Steering Problems of Tesla Model X - part 2

This is a major safety issue --- we got an error that steering assistance was "reduced" for about 12 hours. Then on [xxx] at around [xxx], we were pulling out of a parked area (after being parked for 2 hours) -- and proceeded to increase speed on [xxx] in newark, the car steering wheel abruptly locked itself - you couldn't even move the steering wheel. It just locked and shut down completely. We proceeded to do a rest (hitting two scroll buttons) to reset the system over 5-6 times. Each time it takes about 10 mins to complete. It was pure horror - sitting on the road with cars just passing by and honking at me behind. I had the hazard lights on, but it was a dangerous situation. I was completely stuck and immobile. After some time, the steering wheel "magically" started working again. We've dropped the Tesla off at springfield and they are charging us over $6,000 in damages for this. This is a safety issue (we bought the car in March of 2024) and it's only been 15 months since we've had this used car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model X 🔎.

Steering assist error code. Car has less than 25,000 miles and Tesla is reporting this is common and the steering rack needs to be replaced and the steering gear left hand drive. Tesla temecula also said there was a system malfunction that caused it but they do not dig into that they just do the service for $5100. Looking online this is common.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model X 🔎.

Last month we were driving our Tesla Model X on the highway and suddenly the steering started malfunctioning. It was all she could do to get the car home, wrestling with manual-only operation that was clearly messed up, with no steering assist. We saw the warning pop up on console saying this needed to be fixed immediately. Turns out this is a well-documented problem, and indeed the company knows this very well, as they initiated a recall. It’s a design flaw – the assembly is inadequately sealed allowing water to get in corrode various parts. We took it to Tesla watertown (MA) and they said our vehicle is not under recall and demanded $5000 to replace the assembly and if we didn't, that we should get the undrivable car off their lot because they're very busy. I made the case that this is an ongoing problem and should clearly be corrected at no cost to the beleaguered consumer (we’ve poured thousands into this car for various quirky malfunctions, which has been disappointing because the alleged advantage of the computer on wheels was that it had fewer parts that need maintenance or fewer things as with combustion engines to go wrong). Specifically, though, the steering fail keeps happening, recounted in horrifying detail on facebook groups and listservs, as drivers are motoring along and suddenly can’t control the steering of a three-ton vehicle. This sure seems like a consumer issue needing attention. I asked for some kind of appeal and they just shrugged; Tesla is 100% unreachable in terms of customer service, as you may know. They have walled off any hope with talking or messaging with a human being. There's simply no one to reach out to.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model X 🔎.

I own a Tesla Model X, and for the past two summers I’ve experienced a repeating safety-critical issue during hot weather. After driving for a period in the heat, multiple systems begin to fail. The car displays numerous warnings including: •“parking brake requires service” •“traction control disabled” •“stability control disabled” •“steering assist reduced” •“automatic emergency braking unavailable” •“regenerative braking unavailable” •“lane departure avoidance unavailable” when this happens, the steering wheel becomes very stiff and hard to turn, which severely affects my ability to drive and control the vehicle. I’ve brought the vehicle to Tesla service twice. The first time (when it was still under warranty), they said they couldn’t replicate the issue. The second time, I brought it in while the warnings were still active. Tesla only cleaned some sensors and returned the car, but the issue returned again recently with all the same symptoms. This only happens in hot weather. Once the car cools down, the errors disappear. This intermittent issue is difficult for the service center to replicate, but it presents a serious safety risk, especially because steering and braking functions are compromised. I believe this is a deeper electrical or software issue affecting multiple safety systems under thermal stress. The issue has not been resolved, and the vehicle remains dangerous to drive in high temperatures.

See all problems of the 2017 Tesla Model X 🔎.

