2022 Tesla Model X Complaints

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 02/24/2026

I am reporting several safety concerns based on approximately one year of experience using Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD). Primary Event: Between February 23 and February 28, 2026, while traveling northbound on the NJ Turnpike with FSD engaged, the vehicle accelerated to approximately 95 mph in a 65 mph. The acceleration appeared unexpected and excessive for the traffic conditions. I disengaged FSD and immediately took control of the vehicle to reduce speed and continued driving manually.No collision occurred, but I considered the event a safety risk because the vehicle exceeded the posted speed limit by a substantial margin. Additional Observations: 1. On multiple occasions, FSD appeared not to recognize or comply with “NO TURN ON RED” traffic signs.2. Situations where overhead or elevated traffic signs appeared not to be recognized by the system.3. On one occasion, the vehicle navigated toward railroad tracks where the roadway and tracks intersected at an approximate 45-degree angle. The vehicle behavior caused concern.4. When driving directly into bright sunlight, particularly when the sun is low and shining directly into the windshield, FSD performance appears degraded or confused. Human drivers typically use sun visors and other visual cues in these conditions. The vehicle’s driving behavior appeared less predictable during such events. 5. Lane changes are attempted across areas marked by continuous lane where lane change would not normally be expected. Additional Concern: A significant regulatory issue may involve situations where drivers intervene immediately before a collision. In real-world driving, drivers often instinctively take control when they perceive an imminent hazard. Therefore, when evaluating crashes involving FSD, I believe investigators should review vehicle data for period immediately preceding a collision, including several seconds before any disengagement, rather than focusing solely on whether FSD was engaged at the exact moment of impact.

STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 06/01/2026

As I was driving the Tesla Model X, I received a steering assist reduced error on the dash. There was no immediate noticeability, but after about 5 minutes, it felt like there was ZERO power steering, with no additional warnings in the car. With zero power steering, car required extreme forces required to get to the shoulder. If attempting any kind of turn, car would require forces in excess of 80lbs of pressure to execute. Once safely in a parking lot, I put the car into SERVICE mode to check the errors. There was an EPAS error, where it said Torque Sensor 1 not receiving, along with a Torque Sensor 2 not receiving. This has occurred to me 3 times, in the 3 years I've owned the car. Other than "Steering assist reduced", there is no other warning that the car's EPAS steering system reverts to just manual forces required to steer a car. I do not trust my wife to drive this car, as she would not have the strength necessary to get the car to a safe location. If this happened while turning, there's a strong possibility the car would not turn at all, a huge safety factor.

STEERING — Filed 02/02/2026

The steering wheel locks periodically and I have to get out and re enter my car. On long drives it works pretty fine and does not do this much on highways only once but in hotter weathers it seems to be much much worse. This happened once before the warranty but I did not think much of it. In one instance the steering wheel was so tight that it hurt my wrist while getting off the road

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/07/2026

The primary front trunk (frunk) latch mechanism fails to unlatch on the first attempt, requiring multiple actuations to open. When I brought the vehicle to the manufacturer's official service center to have the defective safety latch inspected and repaired, they confirmed the behavior but refused to fix the underlying hardware. Instead, the service center officially documented on my repair invoice that this latch failure is "frequently present and deemed a characteristic of the vehicle." A malfunctioning, binding, or misaligned front trunk latch poses a severe safety risk. If the primary latch is failing to release properly, it indicates a defect in the retention mechanism that could lead to the hood unexpectedly opening, flying up, and obstructing the driver's vision at highway speeds (a known issue that has caused recalls in the past). The manufacturer's refusal to repair a failing primary safety latch, and instead documenting it as a normal "characteristic," leaves a critical safety component in a compromised and dangerous state. There were no warning lights prior to this failure; it is a physical, mechanical defect that the manufacturer has acknowledged in writing but refuses to remedy.

STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS — Filed 11/06/2025

The failure involves the rear suspension system, specifically suspected rear control arm / suspension linkage play, which caused severe misalignment (rear toe out of specification). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This defect created a significant safety risk. The abnormal toe condition caused rapid and uneven tire wear, with both rear tires becoming nearly completely bald within less than 7,000 miles. This condition increases the risk of tire blowout, loss of traction, and potential loss of control at highway speeds. The issue has been confirmed by an independent service center (Les Schwab), which documented suspension play in the rear control arm area and alignment out of specification (rear toe approximately +1.20° total). The alignment could not be maintained, indicating an underlying mechanical issue. Tesla inspected the vehicle but stated that no suspension components required replacement and attributed the issue only to alignment. However, alignment does not go out of specification without a mechanical cause. Despite multiple requests, Tesla refused to provide detailed documentation regarding the inspection or repair of the suspension system. They replaced only one rear tire and did not address the root cause. The other rear tire had already worn completely bald. After approximately 5,386 miles, the replacement tire has again worn down close to the minimum safety limit, demonstrating that the underlying issue was not corrected and continues to affect vehicle safety. There were no warning lights or system messages prior to the failure. The first symptoms were abnormal tire wear, increased energy consumption, and unstable driving behavior at highway speeds, which began shortly after vehicle purchase. This appears to be a repeat safety-related defect that has not been properly diagnosed or repaired.

STEERING — Filed 10/01/2025

Lost power steering while I was driving multiple time and I couldn't turn. Later the alert also come on and off but sometime the steering is fine. Found out on Tesla Model X facebook group people are having the same issues.

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 03/02/2026

The electric power assist steering system on my 2022 Tesla Model X began displaying a "Steering Assist Reduced / Steering May Require Increased Effort" warning intermittently beginning in approximately May 2024, shortly after I purchased the vehicle. This warning appeared more times than I can count over the following months. In most instances the warning appeared but the steering continued to function normally. On approximately March 2, 2026, the warning appeared and for the first time the steering became extremely difficult to turn, requiring significantly increased physical effort to control the vehicle. The first physical failure occurred while parking at low speed in reverse. The steering failure also occurred subsequently while driving at highway speeds. In both instances I stopped the vehicle, exited, waited briefly, and upon re-entering the vehicle the warning cleared and steering returned to normal. This same sequence repeated the following day. The vehicle was brought to a Tesla authorized service center on March 13, 2026. Tesla's technician confirmed the steering assist reduction as reported and determined the steering gear required full replacement. The failed part, steering gear left hand drive part number 1070801-00-F, was replaced. Only full hardware replacement resolved the issue permanently. Prior power cycling provided only temporary relief. My safety was directly at risk. I am a full-time rideshare driver operating at highway speeds. The failed component has been replaced and is in Tesla's possession. Tesla is charging the full repair cost out of pocket despite this matching a documented pattern of identical failures reported to NHTSA by multiple Tesla owners.

STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 02/05/2026

While driving my 2022 Tesla Model X at highway speed, I experienced a sudden loss of steering assist shortly after Supercharging. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn, and I had to use significant force to maintain control. The vehicle displayed a ‘Steering Assist Reduced’ alert, FSD became unavailable, and the suspension behaved unexpectedly. After the incident, the vehicle was taken to Tesla service. At this time, I have not received a clear explanation of the root cause of the steering‑assist loss. Because this event occurred at highway speed and created a safety concern, I am submitting this report so the incident can be documented and reviewed.

STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 01/31/2026

On January 31, 2026, at 10:30 PM, I was driving from Fort Lauderdale to my home in Boca Raton, Florida. I was using FSD supervised mode. Close to my home, a big red image suddenly appeared, the car started accelerating fast, and I had no control over the car or its steering wheel. The car hit several electrical posts and only stopped after the airbags engaged. My wife was in the passenger seat. The front of the car was totally damaged, and I will have to total it.

STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 01/30/2026

I am writing to formally document a life-threatening mechanical failure involving my 2022 Model X on January 30, 2026. While my wife was operating the vehicle, it suffered a simultaneous and catastrophic collapse of all primary safety systems. During operation, the vehicle experienced a total loss of steering and braking control. This was accompanied by a rapid cascade of critical system alerts on the primary display, including “ABS Malfunction,” “Stability Control Disabled,” and “Steering Assist Reduced/Disabled.” Most critically, the vehicle exhibited Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA), increasing speed in direct opposition to the driver’s physical application of the brake pedal. This resulted in a near-miss where the driver narrowly avoided a construction crew.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 01/21/2026

The turn signal buttons intermittently fail to work. Many presses of the tuen signal buttons do nothing. When it stops working it stops for several minutes and then will start to work again. The problem is happening more and more frequently. The yoke has been replaced 3 times already for the same issue and after about a year just started happening again.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE — Filed 11/18/2023

