62 of the
2,399 complaints filed about the Tesla Model X
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
62
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that a stress crack had developed in the windshield near the forward-facing ADAS camera and sensor. The dealer inspected the vehicle and confirmed there was no sign of an impact to the windshield to cause the stress crack. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the failure was confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
NHTSA complaint #11726839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2019 Tesla Model X. After Tesla upgraded my vehicle from AP2.5 to the FSD hardware module, the front camera view became blurry. I disassembled the camera housing and found that a heated line in the windshield, intended to prevent fog or ice buildup in front of the camera, runs directly through the camera’s field of view. This line now causes noticeable image distortion, which interferes with safety-critical features such as FSD, forward collision warning, and lane keeping assistance. The Tesla service supervisor confirmed this is not my fault. He explained the issue may have been caused by heat from the line gradually affecting the glass, or that the upgraded FSD hardware, which captures clearer images, is now revealing a flaw that was previously less visible. He also mentioned that Tesla redesigned this component in newer Model X vehicles to prevent this issue. However, because my car is out of warranty, they are refusing to replace the windshield. Since the FSD upgrade, I have experienced multiple warning messages while using FSD. On one occasion, while driving on the freeway, the system suddenly disengaged and displayed a message saying the camera had weak visualization and the driver must take over. I believe this is a serious safety issue related to the blurry front camera caused by the heated line in the windshield. Although Tesla acknowledges the problem and that it is not due to misuse, they have declined to offer any resolution. I am now unable to safely use the FSD system I paid over one thousand dollars to install, and Tesla has taken no responsibility. I believe this issue poses a risk to driver and public safety and should be investigated regardless of warranty status.
NHTSA complaint #11667961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2025 Tesla Model X. A large crack appeared in the windshield spontaneously, without any impact or road debris. It has since worsened audibly while driving. Tesla is classifying this as an accident without identifying an impact point, and they have refused to cover towing or acknowledge a potential manufacturing defect. I do not feel safe driving the vehicle in this condition and believe this may be a structural glass failure. Escalation to Tesla Executive Support is ongoing. Safety concern unresolved.
NHTSA complaint #11664776 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Windshield cracked due to defrosting; yes available for inspection upon request. If the windshield shatters due to defrosting this is serious safety risk and what can happen while driving is limited less. Vehicle was inspected by Tesla located in Peabody, Massachusetts and the representative stated they are aware, and this is why they tell customers to warm the vehicle up before turning on defrosting, in all the vehicles I've owned windshield cracking from defroster being on has never happened or been an issue. Also through research I found other Tesla owners have experienced similar. No there were no warnings of this happening outside of reading other Tesla owners experiencing this similar situation.
NHTSA complaint #11640531 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while his wife was driving 25 MPH, the passenger’s side rear-view mirror exploded. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that his wife parked and inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the side-view mirror had exploded. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,035.
NHTSA complaint #11633240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tesla Model X wipers are not working properly in rain. The max speed is 3 and it is not helping in the rain at all which is a severe safety concern for me and other vehicles on road. The Auto mode on wipers also doesn't detect the rain properly and sensitivity is not adjusted. Please look into this. I believe this is across all the Tesla models. Tesla is pushing over the air updates for wipers but this is not helping at all.
NHTSA complaint #11591723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The new stockless button controls on the Tesla are entirely unsafe. The buttons themselves are extremely unreliable and don't always respond, and the placement on the steering wheel requires you to take your eyes off the road in order to locate the correct button. I was recently driving on the freeway with my wife and kids in the car, it had been raining earlier and the roads were wet. A car in the opposite fast lane hit a puddle which sent wave of water over the center divider. It covered our windshield to the point where I couldn't see. With previous cars, including previous Teslas, it was easy to quickly tap the stalk and engage the wipers, but now with this new button system I had to look down at the steering wheel to find the button to quickly engage the wipers. From the surprisingly blinding wave and the time it took to clear the windshield, I veered into the next lane and almost hit the car next to me. It was an eye-opening experience with a car I've really enjoyed owning. The buttons are terrible, and a deviation from a universal, internationally accepted system that was not broke, did not require fixing, and has created a safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11576355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I took delivery of a Tesla Model X Plaid in December. The turn signal and horn buttons on the steering wheel vs. stalks is a major safety concern to me. Finding the buttons, espcially in an emergency situation is next to impossible without looking down to find them. Obviously looking down is the last thing any driver should have to do during an emergency. Please pressure Tesla to do something about this critical safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11576369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While operating the vehicle, the horn is not where it should be. Tesla moved the horn to a button, when every car in the world has the horn as the center of the wheel. During times of crisis and needing a horn, seconds count. Having to learn horn changes is absolutely ridiculous. By not being able to activate the horn in a timely fashion, it delays or removes ones' ability to utilize a critical safety function to alert others or prevent issues by using the horn.