While driving my Model X 2022 I noticed the warning "steering assist reduced, steering may require increased effort". I was then at a red light and I started to make a left turn and I could barely turn the wheel it was like it was almost locked up. Luckily I had enough strength and I was driving into a parking lot where I needed to have my car towed. Tesla service just said there was moisture in the steering wheel connector and they just cleaned it up and connected it. They test drove it and said it's fine. 4 days later I was driving it on the highway and I got the message again and I had my daughter in the car and was terrified. Luckily the steering did not lock up and just drove it home. I have messaged Tesla to see next steps, but when I look at the forums this has been happening a lot! this is a huge safety concern and I don't feel Tesla is properly handling it based on all the reviews I have read. . .

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model X 🔎.

To whom it may concern, I am writing to inform you of a recurring issue I am experiencing with the power steering in my 2022 Model X plaid. This problem began on [xxx] and has progressively worsened. Initially, the power steering would function normally for approximately 30 minutes of driving. It would work fine when starting in the morning or when the car was cool. However, after driving about 15 miles, the power steering would completely fail, and a warning message would appear indicating that extra effort was required. Recently, the power steering now fails every time I drive. Based on my research, this appears to be a common problem with Tesla vehicles, and I understand a recall has been issued for some model years, although not for the year of my vehicle. I intend to have this issue addressed and repaired through Tesla service. However, I wanted to make you aware of this problem as it seems to be a known issue that is now affecting my 2022 x plaid as well. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On my 2023 Tesla Model X, the horn button is a capacitive touch button among several other buttons and it is difficult to use on a daily basis and impossible to find in an emergency. Yesterday, another car was drifting into my lane on the highway traveling at 70 mph and I could not locate the horn in time to alert them. I had to drive evasively to avoid a serious accident. This has happened at least 7 separate times already. 2024 Tesla Model Xs now have the button in the center of the steering wheel where it is on every other car I have ever driven. Yesterday, I contacted Tesla service about this critical safety issue and demanded the replace my steering wheel with a center horn button because of the document safety issues. They refused. There needs to be a recall forcing Tesla to replace these defective steering wheels with the new and safe design before people get killed.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model X 🔎.

I had cruise set at 60mph on 2 lane highway. Their were rumble strips in center as well as edges of the road. I approached 2 slow moving vehicles (adaptive cruise was on) and then used turn signal, took over control myself disabling adaptive cruise. I pulled back in across the center mark after passing vehicles. When I crossed the 12" wide center rumble strip my car immediately threw up a message on the screen and I could barely turn the wheel to prevent the car from driving into the ditch on my projected path back into my lane. The car got straight finally but the wheel was nearly impossible to turn. A few miles later, I approached my ramp to take and slowed down to 15mph under the ramp limit and it took nearly everything to get the wheel to turn 15 degrees to make my turn. I pulled off very slowly into a graveyard right off the road and parked the car. I took pictures of the messages on the screen "epas_w002 steering may require increased effort" on the center screen and the similar message on the center screen "steering assist reduced steering may require increased effort". I did a computer reboot (hold 2 buttons on steering wheel), left the car with my key and locked it ad walked away for a minute. I reapproached the car, it unlocked, and I turned the car back on. Everything worked when I got on the highway with the exception of autosteer (beta). It would not set, so I disabled it on the center screen. I turned it back on this morning (next day) and it is fully functioning again. I do not know how I didn't end up in the ditch at highway speeds, but I feel this needs reported and a solution found before I or someone else loses steering. I'm not sure the center rumble strip had anything to do with it or if it was coincidental, but the car always does a shimmy when you cross rumble strips in the center of the road (switching lanes) regardless of speed.

See all problems of the 2016 Tesla Model X 🔎.

The power steering failed sporadically and it could return to normal state after power off/reset or the errors could be latch on for days. When the power steering reduced errors message occur, the steering wheel is too heavy for any turn, we lost steering and went over to the opposite lanes (fortunately there was no on coming traffic). The car needed a tow to the service centre.

