2023 Tesla Model X Complaint Log

The horn button on the steering wheel is not mechanical and is located outside of the center steering wheel location. This poses a serious risk to driving as the horn button is very difficult to reach when turning the steering wheel.

On Oct 2, 2024 while going to school to pick the kids, when my wife was turning right into a parking lot after slowing, my Tesla Model X plaid car acceralated and went into high speed (plaid mode) hitting a tree at top speed even though brakes were applied. Upon research, this looks like sudden unintended accerelation. The car luckily hit the tree on the passenger side and the front right wheel flew to the back seat and all air bags were deployed. The car was totaled. Miracleously, she had minor external injuries but due to the speed of impact with the tree, she was flung forward and after the CT scan, we found that she had VAD with severe damage to both her neck arteries. She was taken to hospital in an ambulance, had a surgery and still has trauma and medical appointments to fully recover. In Mar 2024, there was always a software problem with My car failing to detect the car was open and hit the garage roof with the falcon wing. On another occasion, the car failed to detect my other car when it was too close to it and I had to apply the brakes although the car was to stop automatically. Tesla refused to treat this as warranty even though the car should not move when doors are open. After 6 months, I ended up fixing the car at a Tesla collision centre. After multiple follow ups via email, chats on tesla app and phone calls post the accident on Oct 2, 2024 with Tesla pleading with them to provide the EDR report and address the issue as warranty and not hearing back, I am logging this so that customers are aware of this dangerous flaw that can be fatal. It looks like Tesla wants to delay the case for long so that they can force the customer to accept a low settlement. I was also planning to buy a cyberbeast but not going to anymore.

After messaging Tesla due to noise and vibration, they reviewed the videos sent and preliminarily diagnosed the issue a control arm problem. They then stated that instead of having it assessed to determine the extent of the problem, that it was ok to drive and to wait 39 days in order for the problem to be assessed. I attempted to call Tesla they continually put me on hold for extended times up to 1 hour long without speaking to anyone. They state the manager call but none has called to follow up. I do not feel like driving with control arm issues is safe without having the car formally assessed. It is unclear why Tesla is pushing back on this. Waiting 39 days for this is unacceptable.

Regarding the horn location on the steering wheel: When the steering wheel is not straight, it's difficult to locate the horn button without looking down. It isn't even a physical button. The driver has to use the finger tip to feel for it. In an emergency, there's no time for this. There have been numerous near-miss accidents due to the need to look down to find the horn button. It's purely luck that we haven't had a serious accident. The horn's position is both ridiculous and dangerous. Some Tesla owners have complained to the NHTSA about the horn's location. Tesla company told me that they couldn't change to horn button to the center where the airbag is just like the rest of the world. This is a matter of saving lives. They refuse to make any correction.

The steering wheel horn is a small button on the side rather than on the middle of the steering wheel. Because of this, in an emergency where I was about to be hit in a T-bone vehicle accident, I tried to hit the horn to alert the other driver but was not successful in doing so. I find it dangerous to not have the horn available on the middle of the steering wheel, or at minimum a more easily accessible button.

2023 Tesla Model X repeatedly and frequently provides distracting false lane departure warning. A sudden loud noise is generated and the display flashes red. However there is no lane departure occurring when this warning is being generated. Has happened over 20 times in the last 2 to 3 months. Display additionally states "corrective steering applied", however there is no force in the steering wheel. Tesla states this is by design.

The horn placement on the steering wheel is on the side as a haptic touch button and not in the center of the steering wheel as an airbag horn switch, probably the only car and model with such button. It puts everyones safety at risk. If somebody is trying to make a bad merge into my lane and i have to honk in emergency , the hand by intuition goes to the center of steering wheel. Even if the hand goes to the side, because of emergency maneauver several buttons get pressed resulting in loss of precious time for me or the other driver to maneuver out of the lane, This happened with me today and i narrowly escaped the accident. This needs to be fixed ASAP before any bad thing happens with someone.

