2016 TESLA MODEL X Complaints

THE MCU (MAIN GRAPHICAL DISPLAY) WILL LOSE ALL SOUND (LOSS OF WARNING SOUNDS, BLINKER SOUNDS, LOSS OF RADIO), FREEZE (REQUIRING A MANUAL RESET/REBOOT, OR TAKE A LONG TIME TO BOOT BEFORE THE CAR WILL START. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY (MANY TIMES A MONTH FOR THE LAST 6-9 MONTHS). IT HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT LESS OFTEN AFTER A RECENT SOFTWARE UP FROM TESLA. ONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REBOOT THEIR MAIN DISPLAY TO RETURN FUNCTIONALITY WHILE DRIVING (DRIVER DISTRACTION POTENTIAL).

AIR SUSPENSION CAME DOWN ON MY PASSENGER TIRE AND RIPPED OF THE TREED DESTROYING BUMPER, MIRROR AND BODY MOLDING

LOWER U JOINT FROM STEERING SHAFT TO STEERING RACK IS DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO ALL ROAD ELEMENTS AND DEBRIS THAT MAY BE RAISED, KICKED UP, OR SPLASHED UP FROM THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE. AS SUCH IT'S SUBJECT TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION, WASH OUT OF LUBRICATION, RUST AND OTHER DAMAGE. RECENTLY STEERING HAD STARTED TO STIFFEN UP, BUT WAS NOT TOO BAD. UNTIL MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND SHE COULD NO LONGER TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE WHEEL LOCKS UP ABOUT EVERY 90 DEGREES. IT WILL GO SMOOTHLY, THEN AS YOU TURN IT WILL FIND "LOCK UP" OR EXTREMELY STIFF POINTS EVERY ~90 DEGREES IT IS TURNED. TESLA SERVICE TOLD ME IT WAS THE LOWER STEERING SHAFT U JOINT, AND THAT CORROSION AND THE LOCKING UP IS A COMMON PROBLEM. IF IT IS COMMON, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED OR HAVE SOME SORT OF SHIELD ON IT TO PROTECT FROM THE ELEMENTS. SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR IT IS ABOUT 3 WEEKS TO A MONTH OUT. VEHICLE IS NOT SAFELY DRIVABLE AT THIS TIME. I DID SOME INSPECTION FURTHER. I'VE ATTACHED SOME PHOTOS OF THE SPECIFIC PART. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE PART (SORRY, I DO NOT HAVE BEFORE HAND PICTURES) THE U-JOINT WAS COMPLETELY CAKED IN GREASE, GRIME, EVEN SALT FROM LAST WINTER, SAND, DIRT, ANYTHING YOU COULD IMAGINE BEING KICKED UP OFF THE ROAD. AFTER I THOROUGHLY DEGREASING AND CLEANING THE LOWER STEERING U-JOINT, WHICH REMOVED ALL OF THAT CRUD, THEN BLEW IT OUT WITH A AIR GUN, YOU CAN SEE IN THE ATTACHED PHOTOS THAT IT IS VERY RUSTED AND CORRODED EVEN AFTER A DEEP CLEANING. AFTER THIS DEEP CLEANING AND RELUBRICATION, THE STEERING WHEEL FULLY TURNS SMOOTHLY WITH MINOR BINDING IN PLACES. WHILE NO MAJOR ACCIDENT, WHEN MY WIFE COULD NOT TURN THE WHEEL AT ALL, SHE DID IMPACT THE CURB.

THE TOUCHSCREEN IN THIS CAR, WHICH TESLA MISLEADINGLY CALLS THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM, HAS FAILED REPEATEDLY, LEAVING THE CAR UNDRIVABLE AND EVEN UNABLE TO BE PLACED INTO NEUTRAL. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, ALL THE CAR'S COMPUTER SYSTEMS WENT DEAD AND THE CAR LOCKED UP (PARKED AT HOME) AND HAD TO BE DRAGGED ONTO A TOW TRUCK. TESLA REPLACED THE ENTIRE CENTER SCREEN (AT MY EXPENSE) IN JULY 2020. IN ANOTHER INSTANCE ABOUT A MONTH LATER, THE SCREENS DIED WHILE IN A GROCERY PARKING LOT. EVENTUALLY THE POWER SCREEN CAME BACK, WHICH ALLOWED THE CAR TO BE DRIVEN HOME, BUT WITH NO CONTROL OVER LIGHTS, CLIMATE SYSTEMS, REAR CAMERA, ETC. IN THAT CASE TESLA REPARTITIONED THE HARD DRIVE, WHICH MADE THE CAR OPERABLE AGAIN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. BOTH SCREENS ARE NOW FAILING AGAIN, WHICH MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO TAKE ANYWHERE. JUST TO BE CLEAR, DESPITE CALLING THE CENTER SCREEN AN "INFOTAINMENT" SYSTEM, THAT SCREEN IS NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE CAR SAFELY. WITHOUT THE BACKUP CAMERA, THERE IS NO VISIBILITY BEHIND THE CAR. IT ALSO CONTROLS HEADLIGHTS, CLIMATE, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS. BASED ON ANECDOTAL REPORTS IN TESLA FORUMS, SIMILAR PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE HAPPENING TO MANY 2016 MODEL XS, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED.