In March of 2025, my steering of the Model X became really stiff. As time went on, the problem became worse and no longer able to turn left or right without major force. I made an appointment with Tesla and took it in for servicing. At this time they changed the steering bolts and steering shaft April 23, 2025. This cost $489. 70 (I will attach invoice). As soon as I picked up the vehicle my steering wheel was about 30% stuck to the right. I immediately sent a picture to Tesla for them to conduct an alignment and fix the issue. They fixed the issue but around may 15th, I had a nail in my tire so I took my car in to fix it. At that time I find out that the tires on my car were exposed to the wire (I will add the picture of the tires). I replaced these tires on March 1st 2025 which is only 2 1/2 months since I replaced it. It was an indication that something is wrong so I make another appointment with Tesla to check it and get another alignment I dropped off car on June 3rd. Tesla tried to perform another alignment to find that they are not able to because the steering gear assembly needs to be replaced. I asked for clarification because I just fixed the steering components in April and they are now wanting $4900 for the steering gear assembly. As I was researching, I find that my Model X was produced on may 2016 and there is a recall for Model X produced before oct 2016 for the steering bolt and steering components if they are damaged. When I tell Tesla that there is a recall they say that my VIN is not associated with the recall. I am filing a complaint because my car is with in the period of vehicles produces in the recall. There is a huge safety issue if the steering bolt and steering gear assembly is malfunctioning. There were no warning lamps or messages to indicate this. This has put my family and other vehicles at risk and Tesla is aware of this problem but won't honor the recall or admit that the steering issue are all related.

The horn is a button on the top right of the yoke steering. With a turning wheel the position is not stationary and in situations where it is warranted to warn other vehicle or person you keep looking for it and get distracted. I have had this vehicle for about three weeks and I find this as a serious safety issue. Today I contacted Tesla and it seems they have a new steering that come with manual horn in the middle but they would not replace it without charging $2000 for it or there is some defect like peeling on it. There are numerous online chats where people have got it replaced citing safety reason. In my view this should be under the recall especially when there is an option.

Hi, my steering wheel turning very hard even though NHTSA issued the the recall last month but your website says your vehicle is not on recall. Also my rear camara is working still Tesla said needs to be replace again even though Tesla replace in 2023 which is I paid. My autonomy is not working even though I paid $8000 plus $500 tax when I purchase my Model X in 2016 for full self driving/ Tesla doesn't want to honor this to us. Hopefully NHTSA put my vehicle in recall list. Thanks for you help. Best regards.

The steering wheel is hard to turn while driving. Also, heard a clanking/ squeaking sound while driving.

Vehicle is hard to turn.

The horn doesn’t get activated when the center of the steering wheel is pressed. The horn button is on the right hand side on the wheel. It’s a safety hazard trying to find the button while driving especially in round abouts. In the place I live, there are couple of roundabouts; one car almost hit me since they didn’t yield to me when I was on the roundabout. I couldn’t find the horn button and had to hard brake.

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.

There was a recall on these cars (22v-818) and manufacture said a software update would solve the issue. But the actual issue is the I-shaft, which is not sealed on those cars. Now the manufacture is replacing the I- shaft, with the same issues which they said that was corrected with a software update, by charging customers thousands of dollars with sealed ones. All those cars having the issue which I am facing now. I have escaped a crash narrowly and it is dangerous.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model X 🔎.

2023 Model X is not equiped with a center steering wheel horn, instead a small button on the right of steering wheel which is nowhere to be found when you need in an emergency, I almost got in to 3 accidents for lack of horn. Tesla must replace these for traditional horn button.

I took an exit form the highway on i405 towards bothell. As soon as I did and ended up coasting towards the first red light, all the warning signs came on on the car and my steering wheel locked up. And my braking also got reduced. Only thing that worked was the acceleration pedal. I struggled to get the car towards any safety. There was a message on the dashboard saying that assisted steering is reduced will require more power. However it was locked. I tried with all my might to steer the car in any direction but it would not budge. I was super scared I was going to be in an accident. With the limited braking as well I had to find a curb in the road to be able to safely park the car or a slope where the car could slow to a halt. Luckily I was able to do that and slowed down. On a curb like area and then I was able to turn on the parking brake. On contacting support they told me to reset the car and in doing so it should bring back functions. However, it did not. This was extremely dangerous and I was very lucky to get out of this alive without harming anyone else as well. Had this happened on the highway I was a sure goner. They had to finally get the car towed from there.

