general problems of the 2018 Tesla Model X

I own a 2018 Tesla Model X that has multiple breakdowns ( 3 times to date: Feb. 28, 2026, Mar. 7, 2026, Mar. 14, 2026) resulting in the vehicle becoming undriveable and could not be shifted out of neutral. During driving on separate occasions, the vehicle displayed multiple safety warnings and critical systems became disabled. Alerts shown on vehicle included: 1. Automatic emergency braking unavailable 2. Power braking assist reduced 3. Parking brake not applied 4. Safety restraint system issue 5. Abs disabled 6. Park assist unavailable 7. Service required following these alerts, the vehicle became undriveable and could not be shifted properly, remaining stuck in neutral. The vehicle therefore could not be driven safely. The vehicle was previously taken to a Tesla service center after an earlier breakdown. Tesla reported cleaning corrosion during service, but shortly after the vehicle was returned, the problem occurred again with the same or similar safety warnings. This issue is concerning because multiple braking and safety appear to fail simultaneously, including abs, braking assist, and restraint system alerts. The vehicle becomes undriveable and may create a dangerous situation. Given the repeated breakdowns and the disabling of critical safety systems, I am reporting this issue for investigation.

The 2018 Model X experienced a sudden and complete loss of power and became totally inaccessible. All doors and access points were inoperable and the vehicle could not be unlocked, disconnected, powered on, or placed into any service or tow mode. Emergency front-trunk release cables had to be used and external 12-volt power applied at the jump terminals to wake the vehicle. The inability to access the vehicle was unexpected and alarming. Children, pets, elderly, and others could have been inside of the vehicle. Thankfully, they were not. Tesla inspected the vehicle and stated the failure was related to the battery coolant heater. The failure resulted in a complete vehicle immobilization and access failure. I had previously experienced restart warnings on the dashboard, but I did not expect a total lockout and loss of access. The inability to access the vehicle was unexpected and alarming. It may be a known safety issue. It should be recalled. This condition presents a serious safety risk because occupants could be trapped inside the vehicle and the vehicle cannot be accessed or moved without external power. In extreme heat or cold, or in a medical or emergency situation involving a child or pet, this failure mode could create a life-threatening situation. Importantly, even after multiple requests, I have not received a copy of the diagnostic report, or anything other than informal emails or calls. Tesla has not provided information regarding this failure other than broad statements, and visuals of the location of the battery pack, in an attempt to deny warranty coverage. The Tesla reports a high voltage system alert currently. The vehicle is subject to Tesla’s battery and drive unit limited warranty. Tesla has stated that the failed component was the battery coolant heater, but has refused to cover the repair under warranty. Tesla confirmed the failure but has not provided the diagnostic report, fault codes, or vehicle logs supporting its determination.

On 02/01/2026 at approximately 2:07 p. M. , my 2018 Tesla Model X (VIN [xxx] , approximately 151,099 miles, software version 2026. 2. 3) experienced sudden unintended acceleration while I was driving near [xxx] . I was [briefly describe what you were doing, for example: “slowing to a stop in traffic,” or “slowly pulling into a parking space,” or “braking to turn into a driveway”]. My foot was on the brake and I was not attempting to accelerate when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged [forward/backward] with far more power than appropriate for the situation. I had to [firmly press the brake / shift to neutral / steer away] to avoid a collision. At or around the same time, a “sudden unintended acceleration” warning/message appeared on the vehicle’s display. This acceleration did not match my pedal input and created a serious risk of a crash. [there was no contact, damage, or injury / or briefly describe any damage or injuries, if applicable. ] the vehicle was operating on software version 2026. 2. 3 at the time. [autopilot/traffic?aware cruise control/full self?driving was on/off at the time – please select what is correct. ] I have reported this incident to Tesla and requested that they preserve and review the vehicle log data for this time and location. I am filing this complaint because I believe this is a safety?critical defect involving sudden unintended acceleration, and I am concerned it could recur and/or affect other Tesla vehicles. *** if you tell me exactly what you were doing (parking vs in traffic, approximate speed, forward vs reverse, autopilot on/off), I can fill in the bracketed parts precisely for you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Water entered the passenger cabin of my vehicle during normal rain exposure while the vehicle was parked overnight. The failure occurred at the roof glass/seal system, allowing rainwater to intrude into the interior behind the second-row seating area and soak the carpet and underlying padding. This resulted in persistent moisture and a strong musty odor inside the cabin, consistent with microbial growth and mold risk. The condition affects interior air quality and poses a potential health risk to vehicle occupants, particularly children or passengers seated in the rear. Prolonged moisture inside the cabin also raises safety concerns related to corrosion and possible impact to electrical components, sensors, and restraint systems routed through the interior floor area. The condition substantially impairs safe and normal vehicle use. The presence of moisture and microbial odor makes the vehicle unsuitable for passenger transport and creates uncertainty regarding the integrity of interior and electrical systems. The issue was inspected and confirmed by the manufacturer’s authorized service center. The service center documented that water intrusion occurred through failed or missing sealant around the roof/door glass assembly and confirmed saturation of interior carpet and padding. The manufacturer recommended replacement of interior padding for safety reasons but declined responsibility due to the vehicle being outside the basic warranty period. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to discovery. The issue was identified after rain exposure when wet carpet and odor were observed. The problem is reproducible under rain conditions. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The horn on the steering wheel stopped working. It causes the air conditioning to turn on when pressed.

