2023 Tesla Model X Complaint Log

Seat belts in rear seats are not installed correctly. The tongue of the seatbelt does not fit into the buckle properly/ correctly. The service center was notified of this issue. A service apportionment was set up. The service technician identified that they see the problem. The car was left to be serviced and the problem to be corrected. However when we were notified that the service of complete and the car was ready to picked up, upon picking up the car there was no change. The seatbelts are the exact same way as when we dropped it off. We were told that seatbelts function as expected. Our children carseats are in those seats and we are concerned for their safety. These factors, coupled with the volume of recall notices we’ve received on the vehicle so far, give us significant pause and raise major concerns about the composition, fidelity, and safety of this Tesla Model X.

While operating my vehicle, it is required to use turn signals to indicate turning intention to other drivers. Even after thousands of miles of use, the 'Capacitive touch' buttons on the steering wheel that Tesla has are unsafe, unusable, and infuriating. These buttons are difficult to locate, difficult to engage with and impossible to use quickly or reliably. Every Tesla without turn signal stalks should be recalled. I often press the wrong button, no button, or just have to simply give up on signaling because it is impossible to safely or reliably use the buttons provided. Turn signal stalks are easier, faster, more reliable, and thus safer. Please help end this nonsense by requiring tesla to fix this. thank you.

We bought our tesla model x on or about June 6th 2023, on or about march 22nd our right rear tire developed a leak, we took it to les Schwab tires to have it checked our and they discovered it was a cracked wheel, they said it was a defective wheel and that we should take it to tesla to get replaced as they have seen 3 others in the last 2 weeks. We took it to tesla and they said they would not warranty any wheels as they have never warrantied any before. They said it was due to road impact but there is no sign of any impact visible other than the crack. Around that same time our passenger door window button fell inside the door panel so we scheduled an appointment to have it fixed and had been advised it would be covered. My wife took it to them on or about April 19th and one guy said it probably wouldn't be covered then the other service adviser stated that it would be warranty as we have not had the car for even a year but then the service manager refused to fix it and wanted us to pay over $1,000 to fix it. They said it was from abuse that it broke but not sure how you abuse a switch push down on it with your finger to activate switch. Now on Saturday April 27th we have developed another tire loosing air, now the left rear due to another cracked wheel. Now I did more research online and have found numerous people with the same problems and having 3-4 of their factory wheels breaking. This is also on top of the car wearing out the inside edge of the tire while the center and outer part of the tire has lots of life left in it meaning that the alignment is not properly set but tesla says that it is normal because it is a performance vehicle. Not sure that I would consider a 6 passenger sub a performance vehicle

On an occasional basis, and during a critical event, it is imperative that the operator of any vehicle be able to quickly, and reliable use the horn. This is needed to alert other drivers of dangerous situations, or bring attention to those around the vehicle. After driving this vehicle several thousand miles, I have determined that the horn 'button' is not something anyone can commit to memory or use safely when needed quickly in an emergency. Muscle memory of all cars is 'push center for horn'. The 2021-2023 Tesla Model X uses a button that is touch sensitive and nearly impossible to operate quickly or reliable in an emergency situation. Tesla has corrected the issue with the 2024 Model X, however that leaves thousands of cars not repaired. Please require Tesla to correct this asinine oversight.

Honk as a button instead of at the center. Came close calls a few times where accident could have been avoided if I am able to honk within split second. I kept pressing center of the steering wheel. Safety Recall should be made. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The right falcon door started closing even though a person was standing right under it. ( the right falcon door was triggered by mistake when we closed the left door). The falcon door hit the person on their upper shoulder, injured them and stopped

When I pressed the button (lower button near the left side rear seat inside the car) to close the falcon door on left side of the car, The right falcon door accidentally started closing . A person was standing under right falcon door . The door hit the person, injured them and then stopped

The Tesla yoke steering wheel - the placement of the horn button being a haptic button on the right side of the steering wheel poses a great safety issues when trying the horn and unable to locate it. Whether the steering is in the straight position or turning it, it is almost impossible to honk the horn in an emergency. In the past month, I almost ran over a pedestrian that did not look going into the crosswalk and I was unable to honk, and a car that made a lane change on the freeway and I couldn't locate the horn. This is a GREAT safety issue which the NHTSA should make a recall for Tesla to change the yoke to the updated design at no charge since the updated design has the horn in the midde. There is a reason Tesla did this and they should go back and retro fit the yoke with the horn button to the newer design.