DRIVER SIDE UPPER CONTROL ARM FAILED CAUSING BINDING AND CREAKING, FURTHER FAILURE WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN IT LEAVING THE VEHICLE UN-DRIVABLE. I WAS TOLD FURTHER FAILURE WHILE DRIVING COULD HAVE RESULTED IN ACCIDENT. TESLA SERVICE TOLD ME THAT IT'S AN KNOWN ISSUE.

THE VEHICLE STARTED TAKING LONGER TO START UP ABOUT A FEW MONTHS AGO. THEN THE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REBOOTED ON A REGULAR BASIS TO BE FUNCTIONAL. AT ONE POINT THE MAIN SCREEN THAT CONTROLS ALL THE SAFETY AND VISIBILITY FEATURES OF THE VEHICLE STOPPED WORKING AND THE VEHICLE WOULD TAKE UP TO 5 MINUTES TO START UP. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH TESLA'S OLDER THAN 2018 WHERE THEY ENCOUNTER AN "EMMC FAILURE" OF THE MCU. THE DEFECT OF THE MCU WAS ADDRESSED WHEN TESLA REPLACED THE MCU IN ITS VEHICLES IN 2018. THIS SHOULD BE TREATED AS A RECALL DUE TO THE DESIGN FLAW OF THE MANUFACTURER. THE MCU CONTROLS ALL THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THE VEHICLE AND THE REAR VIEW CAMERA. WITHOUT THE MCU IT MAKES IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO HAVE THE VISIBILITY NEEDED TO GO IN REVERSE.

LEAVING CHILD'S SOCCER GAME, BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OCCURRED. MY FAMILY LIVES ABOUT 30 MINS FROM THIS AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED FINE DRIVING TO OUR SON'S GAME. THANKFULLY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE TOLLWAY AND HIGHWAY THAT IS USED DURING THIS COMMUTE. BACK IN APRIL I HAD THE TESLA SERVICED TO GET A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT. NOTHING WAS DONE THEN TO INSPECT VEHICLE, EVEN WHEN A TSB WAS PUT OUT BACK IN FEB. 2017 FOR THIS ISSUE. AGAIN, THANKFUL FOR NO INJURES, TESLA IS NOW WANTING ME TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGE AND THEN A NEW ALIGNMENT, CLOSE TO $1200. THIS WHEN MY FAMILY COULD HAVE BEEN FATALLY INJURED.

HERE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A TESLA WITH A POPPED BALL-JOINT. HTTPS://POCTRA.COM/2016-TESLA-MODEL-X/ID-AI6J3YJQME16NYXJ/EBENSBURG-PA/PHOTOS THE BALL JOINT ATTACHES TO A FLIMSY PRESSED STEEL UPPER WISHBONE. THAT WISHBONE IS NOT EVEN BENT OUT OF SHAPE SO THEREFORE THE BALL-JOINT CAN NOT HAVE HAD ANY GREAT FORCE PLACED UPON IT. IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT IT WAS THIS POPPED BALL JOINT THAT CAUSED THIS MAJOR CRASH. I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. BAD BALL JOINTS. BAD BAD ELON PLEASE RECALL THESE DEATHTRAPS. THANK YOU KEEF

HERE IS A 2016 TESLA MODEL X IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/37193012?ROWNUMBER=146 IT HAS BEEN HAVING A REALLY BAD DAY. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE HIGH POWERED CAR, IT IS TO BE HOPED THAT THE OWNER WOULD NOT BE DRIVING AROUND ON BALD TIRES. AND YET, THE TREAD ON THE LEFT HAND WHEEL IS BADLY WORN AWAY AS THOUGH IT HAS PERHAPS BEEN RUBBING AGAINST THE BODYWORK BECAUSE THE TOP BALL JOINT HAS POPPED APART AND EVERYTHING HAS TURNED TO FECULENCE. I ONCE AGAIN URGE YOU TO FOLLOW THE LEAD OF THE CHINESE SAFETY AUTHORITIES AND DEMAND A RECALL OF THESE MURDEROUS MISSILES. THANK YOU. KEEF

HERE IS A 2016 TESLA MODEL X IN THE JUNKYARD HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/36658270?ROWNUMBER=43 IT HAS BEEN IN A SERIOUS CRASH AND HAS BIO-HAZARD STICKER. JUDGING BY THE CONDITION OF THE WRECK IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE DRIVER WAS KILLED OR INJURED. THE TOP BALL-JOINT HAS POPPED APART. EVEN IN A CRASH IT IS UNUSUAL FOR A BALL-JOINT TO BE POPPED APART LIKE THIS. IT IS HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT THE BALL JOINT POPPING CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL WHICH THEN RESULTED IN THIS CRASH. THIS CAR HAS DONE 95,000 MILES. IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT THE BALL-JOINT WAS WORN DOWN SUFFICIENTLY TO ALLOW THE BALL TO POP OUT. MANY OF THESE BALL JOINT SEPARATIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA AND TO THE CHINESE EQUIVALENT ORGANISATION SAMR/DPAC. IT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD IDEA FOR YOU TO DEMAND A TESLA RECALL IN THE SAME WAY THAT CHINA HAS DONE. THANK YOU. YOUR FRIEND KEEF