What breaks most · 2016 to 2026 model years
Tesla Model X problems by year
Owners have filed 1,533 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model X across model years 2016 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2016 for suspension complaints, 2017 for electrical system complaints and 2023 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2024, 2021 and 2019.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2023
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2021, 2019
- Complaints on file
- 15332016 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2016445 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 18814 fires · 138 injuries · 53 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 22kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 123Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 445 | 62 | 12 | Suspension (150) | |
| 268 | 24 | 10 | Electrical system (72) | |
| 191 | 34 | 9 | Unknown or other (39) | |
| 100 | 13 | 8 | Suspension (26) | |
| 125 | 17 | 10 | Suspension (37) | |
| 40 | 3 | 24 | Steering (12) | |
| 125 | 12 | 22 | Steering (43) | |
| 192 | 17 | 17 | Unknown or other (90) | |
| 26 | 2 | 8 | Forward collision system (9) | |
| 15 | 2 | 3 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Forward collision system (4) |
What fails on the 2016 Tesla Model X
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 34% |
150 | 15 | Shop suspension parts for the 2016 Tesla Model X |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 21% |
93 | 12 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
88 | 15 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 13% |
58 | 8 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 13% |
56 | 14 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Tesla Model X |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
35 | 19 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 6% |
25 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 5% |
24 | 3 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
subframe bolt was broken off without external impact, caused loud noise when driving, and potential safety concern. I suspect the bolt has proper quality control. One year ago, the front suspension(fucas) has to be replaced due to strange noise at low speed.
-
During home charging using 40A, the 220 volt UMC connector started smoking and was melting. The charging appeared unaffected, and I caught it before it caught fire.
-
Peeling steering wheel, eventually will need to replaced due to not being able to grab wheel and lose grip when I turn. Many others complain of the same problem with model x and Tesla wants $1800 to replace. I refuse to use my insurance to pay for this so they have not inspected it.
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 6, 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, 2017, 2023 carry the most filings on the Tesla Model X. The 2016 alone has 445 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 150 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 22,000 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.