My Tesla stopped in the middle of a 4 way intersection without notice. As I was turning left, the car started to shake for about 2 seconds and then stopped. No warning or anything. The notification stated "electrical system unable to support functions. " my safety was put at risk and others. I was traveling with my 11 month old and other cars could have hit my car if they were not paying attention when coming through the intersection. The car was towed to the Tesla dealership. No warnings prior to the failure. Warnings appeared after the car stopped.

The horn button on the steering wheel is extremely dangerous. It is too hard to find it with my thumb in time, and has almost caused me to get into multiple accidents. When others cannot see me while yielding to traffic, I tried to honk and because there was no center haptic horn, I had to slam on the breaks. The horn should be in the center of the steering wheel. It is extremely unsafe as a tiny button because you cannot find it in time during an urgent traffic incident.

Steering assist reduced. It has been faulty for the past six months and auto pilot doesn’t work. Not repaired as the cost of repair is 5k.

Steering stuck: it happened several times that the steering wheel completely locked up while driving on the road. Today it happened again. It does not move, cannot turn left or right. I was in the middle of the road, the only thing I could do was to back up. I had to stop in the middle of the road and reboot the car. Luckily the cars behind me were able to stop before crashing into me. In may 2024, I addressed the same issues, but it happened again. I think it is their defect which I have serious concerns for my safety. I heard other people also experienced the same as mine. I believe this is the defect which will cause the danger of drivers. Suspension and tires: I went to several tires shops every year and they all told me that my tires have been worn quickly because alignment was not properly installed. I went to Tesla, but they said there were no issues. The fact is that my tires have been worn quickly than normal and we can hear the squeaky noise from the suspensions when turning. My friend has the same issues with his Tesla. This is also a defect that Tesla needs to repair it. Wifi: my Tesla cannot connect to wifi for all of those years for updates. I have asked Tesla to help but they cannot connect to it either. This is a defect that they cannot fix which cause my car not being able to update it automatically.

The horn button on the steering wheel is not mechanical and is located outside of the center steering wheel location. This poses a serious risk to driving as the horn button is very difficult to reach when turning the steering wheel.

2018 Tesla x with only 48k miles has lost power (electric) steering and controllability. This is a huge safety issue which I see in many, many other Tesla x reports on the NHTSA web sire. Tesla has acknowledge it a know issue however says they can’t get us an appointment to did the problem for until January 6th, 10 weeks from us contacting them. Totally unacceptable and they don’t care. There’s no warning lights, no other issues, just steering locks in 1/4 turn increments which I’m fairly sure is the steering “u joint” others have spoke about. No one local will touch it and Tesla will not come out with novel mechanic to assist. They say tow it in (2 hour) to our service center, $500, and we’ll look at it January 6th, today is November 26th. I admire elon and everything he stands for, I’m positive if I could speak to him this service would not be acceptable to him either. Over 2 months without a car…. Really…. . This is a clear and obvious safety issue and should be a recall for all 2018 Tesla Model X vehicles. I’ve owned many cars and never had a steering column-u joint issue at 48k miles. In closing it should be known Tesla as well says the estimate for repair is $600…… plus the tow. For a 48k mile car, NHTSA, please help the hundreds of owners who are having this huge safety issue! thank you !.

After messaging Tesla due to noise and vibration, they reviewed the videos sent and preliminarily diagnosed the issue a control arm problem. They then stated that instead of having it assessed to determine the extent of the problem, that it was ok to drive and to wait 39 days in order for the problem to be assessed. I attempted to call Tesla they continually put me on hold for extended times up to 1 hour long without speaking to anyone. They state the manager call but none has called to follow up. I do not feel like driving with control arm issues is safe without having the car formally assessed. It is unclear why Tesla is pushing back on this. Waiting 39 days for this is unacceptable.