I had my two Teslas parked in the garage. The model X was charging at about 1:30 AM. We heard explosions coming out of the garage. Went to check only to see my model X in flames. We evacuated and called 911 eventually a fire investigation report was made Showing the fire started within the vehicle outward. The battery pack was on fire. We had lithium contamination all over the house and this fire endangered five lives. This incident has been two years ago and until now Tesla refuses to acknowledge the faulty battery and is refusing to do anything about it

STRUCTURE — Filed 11/14/2023

The wing-style door of the car closed while my 1-year-old daughter's leg was sticking out. It dragged her leg sideways as it closed, and he femur broke. None of the sensors worked, the door should have detected motion or pressure, but they did not and it resulted in my daughter's leg breaking.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 02/14/2024

I was stopped at an intersection in the left turn lane heading southeast at a busy intersection. Left turn signal was on and within 3 minutes of getting to the intersection the vehicle experiences an uncommanded full power acceleration into a very busy intersection. To avoid oncoming traffic, I veered to the right while breaking which did not stop the vehicle. Avoiding a traffic pole and continuing into a business empty parking lot which usually is not empty due to loitering in the area, and avoiding the building the vehicle continued accelerating at a high rate of speed and was stopped only because it hit a metal pole which was hidden by a large bush on the side of the business. If the pole would have not stopped the vehicle it would have continued into oncoming traffic in the north bound lane. Air bags were deployed. The only visible injury I received was burns from the airbag on my right arm and sever busing on my abdomen which has taken 4 months to resolve. The police were on the scene immediately, my insurance company representatives have seen the videos produce by myself and Tesla sent to me via email. The insurance had put a hold on the vehicle which was towed to Carparts. Tesla has never contacted me or my insurance company that I know of besides my request by email for the additional data. I have driven a Tesla model S for 7 yrs prior to purchasing the Model X. The Model X had an incident once that it stopped on its own while I was driving on an interstate. I veered to the right to get off the highway and thankful no one was behind me. There wasn't any indication that anything was wrong and may have been something corrected by an automatic update which dealt with exiting right off a highway which I was not doing but this incident never happened again.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 11/18/2023

Bran new Tesla Model X 2022 model went up in flames in my garage on it is own, burning my garage, and destroying my other tesla. the car melted completely and Tesla Warranty is no where to be found, they are not even talking to me after 8 weeks of the incident and as of this date filing this complaint. The Car was purchased directly from Tesla, Brand New, owned it less than 14 months and had less than 30,000 miles on it.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 12/31/2023

at night, vehicle incorrectly identified a dog running alongside the vehicle as a human and engaged the automatic breaks causing 5 occupants to suffer minor injuries including whip lash. One occupant was a baby in a car seat. two weeks later also at night, the same event occurred. tesla has refused to provide a means to permanently disable the automatic breaking feature when a human is in control. The software incorrectly identifies a dog as a human, this is a serious software bug that has caused harm to my family. If a human is in control, I am responsible, if Tesla is in control then they should be responsible.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 07/09/2023

As I was trying to make a turn into the parking lot of a convenient store, my Tesla Model X started accelerating suddenly and unintendedly without my foot being on the accelerator. I kept pressing on the brake to stop the car, but it would not stop. I had no control and while it accelerated for 15-20 yards eventually it hit two other cars that were parked there. This happened so quickly. We all were terrified and shocked as I could not stop it from accelerating. I kept yelling "it is not stopping" to the person seating on the passenger side. I am confident that I did NOT press the accelerator pedal. The car was not on autopilot. My initial speed was probably 5 miles/hour, but it accelerated so suddenly that four airbags deployed, and the car is not drivable. Insurance company is evaluating whether the car is repairable, but I am afraid of driving with this car again until the problem is found and fixed. This could have turned to a major tragedy.

STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/07/2023

On Tesla's site, it says to report safety concerns to you vs to Tesla so that's what I'm doing since Tesla doesn't have any options to write to them about these problems. 1) I got into a parking lot accident on 7/7/2023 because of the "slide bar" on the Tesla Model X. I have had problems with it and complained to people about it before. If your hand has lotion on it, when you "scroll" up with your finger, it doesn't always "take". That's what happened earlier on 7/7 as well as in the parking lot. I scrolled to go forward, but it didn't scroll so when I hit the "gas" (its electric), it went backwards into the car in back of me. What if the car behind me was a person instead - that would have been awful. Tesla should fix this. 2) Tesla's horn is a small button on the right side of the 1/2 steering wheel. You can't even reach it with your right fingers when you are driving. If your right hand is not available, it is almost impossible to use your left finger to push exactly that small button for the horn. I also complained to Tesla about this safety issue when I had another problem with the car. Previously, someone cut me off and I couldn't even warn them because my right finger couldn't push exactly that small button. Another time, my right hand was occupied and I was just jabbing at the right side of the steering wheel to try to get the horn to sound, which it didn't. Thank you for listening.

