Table 1 shows one common seats related problems of the 2016 Tesla Model X.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seats problems |
The rear captain seats (6 seater middle row) are no longer stable. They both have a back and forth motion to them. The passenger side one makes a noticeably bad noise when the car is in motion. This is a sign that the seat is failing and has lost its proper fitment.
My 2016 Model X has been experiencing front passenger and rear passenger safety restraint system faults off and on since we purchased the vehicle in 2019. This notification requires service and the Tesla service center has done a mixture of hardware checks, replacement of parts and keeps blaming the issues on a firmware update that will eventually happen in the future. Tesla says that when the system is tripped the airbags may not deploy and to schedule service when it happens. Because the vehicle is under a used warranty they refuse to address this as a recall or possibly defect.
The second tow captain rear seats are not bolted securely. The seats both rock forward and back. I brought it up to tedla service and the representative came back with, the car is 6 years old. So does that mean Tesla Model X captain seats begin to fail after 6 years? the other issue is a steering issue. When I steer left or right I hear a clunking noise. It's not related to the control arm as it is a known issue. The odd thing is when it rains the noise goes away which I believe it may be related to a lubrication issue. When the vehicle dries up after a day or two the noise starts again.
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.
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.
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.