We have 2 model x vehicles. the 2017 x100d developed serious bumping and grinding issues in its left front steering rack assembly during slow turns. it needed to be replaced. there was zero indication of damage to the vehicle or impact to the vehicle from outside forces. there was a less-than-pin sized puncture to the rubber boot, visible only by severely stretching the rubber apart, and the lubricating oil was gone. tesla service claimed the pinhole sized damage to the steering rack's rubber boot was caused by outside forces. i was charged $1,600.00. given tesla's model s recall for the same issues, i retained the malfunctioning steering rack and had it inspected by 2 independent auto repair shops: wheelworks and aamco. in both cases, without removing the boot, the opinion of both auto repair shops was that the pin hole damage to the boot could definitely not have been caused by external forces. the damage could only have resulted from internal damage to the steering column joint spinning out a shard of steel, and subsequent extremely slow drainage of the lubricating oil. this tesla had its 2 year service performed about 6 months ago. two days after this steering assembly repair issue, the tesla was again back in the repair shop because of a loud creaking noise coming from the right front end. tesla mechanics originally thought it was a creaking seat, and then thought it was a creaking suspension. it was ultimately determined that the problem was the right front upper ball joint. there was no lubricating oil in the protective boot, and no damage to the boot. the ball joint needed to be replaced. this ball joint was repaired under warranty, yet tesla persists in refusing to reimburse for the $1,600.00 steering assembly replacement necessitated by the same absence of lubricating oil, similar again to the model s recall.
I have been advised that it is preferable that owners file their own complaints of defects. unfortunately the owner of this tesla has not responded to my request that he does file a complaint. this is probably because he knows that if he does complain his tesla may be devalued and he risks being blacklisted by the company. the attached photographs show yet another fractured suspension arm. the owner is identifiable from the photographs and it would be very easy for nhtsa to contact him and obtain the broken part for inspection. it would also be very easy to trace the tesla service center records. here is the text of the complaint that the owner has posted on twitter. his photographs of the fractured parts are included with this submission. please investigate this. it is not an isolated incident. it is a design and manufacturing defect.. **@elonmusk @tesla my tesla x ((easily)) fell apart. my ((family)) was in the car. tesla just replaced the part with the same part & never answered important questions i have. feeling unsafe in your x. the manager did not care. please have corporate call me to discuss** please note: dummy us address used because your website will not accept an overseas address. my genuine contact details are supplied.
Here is a complaint posted on the tesla forum about a total loss of power steering: https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/broken-power-steering snip** my wife called today to tell me her new tesla x had an error light that said service and power steering assist may be limited. i called my local center to inquire as to what to do next. i asked if the car was driveable, as at that time the steering seemed to be working fine. they said go for it, they'd look at the logs and get back to me. sure enough on my way home from an errand with my 3 kids in the car, the steering stopped working. thank god it was me driving, as there would be no way my wife would have been able to turn the wheel at all. i drove home carefully. after some research it seems this is an issue several others have gone through. many have noted a loose ground or other power connection issue. i find it unbelievable that i could find this out in a few moments on google, but when calling tesla service, they told me to go ahead and drive the car. when i called them back, and let them know their advice could have killed me or at least gotten me into an accident, i did not get much in the way of a response.** this same failure is being discussed on many of the tesla forums. this is unacceptably dangerous. please take urgent action to protect lives. thank you. concerned citizen.