The steering wheel horn is a small button on the side rather than on the middle of the steering wheel. Because of this, in an emergency where I was about to be hit in a t-bone vehicle accident, I tried to hit the horn to alert the other driver but was not successful in doing so. I find it dangerous to not have the horn available on the middle of the steering wheel, or at minimum a more easily accessible button.

I had a problem with steering wheel on my Tesla Model X 2018 after twice updating the software, my steering wheel became stiff when I turn it more than half a turn back and forth. I also changed the setting to light mode, but it didn't work. My vehicle is out of the manufacturer's warranty. I'm concerned about safety, as I won't be able to control the vehicle if it happens while driving.

Tesla updated my vehicle with fsd 12. 5. 2. 1 and it is dangerous and should be recalled. The software is too much for my vehicles processor, it frequently freezes for as long as 10 seconds. This loses my speedometer, my signal information, and happened while merging and nearly caused me an accident. The lane keep assist has retrograded significantly, it often goes outside of the painted lines and is in danger of hitting curbs. The processor feels like it struggles to keep up, and the auto steer is unsettled and jerky as it changes its mind. Previous software worked great, Tesla is pushing the software beyond the hardwares capabilities and it’s going to cause accidents. Please stop them.

The horn placement on the steering wheel is on the side as a haptic touch button and not in the center of the steering wheel as an airbag horn switch, probably the only car and model with such button. It puts everyones safety at risk. If somebody is trying to make a bad merge into my lane and I have to honk in emergency , the hand by intuition goes to the center of steering wheel. Even if the hand goes to the side, because of emergency maneauver several buttons get pressed resulting in loss of precious time for me or the other driver to maneuver out of the lane, this happened with me today and I narrowly escaped the accident. This needs to be fixed ASAP before any bad thing happens with someone.

Steering rack failure: replacement needed for Model X 2021 at approximately 55k miles. From Tesla service center: concern: customer states: alerts - steering assist reduced/steering may require increased effort. Repair notes: performed vehicle data review found alerts for steering rack assembly, inspected steering rack harness connections found good connections, inspected for any outside influence found none. Found steering rack has non-serviceable internal fault. Recommend steering rack assembly replacement and alignment check. Correction: steering rack (remove & replace) - remove and replace part quantity and labor hours $4,641. 46 + taxes.

When I started my car this morning it was very hard to return the wheel to center after full turns. The wheel is sticking in turn position and requires a lot of muscle to turn. It is unsafe to drive and power steering didn’t return after reboot.

I was getting a message on my display saying: steering assist reduced steering may require increased effort. But in reality, it requires all my strength, to turn the wheel. Very dangerous. Tesla charge to fix $4,100. I’ll have to pay it.

Alerts: ui_a020 - steering assist reduced app_w264 - lane departure features unavailable this incident happened suddenly during a normal commute from work to home. It caused the steering of the vehicle to be very heavy and difficult to control which could have potentially led to an unwanted accident on the road. There root cause seems to be a failure in the steering rack component of the car. It is a very common and prevalent issue with Tesla vehicles, and complaints on various Tesla forums and reddit threads about this same issue. There also has been NHTSA investigations in the past regarding this. The failure caused the loss of safety functionality such as lane keeping assistance, lane departure assistance, autopilot and fsd. Tesla service center diagnosed the alerts as a steering rack hardware failure and is charging almost $5000 to replace the part. Given that this is such a prevalent issue among so many Tesla vehicles, it needs to be addressed by the manufacturer and should be a safety recall and not on the customer to pay out of pocket.

We bought the Tesla Model X as a cpo vehicle from Tesla on [xxx]. Within the first 2 months of driving the car we saw an an alert for “steering assist reduced” and shortly after the steering wheel locked up making the car inoperable. This has happened twice while driving: [xxx] [xxx] this puts the driver and passengers at huge risk because the car was unable to turn while blocking a major intersection on [xxx] . We have taken in the vehicle in to telsa santa barbara service center and they were unable to reproduce the issues so they did not make any fixes and returned the vehicle back in the same condition. There was a “steering assist reduced” warning message to the driver before the steering wheel locked up. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).