On [xxx], around [xxx], I was driving my 2018 Tesla Model X on [xxx] , waiting to turn left into [xxx]. While stopped in traffic on the slight incline, my vehicle unexpectedly shifted into automatic park without input. The car rolled back slightly, and the vehicle behind me bumped into my rear bumper. I shifted back into drive and moved forward, but moments later, the same malfunction happened again—the Tesla went into automatic park, rolled back, and was bumped once more. Both incidents frightened my [xxx] daughter, who began crying and was visibly shaken. The likely cause is a failure in Tesla’s “roll-away prevention” safety feature, known to trigger due to sensor errors. This is a serious hazard. Sudden uncommand shifting into park in live traffic creates risk of rear-end collisions, injuries, or worse, especially in school zones or high-traffic intersections. I have since found numerous reports of similar issues from other Tesla owners, including incidents on highways, showing this is not isolated. See example: reddit thread . At this time, the car has not yet been inspected by Tesla, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps, error codes, or prior symptoms before or during the failures. This malfunction caused two rear-end collisions in minutes, endangered my child, and could easily have escalated into a major accident. Tesla must urgently investigate and correct this automatic park/roll-away prevention defect before it results in severe injury or fatalities. No repairs for my vehicle as I was able to pop back in the light cover. Other driver is making a claim into which I believe is a preexisting issue but cannot prove. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

One fine morning car would not start and shows some errors. Tried using a aaa service and had the car towed into Tesla SC. After diagnosis they mentioned that a hv x099 connector is corroded. To me this cannot be a vehicle owner fault. This seems to be a failure of an integral part associated with the battery pack. Tesla has charged me a total of $2891. 46 including taxes out of which $85 was for the part replacement and $2626. 80 for labor costs. This seems like a major issue with a connector so deeply protected if corrodes this should be a Tesla design/manufacturing fault. ------------- notes from tech: repair notes: towed vehicle into service center and utilized maintainer to power on. Once vehicle was online attempted to pull logs. While logs uploaded verified hvil alerts present on ui. Began investigation checking hvil circuit from x099 to x098. Removed hv battery pack and found corrosion on connector x099. Inspected battery pack and also found corrosion on pack side connector. Will require removing ancillary tray in order to investigate corrosion further into the pack. After removing ancillary tray I found the corrosion had not gone past the low voltage rapid mate connector. Removed and replaced rapid mate and verified proper operation after reassembly. Test drove and verified no alerts present and vehicle functionality restored total parts amount 85. 00 total labor amount 2,296. 80 labor hours 10. 44 ----------------------- concern: corrosion found on connector x099 repair notes: performed wire repair on connector x099-11/12. Removed all corrosion from connector and reinstalled. Verified wire repair performed to Tesla specification correction: wire - electrical harness (does not include access labor) (repair) labor hours price adjustment subtotal 1. 50 330. 00 0. 00 330. 00 pay type: customer pay total parts amount 0. 00 total labor amount 330. 00 labor hours 1. 50 should these parts connecting to the battery be covered under the battery warranty? please help. .

The horn on the steering wheel stopped working recently. Horns are important safety features on any vehicle, and electric vehicles are especially quiet so the horn is essential. The other buttons and scrollers on the steering wheel also stopped working. It's unclear if the airbag still functions.

The car was being summoned out of a parking spot using the Smart summon feature, as the car began pulling out of parking it did not see the car to the right of it and turned into it causing segnificant damage to my car as well as the other.

Ac compressor failed within 1000 miles of high voltage battery being replaced. This is the second ac compressor failure, the first failure occured at approx 70k miles, Nov 2022. The ac is used to cool the battery during high voltage charging and driving. Upon failure speed can be reduced, determined by multiple factors and charging rate is reduced as well. I was told it was an internal failure of the compressor and when pressed further Tesla was unable to explain why it failed, again.