The horn in the Tesla Model X is very hard to operate in real world driving environments because it is a haptic button that’s is placed amount other haptic buttons. Several times over the past few months I have been unable to safely operate the horn in situations where another driver was coming into my lane or otherwise I required the use of the horn in an emergency situation. I had to take my eyes off the road in order to look for the haptic button and remember where it was placed. In my opinion, Tesla over-engineered the horn and made it unsafe to operate for the driver

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Had three incidents now - where I attempted to warn other drivers of potentially unsafe activities - went to push the horn, however this car has removed the horn from the center of the steering wheel and replaced the horn with a capacitive button. Finding and operating this capacitive button in an urgent and safe manner to either warn other drivers, road users or pedestrians or animals is not natural and in fact a significant safety issue. The center of the steering wheel has been the location for horn activation for a very long time and moving reduces the ability to quickly and safely warn others is a significant issue.

The placement of the horn button on this vehicle is absoutely unsafe. There was a near miss accident where a car ran a stop sign and in the heat of the moment, trying to turn the wheel, the horn could not be engaged. That is because the horn is engaged on a tiny touch button on the righthand side of the steering wheel and not through the traditional pushing of the middle of the steering wheel. Because when you maneuver the wheel, instinct kicks in and you slam on the middle to honk, but nothing happens, it's impossible to calm yourself, look down and find the button. This is absolutely a dangerous oversight by Tesla to replace the wheel and horn mechanism and they should be forced to replace this at no cost.

I find the horn button on the side of the steering to be dangerous. When in an emergency I find it very difficult to locate the horn button when the steering is not at it's regular position. I think the horn should be at the center. The manufacturer should replace the steering with another that has a horn in the center of the steering.

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.

The horn button on this steering wheel is so dangerous. I got hit by a car today because it took me too long to find the horn button instead of being able to hit the middle of steering wheel like every other car in the world. Please ask Tesla to fix this.

Model X has relocated the location of the horn to NOT be the center middle of the steering wheel, it has been relocated to the right of the center and turned into a "button". In multiple driving instances in which I've needed to for safety reasons alert another driver of an impending collision, my past 20 years of driving history has alerted me in fight/flight mode to go "muscle memory" and hit the NON-EXISTENT HORN in the middle, almost causing an accident each time. Terrible idea.

It has become apparent that the turn signals and horn buttons buttons have safety concerns. Both functions are severely amplified when needing to invoke them while the steering wheel is turned/turning causing the driver to temporarily become disoriented around where the buttons are without needing to take their eyes off the road. I’ve run into this multiple times and has created situations where I’ve missed the buttons. The horn should reside in the center as standard with nearly all vehicles. Also, I’ve accidentally signaled or honked the horn due to proximity to other less urgent functions like audio controls or wiper functions.

In unexpected and unknown circumstances (false sensor detections?), the automated doors and trunk will suddenly reverse direction when opening and rapidly close instead of pausing. This can cause injury with no ability to get out of the way in proper time. I’ve experience cases where the trunk opened then suddenly came down hitting me in the head. Also, have had cases where the falcon wing doors have closed abruptly hitting my 8yr old child rather hard. Only when he started to get pinched in the doors did it stop on pressure. I also have experienced where the automatic closing of the front driver’s door was inadvertently triggered while getting in and catching the edge of the brake pedal. This caused the door so close rapidly and firmly on my leg. Overall, these doors shouldn’t be aggressively trying to close if sensors determine a reason it cannot open. As for the front door, I don’t know what the answer is but it’s dangerous.

It’s very difficult to use the car horn due to Tesla making the horn a capacitive button on the steering wheel. Same for the capacitive buttons for the turning indicator. Additionally because Elon is cheap, he has removed the rain seasons from the car and relies on the faulty cameras to determine when to wipe, often resulting in dry wipes and no wiping functionality when it rains

The lack of a center horn is ridiculous. On a number of occasions I have needed to hit the horn to alert another driver but have missed since I have to look for a capacitive touch button on the wheel.