The horn on this vehicle is a tiny haptic button on the right side of the steering wheel instead of being a large (or multiple) big real buttons in the middle of the wheel. This is a glaring safety issue because it's very difficult to find. The difficulty compounds when under stress or when turning the wheel tightly in a parking lot. At that point it's almost impossible to find the button. Before purchase Tesla told me that I'd be able to swap this steering wheel out for an updated one with a practical horn for $250. I've contacted Tesla monthly for almost a year and I keep getting the same run-around --- that they are not currently allowing the swap.

HORN BUTTON PLACEMENT ON STEERING WHEEL IS EXTREMELY SMALL AND NOT ON THE CENTER OF THE STEERING WHEEL. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FIND AND ACTIVATE IN AN EMERGENCY. ALSO HAARD TO PINPOINT WHILE TURNING.

Recurring front passenger safety restraint system fault that Tesla cannot permanently repair despite 4 service attempts over 16 months. ISSUE: Vehicle intermittently displays "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault - Service Required" with persistent warning chimes and airbag warning indicator. Occurs with and without passenger present. Causes significant stress/anxiety and erodes confidence in restraint system reliability during a collision. REPAIR HISTORY (all under warranty): [XXX] (30,638 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Connector grease treatment. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (32,399 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Replaced Restraint Control Module. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (36,106 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Pin retention repair. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (43,204 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Harness tension adjustment. Recurred late Nov 2025. CURRENT STATUS: Fault resurfaced 5th time. Service appointment scheduled ~Dec 14, 2025. Vehicle at ~48,000 miles, approaching 50,000-mile warranty limit. PATTERN: Each repair temporarily resolves issue, but fault consistently returns after 2-4 weeks. Tesla unable to identify root cause despite multiple different repair approaches. ADDITIONAL: Original owner. Also had driver-side restraint wiring repaired Feb 2024 (23,310 mi). Issue may relate to known Tesla restraint system concerns. Requesting NHTSA review whether this pattern warrants investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Unable to locate the touch area for the horn in an emergency situation. A couple of times I had a vehicle backing into me, and could not find the horn. In an emergency situation, you need to keep your eyes on the object and not be looking around the steering column where to touch. After dark, it is totally impossible to find. I find it to be a significant safety concern. Now that Tesla is finally releasing ‘24 model X with the center horn I personally think Tesla should replace non-center horns/wheels at no charge if customer desires. Thank you for your assistance in this manner to create a recall.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while stopped at the driveway and waiting for the gate to open, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated, struck the gate, and came to a stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

The trim surrounding my two front wheels, as well as part of the trim on my rear passenger-side tire, popped completely off of the vehicle while driving through a typical rain storm in Central Florida. That is a total of three pieces ejected during the normal course of driving. Part of the trim on the driver's side was protruding, but seems to have snapped back into place. There wasn't a lot of wind, visibility wasn't that poor. Other vehicles had slowed down, as did we, but it was not an abnormally strong storm from our observation. I didn't see any other vehicles we encountered shedding parts like I was. We didn't hydroplane at any point during the drive. The following day, Monday [XXX], I drove down the same road and retrieved the front passenger side piece of trim off of a sidewalk; I failed to locate the other two pieces. I believe this is a safety issue if parts of my vehicle can pop off during a simple rain storm, something that occurs nearly daily during the Summer where I live. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I’m writing to formally report a persistent issue with Tesla’s air conditioning system. Despite repairs performed last year and reassurances that a software update would resolve the issue, my AC still fails to cool so regularly temperature staying above 100. Today, while driving, the interior temperature reached 102°F, making it unsafe and extremely uncomfortable driving with kids on back seat.

Horn placement on steering wheel is a small button to the right of the airbag, which is difficult to engage, rather than in the center like nearly all vehicles for the last 50 years. I have had several incidents where I need to use the horn to warn another driver and rarely can find it when needed. Very dangerous and I feel lucky it hasn’t resulted in an accident.