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.

Auto pilot.

When I purchased the car back in 2018, I had extended warranty that was never added to my account. Went in for repairs and they were going to charge me $3000. I kept asking for my extend warranty. I found the emails from Tesla from 2018 and forward to Tesla. They finally added that I have extended warranty but they refuse to send me a copy of my agreement to see exactly what is covered. Thank you.

Feb 2022 while driving horn engaged and would not go off , had to pull over , steering wheel then locked up and car would not start again but horn continued to go off and had weird smell until it died out. Took vehicle to Tesla service center, was told multiple fuses were blown , mother board and several other electrical/computer issues. May 2023 while parked in driveway horn engaged wound not stop, steering wheel once again locked up and unable to use any features in the car, while looking for fuse to pull to stop horn, noticed smoke coming from under frunk and smelled like something was burning , pulled main front end fuse which stopped the horn and burning. Called Tesla emergency services, advised not to drive it and have it towed to Tesla service center . Tesla repair shop once again said horns were fried along with other electrical problems, the smell of something burning was still present , same as event in 2022. Rear safety belt malfunction alert pops on and off for past 2 years .

Falcon door windows leaked a ton of water into my vehicle, the falcon door window trim disintegrates. Tesla ended up saying it was the sealant on the window but would not cover it. This is a constant issue with Tesla Model X vehicles and all just dismiss it as a “thats just a Tesla” problem. They need to be held liable to repair faults in their manufactured products. There is absolutely no reason a consumer should be held liable for a seal on a window nor the trim on a window that disintegrates. That is not at the consumers fault, that is a Tesla problem.

Incomplete list: overheating infotainment system cameras fail condensation blocks or blurs cameras sensors fail infotainment system failure eg lag or black, in part or while, including while driving locked out of or into car defective defroster failed power steering alignment; Tesla replaced axles three (3) times, breaks, leaks; uneven tire wear, premature replacement of tires car in gear to reverse but drove forward, could not drive in reverse; written police testimony falcon wing doors crushing car, no longer sound proof, weather proof; to demonstrate doors injuring people and pets video recorded doors chopping carrots battery 60% of range under the best of conditions eg no climate, fair weather, no tow, no usb charging, no interior lights and so on records: over twenty four (24) repairs by Tesla photos, videos, screen shots witnesses attempts to resolve with Tesla: Tesla failed to repair, refused to service, refused extended warranty, refused buy back, refused trade in, refused replacement.

May 21, 2021 air bag had to be replaced, horn did not function as well as other components of the unit on the steering wheel. I am now dealing with the same issue again and the air bag and horn again are not work less than a year later after replacement. I will be getting it serviced again.

The fender garnish on both the driver and passenger side of the car is falling apart. The adhesive on the fender garnish fell apart and was hanging off the side near the wheels. It was replaced by Tesla on 8/2/21(driver side) and 9/11/21(passenger side), and now on 10/4/21 both fender garnishes are falling apart yet again! on 10/5/21, the Tesla technician looked at the replaced fender garnishes and is ordering another set. This continues to be a safety risk because the fender garnishes are detaching near the wheels and can cause an accident. No messages or warning lamps were given to the driver prior to the fender garnishes detaching, other than the driver and nearby passengers noticing the detached fender garnishes.

I purchased this vehicle from Tesla on March 31 2021. The VIN sticker affixed to vehicle inside driver's door shows a manufacturer date of July 2018. After I got it home and dug deeper into the main control unit, I discovered that the main control unit was from a vehicle built prior to March of 2018. All Tesla vehicle built March of 2018 and on, have an updated main control unit. It has been confirmed by Tesla that the car was manufactured in February of 2018. Tesla refuses to tell me why I purchased a vehicle with a VIN sticker that states a manufacture date of July 2018 and that the car has a true manufacture date of February 2018. This is a six month discrepancy in time. The VIN sticker is there to protect the consumer. It is there to let the consumer know what they are buying. This VIN sticker is false, therefore compromising my ability to make a fair purchase decision. Telsa refuses to put July 2018 equipment into my car, to match the VIN sticker information. Here is an email from me to Tesla mcu 2 [xxx] from:customersupport@Tesla. Com to:[xxx] sent:Tuesday, may 18th 2021, 9:35:33 pm subject:mcu 2 hello [xxx], can you tell me what your local service center is? that way I can escalate your case further to that sales manager and have them look more into what is happening. . Read more...