There is no physical button for the horn and it's difficult to find the digital button when you need it at a moment's notice. This presents a safety concern that I believe should be recalled.

Horn button location is dangerous in eminent accident situations. Instead of a large center push location on the steering wheel the horn is a button which is hard to push and locate in an emergency situation and is a large distraction from watching the road and avoiding the accident.

The horn locates on this car is just a simple small button on the steering wheel that very hard to locate under emergency situation. I 100% sure that I can’t use horn under any emergency cases.

The electronic horn fitted to my steering wheel is dangerous and needs to be recalled. I was driving and a car was heading towards me from the side and was not slowing down. I went to use the horn to tell the driver I was there, but because it's not a mechanical horn (it's a slippery plastic, not even a button), I could not find it in time. The car nearly hit me and I had to swerve. A horn should be able to be reached instinctively to warn another driver in a critical safety situation. The driver should not have to look down to the steering wheel, find a shiny piece of plastic, and 'rub' it to hope it works. Those milliseconds are crucial. Tesla are now sending newer versions of my car WITH a mechanical horn, so they clearly have realized the mistake. This steering wheel needs a recall and free replacement.

While operating the vehicle, the horn is not where it should be. Tesla moved the horn to a button, when every car in the world has the horn as the center of the wheel. During times of crisis and needing a horn, seconds count. Having to learn horn changes is absolutely ridiculous. By not being able to activate the horn in a timely fashion, it delays or removes ones' ability to utilize a critical safety function to alert others or prevent issues by using the horn.

Extremely difficult to accurately press small horn button on steering wheel in emergency situation. Requires looking at wheel to find button. Why this car doesn’t have the horn in the center is a dangerous mystery to me.

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING AT A SLOWER SPEED. THE CAR SUDDENLY SPED UP WHICH WAS VERY ALARMING. I HAD TO HIT THE BRAKE TO CAUSE IT TO SLOW DOWN. IT HAPPENED ONCE DURING A 4 MILE TRIP. MY SPOUSE HAD REPORTED A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE EARLIER IN THE EVENING. ALSO MANY FUNCTIONS LIKE PARK ASSIST, TRACTION CONTROL ETC SEEMED TO BE AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGING

The steering wheel in the 2023 Tesla Model X is perhaps the most unsafe design in any modern car. There are absolutely no physical buttons or stalks, with everything relying on the capacitive touch buttons located by the left and right scroll wheels. On countless occasions, the left turn signal capacitive button has failed to register a press, leaving me in the hazardous condition of being unable to safely indicate a lane change. In addition, the horn being located on a capacitive button instead of the center airbag like every other car on the market has lead to multiple near misses. On many separate occasions, I have been in a situation necessitating the use of my horn to warn another motorist of a hazardous condition or imminent collision, but have been unable to do so due to the boneheaded and unsafe placement of the horn on this touch button.

The horn button is a safety hazard as it's not in the middle of the wheel but rather a button on the steering wheel. This loses a safety hazard in an emergency situation.

The steering wheel doesn't comes with a horn. Meaning on a regular car, when you need the just press the airbag but in Tesla there a tiny button needs to press in order to get the horn which is impossible to do in case of an emergency.

This wasn't just one incident, but many incidents since I got the car on [XXX]. The horn is not in the center of the steering wheel where it is on every other car. It is a tiny button on the steering wheel that is impossible to find if you are turning the wheel and even harder to find when someone is going into your lane and is about to hit you or when they are backing out of a space and you have no time to look for the tiny button. I've come close to getting in many accidents because of this. Tesla has since changed the steering wheel/Yoke so the horn is where it should be (in the center of the steering wheel) but they are not replacing the old dangerous ones. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While merging onto the freeway, I merged into the blindspot of a truck which had moved over to let traffic onto the freeway. As I was getting up to speed to get out of the truck's blindspot, the truck began merging into my lane. I attempted to use the horn to warn them I was there, but my muscle memory tried pressing the mechanical horn in the center of the steering wheel. As it was not there, but rather on a small tactile button, I was unable to safely notify the driver of my presence and instead had to take to the shoulder to avoid being hit. To summarize my complaint, the location of the horn as a small button on the side made it so I was unable to safely notify another driver of an emergency situation. The placement of the horn is by design. It was working as intended.