NHTSA complaint #11565323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Beginning in a recent software update, the windshield wipers in (at least early model) Tesla Model S and X cars with FSD beta no longer function in intermittent mode. Only the faster wiper speeds are functional. This regression results in unacceptable levels of driver distraction manually triggering the wipers with the button, and should have been fixed weeks ago. We're requesting a formal recall. It really isn't acceptable for their testing processes to be so flawed that something this serious could make it into released builds, beta or not. As a software engineer by trade, I find Tesla's testing to be nothing short of incompetent, even by iOS app standards, much less car standards, and they should really be fined every time they screw up this badly.
NHTSA complaint #11551274 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Critical Safety Issue: Malfunctioning Wipers in Both Auto and Manual Modes. Experiencing nearly catastrophic situations due to faulty wipers during heavy fog and rain at nighttime while driving at high speeds is a severe safety concern. Immediate attention is required, especially with the impending rainy season. Tesla Service's previous attempts to resolve the issue have been unsuccessful. 1. Auto Wipers Malfunction. - Historical Performance: The auto-wiper functionality has consistently performed inadequately. - Current Issue: As of the latest software update (2023.7.30), the auto wipers frequently fail to activate throughout the duration of trips in heavy rain. - Case Instances: This issue was observed on August 29, 2023, at 8:04 pm, 8:08 pm, and 8:09 pm, resulting in zero visibility through the windshield as the wipers did not activate even once when set to Auto. 2. Manual Wipers Deficiency. - Current Issue: Occasionally, pressing the wiper button on the yoke yields neither action nor haptic feedback, sometimes lasting for a few minutes. - Case Instances: This problem was replicated on multiple occasions, including January 8, 2023, at 10:39:33 pm, and July 25, 2023, around 6:57 pm when other buttons on the yoke also failed to respond. Despite yoke replacement on January 6, 2023, the issue persists. 3. Wiper Speed Options. - Having just wiper speed settings (Off, I, II, and III) is insufficient for safely navigating varying rain intensities. This issue is further compounded by a faulty yoke button responsible for initiating the wiper speed change. Conclusion. Simultaneous failure of both manual and automatic wiper systems results in zero visibility, posing an extremely high risk of vehicular accidents. Immediate action is imperative.
NHTSA complaint #11541985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Touch capacitive buttons on the steering wheel and doors are major safety hazard. The touch buttons on the steering wheel for critical functions like blinkers, headlights, wipers and the horn are all moving with the steering wheel (so you have to look down to locate these critical functions while still moving, especially if you are turning at all), and worse, these buttons sometimes fail to activate even when you do push them. I have several times tried to turn on my blinker for a sudden lane change due to a hazard ahead, and the blinker does not respond / activate. My wife was driving and someone started to run a stop sign in front of us - I yelled "HIT THE HORN!" and she replied with "I CAN'T FIND IT!!!" (we were driving on a bend in the road, the steering wheel was not in the neutral position, and the horn is a tiny touch capacitive button). The button on the driver door to get out is the same or very similar, and I have a 30 second video I can forward you of how this button can fail to respond. In the video, you can see the tip of my finger bend when I first touch the button, I move my finger all over and around the button, and nearly 15 seconds later, the button finally responds and opens the door. The driver door also pops out about 10 degrees when it does open, then becomes very stiff and you have to push hard to get the door to open the rest of the way. The button for the headlights is also a safety issue - if you push and hold the headlight button for too long, it locks the high beams on, instead of just flashing them (or a long duration flash). When you push the headlight button, a menu pops up on the bottom center portion of the center screen, that will allow you to toggle automatic high beams on and off, but when moving, it is only there for 2-3 seconds, and the buttons are extremely small, making it hard to change settings for the headlights safely (must look away from the road, and try to hit the small buttons while moving / bouncing around).
NHTSA complaint #11539667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that the center display had been malfunctioning since purchasing the vehicle new. Additionally, the contact stated that the windows would go up and would go down independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH, several alarms sounded, and the steering wheel attempted to turn independently, nearly pulling the vehicle out of the lane. The contact stated that the Driving Assist features were turned off at the time of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center, who informed the contact that they had reset the operational center system software; however, the contact stated upon operating the vehicle after the service was completed, the music that was playing prior to the service resumed. Additionally, the failure persisted. The contact stated that he believed that the service was not completed properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15.