On March 18 had to make a panic emergency stop to avoid a collision. I heard a popping noise and immediately had grinding and scraping from the left front wheel. Sound worse with right turns, less with left turns. Scraping continued with driving and car was taken to Tesla service dublin as a safety issue, not safe to drive. Tesla confirmed that two bolts holding the left front brake caliper broken and had to replace them. Tesla took photos, but I did not receive them. Wheel noise resolved.

All screens in the car shut down while driving and there is no access to your speed, blinkers, control of lights, control of car safety features, wipers, etc. Tesla was notified multiple times and each time they tried to correct the issue, it was not resolved. It has been a year since the issue started and has happened over a dozen times, resulting in unsafe driving conditions. Tesla keeps stating they "remotely diagnose" the problem and told me to keep an eye on it and see if it happens again, although they told me less than 2 weeks prior to call immediately if it happened again. They have refused to fix the problem and it has become a safety issue with driving the vehicle.

Starting especially so on this date, and on occasion before this time, the vehicle would abruptly brake very aggressively when I was passing a semi truck with his emergency lights on or when perhaps passing a shadow or for no reason at all. I would have to slam on the gas to avoid a collision or being rear ended.

I am filing a complaint against Tesla regarding the mcu infotainment on the Model X. My vehicle is 2 years old and began to suffer mcu failure after upgrading to Tesla's hw3. The mcu failures has resulted in severe lag, low vehicle startup. Vehicle start up has taken anywhere from 10 minutes to 20. Recently, a family member was required to be driven to the hospital. Due to the mcu causing my behave slowly, 911 was required to be called for an ambulance. The mcu failure is severely effecting medical emergencies. Tesla should upgrade all mcu 1 vehicles to the mcu 2 for free. .

Touch screen and main display unit and controller problems. It goes black very often, it becomes slow many times, restart takes a long time, sometimes bluetooth stop working for all devices, no sounds chimes, no audio sometimes, the blank screen stays for long time sometimes during the drive. This is big safety concern. I went to service few times and most recently today and Tesla service denied the service or fix siting everything works. They asked me to restart the screen. They told if screen goes blank weekly it's acceptable.

The car suddenly accelerated on its own as I was slowly entering a parking space in a supermarket parking lot and hit the car that was parked in the space in front of me.

As the vehicle self driving system was active it came to a full stop in a red light. The vehicle stopped behind an 18 wheeler. As I was in a full stop, I stopped looking to the front of the car and looked for a document and checked messages. Suddenly the vehicle accelerated fully, impacting the 18 wheeler in front of me. My reaction was not fast enough as I was very confused, eventually I hit the breaks and activated abs system but not with enough time to stop before impact. This has been confirmed by the Tesla report that the vehicle acceleration occurred with out drive input. They seem to ignore the fact that I was at a red light and state it is operator error not to be attentive, but regardless, accelerating at full speed with no input towards another vehicle is a hazard to the population. They have not shared the report from engineering, only read the statement over the phone once and have not been able to ask for the written report. Significant avoidance in occurring from the company.

Note: I am not a Tesla short seller, I am real owner, driver of Tesla for the last 19 + months. 1. Sudden acceleration happened many times during autopilot, vehicle doesn't decelerate even when another vehicle is in front, I had to take control from autropilot with this sudden acceleration and I apply brake. This has been many many times at different locations (freeways ~65mph, expressways ~45/50mph speeds). I did not apply any gas pedal/other techniques to increase the speed, but the vehicle suddenly without any intervention speeds up, I was terrified with this and took control from autopilot. Contacted Tesla earlier regarding this, but their poor customer service, service center did not help much. 2. Automatic emergency braking. . . Which is supposed to stop if any objects infront, does not stop. Its just the visible clear objects, vehcile does not stop even at lower, higher speeds. I request NHTSA to kindly take note of these issues with Teslas and appreciate your action in this regard.

Using the self-park system, from a stationary position and pressing the touch screen prompts to use the self-park, and having hands and feet away from the gas, brake and steering wheel, and parking between two cars, the car accelerated backward on its own and I had to slam my foot on the brake to stop it but it still hit a pole going in reverse and damaged the body of the car. Had I not hit the brake my son and I would have been injured. Tesla has denied responsibility.

Model x accelerated by itself on the wall at the parking lot,filed complain through Tesla.

