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

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal creaking sound coming from the front suspension of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The contact indicated that the sound was caused by insufficient lubrication of the suspension ball joint and socket during manufacturing of the vehicle and the manufacturer was aware of the issue. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11474083

The air suspension system has failed multiple times and Tesla has been unable to correct with a permanent solution. I have read that this is a known issue with this make and model and wanted to report as it could be a large safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11473028

Car has 52000 miles. Car was parked OK. Upon returning to drive I noticed cracking sound and noticeable wobbling motion on right front wheel. Car was found to have broken right front ball joint and Tesla replaced all front parts left and right. Tesla said this was wear and tear and I disagreed and think it is a safety issue!

NHTSA ODI 11472874

Lower forelink cracked cleanly at the balljoint luckily I was going slow or could have lost control of the car. The break was clean and looks like it was just undersized for the weight. When I had it repaired at Tesla they replaced all 4 lower Fore arms 2 on each side even though nothing was wrong with the passenger front, which leads me to believe they also realize this is a saftey issue due to a substandard part.

NHTSA ODI 11469856

Vehicle has a rattling noise in front suspension when on uneven surfaces, causing concern for my and passenger safety.

NHTSA ODI 11469635

The car started giving error messages of systems failing one after another on the highway. It slowed down instantly as if someone pressed the brakes and I could not accelerate. Obviously I did not press the brakes. There were a lot of vehicles behind me and this could have easily caused an accident putting a lot of people at risk. I had to get off the highway asap and get the car towed. The error messages included charge port disabled, automatic emergency braking is disabled, power reduced, traction control disabled, stability control disabled, cruise control disabled, power reduced. Tesla diagnosed and confirmed this being an issue with the onboard charger being faulty and replaced that with charge port itself for a total of $3727.60. They refused to cover any part of this which I think should have been taken care of by the company.

NHTSA ODI 11467551

The continued Tesla MCU problem. Got bad with system crashing and screens going blank, then finally got the Tesla eMCC memory fix and all was good the last year or so, then in the last several weeks. It occurred 4 times and I made a service appointment, tech cleared the drive and said all would be good. Two days later it occurred again. MCU crashed again Monday 30 May ~1202, started back up a couple minutes later then functional a minute after that.

NHTSA ODI 11467366

Reversing my car into a parking spot at low speed, I heard a loud pop noise from front driver side and the steering became hard to turn. Attempting to turn the wheel and backing up so I am not in the way of other cars resulted in a grinding noise and popping noises. Drove the car forward so I am in an empty part of the parking lot. This lead to more loud popping noises and grinding sounds. Once I was in a safe area, noticed that the entire front driver side wheel was shifted backward and was not centered in the wheel well. While parked, I could move the driver side wheel back and forth with my hand without too much pressure. The same was not the case for the passenger side front wheel. Pictures added showing two extreme positions of the wheel in the wheel well.

NHTSA ODI 11466725

The Dashboard screen and the center monitor screen are showing crack lines and liquid bubbles on the screens, resulting from exposure to climate heat (in phoenix,az).

NHTSA ODI 11466470

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model-X. The contact stated while reversing out of the resident garage at approximately 2 MPH, the contact heard the driver's side front tire making a loud rubbing noise as if it had contact with the inside wheel well. The contact stopped the vehicle and examined the front tire and saw that the tire appeared to be off center and was touching the front wheel well. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had called the dealer who arrived and drove the vehicle approximately five feet and diagnosed the failure as a fractured control arm. The vehicle was towed to a dealer however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,800.

NHTSA ODI 11464372

The lower A pillar on the driver side front wheel just shattered. I was driving 1 mph and hit nothing. Had this of happened anywhere else the car would have flipped. Tesla is also “forcing” me to replace the other side since these old parts are dangerous. This was the recall done in China. Part is the Fore Link Assembly

NHTSA ODI 11462543

I've had the vehicle for nearly 3 years and have come to realize that the driver side door panel as well as the passenger side door panel make squeaking noises when temperatures rise from 55 degrees and above. I've brought the vehicle in for service numerous times and the squeaking issue has not been able to be fixed. I have come to understand that whatever interior lining/plastic etc. Installed within the doors loses its firmness in a higher heat climate. Please help to address the issue. Thanks!

NHTSA ODI 11459950

Driving the vehicle in a parking lot and at low speed turning the wheel, heard a loud pop and the front drivers side wheel starting hitting the wheel well. No warning signs or lights came on. After looking under the car a control arm snapped, I am very surprised this could happen at normal use at low speeds. If I was at high speed it could have been extremely dangerous. The car was towed to the Tesla service center on Raleigh, NC where it is currently awaiting repair.

NHTSA ODI 11459397

Falcon doors missing from ui. While on highway going highway speed, piece of the roof flew off car.

NHTSA ODI 11458556

Unexpectedly the cars steering has become very stiff to steer. I live in New York City and after researching on this topic I've found that other vehicles built before October 2016 have been affected and have a recall. I believe my vehicle is a late 2016 build but my Vin does not show up for the recall. Also here is the article I found... https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/tesla-recalls-model-x-for-steering-issue/

NHTSA ODI 11457063

I was experiencing very loud noises from the suspension and/or steering while driving and turning. The tires were also wearing excessive and very unevenly. Within 500 miles, the tires went from 2/32nds to completely bald with no signs of tread at all and very chopped. I took the vehicle to Tesla for inspection. They came back with a repair order for $6,171 for suspension parts such as fore link assy for L and R, front suspension aft link, right rear upper link, air spring module L and R, sway bar link L and R and other misc repairs. I found that there were many complaints online for some of these components. Tesla offered no explanation why a garage kept vehicle with only 54k miles would have so many severe suspension issues and did not offer to cover any of the repairs even though the vehicle is just out of full warranty for time frame.