The horn is now activated by a small button, missed it a few times during emergency situations, it needs to be by the center hub! The turn signals are also by the buttons, easy to make mistakes during emergency maneuvers when there is no time to look down. At least place the buttons on each side of the right thumb wheel, so to easily build muscle memory without looking at them. For safety, please demand Tesla to make such retrofits. Thank you!

My steering wheel doesn't have a usable horn functionality. There is a subtle button on the side of the wheel, which isn't even a physical button, and it's very small in size. My wife and I had a few situation already where we couldn't do a horn signal quickly enough and we barely escaped an accident in those cases. The existing horn button is very hard to use, it's placed non-intuitively, it's impossible to find without looking at the steering wheel, and it's very hard to use when the steering wheel isn't positioned straight. All other cars I driven over my lifetime had a horn right in the center of the steering wheel, which is the most obvious and usable placement, given the urgency of the situation when drivers are supposed to use it.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control feature activated, the braking system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the highway. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. After shifting into park, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,200.

The brake pedal feels off due to low brake fluid

I was the passenger in this Tesla. When we turned the Tesla accelerated and the driver tried to brake but she screamed to me they weren’t working. The Tesla slammed into the back of my parked SUV and pushed my parked car and us through the garage and my car through the back brick wall. We were both at high risk of possibly dying in the car crash. We suffered injurys and still are suffering. There has been a recall on the model Tesla’s brakes I will attach a picture. Some of the questions are unknown because I was the passenger of the car.

The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving into her driveway, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated, and conversely, with the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. As a result, the vehicle collided with the rear of another vehicle parked in the driveway, sending the other vehicle careening into the garage. The air bags did deploy. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The occupants transported themselves to an area hospital for treatment; the contact was treated for a broken hand and two broken ribs, and the passenger was treated for bruising and a sprained ankle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V679000 (Electrical System, Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 5,000.

This model is designed with a small button on the steering wheel to activate the horn- I have attached 2 pictures of the horn button ( not a standard horn in any way) to show how small and non- standard it is. In the event the driver needs to use the horn, the driver needs to take his eyes off the road/traffic conditions to locate the small horn button. Also if the car is not traveling in a straight line and the steering wheel is turned to either side, it is even more difficult to locate the small horn button as the wheel is not positioned straight up. I have had several situations since I purchased the car in 11-23 where I needed to sound the horn to warn a pedestrian, a car that was pulling out of an intersection when I had the right of way, and a bicycle that crossed out of a bike lane into my traffic lane. In each of these instances I was not able to make the horn sound quickly and when you are in an unsafe driving situation the last thing you want to do is take your eyes and attention away from what is going on in front of you to look for a small horn button. I feel strongly this is a safety issue that is an accident waiting to happen. I understand through readers forums that Tesla has updated and retrofitted some models with the standard center wheel/ airbag type horn activator, but also was told that does not apply to my vehicle. I have asked Tesla service if there is a fix for the issue and their response was to contact customer service. I have not had any response from Tesla in regards to my concerns.

The car allows you to set favorite channels and change them from the left scroll wheel on the steering yoke/wheel. It works for FM radio, but stopped working last November for XM radio. After 9 contacts with Tesla, they have not corrected the defect. In order to change the favorited channels, it requires 3 or 4 taps on the screen - which requires removing your eyes from the road for 4-6 seconds. When it works properly, tapping the scroll wheel left or right changed the channel to next or previous favorited channel. I neatry went off the road last week trying to change the XM radio to the next favorite. This did work on both my previous model Tesla sedans from 2013 until 2023. It worked on this car for several months, but stopped working in November 2023. Nine requests to Tesla for repair have have not been successful in any action.

Driver ahead of me went to turn into wrong way/ one way st, immediately decided to turn back into my lane. The horn is a small button and mashing on the right side (as tesla suggested) resulted in the auto pilot turning on, windshield wipers, and voice control. All which didn't work and prohibited me from reacting. The horn needs to move back to the middle where it has been for centuries, mashing doesn't work as it was more dangerous than if the horn had just been where it was supposed to instead of a tiny button.

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.