Home · 2016 Tesla Model X P90d · Complaints

What 417 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Tesla Model X P90d

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (417)Crash / fire / injury (62)Suspension (148)Electrical system (90)Body & structure (54)Steering (44)Speed control (33)Visibility & wipers (33)Brakes (18)Driver assistance (15)Lights (13)Transmission & drivetrain (13)

Newest first · 417 complaints · page 4 of 17

Dec 9, 2022Seats

The 2nd row seats are loose and Tesla will not help cover the costs of repair citing its normal wear and tear. This is a safety issue that should be covered due to it only being a 6 year old car. This would mean that Tesla seats should be expected to fail after 6 years. That seems like a problem to me.

NHTSA ODI 11496743

Nov 26, 2022Brakes

The Model S and X has a recall for vehicles from 2015 to October 2016 builds. The recall is about the "parking break not released" when shifting to drive. My Model X is built in November 2016 and occasionally gets the warning of "parking break not released" from time to time. I would like to aware you guys and to please look into this issue that im facing. It may help if you guys over at NHTSA can look into what parking break Part numbers are installed on models earlier than my November 2016 built. Thanks!

NHTSA ODI 11494939

Nov 24, 2022Electrical system

The vehicle will lose turn signal sounds making it unclear whether turn signals are activated. Therefore the driver may expect that the signal is on when it is not, or take eyes off the road in order to perform a visual confirmation.

NHTSA ODI 11494794

Nov 20, 2022Suspension

In a parking lot when going over a speed bump air suspension failed causing the car to become lower in the front and frequently rubbing against uneven ground. In Tesla model S and X vehicles sent to China, there has been a recall of approximately 30,000 vehicle recalls of these models of Tesla vehicles for faulty air suspension.

NHTSA ODI 11494287

Nov 20, 2022Seats

THERE ARE KEY FOBS, ONE EACH FOR THE TWO DRIVERS IN THE HOUSE. THESE ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE PROFILE SETTINGS. FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AFTER A SPECIFIC UPDATE TO THE FIRMWARE (I CAN’T PINPOINT WHICH OR THE PRECISE MONTH/YEAR), USING A KEY FOB WILL FREQUENTLY, BUT ERRATICALLY CHOOSE THE WRONG PROFILE. BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCE IN DRIVER HEIGHTS, THIS MAY MEAN THAT THE SEAT IS ADJUSTING FORWARD CAUSING KNEES TO QUICKLY APPROACH THE AREA OF THE DASHBOARD. AS ONE EXAMPLE WHERE I HAVE PINPOINTED WHEN THIS IS LIKELY TO OCCUR, I WILL HAVE FINISHED CHARGING THE TESLA AT A SUPERCHARGER. I WILL TRY TO REVERSE OUT OF THE SPOT BEFORE NOTICING THAT THE WRONG PROFILE HAS BEEN SELECTED. SO AS THE CAR IS MOVING, MY KNEES ARE PUSHING FORWARD TOWARD THE DASH. BECAUSE I AM ANXIOUS AS THIS HAPPENS, I WILL QUICKLY BRAKE. TESLA FINALLY REPLACED ALL COMPONENTS (KEY FOBS, BUT ALSO THE PART THAT RECEIVES THE TRANSMISSION) WHICH TEMPORARILY CORRECTED THE SITUATION UNTIL IT STARTED UP AGAIN. I AM NOW ON MY FIFTH COMPLAINT TO TESLA AND HAVE YET ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT FIXED. I THIINK THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT CAN AFFECT THE DRIVER WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING.

NHTSA ODI 11494310

Nov 15, 2022Suspension

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model-X. The contact stated while reversing, the contact noticed that the front driver’s side of the vehicle inadvertently lowered, and an abnormal sound was heard coming from the vehicle. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front driver’s side wheel was resting on the inner wheel well liner. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the front driver’s and passenger’s side suspension fore-link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and authorized the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 42,000.