NHTSA complaint #11527946 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The windshield wipers, which are automatic only do absolutely NOTHING when it is raining. The only thing I can do is hit a button on the steering wheel each time I need the wipers to clear the windshield. Tesla claims is it working as intended...which apparently is not at all. When it began raining the last time I drove the car, it was nighttime and I had to stop in the middle of the road because the car gets overwhelmed when you hit the wiper button too many times in a row and it stops wiping entirely. This is very unsafe. And here is the much worse issue. The automatic emergency braking triggers randomly all the time. If there is a shadow across the road, it might slam on the brakes. If there is an overpass, it might slam on the brakes. If there is nothing in front of you on a perfectly straight freeway with no other vehicles around, it might slam on the brakes out of nowhere. I just drove this car 60 miles today and had 6 braking events where it went from 60-70 MPH to 30 MPH or less. A few of these incidents happened with cars directly behind me. This car is going to cause me to be injured when it suddenly stops for no reason and a driver behind me cannot react in time. It needs to be recalled or taken off the road. One of the braking events was so sudden and harsh that the tires squealed for a moment. Also, this is my 4th Tesla. The first three had none of these issues. The latest one is dangerous to the point that I am not comfortable driving it anymore.
NHTSA complaint #11515672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This issue most likely plagued our Model X during it's original factory warranty based on the class action, NTHSA inquiry, and NTHSA and Tesla recall for the same issue which affects Model X buil between 2016 and 201. These are the things we have personally experienced 12 times over our short ownership, 6 times these nearly caused accidents - this catastrophic malfunction has occurred (on average) once every 500 miles during our ownership: Primary driving instrument and safety info screen (small screen/driver dash screen) and larger infotainment screen BOTH: Freeze, “lock up” or “go blank” Turn black (an issue known by some drivers as “the black screen of death”) Fail to turn on Repeatedly reboot Display a “touchscreen unresponsive” message Stop working completely Otherwise malfunction These issues generally occurred at the worst possible times, most likely when the deficiently designed computer was over taxed (night, weather, traffic, cold - though it also occurred twice under basic conditions). Each time, it was absolutely disorienting and results in a hazard for driver, occupants, and people/property around the malfunctioning vehicle. Class action info - https://www.classaction.org/tesla-s-x-touchscreen-mcu-problems-lawsuits NHTSA investigation: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2020/INRM-EA20003-11321.pdf NHTSA and Tesla Recall - https://www.classaction.org/media/tesla-touchscreen-recall-notice.pdf Tesla has failed to repair this issue over the past 6 months. I requested they repair, replace, or repurchase per my owner's rights. Tesla now refuses to repair and negligently states that I must pick up the faulty and unsafe vehicle. They are in breach of their warranty and recall obligations.
NHTSA complaint #11505487 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model-X. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the center display intermittently turned blank while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon engaging the turn signals, there was no indication that the turn signals were engaged. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 30,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11504666 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tesla’s entire car function (rear view camera, windshield heating, rear defrost) is supported by the center screen system. In Gen1 model X it uses a Gen 1 computer. Over the last 4 months. The screen blanks out while driving. I can’t access car functions. This happens while driving so it’s super dangerous. Only way to resolve the issue is to press a few more UI buttons on the screen. This impairs all car functions. I’ve submitted this a couple times to Tesla now and they say that this is a software issue they have not been able to resolve and they’re asking me to pay $2000 to get their next generation center console. I’ve mentioned that this is a safety risk as this can happen while driving, which makes me take my eyes off the road to fix the problem on the center console. They don’t seem to care about it. This is happened to multiple drivers according to the technician I spoke to, and they have not solved the issue. I recorded my last service with Tesla, and I have proof of them speaking of this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11500664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that his vehicle was previously included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the main computer screen would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a service center where it remained in their possession. The contact was informed that dealer was unable to install a chip needed to perform the recall repair. The contact was then informed that the entire computer system needed to be replaced out-of-pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11480161 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights will not work. Due to the vehicle not having a method of turning on headlights without access to a properly working media control unit which happens to be of all touch screen functionality a blackout of the screen will cause the driver to have no other access to the headlights or other vital safety features. This issue has been ongoing with Tesla for a long period of time and it continuously put the occupants of the vehicle at risk for injury both severe or fatal. Repeatedly addressed this malfunction of the vehicle with the repair facility and it has failed to be corrected or repaired.
NHTSA complaint #11479288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.