2017 Tesla Model X Steering Problems

The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to control and was pulling to one side, almost causing a crash with another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer test drove the vehicle and the failure reoccurred, and the dealer deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred shortly after the stabilizer arm and toe link were repaired. The contact also stated that a mobile message indicated that the I-shaft had failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,340.

Repeat catastrophic steering failure on 2017 Model X (VIN [XXX] ). Steering wheel spins freely with zero connection to the wheels (complete mechanical disconnect). This is the third steering-system repair in under 12 months. • April 8, 2025: Lower intermediate shaft replaced (still inside 12-month parts warranty). Invoice does NOT list ‘shielded’ or part 1027851-00-A. • Current failure now requires full steering rack (1070801-00-F) + module + severed cable. Current estimate DOES list shielded I-shaft (1027851-00-A). Tesla claims the April repair used the ‘most updated’ part and that TSB SB-20-32-004 did not apply to my VIN. This contradicts the invoices and the TSB itself (which covers 2015–2020 Model X). Tesla previously admitted they cannot rule out a connection to the prior repair and that this severity is something they have "never seen." Safety risk: Could have occurred on highway with loss of vehicle control. Tesla has denied goodwill. Attached: All invoices, estimates. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I experienced a total steering lockup and loss of vehicle control immediately following a steering column and suspension repair at a certified Tesla service center at [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The electronic power steering (EPS) is struggling, requiring increased driver effort to steer. This seems to be dangerous when driving. The Full Self Driving (FSD) capability also stops abruptly when the steering locks up. Again, this is very risky and can cause serious accidents. I see that several owners have posted on social media about this same issue. Note, that there were recalls issued related to corroded steering bolts for Tesla Model X built up till November 2016. My car is built in 2017.

Power Steering Assist stopped working while on the road. A couple days later, power steering stopped working completely.

The power steering failed sporadically and it could return to normal state after power off/reset or the errors could be latch on for days. When the power steering reduced errors message occur, the steering wheel is too heavy for any turn, we lost steering and went over to the opposite lanes (fortunately there was no on coming traffic). The car needed a tow to the service centre.

When I started my car this morning it was very hard to return the wheel to center after full turns. The wheel is sticking in turn position and requires a lot of muscle to turn. It is unsafe to drive and power steering didn’t return after reboot.

Tesla has failed to update the software on the car as per the recall notice. Tesla is requesting me to pay 2500$ to upgrade the hardware so they can update the recall hardware. I had reached out to Tesla more than three different times and been waiting for more than 4 months for Tesla to provide the resolution for recall which Tesla has failed to provide as yet t no cost. This is a major safely concerns and due to this I am afraid to drive this car.

The steering has squeaking noise and cause the car every hard to turn. when trying to turning the car, the steering wheel will cause the car go another direction. This issue seems on tesla forums. I replaced control arms in august 2022 and I replaced again in April 2024.

The universal joint is stiff and turning vehicle is more difficult than normal

Power steering issue

This part was recalled on older tesla model x. This seems to be an issue on my 2017 model as well and should be part of an extended model year recall. The Lower Steering Column I-Shaft is corroded resulting in extremely difficult to steer which could result in a severe accident and fatalities. This was recognized in a previous recall of older model years and this recall should be extended to newer model years. SB-20-32-004 Page 1 of 3 _ Tesla, Inc. Service Bulletin Inspect Lower Steering Column I-Shaft Operation SB-20-32-004 June 17, 2020 Classification Section/Group Mobile Service Repair Bulletin 32 - Steering Model S RWD only Model Year Model Country/Region Version 2015 - 2020 Model S, Model X North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa All The model(s) and model year(s) listed are a general approximation of the affected VIN list. Refer to the VIN/Bulletin Tracker or Customer/Vehicle profile to determine applicability of this bulletin for a particular vehicle. Repair Bulletin: This repair bulletin provides instructions on addressing a noted condition or possible customer concern regarding the operation of Tesla vehicles. These instructions should only be performed by trained professionals. Condition Some Model S and Model X vehicles might exhibit stiff steering due to corrosion at the lower steering column I-shaft U-joint. Model X Steering Assist Motor Bolt Recall Tesla has decided to proactively retrofit a power steering component in some Model X vehicles. This voluntary recall applies to most Model X vehicles built before mid-October 2016.

My steering feels as though it suddenly loses power steering for some portions of wheel turn. It was really dangerous when my wife was driving, since she had a really hard time turning the steering wheel. She called me and I drove it home and eventually determined the issue. The U Joint that is part of the steering mechanism open to the elements and has collected gunk and rusted. Tesla has re-engineered this part to be protected, presumably due to this issue. The suddenness in which this occurred is what makes this dangerous. One day the steering worked perfectly fine and the next it was very challenging to steer.