NHTSA ODI 11493706

Nov 10, 2022

There is a liquid MCU behind the touch screen of my vehicle. The MCU liquid leaks out from the bottom of my screen all over the interior of my car - this happens even more during hot weather. I'm disturbed because I'm reading this liquid is in fact poisonous. Tesla will not do anything about this. This leaking liquid is creating dangerous conditions for my family. This is a manufacturing defect, touch screens are not meant to leak poisonous liquid.

NHTSA ODI 11492994

Oct 30, 2022Lights

If breaks you to change the entire head light at the cost of about 2500USD

NHTSA ODI 11491511

Oct 30, 2022Driver assistance

When pass under over pass, at the speed of less than 50km/h. It breaks for no reason

NHTSA ODI 11491513

Oct 25, 2022Suspension

Drivers Front fore link cracked. Suspension failure at speed Tesla TSB over this issue that says to replace parts. Tesla TSB SB-17-31-001 Tesla stated this doesn’t apply to my vehicle even though it clearly does.

NHTSA ODI 11490894

Oct 23, 2022Body & structure

Vehicle's "Falcon Wing" doors would malfunction when exposed to direct sunlight where door panels would become hot. Doors would not open remotely due to the sensor believing an object was blocking the door, the message on screen would read "Obstacle detected" when no object was present. Occupants would manually have to hold down the open button on screen or the physical button in order to open the door. Which would open very slowly or stop oppening halfway due to a phantom object being detected. This would pose a risk for rear occupants unable to exit the vehicle in a timely manner in case of an emergency. The vehicle was taken into service 8 different times to address the issue. Service center claims they could not recreate the problem but found the tripod mounts for the infrared door sensor to be misaligned. Each time a temporary fix was performed and the problem would reappear not long after. Contact sent a certified mail letter to the manufacturer demanding a resolution or compensation for the issue. No response was ever received from the manufacturer. A 9th visit to the Tesla service center for the same issue netted a result where new tripod mounts that hold the infrared door sensor were installed. Since this repair, the Falcon wing doors operate normally most of the time but will still occasionally malfunction if the doors are exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

NHTSA ODI 11490448

Oct 20, 2022Suspension

The passenger front tire suspension makes a cracking sound on low speed. We brought our car to the local service center for repair twice over the past year (spent $5000), and the noise is still there. Tesla had a recall on this issue: https://cdn.motor1.com/pdf-files/sb-21-39-001-replace-front-drive-unit-halfshafts.pdf but they told me that my vehicle was not included, even though my vehicle was made during the time period that should be covered by the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11490221

Oct 11, 2022Electrical system

Center Screen is leaking toxic fluid after researching online seems to be a common problem for many including myself. The liquid is slowly coming out the bottom of the screen onto the center console.

NHTSA ODI 11488719

Oct 2, 2022Body & structureDriver assistance

On nine separate documented occasions, the passenger front wheel molding trim piece, in which one of the proximity sensors is mounted, completely detached, causing the proximity sensor to alarm continuously. On two of these nine occasions, the trim piece detached while the vehicle was traveling on the road, and on one of these two occasions, the vehicle was traveling on the highway at highway speeds. On this occasion, after detaching completely, the trim piece was observed through the rear view and side mirrors, shattering on the road and scattering debris across the highway, potentially causing a traffic hazard for the cars following. On this last occasion, the vehicle was also traveling with the assistance of the Adaptive Cruse Control and Forward Collision Warning features, which both caused the vehicle's emergency avoidance systems to activate when the proximity sensor was falsely triggered. If there were other vehicles nearby, this could have caused a high speed accident as my vehicle executed both an emergency braking and collision avoidance maneuver for no real reason. Please note that I have documented reports of the possible safety issues due to the wheel well trim detaching to the Tesla service department for several of the times I've had the vehicle in for repair. In all nine instances, I've been told that my vehicle is the only one that exhibits this problem. A statement I find difficult to believe as I have observed other vehicles of the same make and model driving around without the trim pieces, and just recently captured a photograph of a Model X driving on the highway with the trim piece detaching as the wind was catching it. See the red arrow in the photograph attached below.