My Tesla vehicle is equipped with a yoke (instead of a steering wheel), and a small button for the horn on it. Last week while making a (legal) u-turn, another vehicle suddenly entered my lane. I tried to honk the horn to alert the driver, but given the awkward position of the yoke (in the middle of the u-turn) and off-center placement of the horn button, my hands could not find the horn button and I was unable to honk the horn in time. I came a few inches away from hitting the vehicle and sustaining thousands of dollars in damages. The placement of the horn button on the yoke is a serious safety issue, especially in such situations. I would like Tesla to replace it with a standard steering wheel with a horn in the middle.

Placing the turn signal 'buttons' on the steering wheel makes them impossible to use when the wheel is not centered. While driving parking lots and roads with immediate left/right turns and or intersections it is impossible properly signal while driving this vehicle in it's current condition. By not being able to signal, it increases the likelihood of a collision.

In dense rush hour traffic at approximately 7:20pm EST [XXX], a bus started merging in my lane just on my side on [XXX] . The horn in the 2023 Tesla Model X is a tiny button located in proximity of the right hand scroll button on the wheel right spoke. It’s difficult to hit in an emergency and in attempt to signal the bus I probably hit the scroll wheel several times instead. Pressing the scroll wheel once activates the autopilot (“full self driving” in my case). The car shook and lurched likely due to the conflicting inputs of activating autopilot and braking (my guess) or for some other reason. The location of the horn as a tiny button on the steering wheel close to other buttons affecting the car steering response is extremely dangerous. I failed to signal the bus and I almost crashed my vehicle in confusion of the wheel shaking response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Hello, this is a complain for the placement of the horn on the 2023 Tesla Model X. The horn is a button on the side of the steering wheel and it is very hard to use especially when the wheel is turned. I almost got into an accident because I couldn't honk and alert the other driver in time.

The 2023 Model X is not equipped with a real horn, only a button on the side of the wheel. Yesterday someone veered into my lane and I was unable to find the button in time almost causing a collision. It's idiotic that they were allowed to not include a physical horn. The 2024 model year fixed this but they offer no free retrofit.

Description of the Problem: Component/System Failure: On [XXX], while using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature of my Tesla Model X, the vehicle experienced severe phantom braking and unexpectedly veered off the road near Rio Vista, Antioch, CA. The failure appears to be related to the FSD system, braking, and steering. The vehicle is currently in Tesla’s possession and available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Safety Risk: The malfunction put my safety and the safety of others at significant risk. The sudden phantom braking and veering off the road could have caused a serious accident. Fortunately, there were no immediate external damages or injuries, but the incident highlighted a critical safety failure. Reproduction/Confirmation: The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by an independent service center. Tesla has had the vehicle for over three weeks, claiming to conduct a diagnostic check, but has not communicated any findings. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla, but no results have been shared. No inspections have been conducted by the police or insurance representatives as there was no collision or external damage. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The incident occurred suddenly and without prior indication of a malfunction. Summary: The incident highlights a severe malfunction in the Full Self-Driving system of my Tesla Model X, posing significant safety risks. Tesla’s lack of communication and failure to provide a loaner vehicle during the extended diagnostic period is unacceptable. I am requesting NHTSA’s assistance in addressing this safety concern and ensuring a thorough investigation.

Safety hazard / concern over Horn Button on steering wheel as well as Turn Signal buttons. Not having a center horn has been challenging and dangerous as instinct is to press the center of the wheel and not look for the horn button in quick road hazard situations, merging traffic, etc.

It has been hard for me to signal right and left in a timely manner due to the fact that the turn signal stall has been replaced with two buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. To make this new design even more complicated to learn, when the steering wheel is turned 180 degree (ie when parking or exiting a parking space) the right/left signal buttons are on the opposite side of the wheel and in reverse positions. Second, the only way that I know of to honk the horn, is to press a small button on the right side of the steering wheel. My wife and I have never been able to honk the horn in a timely fashion because this is not how anyone has ever learned to operate the horn on a car, which is supposed to be a bump on the center of the steering wheel. Tesla should be required to replace these controls with standard controls that do t require a new training program and hours of drills to make them instinctive.

