by requiring the driver to take eyes off road in order to look down and locate the small half inch area to press in order to engage horn. This is a DANGEROUS design defect I cannot safely operate vehicle without a Center push horn on the wheel. I have asked Tesla for a replacement to a safer steering wheel and they refuse.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11569368February 1, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought a new model X and took delivery on December 23 2023. On January 26, 2024, it stopped working in the middle of the road with 35% battery left. While my wife was driving the vehicle it gave her a sudden warning on the dashboard “pull over safely, vehicle shutting down. Vehicle may not restart.” My wife had no opportunity to pull over and it was in the middle of the road. The car was essentially functionless, she could not activate the hazard lights and became a road hazard. If this were to happen on the highway this could be catastrophic.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568882January 30, 2024FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Ever since a recent software update, when turn signal is activated, right fender camera feed appears on screen but is completely black instead of showing a visual of the right blind spot. Due to this other features such as Autopilot, Automatic Emergency Braking, and likely most of the ADAS functions are also disabled. Due to the vehicle's poor natural visibility, there is a high reliance on the camera systems functioning properly. Not having a blind spot camera endangers turns and lane changes, especially if one has become accustomed to their usage. With most if not all the ADAS features disabled, we are returning to a 1990's level of auto safety. The problem remains unresolved despite a recent 2 week stint in Tesla service. Since this is most likely a software issue (possibly a regression introduced with the recent rear camera recall fix) there is no recourse except for Tesla to issue a bug fix. The car was returned to me without resolution. I'm not the only party experiencing this problem. It seems the only constant is it's a problem with the fender cameras however whether it's the right or left side is variable. See this Reddit discussion: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568723January 30, 2024FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
It have come to my attention by Tesla that NHTSA instructed Tesla to disabled auto steering for a week time, unlike in the past that it would be disabled for the rest of the drive, we have a 2023 Mercedes eqs with same system and had other cars in the past with this system, this does not exist in any other car manufacturer and you did not instruct any other manufacturers to suspend the system for a whole week if unattended, this is a gross discrimination against Tesla and grounds for a lawsuit for discrimination
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568157January 27, 2024STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
23V-838 This recall made my car less safe, you should not have forced this change on my car I do not like it. It makes the car unsafe
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567971January 26, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla moved the horn activation from the center of the steering wheel to a tiny button. This is extremely dangerous as the horn often needs to be activated very quickly. The reflex move is to hit the center of the steering wheel but now I am required to look down and find the tiny button to press with my thumb. There have been numerous times that I have not been able to activate the horn in time and have had near collisions as a result of not being able to wan the other driver. This needs to be moved back to the steering wheel center.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567841January 25, 2024POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving the car in stop-and-go traffic on a city street. After another stop, the car in front of me started moving. I pressed on the accelerator with the usual force, but my car took off like crazy. I pressed on the breaks, but the car didn't seem to respond to the brake pedal and ran into a car in front of me. Automatic emergency breaking system didn't engage as well. Luckily, nobody was injured. Had there been any pedestrians crossing the street, they would have been badly injured or killed. This uncontrolled response from the car is very dangerous and I cannot trust it anymore. As a result of this accident, the car in front suffered damage in the amount of a few thousand USD, and my Tesla Model X - $40k.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0