What breaks most · 2016 to 2019 model years
Tesla Model X problems by year
Owners have filed 161 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model X across model years 2016 to 2019. One year stands out: 2016 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2016
- Fewest complaints: 2017
- Complaints on file
- 1612016 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2016114 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 524 fires · 81 injuries · 52 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 3kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 39Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114 | 35 | 12 | Suspension (51) | |
| 31 | 11 | 10 | Suspension (11) | |
| 15 | 6 | 9 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 1 | 0 | 8 | Body and structure (1) |
What fails on the 2016 Tesla Model X
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 45% |
51 | 10 | Shop suspension parts for the 2016 Tesla Model X |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 18% |
21 | 10 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Tesla Model X |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 17% |
19 | 12 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 15% |
17 | 8 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 11% |
12 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 10% |
11 | 4 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
8 | 6 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 4% |
5 | 2 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Control arm disconnected while backing out of garage. There appear to be at least 5 other related complaints. If this had happened at high speed, the car would have been totaled.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Tesla Model X years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016 carries the most filings on the Tesla Model X. The 2016 alone has 114 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Tesla Model X problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 51 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Tesla Model X problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Tesla Model X complaints that include mileage is about 3,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.