After a recent service call, the driver door that automatically opens when I approach the car with my phone app opens really quickly and big. It used to only opens a small gap. I asked the service center and the said it is due to software updates and it is not adjustable. The problem is that it doesn’t detect ongoing traffic when car parked on the street. The door also hit me twice so it was not able to detect me approaching at certain angles. It is not open in angles consistently that I think it can cause cars crashing into the my car’s door at street parking. I’ve asked tesla service center yo report the problem to corporate but do not trust that they would treat it seriously.

Seat belt buckle is always stuck at second row right seat. Tesla did not fix it during last service appointment. My child has to climb underneath the seat belt.

2023 Model X Plaid. All stalks and physical horns have been removed. They are now capacitive buttons on the steering wheel that move with the wheel, are not raised to find easier, and are difficult to find in emergencies. I was nearly in a head-on collision and couldn't find the horn fast enough so I had to swerve excessively to avoid getting hit. The other driver didn't even know I was there. The 2024 model now has a physical horn, but Tesla refuses to swap out mine citing "upgrade paths" I have less than 2000km on this car.

I just had a forth occurence of the "safety restraint system error" message on my Tesla. I say forth, because the three times previous, I had to go into Tesla to have them "fix" the issue, only for it now, to happen again for the 4th time. I don't think this is a small issue, and you guys need to know about it. Not sure, this is just faulty service teams, or inexperience, or. they are just failing to fix it properly. But given that the messaging has to do with seatbelts and/or air bags, I think this is pretty important.

The 2023 Model X has a very small off center horn button unlike every other car I have ever owned which had the horn in the center airbag area. I have had several occasions where I needed to alert a driver trying to merge into my occupied lane and failed to do so because my muscle memory could not find the horn were it is expected to be. Even if I do remember that the horn is a tiny button on the "right" side of the steering wheel, the right side is in a random location based on your current position of the steering wheel making it almost impossible to find the button while turning the wheel to avoid it situation you are trying to alert. Tesla has since corrected this issue in the 2024 model but they should be forced to recall existing models with this poorly designed steering wheel and horn position. It is a major safety issue which can easily lead to accidents that could have been avoided.

The horn is not mechanical and is not located in the center of the steering wheel. It is dangerous that it is a switch on the right side of the wheel. The horn is located next to the wiper switch and I have had multiple incidents where I could not initiate the horn and used the wipers. Tesla has a retrofit where they can put the horn in the middle and the newer models have it in the center of the wheel like traditional vehicles but are charging 2400+ for owners to get it corrected.

The horn is a small button on the steering wheel vs a large horn in the middle of the steering wheel. In an emergency situation the horn requires thought to press. Time is not something you have in an emergency.

the horn on the 2023 Tesla x is horribly positioned, and a real safety concern.

I was driving in the slow lane of a 3-day (each direction street). On my right were cars parked on the street. A car in the 2nd lane was coming up and passing me and it decided (without signaling) to turn into my lane. Scared I tried to press the horn, but pressing the large padded center of the steering wheel is not the horn. Frantically, as the car kept moving into my car, I slammed my hand on the center of the steering wheel, but no sound. Finally I slammed on the brakes, not knowing if I would be hit by the car behind me. The stupid horn on the Tesla is just a small button in one corner of the steering wheel that moves around as the steering wheel is turned. This is an incredibly dangerous and mostly useless location for a car's horn. Please please require Tesla to provide a center-of-steering wheel horn and not some tiny, off-center, difficult-to-find-in-an-emergency horn button. I believe Tesla has recognized how dangerous this is and changed the steering wheel design on 2024 cars, but for all of the prior cars, this danger remains. Please require Tesla to fix this dangerous condition. Thank you.

