There are 9 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2017 Tesla Model Xin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
While driving CA-17, as is frequently the case, I had to disengage automatic steering several times to correct its poor lane keeping. Much to my surprise, the vehicle stopped maintaining speed, creating a dangerous situation with vehicles behind me as the uphill road caused the vehicle to rapidly decelerate the second I turned the wheel. After experimentation, I discovered that Tesla has completely removed cruise control capabilities from these vehicles unless you completely disable the FSD beta functionality, which makes this vehicle highly unsafe to drive in any environment where autosteer is inadequate, including CA-17. Further, this isn't just unsafe on weird highways. This poor decision on Tesla's part could very easily cause rear-end collisions on freeways. Nobody in their right minds would expect a vehicle to suddenly massively decelerate just because you correct its poor steering. This is just plain DANGEROUS. This so-called "Full Self Driving (Supervised)" version needs to be recalled immediately, and Tesla MUST be forced to make cruise control fallback available regardless of the FSD state. Until they do, it is fundamentally unsafe to allow Tesla vehicles to remain on public highways and freeways with FSD (Supervised) enabled.
This issue most likely plagued our Model X during it's original factory warranty based on the class action, NTHSA inquiry, and NTHSA and Tesla recall for the same issue which affects Model X buil between 2016 and 201. These are the things we have personally experienced 12 times over our short ownership, 6 times these nearly caused accidents - this catastrophic malfunction has occurred (on average) once every 500 miles during our ownership: Primary driving instrument and safety info screen (small screen/driver dash screen) and larger infotainment screen BOTH: Freeze, “lock up” or “go blank” Turn black (an issue known by some drivers as “the black screen of death”) Fail to turn on Repeatedly reboot Display a “touchscreen unresponsive” message Stop working completely Otherwise malfunction These issues generally occurred at the worst possible times, most likely when the deficiently designed computer was over taxed (night, weather, traffic, cold - though it also occurred twice under basic conditions). Each time, it was absolutely disorienting and results in a hazard for driver, occupants, and people/property around the malfunctioning vehicle. Class action info - https://www.classaction.org/tesla-s-x-touchscreen-mcu-problems-lawsuits NHTSA investigation: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2020/INRM-EA20003-11321.pdf NHTSA and Tesla Recall - https://www.classaction.org/media/tesla-touchscreen-recall-notice.pdf Tesla has failed to repair this issue over the past 6 months. I requested they repair, replace, or repurchase per my owner's rights. Tesla now refuses to repair and negligently states that I must pick up the faulty and unsafe vehicle. They are in breach of their warranty and recall obligations.
The car, while "autopilot is engaged" will slam on the brakes on the highway for no reason. It is extremely scary and happens frequently.
At 1:10 pm on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 we were travelling SB on I-5 near Longview, WA. The day was clear and dry. We were in Lane 2 of a 3-lane stretch of interstate. There were no vehicles in either lane right next to us; a semi-truck was in Lane 1 (outside lane) several car lengths in front of us; a passenger car was 1-2 car lengths behind us in the same lane as us (Lane 2). No overpasses, trees, or any other discernable distractions were present. We were travelling at 70 mph on cruise control. With no warning, the car braked suddenly in an effort to bring the car to a full stop. Fortunately, the driver directly behind us was paying attention and was able to swerve into Lane 3 to avoid rear-ending us. I was able to bring my car into the Tesla location in Lynnwood, WA for service on November 12, 2021 to have the issue checked. While in for service, I did some research on the issue and found blogs dating to 2018 about "phantom braking"; I determined this described our situation. When I collected the car, the service tech said they were unable to replicate the issue and therefore, were not able to establish a problem to correct. I inquired if they knew about a phantom braking issue; they indicated that Telsa had heard of it and was working on a "fix" but there was no known timeline for the "fix". I have not used the cruise control feature in my car since 11/10/21 and will not because of the significant safety concern. Tesla need to be MADE to make this safety issue a priority to correct. If Musk's team can build a rocket and send it to space, they certainly can correct a cruise control issue.
Repeated violations of autopilot safety systems has forced Tesla to activate in cabin cameras to be used as an additional safety device for driver monitoring. Not all vehicles have in cabin cameras and should be installed for increased safety concerns
The contact's wife owns a 2017 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while his wife was driving at slow speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated, without warning. The contact's wife forcefully applied pressure on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle resumed regular driving after the failure and proceeded to drive at slow speeds. As the contact's wife approached the driveway to park the vehicle in the garage, the same failure recurred without warning. The contact slammed on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that a diagnostic would be performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
ON AUG 4, 2018, IN VENTURA, CA, AT ABOUT 2:30 PM I WAS DRIVING A PASSENGER TO A MEDICAL CLINIC IN A RENTED TESLA MODEL X. AS I WAS PULLING INTO THE PARKING SPACE THE TESLA RAPIDLY ACCELERATED FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. SURPRISED AND SCARED I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL AS HARD AS I COULD AND PRESSED ON THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR TO AVOID THE BUILDING IN FRONT OF ME. EVEN WITH MY EFFORTS OF STOPPING, THE CAR WENT OVER THE CURB ONTO THE SIDEWALK AND THEN OVER A LOW CEMENT WALL AND FINALLY STOPPED NEXT TO THE BUILDING. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE CEMENT WALL, THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL WELL AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE CAR. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. IF I HADN'T AVOIDED HITTING THE BUILDING OR IF A PERSON HAD BEEN WALKING OR STANDING IN FRONT OF ME ON THE SIDEWALK SOMEONE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN INJURED. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND THERE WAS AN INCIDENT REPORT.
THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE ALARMING NUMBER OF INSTANCES OF UNINTENDED SUDDEN ACCELERATION INVOLVING TESLAS. I BELIEVE THE FOLLOWING IS EXTREMELY RELEVANT. ** THIS COMMENT ON THE TESLAMOTORSCLUB RAISES A VERY GOOD POINT. MARK_T, 7 MINUTES AGO I STILL THINK THIS ALL COMES DOWN TO HOW MUCH MUSCLE MEMORY YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH... IF YOU'VE BEEN DRIVING ICE AUTOS FOR YEARS THEN YOU DO ALL YOUR LOW SPEED MANOEUVRES WITH YOUR FOOT FEATHERING THE BRAKE AND YOUR 'SAFETY' REACTION IS TO PRESS HARD ON THE BREAK PEDAL. WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT ENDS IF YOU FORGET YOU HAVE CREEP OFF AND YOU ARE IN AN EV WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE 'GO' PEDAL... :) SAME GOES FOR ANY UNEXPECTED OBSTACLE CAUSING A SUDDEN STOP, INERTIA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE PEDAL PRESSURE... ENTIRELY SAFE IF YOUR FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE, BUT NOT IF YOUR FOOT IS ON THE 'GAS'... LUCKYJ, 2 MINUTES AGO YEAH, I'M WITH YOU ON THIS. I'VE DRIVEN A MANUAL ALL MY LIFE UNTIL I GOT A TESLA. SOMETIMES I WISH THE SIGNIFICANT BRAKING THAT CAN COME FROM REGEN WOULD BE RESTRICTED TO WHEN I ACTUALLY PRESS THE BRAKE. I THINK THE "ONE PEDAL" CONCEPT IS NOT GOOD FOR MOST FOLKS. MAYBE EVEN NOT GOOD FOR ANYONE.*** PLEASE CONSIDER THIS. CONCERNED CITIZEN.
I WAS PARKING WHEN I FELT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATE AND JUMP THE CURB, SMASHING THROUGH THE FRONT WINDOWS/DOOR OF A BUSINESS.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026