The intermediate shaft - steering column is a design defect on these cars. A service bulletin has been issued (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10177030-9999.pdf) but that is insufficient. This is a critical safety issue which could lead the driver to lose control of the vehicle. It felt like losing power steering and it required a lot of force to maintain steering control. Other owners have experienced this issue and posted their experience here: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/steering-u-joint-lower-shaft-issue-and-my-solution-so-far.212604/. Tesla has since redesigned this part with a CV boot to prevent corrosion and degradation of this critical joint. It is clear that the original design was flawed and all should be replaced immediately.

The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a left or right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the steering wheel intermittently performed as designed while driving straight. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,881.

When exiting an on-ramp on a freeway, the car suddenly veered to the left on its own, almost colliding into another vehicle. There was no dangerous activity nor any stopped cars anywhere around the car.

Without warning, my steering became extremely rigid. I did not receive any indicators on the dash to suggest there was a mechanical/electrical issue prior to this incident occurring and only found out while trying to make a turn at a T-intersection. Turning my vehicle at low speeds requires two hands - it's so difficult my wife will not drive the Tesla after almost crashing into a ditch. I've researched the issue and found that Tesla recalled 2016 and earlier Model X vehicles for steering issues. I've requested a diagnosis and repair from Tesla given this extremely unsafe steering failure. Unfortunately Tesla does not offer priority to safety related failures and my appointment was set out about three weeks. As of today's date, I still have a vehicle in my garage that is unsafe to drive due to this steering component failure and my appointment with Tesla in Raleigh isn't until November 3, 2022 at 8:15 am. My current mileage is 57,637. I'm willing to make the vehicle available for inspection, if needed, but it will have to be before the scheduled appointment as I need this vehicle fixed due to it being a primary family vehicle. I do have message between myself and Tesla but cannot upload them here. Thank you.

The car had no identifiable steering issues prior to this incident. On Saturday 7/16/2022 during a short, low-speed drive, steering effort suddenly became much higher during a turn, resulting in a near-miss. The steering would no longer self-center after a turn, and the vehicle was quite difficult to control in turns, requiring large turning force and with limited precision due to the force required to overcome the stiffness. Straight line driving was still relatively easy. Tesla repaired the vehicle three days later and retained the parts. The problem was described on the work order as 'Technician diagnosed the lower intermediate steering shaft joint was seized causing intermittent stiffness at certain degree of turn. Technician replaced the lower intermediate shaft and verified steering wheel is turning normally again.' The vehicle is now steering normally again after the part replacement. There are several threads on the Tesla Motors Club forum about others experiencing similar issues with the same part. The replaced part has a -A suffix indicating it has been revised. Others may yet experience this same dangerous failure of the original part if it has a design fault that Tesla corrected.

The steering, over three days has rapidly deteriorated. Working the steering wheel between +/- 15 degrees is fine. At 45 and 90 degrees there is significant resistance to turning. I believe the 2017 model is also prone to intermediate shaft U-joint failure.

Starting on May 5, 2022, my car has been plagued with numerous errors messages that stated multiple features of my car were malfunctioning/disabled, both while I first got into the car, and also occurring suddenly without any warning while the car was IN MOTION on the road. This included loss of power steering, traction control, stability control, parking brake, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure avoidance . The same problem(loss of all these vital features) has recurred many times on May 22nd, May 31st, July 8th, and most recently, September 14th. Each time I brought the car in to the Tesla service center, they would have absolutely no idea what was causing the same exact issues. At the very first visit, they stated the incorrect-sized tires were likely the culprit. Even after the correct sized tires were put on, the same problems returned weeks later. Another time they replaced the MCU, but again the problem returned. Every time I brought the car in, they would basically return the car with no definitive repairs done as by the time they started working on my car, all the errors had disappeared, and they would declare the car as being "fixed". After 5 visits for the SAME EXACT problem over the past 5 months, it is extremely clear that Tesla has no idea what is wrong with the car, and keeps returning the car to me without permanently solving the problem. At this point, I feel this car should not be on the road as I could lose vital controls(power steering, brakes, etc) all of a sudden with no warning, exposing the passengers inside, and all vehicles and pedestrians around it to serious, life-threatening danger. Despite this grave risk, Tesla has refused to buy the car back even though it still has an active factory warranty, claiming that it is past the two-year buy-back window, and the fact that it already has a lemon title(for a completely different issue) from 2019. It is just a matter of time before a serious accident happens.