Horn button is not in center of steering wheel. This makes sounding of the horn by a driver less accessible in an emergency or urgent situation to avoid a collision, accident, or pedestrian. Please request a recall for a standard center horn location I'm the steering wheel.

Tesla Model X wipers are not working properly in rain. The max speed is 3 and it is not helping in the rain at all which is a severe safety concern for me and other vehicles on road. The Auto mode on wipers also doesn't detect the rain properly and sensitivity is not adjusted. Please look into this. I believe this is across all the Tesla models. Tesla is pushing over the air updates for wipers but this is not helping at all.

In this model, horn is a small touch button to the right side of center. In the event of emergency- this cannot be easily located. I almost had a crash trying to take off my eyes from driving to find the small horn touch button. The horn should be moved to center of steering- like they finally did for 2024 models.

The steering wheel has a small button for the horn to honk instead of the actual big center . This is very dangerous , when coming close to an accident and need to alert the other driver , i simply cannot honk the horn as its instinct to press the center of a steering wheel. Instead they made it this little small button on the steering wheel which would be impossible to press in A stressful situation

Horn button on steering wheel in the 2023 Model X is difficult to access when trying to warn another vehicle of an unsafe manuver such as a lane change without noticing my vehicle next to it. In my specific incident, a driver on my left tried to change lanes and nearly collided with me as I had to visually locate the small button (1 of four buttons on the right top of the steering wheel) then press it which takes much more time than hitting the center of the steering wheel with the palm of your hand to alert the other driver with my horn. I instead had to hit the breaks and narrowly avoided a collision. This delay in finding the 1-2 centimeter button is a design problem that has been address in the 2024 Model X by Tesla which added a phyical push horn to their steering wheel like every other automobile. This a safety design issue that will lead to accidents and needs to be addressed.

While driving on interstate, a semi trailer began merging into my lane. I attempted to hit the horn and no response was produced by the car. The stoke steering wheel does not have a push horn, and requires a button. The hand mash is supposed to work per Elon Musk on X. I was unable to perform potentially impactful sound response to other vehicles. The horn should not be allowed to be a button as emergency situations do not allow a refocus.

The Tesla Model X uses a small capacitive touch horn button which is impossible to locate and press in an emergency. I was driving and was about to be hit by a drifting vehicle and nowhere to move. I tried to honk the horn, but could not find it since it is not a normal center horn. Almost collided with the other vehicle. This design is extremely dangerous and should have never been allowed. It should be recalled before it causes injuries or deaths.

Car garage door activation software. My Tesla car activated the garage door, opening it while I was getting ready to back into the garage, as it was supposed to do. After I initiated backing into the garage, the Tesla, on its' own, activated the door to close as I was backing into the garage. The garage door came down onto the top of the spoiler on the rear of my Tesla Model X. I did not activate the door opener on the control panel. While backing up, I could not see the door in the process of closing. I have a video of the incident. I contacted Tesla and was told they would not cover the damage.

I have driven this model x a few months now and there are many time I wasn’t able to put on turn signal and honk the horn due to design . The turn signal is activated by turn buttons in a very small area right next to each other. When needed , the button would cause a lot of confusion , for instance , if I want to put on left blinker I would accidentally put on right, it is especially true when trying to put on signal when the steering wheel is already turned, the only way to avoid false input is to physically looking at the turn signal buttons before put on the blinker , but it is very dangerous for you driving because you are taking your view from the road. Also the horn activation is also very dangerous , I have encountered some situation when the horn is required to gain attention from other drivers or even pedestrians, but when needed , I am either missed the horn button completely or would activated the windshield wipers instead due to its design. Just like turn signal I would have to take my eyes off the road to make sure the correct button was pushed . I think it is very dangerous. I hope there’s some recall available to retrofit traditional horn button in the center of the steering and a physical turn stalk . Thank you for reading this and I hope it’s a valid complaint and would result in some positive outcomes to ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

The horn on the Model X is a tiny button on the steering wheel. This is a safety issue and not instinctual in the event of an emergency.