NHTSA ODI 11487520

Sep 21, 2022AirbagsSpeed controlCrash

On Tuesday September 13th 2022 morning around 10.55am EST, I had entered the Hindu temple of Florida premises driving my TESLA model X. I slowly progressed towards the parking spot and made a slow right turn to park the car. At that time the Tesla suddenly accelerated at full speed, took off like a rocket, jumped the curb, knocked down a sign post and jumped into the ditch which leads into a pond. The car veered to the right, jumped out of the ditch back toward the parking spots, hit two vehicles ( a Honda CRV and a Lexus) with a significant force and hit a tree with a big impact and finally stopped. Surprisingly airbags did not deploy. I was wearing the seat belt and was the only one inside the vehicle. Fortunately with gods grace I escaped with minimal injuries. I get nightmares every day since then thinking about how close to death I was. Had the gone gone straight into the pond, I could have drown to death inside the vehicle, had it gone in a different direction and hit those concrete walls of the temple, I could have been crushed. More significant was it did not run over any of the visitors who frequent thaw temple! This sudden unintended acceleration not only shocked me but also shocked several people who were witness to this crazy event. The CCTV footage I obtained shows the car going towards the parking spot and caught the initial acceleration and take off and the big thuds twice that ensue within a few seconds. I have heard Tesla cars were involved in certain freak accidents but never imagined that I could be part of one. I’m uploading a few photos, a video clip and a cctv footage clip for your review. I read reports that Tesla blamed these type of unintended acceleration on driver errors pressing the gas pedal! I’m in total disbelief how in the USA with so many safety standards and accountability, that this can continue to happen. ~ [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11485773

Sep 18, 2022Electrical system

The recall was issues on March 22, 2021. It has been nearly 18 months and Tesla has still not fixed the issue for which the recall was done (NHTSA Recall No. 21V-035). It takes time for the car to start every time while the instrument panel refreshes. I believe more than a reasonable amount of time has passed and this issue needs to be remediated by Tesla

NHTSA ODI 11485041

Sep 14, 2022Seats

I received a letter from Tesla indicating an "Important Safety Recall Notice". The letter indicated that the rear seat did not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Nos. 207 and 210. The notice suggest that one should avoid sitting in the seat. The repair would only take 10 minutes. When I tried to make an appointment the service representative said 1) that it was NOT a recall, but a Service Notice, 2) since I was out of warranty I would have to pay over $500 for the repair.

NHTSA ODI 11484456

Sep 5, 2022Body & structure

Obstacle detected error code. It shows this when trying to open rear falcon wing door. No obstacles or anything around. I’ve researched and it’s a very common problem with these cars and the door sensors.

NHTSA ODI 11482924

Aug 24, 2022Suspension

It appears that the front air spring module fails pretty easily and causes increased stopping distance. On my vehicle, this failed at less than 38k miles (left), and at less than 50k miles (right). Both times it required full replacement of the "Air Spring Module". While I expect this to happen eventually, both of them occurred on a fairly low mileage vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11480909

Aug 22, 2022Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while opening the passenger’s side gull wing door for his daughter, the center spine applique detached inadvertently and struck the passenger’s side upper and rear glass window, causing the window to shatter. The contact's daughter who was near the vehicle did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local service center where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with Tesla Technical Service Bulletin Number: SB-20-12-005, when the falcon wing door opened, the glass window pinched against the center spine causing the window to buckle and shatter. The service center informed the contact that he had to pay the repair fee out-of-pocket, they would not cover the cost of fixing as it was not deemed a safety issue. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,209.

