2019 Tesla Model X Reliability Report

A loud squeak or noise when turning the wheel is common, and repairs after the warranty runs out are expensive. One quote is $3,000, and a full steering column replacement runs over $5,600. Owners also report a constant shudder they blame on the camber and control arms, with warranty coverage refused. On Autopilot, the car swerves out of its lane where lanes merge or brakes for no reason. One crash and fire report describes a rear wheel separating from a salvage-auction car.

Adaptive cruise control slams on the brakes on open highways, dropping 40+ mph without warning. Owners report near-miss rear-end collisions, and some stop using the feature. Cruise control can also push past the set speed. Two crashes involve sudden unintended acceleration at low speed: one while backing up at a traffic light, and one where a parked car lurched into a wall. Another car would not slow down after showing an "acceleration and top speed reduced" warning.

Most of these reports describe phantom braking, not brake hardware wear. On the freeway with cruise control or driver assistance on, the car brakes hard with no traffic ahead, sometimes almost to a skid, and often at the same spots near bridges. False early collision warnings come with it. One crash report says the car failed to stop at about 30 mph after the brake pedal was pressed, at roughly 20,000 miles.

At 55 to 65 mph on Autopilot, the car brakes hard for no reason, sometimes to a full stop, and following traffic has to swerve or brake hard. The forward collision warning sounds with nothing ahead. Some owners say it happens around large trucks, and drivers learn to cover the accelerator. Other complaints say the system brakes too late and too hard for stopped cars, and one says Full Self-Driving Beta runs red lights.

Falcon wing doors refuse to open in direct sun above 80 F and show an "Obstacle Detected" error. Opening them by hand means switching off the child lock and waiting up to 20 seconds, and repeat repairs do not fix it. A closing door also hits a person on the head. Other complaints cover a bumper that will not stay attached through several repairs and a wheel arch cover torn loose by water spray. One crash happened after the backup camera view switched away while reversing.

Two of these complaints are really about sudden unintended acceleration while parking. In both, the car hits a wall or tree, and the driver says braking did not stop it. One crash deploys the airbags and causes serious facial, eye, and rib injuries. The other complaint involves a seat sensor malfunction that affects airbag deployment. The fix is a $4100 seat replacement that is not covered.

These complaints are not about lights. Both instrument displays fail on the highway, and the system reboots while driving, so the dashboard, speedometer, and indicators go black at freeway speed. Failures often start after more than an hour of driving, day or night. Monthly service visits do not fix the problem.