The horn's position on the steering wheel is not fixed, leading to instances where it fails to alert other vehicles or passengers in potentially dangerous situations. For example, there was one occasion where a vehicle approached from the opposite direction, necessitating the use of the horn, but I struggled to locate it as the steering wheel was turned at a 90-degree angle. Additionally, the horn button itself is quite small. The turn signal indicators have caused issues in multiple scenarios due to difficulty in locating the switch. This often occurs when needing to signal a quick left-right or right-left maneuver, especially when the steering wheel is already turned in the opposite direction

The horn button is a hazard to use when in an emergency and wheel is turned. Such as a u-turn and someone makes an illegal right and i have no time to find the horn button when wheel is upside down on a u-turn. This is unsafe and should be replaced with a horn that is in the center of the steering wheel like most cars.

The Model X steering wheel has a haptic horn button instead of the standard mechanical horn that every other car uses. This presents a huge safety issue because of the size and location of the haptic horn button and the fact that it's not a physical or mechanical button. On several occasions the horn has gone off unintentionally causing a road hazard and when an emergency situation arises, you must take your eyes off the road to look for the horn light. This puts my family and others drivers at extreme risk. Tesla appears to have acknowledged the problem because they have since switched back to a mechanical horn, however they refuse to replace our group of drivers horns under warranty. I am submitting this safety because I believe it is a danger to all drivers that the emergency horn is unable to be accessed when needed. Thank you

The steering wheel only has a flat tiny horn button that is impossible to use in an urgent situation effectively rendering the car with no horn in higher velocity scenarios. Finding the horn button (which not only is not raised but actually not a button) while driving to honk the horn is a near impossible task. I’ve had several close calls where I couldn’t get to the horn in time. Fortunately I was able to avoid an accident. The steering wheel needs to be replaced with a horn pad or button that is immediately accessible in an urgent situation.

Issue is with Tesla Full Self Driving subscription for $199/month and is available for inspection. No warnings or symptoms were indicated. The vehicle recommended I re-enable the service every time the vehicle restarted after it was shut off. Tesla's phone support stated the following is normal expected behavior, so an inspection isn't needed: 1. Automatically changed lanes on interstate into the space occupied by another vehicle multiple times. Thankfully, crashes were avoided by attentive drivers of involved vehicles. 2. Confused "40 MPH Minimum Speed" signs for speed limit, resulting in over 30 instances were speed was drastically and suddenly reduced, without warning, every time the sign appeared. 3. Automatically changed lanes on interstate from rightmost lane to center lane despite no traffic present. This seems to be a default behavior that cannot be adjusted. 4. Disabled cruise control and lane keeping assist when driver overrode automated systems (accelerated, braked, manually adjusted steering) to avoid a crash. Kept these systems disabled as a punishment until driver parked car and restarted.

The yoke steering wheel had multiple issues ranging from cosmetic to skipping sometimes while turning. To the best of my knowledge, based on talking to Tesla Service professionals, Tesla is aware of this problem and has internally created a document to change these yokes, but it is not doing as regularly as it should. The service staff refuses to clarify the conditions of warranty repair for this faulty part, and I suspect a major incident can happen with these Yokes failing.

Hello, Thank you for taking the time to address this issue. As you may already be aware, the honk button is not centrally located on the steering wheels of Model X or S vehicles. This has led to several instances where cars backing up in parking lots have nearly collided with my vehicle because I instinctively honk to alert them. Tesla has recently redesigned the honk button, moving it to the center instead of the touch thumb button on the right side. I strongly urge Tesla to consider replacing the steering wheel to place the honk button at the center for improved safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Horn is not in the center and rather a button. This makes it very hard to hit in an emergency. Please make them replace all past and new steering wheel with this issue.