NHTSA ODI 11480605

Aug 21, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Under acceleration the Model X has significant front-end vibration. Had the half-shafts replaced 3 years ago but the problem persists.

NHTSA ODI 11480426

Aug 19, 2022LightsVisibility & wipersBackup camera & sensors

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that his vehicle was previously included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the main computer screen would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a service center where it remained in their possession. The contact was informed that dealer was unable to install a chip needed to perform the recall repair. The contact was then informed that the entire computer system needed to be replaced out-of-pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480161

Aug 18, 2022Driver assistance

I have my car in service right now for a recall that needed a replacement EMMC. On a service that was estimated for 2.5 hours have now gone on to 2 weeks. They also marked this recall service as complete within week 1 and tried returning the vehicle with errors pertaining to the emergency brake system, autopilot, sentry security system, and a list of other errors that came from the software not downloading properly and therefore, not installing the new EMMC correctly. Because this service was marked complete, I am no longer able to pull up with recall with my VIN # and I just wanted to document this to ensure this is fixed properly. I am now told By Tesla that I need to pay $1500 for a new infotainment system or $1600 for a new DAS system in order to address the recall issue. Looking back at my recall letter, there is a section that lists "If you believe that Tesla has failed or is unable to repair this defect without charge or within a reasonable time, you may submit a complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration" which I'm doing now. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to have this recall properly addressed. They are now attempting to revert the car back to the original aftermarket EMMC in order to return the car to me without addressing the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11480086

Aug 13, 2022Suspension

When I went to back out of parking place, I head something rubbing and car shuddered. Discovered when turning right the behavior would manifest. Drove across parking lot to tire shop. Discovered that the control arm fork had broken. Needed to have towed to Tesla service, at my expense as I was "out of the service area." Discovered there is a service bulletin, but no recall on this part? I am forced to cover repair expense, when their bulletin acknowledges the part is not up to "Tesla standards." Service claimed it was a "wear part," which could be true for bushings and connectors, not a physical piece of metal that started to rub the inside of my tire. I am told that they cover this in China, not in the US? Also, they apparently have internal memos on how to deal with customers over the issue. Currently I have been without the vehicle since August 4, 2022 with a targeted release date now August 17. That date is a moving target, as it has changed 2 different times.

NHTSA ODI 11479106

Jul 20, 2022Driver assistanceCrash

On July 13, 2021 at round 1951 hours, in broad day light at that time of Summer, The Tesla Model X , 75 D, was engaged in autopilot mode travelling westward at posted speed limit of 50 mph on a local highway road. The vehicle failed to slow down by using "ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL" but went ahead and hit the parked Dooley Truck at Red light, causing crumpling of the front of Tesla and some dent in the vehicle that got hit by it. It failed to give enough 'FORWARD COLLISION WARNING" to apply brakes. It did not deploy "EMERGENCY BREAKING SYSTEM", to avoid the Collision. When the Forward Collision sound was heard, it was too late, and when the brake was applied, it disabled the whole Vehicle and collided and stopped. The Air bag was deployed, but with minor injuries to the Drivers. The front of Tesla was crumpled as designed, and also as there is no Engine but only a Bonnet in front, it easily collapsed on itself. An Investigation was done by Tesla, and they called to say that, Quote: " The Auto pilot feature was on, the vehicle was driving at 50 mph, that is the posted limit on that highway. They could not confirm whether the hands of the driver was on the steering or not? That means they say the hands of the driver may be on the steering wheel, but cannot confirm it? The brakes were applied by the driver 45 sec before the crash, which disabled the main battery of the vehicle and resulted in crash". There were no warning lamps, messages of other symptoms prior to failure, except a warning sound very close to crash". The vehicle was not drivable after the incident, and do not know if this feature was reproduced by independent service. Repeated request to give the above telephoned report from the Tesla Agent has not resulted in any such letter from them.

NHTSA ODI 11474952

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How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Tesla Model X P90d verdict →