SUSPENSION,WHEELS — Filed 07/06/2023

I think the rear passenger suspension failed causing the car to veer right and hit two parked cars

STRUCTURE,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 04/10/2023

In April, 10 2023 approximately 6:10 PM I had an traffic accident. My vehicle was parked at paid parking spot next to the pedestrian road (street parking) and I was approached from the back of the car and I recognized the bus approached from my backside of the road. I have no idea somehow, the front driver side door suddenly opened when I approached to my car about 4-5 feet away from the trunk, even though I did not pressed any door open button in my Tesla smartphone app. As a result, the opened door had collided to the LA Metro bus backdoor. I would like to NHTSA will investigate this faulty safety issue. Thank you.

STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/27/2022

UNKNOWN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 08/05/2022

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that after his wife had entered the parked vehicle and the driver's door was still open, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration, causing the vehicle to drive over a curb, into a ravine, and then crash into a tree. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was not filed due to the contact's wife not sustaining injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it remained awaiting diagnosis and repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200. The contact noted that the actual failure mileage was 1,646.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/24/2022

This happened with my new Tesla Model X Plaid with installed Self Drive software. The AUTOPILOT or SELF DRIVE mode was NOT enabled when the incident happened. Turning into a parking spot at a Target superstore, (next to a damaged at the rear end car, parked to the left of the spot I was pulling into), the car went out of control with unintended acceleration as if the car's Emergency Evasion system got activated unintentionally. It went over the curb and made a turn on it's own on the grassed divider and came to a stop on it's own, while I was trying to apply breaks all along. It caused damage to other cars but fortunately no people were harmed. This incident happened end of July of 2022 and I have since repeatedly tried to get answers from Tesla. There have been multiple other incidents of unintended acceleration reported by other drivers of Tesla with two incidents resulting in loss of lives. My car finally got repaired and has been released to me saying they have tested and found it safe to drive although I was told with regards to my incident "the engineering case is still open with no resolution at this point". I had requested a master technician to check my car but that has not been arranged yet. I have repeatedly contacted the local Tesla service center manager who has not been able to get an answer from her team with regards to the cause of the problem but at the same time was told that the current issues do not warrant repurchase of the car like I had requested.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/14/2022

New Tesla model s/x gear shifter(shift on screen) is unintuitive and dangerous. In a traditional car, or even model 3/Y. Gear shift is intuitive, can be confirmed by visual, muscle memory, sometimes audible as well. In the new Tesla model x/s, the shift happens on the side of the center screen. A thin but very long slide , going up from middle point vertically all the way goes to drive, going down to reverse. The problem is, sitting in driver’s position with your elbow sweeping up and down , especially such a long sweep perfectly needs extra attention. And it needs to be vertical, which is hard to do since the natural elbow motion make your hand movement curved. But in order to get engaged with gear successfully it needs to be perfectly straight. The worst part is, there is no redundancy to confirm your gear engagement except visual — by confirming a tiny text showing gear , on a different screen(cluster) , sometimes laggy response . While the traditional gear shift that people used to can be done by muscle memory , then confirmed by touch/feel, like crisp stalk click or shifter lever steady stuck in new gear , and audibles. You can always confirm by visual as well but it’s not always the case. This makes back and forth maneuvers in a time critical situation ( like parking parallels in a busy street) more stressful and much more room for fail to engage the gear you want. I had an minor incident due to fail to shift to drive , stuck at reverse then hit a parked vehicle in a parking lot at a low speed. Had I been in a traditional car, this kind of mis-shift would never happen, I had been driving for over a decade and never had a collision before, this is the first time. not to mention such a ‘stupid mistKe’ This design is unsafe for seasoned drivers, and needs to be improved.

LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 03/12/2022

While driving my 2022 model x in full self driving beta the vehicle suddenly took a sharp right into another vehicle causing damage to both no one was severely injured. At the time of the incident I was traveling at 40mph which was the designated speed for that area. I had a passenger in the vehicle that can verify the incident.