Tesla Model X problems: recalls, complaints and what they cost
Pick a model year below for the Tesla Model X's open safety recalls and the components owners complain about most — then, for each of those, whether it is safe to keep driving and what the repair should cost.
Choose a year to load recalls and complaints.
What goes wrong with the Tesla Model X?
Across 5 model years sampled between 2016 and 2023, NHTSA records 84 recall entries for the Tesla Model X, counted once per model year covered. Complaint records for this vehicle are incomplete in our latest retrieval, so no total is shown rather than an understated one — use the year selector above for live figures.
By model year
| Year | Recall entries | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | not retrieved |
| 2022 | 22 | not retrieved |
| 2021 | 24 | not retrieved |
| 2018 | 9 | not retrieved |
| 2016 | 12 | not retrieved |
Model years 2017, 2019, 2020 are not in this retrieval, which means no records were returned for them — not that there were none. Use the year selector above to query those years live.
Older years accumulate more complaints simply by being on the road longer, so compare a year against its neighbours rather than against the newest one.
Recent safety recalls
Seats
The left-side, second row, reclining seat backs may not fully latch due to having incorrectly adjusted recliner mechanism cables.
Free remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and Tesla service technicians will correct the cable adjustment for the left-side, fold-flat, second row, seat recliner mechanism, free of charge. The recall began on November 10, 2017.
Parking Brake
The electric parking brake calipers have an internal gear that may be improperly manufactured, possibly resulting in the gear fracturing during parking brake application or release.
Free remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and service centers will replace both the left and right electric parking brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2018.
Seats
In the affected vehicles, the third row seat back may move forward under load such as in a frontal collision.
Free remedy: Tesla will notify owners, and dealers will replace all affected third row seats, free of charge. The recall began on April 20, 2016.
Electrical System
The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first…
Free remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022.
Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit. Take the campaign number to any franchised dealer. How recalls work.
Recall text above is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice, affected VIN ranges and dealer instructions.
Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-08. Use the year selector above for the current live figures.
How does a electric or hybrid typically fail?
Electrified vehicles remove most of the classic failure points — no timing belt, no exhaust, far less brake wear thanks to regeneration — and add a different set. Complaints cluster around charging hardware, 12-volt batteries (which still strand electrified cars exactly like petrol ones), thermal management, and software. Note that the high-voltage pack is usually under a longer separate warranty than the rest of the car.
What should I check first?
For a electric or hybrid, the systems worth ruling out before anything else are charging faults, 12-volt battery age, remaining pack warranty. Match what the vehicle is actually doing to the guide below — each one opens with a safety verdict, not a parts list.
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a defect the manufacturer must fix free of charge, forever, with no mileage limit and regardless of how many owners the car has had. A complaint is one owner’s report filed with NHTSA. One complaint is an anecdote; two hundred naming the same component is a pattern, and patterns are what you want before you buy or before you authorise a large repair. Read the complaint list by concentration, never by total — a model that sold three times as many units collects roughly three times as many complaints while being no worse.
What should I check before buying one?
Check the remaining high-voltage battery warranty in years and miles, and whether it transfers to you. Then check the 12-volt battery's age — it is the humble part that most often leaves an EV owner stranded, and almost nobody thinks to look at it.
Beyond that, the checks that find expensive problems are the same on any vehicle: see it started from stone cold, look under the oil cap, smell the transmission fluid, and scan it for stored and recently-cleared codes. Our used car inspection checklist walks through each one, and why cars fail explains how systemic defects emerge in the first place.
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Does the Tesla Model X have any open recalls?
Open safety recalls for the Tesla Model X are listed on this page, pulled live from NHTSA's public database. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, so an open campaign is money the manufacturer owes you rather than a repair you pay for. Check by VIN for certainty on one specific vehicle.
What are the most common Tesla Model X problems?
The complaint list on this page groups owner reports by component, which is the useful view: one component dominating the list is a pattern, while complaints spread evenly across many systems usually just means the model sold in volume. For this class of vehicle, charging faults, 12-volt battery age, remaining pack warranty are the areas worth checking first.
Is the Tesla Model X expensive to repair?
Cost depends far more on which system fails than on the badge. Each symptom guide linked from this page carries a parts-and-labour range for US independent shops, so you can price the specific fault rather than the car in general.