2018 TESLA MODEL X Complaints

Steering “U Joint” apparently degrades/locks up due to rust and debris. This is a well known issue and the Tesla community believes this is a design flaw in the steering system. Tesla apparently has a TSB [XXX] ) and updated parts to correct this issue, but they want to charge customers for the correction at $400+ at most service locations. At a certain point of debris accumulation and/or rust, the joint seizes up in multiple spots while turning the steering wheel. This makes the vehicle unpredictable to control and also will disengage the driver assistance features (Full Self Driving, Autopilot), as the car thinks the user is pulling on the steering wheel, when in fact it is the debris accumulated in the U joint that is causing resistance. If this happens while the driver is not paying very close attention, the system will disengage and could potentially do so without the driver realizing what is going on, which could easily lead to the driver going off the road/into another car/etc. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have encountered what seems to be a very common issue in 2018ish tesla vehicles. Seatbelt sensor issues. While I believe it is due to wiring below the seat, tesla claims the only fix is an entire seat replacement. Researching this it seems to be a widespread issue, especially as the cars age.

on 4/17/2024 while exiting bank drive up lane in parking garage car suddenly accelerated from 5mph to maximum, both feet on brake had no effect, drive lever did not engage neutral or reverse. Car exited garage and was able to be steered onto median into a tree to stop car. Air bags deployed. Thankfully no one injured, if there had been a pedestrian or another car there would have been a bad outcome. Attempted to contact Tesla but unsuccessful locating telephone number or online contact to report, was able to send text to 24 hour tech assistance line, no response as of now.

The car starts developing very loud squeaking noise when the suspension is at work, when turning, and when accelerating/decelerating

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the driver and passenger side second-row captain seat belts were engaged, and the seat belt restraint error message was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that when the seat belts were extended right, and seat belts failed to retract. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.

I was driving on [XXX] from Carson City to Reno in Washoe Valley while on autopilot, the car suddenly alerted with very loud alarms, showed 1. steering assist reduced, 2. Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable 3. Traction Control disabled 4. Stability control disabled 5. Park Assist unavailable. I pulled over to a safe parking area. Then the car locked out for 75 mins, in Neutral gear, can't shut off, can't park, can't reset the car at all even after talking to Tesla support. While waiting for the tow truck, I turned it into Tow mode, was able to change into Park mode finally, and hard reset the car. I took it in and Tesla told me the steering system was the problem and I was out of warranty so I had to pay A LOT OF money to repair/replace it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When turning the power steeting goes in and out and most of the time the steering wheel does not return and is stuck where it is continuing turning. Intermitent powersteering loss.

As proactive and responsible car owners, we experienced an alert on our Tesla X stating it needed service, vehicle may not restart. We also recorded a concerning noise that clearly showed a problem ...And brought the car into the Tesla Blue Ash service center. It was estimated 3/4 hours to repair. After a day or so, we inquired and we were informed of "difficulty" performing diagnosis. We once again patiently waited for a diagnosis that was not received until we inquired again, days later. The car was held for a week and deemed acceptable as noted in the invoice. We drove this vehicle for less than a total of 1-2 hours over Saturday to Sunday to discover it unresponsive in our garage. It was stuck on the charger. HV battery fully charged. Tesla remote came out to remotely help us. They attempted replacement of the 12v and then stated it wasn't safe and that he couldn't put it into tow mode due to the voltage leak concern. We had two AAA tow truck drivers refuse attempt to tow the vehicle due to the impossible location. We were informed by Tesla that based on their algorithm at the first appointment nothing alerted them despite our video of the concern. They were not able to locate the problem and that led them to release an unsafe vehicle to us. We took our car to a trusted Tesla service center immediately and as experts of the vehicle they were not able to accurately and proactively diagnose a problem until the ac compressor was completely dead. We then were stuck to tow the vehicle back to them despite bringing it in with an early concern.

Unexpected loss of Power steering and premature suspension failure caused loss of full control of vehicle.

The vehicle was in cruise control and had a phantom braking event. The vehicle was going at 70 mph and suddenly braked even though there was significant distance between the car in front and nothing on the road. The sun was glaring on the road and possibly the car detected the shadow on the road as an object and braked because of it.