It happened on freeway 57 when I was on the way to work in the early morning. I was driving my Tesla Model X, and in the autopilot mode. Supposedly in the autopilot mode, Tesla will detect the speed and the object in front and slow down or accelerate. If Tesla is too close to an object, it will beep and stop. But in that morning, the car slowed down but did not stop. And also there is no 'beep' the warning sound when car is too close to the car. Because the video is too large, I can not upload so I put sharing link you can review: https://drive. Google. Com/file/d/11h_pdlkslg0jarlnkevf9ytf6wk0hwkd/view?usp=sharing. Also I called Tesla and reported same day, I had been told they will investigate and call me back but it never happened. Accident happened on April 29 2019, and it has been 4 months. Tesla is still ignoring every call I made in the past.

Autopilot system would not work from the moment it left the lot brand new. The warnings on the forward cluster display lower center started out displaying "surround vehicle display limited" then changed to displaying "autopilot features limited". Never had the calibration in progress displayed while driving off the lot. It was taken to the Tesla service center in vienna, va to address due bill items. After 2 weeks at the Tesla service center it was determined that a wire in the harness leading to the right b pillar was damaged. A wire was added outside of the harness to repair it. Request to have the harness replaced were denied and no assurances in writing from Tesla that the rest of the harness was free of any damage. I never had a "calibration in progress" returning the vehicle home. Is the autopilot function calibrated? we have the full self driving package. Inspection of the work accomplished by Tesla I discovered the anchor bolt, anchor bolt cap missing and a couple of clips broken on the trim panels.

Audio warning glitch in Tesla Model X. Scenario is that the car is in park with the passenger's door and hatchback open. Car is placed in to reverse gear and the audio tone sounds warning of open door and open hatchback. Passenger's door is closed by occupant and audio signal stops, although rear hatchback is still open. Audio tone is still silent if the vehicle moves in reverse gear although the hatchback is still open. Risk of potential and actual damage to vehicle, building structures, and people nearby due to audio tone silencing prematurely. Tesla acknowledges reproducibility of the problem in my vehicle and the entire Model X fleet but refuses to notify current Model X owners per my request. Also, spontaneous shut down on Tesla auto pilot system and vehicle media control unit while driving. Driver is deprived of speed information and turn signalling information during the shut down. Driver unable to comply with local driving laws requiring signalling when changing lanes and making turns. Tesla seems unwilling or unable to fix these safety issues. Arbitration in process per Tesla warranty terms and conditions. Link to documenting videos below, also already given to Tesla service department: https://photos. App. Goo. Gl/x2murk4biia5ktpe7.

On Nov 17, 2018 at 4:50 pm, I was driving my Tesla x slowly with auto pilot off and auto steer off on a surface street in san clemente, CA. I was trying to do a u turn. I verified that there was no traffic, that there was an area where cars were not parked on the left side of the street and could use a parking driveway on the right that will allow more space to perform the u turn. I gently pressed the break to further slowdown and then veered a little to the right into the driveway at less than 5 mph. I started to turn to the left while still gently pressing the break. As soon as the front right wheel left the driveway and before I had completed the u turn, the Tesla all of a sudden, on its own spontaneously accelerated to full power (a Tesla x can go from 0-60 miles in approx. 4 seconds). My foot was still on the break, I did not move it and therefore I did not press the accelerator. There were no objects obstructing the pedals. In a small fraction of a second, the Tesla traveled at full speed towards the tacoma car parked ahead on the left (less than 20 feet). Something in the Tesla system triggered the sudden spontaneous full acceleration resulting in this collision. The Tesla had major damage in the front, the air bags were deployed. I had a major bruise on my abdomen and several small bruises on my chest. The tacoma suffered damage in the front, moved backwards and hit the car parked behind it. There were no passengers in the other vehicles. It is my firm belief that this accident occurred due not to a driver's error but to a technological error within the Tesla vehicle. I found more than 60 complaints for spontaneous sudden acceleration for Tesla vehicles that have been filed to NHTSA. What these complaints have in common are that vehicles are traveling slowly trying to park or make turns at low speed when sudden spontaneous full acceleration was triggered.

According to an article that I just read on yahoo finance, the telegraph has reported today that british tv director's Tesla bursts into flames sitting in traffic. Actor mary mccormack has shared video of her british husband's Tesla car shooting flames while in southern California traffic. He had been driving along a major route through los angeles, when the fire was first spotted by other road users. She said there was no accident, and the incident was out of the blue. This is what happened to my husband and his car today. No accident, out of the blue, in traffic on santa monica blvd. She also said, thank you to the kind couple who flagged him down and told him to pull over. And thank god my three girls weren't in the car with him. Sheriff's lt. Willian nash in west hollywood said on Saturday that deputies saw smoke coming from the electric vehicle and then fire. Deputies requested help from firefighters who quickly extinguished the flames. . Read more...