NHTSA ODI 11456847

phantom braking on freeway. quick deceleration from approx 65mph to 40 mph for no reason causing vehicles behind me to reduce speed suddenly and swerve to prevent collision with my vehicle. Not reported to Tesla. I do not drive on freeway frequently but it does cause me concern when i do drive on freeway and engage cruise control/autopilot. Occurs with no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11452553

Electronic parking brake error messages. 1. when powertrain is selected from park to drive, error message says, parking brake may not have fully disengaged. 2. other occasional times when powertrain is selected from drive to park, error message says, parking brake may not have engaged in each of the above cases, i can hear the parking brake servos engaging / disengaging but error messages are concerning telsa recommends replacing parking brake units, estimate is over $1300 for both rear wheels i also came across this NHTSA recall, my car was delivered 2016 dec, nto sure of the date of manufacture. both dates fall into the NHTSA recall recommendation. have sent this recall doc to tesla service as well, waiting for feedback https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCLRPT-17V260-5503.PDF

NHTSA ODI 11451134

There was a recall to replace the center spine applique on Nov 16 2020. recall # 20V710000. I brought the Car in for replace on Feb 3, 2021. They refused to replace, saying it was safe to drive. I brought the car in for AC service on Dec14 and asked them to replace the Center spine applique due to a 6in long hair line cracked. Again then refused to replace. Now they ask me to pay 599.16 if they replace it. Please see 2 attached screenshots for your reference!

NHTSA ODI 11448152

My vehicle was being repaired by a collision repair shop to replace the front bumper and grill. When they finished the repair and were calibrating all the sensors, they discovered that the driver door would not latch consistently. When it did latch, during test drives by the collision employees it would fail while driving down the road and the door would open on the highway. They could not return the vehicle to me until the door issue was fixed. They attempted to fix it by replacing the door actuator once that part arrived from Tesla. That also did not fix the problem. After contacting Tesla they were told it is a known problem for which a retrofit latch kit is needed. Tesla would not repair the latch without payment for the kit parts and labor to install it as the car was out of warranty. The total bill was $820, including $310 for parts and $455 for labor. In my opinion this should be a required safety recall for the Model X as it allows the driver and passenger doors to open while the vehicle is underway. Note: As I was not driving I can not report the approximate speed. The mileage and date is an estimate as the vehicle was under the care of the collision repair shop when the incident occurred and was reported to me.

NHTSA ODI 11445608

The media system has been a source of issues since day one. When they finally issued a recall this past summer I was relieved to see that finally the problems would be fixed. I was told of a long wait and put in que until they would be able to get to my car. They didn't have a time frame however my media system crashed so many times I was moved to the top of the list and the recall was completed. I thought that would be the end of my issues nope shortly after they completed the repair the issues started again. After several months of back and forth with Tesla they said that is wasn't a warranty issue and that I would need to have the dash and the large screen replaced and all the processing for $1200. The issue is that my media systems crashes and goes completely dark when driving. When that happens I lose numerous features while I am driving. Sometimes the system reboots itself while I am on the road. When it goes dark all my sensors stop working cruise control stops, auto pilot all warning sounds stop, rear camera, heating cooling any function controlled on the main screen does not work. However the lights still work but I can't control the operations. This does not occur frequently but when iit does it makes driving very dangerous and distracting. The other issue is the streaming on the radio often stops working or you need to continually divert your attention to get the media system back online. All these issues have been present since the I purchased my X. It's been the same with Tesla let's look at the logs and see what we can do. They say my car has had more issues than most but they have never resolved they problem. I really do not want to pay $1200 for a repair that I am leary if it will resolve the issue and disappointed in Tesla that it is their problem and need to take responsibility and repair iit at their expense. I really like my car and enjoy driving it I just want it work they way it was designed.

NHTSA ODI 11444678

Rear spoiler is made of aluminum and is corroded. The roof leaks water

NHTSA ODI 11444059

MCU computer has failed multiple times, including one time, middle of a very hot summer day, turning on high heat and rolling up windows, until computer rebooted (seemed like forever), while on the freeway. Tesla later notified us of a recall of the MCU, but repeatedly denied our claim, even though they admitted the MCU was the culprit, "just 'cause". The steering is greatly affected by front motor and its half-shafts. Had repaired right before warranty expired, but the problem remained. Tesla techs all warned us that it would happen again, which it did shortly after, and Tesla refused to repair it again, except to replace the failed components with identical components, all at our cost (thousands of dollars). Tesla techs said that the problem was a notoriously bad design of the half-shafts. They said it was fixed in newer front drive units, but that our only option was to keep replacing the defectively designed parts. When it has this problem, the car wants to steer left or right, but never straight ahead, and can pull suddenly to one side, making driver appear to be drunk from the sudden left-right-left-right motions. Tesla experts have told us that the only fix is to buy a new Tesla.

NHTSA ODI 11442201

Driving in a residential area I was unable to complete a left hand turn (less than 10mph). I bumped the curb and ended up with the right tire knocked off of its suspension. Upon inspection one of the links was broken. The car came to an immediate stop and I could not steer it. In the drive leading up to the turn which I could not complete all left hand turns were difficult. Tesla offered no assistance since it was out of warranty and I was forced to have it towed to the nearest tesla certified body shop. The tires are completely inflated still- so even bumping the curb was not hard enough to damage the tires

NHTSA ODI 11438694

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently began to stall. The warning message " Front Motor Disabled" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and arrived at the contact's residence to diagnose the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed that the motor had failed and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair. The contact also stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal sounds while driving. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V062000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11437836