This is a complaint about the tesla autopilot. here is a credible and easily verified report by a tesla owner in uk who has had a near death experience while on autopilot: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/at-what-point-do-i-say-enough-is-enough.100508/ ** a few weeks ago, the car whilst in auto pilot suddenly swerved across the motorway into the middle lane. i caught it half way across. the motorway was perfect. (interestingly at a supercharger, i asked the guy next to me if this had ever happened to him, and he said 'funnily enough, it had and just that very day for the first time' (that's not a coincidence surely) this was the final straw so i sent it off. sat nav, auto pilot, wont lock, returning to car with door open, doesn't present doors some of the time, doors don't close some of the time, screen goes black, etc etc etc. it acts with the consistency of a small child, yet its supposed to be software driven. the autopilot issue is my biggest concern. the guy i spoke to who said his had done the same that day, said his drove towards a lorry. i thought it wasn't supposed to do that as it has sensors? it was very windy that day so i wonder if that was anything to do with it, either way tesla were so concerned about it, they didn't even bother to take the details of this guy when i raised this issue to them.** even if the owner has his hands lightly on the wheel the power steering has sufficient power to wrench it out of his hands. this autopilot is half-baked and glitchy and the constant software tweaks are making it even more dangerous. no other car-maker would be allowed to conduct such a reckless experiment. please take action before more lives are lost. thank you. concerned citizen etc.
This is a complaint about the tesla autopilot. here is a freshly uploaded video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jllupsvgj4 the owner drives hands free on an undivided road whilst using both hands to eat a burger. this is not merely a case of stupidity it is a direct consequence of the marketing of autopilot by tesla. the very name autopilot is dangerously misleading, other makers call their systems "driver assist" or "lane-keeping assist" the widely publicised claim that tesla autopilot is 40% safer than a human driver is further encouragement for owners to use this in a dangerous fashion. during this video the car takes a sudden swerve over the centre-line just after the owner has finished eating his burger. the owner thinks that this is all a great joke. i agree, tesla autopilot is a joke, but not in a good way. please stop this dangerous experiment before more lives are lost. i have attached a photograph of a fatal crash that has just happened in china. https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/6raud3/another_accident_in_china_involving_an_tesla/?st=j5z9ztcw&sh=61e3b47d it is possible that this fatal crash was caused by autopilot. please ask tesla to provide further details and ask them to prove beyond any dispute that the crash was not caused by autopilot. it seems that after every crash tesla claim that the autopilot was disengaged at the actual moment of impact. well, they would say that wouldn't they? please note that i am not the owner of this vehicle just a concerned citizen. dates of incidents are an approximation. details of fatalities are an estimate based upon the blood and brains splattered over the tesla.
On 4th, june, 2017, i was driving this 2-month-old tesla model x. while i was making a turn at one of the downward passage in a carpark, the steering wheel could not move all of a sudden, and a warning popped up saying car need service/steering assist reduced. then a while later the steering wheel could move again allow me to finish the turn, but then stopped working again leaving me stuck in the car park. their technician replied that this had happened to a number of model x cars but only while parked and not during driving. after inspection, the technician replied that the power wire for the assist steering wheel has had bad electrical contact. this was due to a loosen screw which fix the position of that power wire. the cause could be that the screw is not tight before delivery, or due to vibration when driving on the road. then they told us the screw is now tightened and the car is ready for pickup. i think this is a very serious life-threatening problem. imagine if you drive on a highway and the wheel suddenly stop when you make a turn! we told them that this car model is unsafe and could cause danger to the general public, what if this problem cause any accident. they only replied the car is under warranty. and they offer no refund, no exchange moreover, given this is a new car, there should be not any wear out problem. however, there was a metal bar under the car seat which was rusted (file in a separate complain). their technician replied that it is due to the humidity. could that happen to other metal parts of the car, such as screw? according to other car technicians, other vehicles do not have such weakness (requiring a screw for powering the steering wheel). could that be a design problem? note: although this car is purchase outside of the america, the same model car in the u.s. may have the same safety problem. i am just notifying.
My only complaint is the 'autosteer' feature. it's unclear why this is considered an option and it certainly does not function as described when i checked it off as a 5000.00 option under 'enhanced autopilot' when ordering my tesla. the system is dangerous, not ready for beta testing and certainly shouldn't be used on public roadways or with anyone you value in the car. i can see it being testing on closed roadways by skilled professional drivers but outside of that it is dangerous to engage at any speed. on surface streets it crosses over into oncoming traffic, drives like a drunk, is apt to pick up the left turn lanes, is confused by simple intersections, fails to see other cars cutting directly in front of it, attempts to follow parked cars, cannot stay in its own lane and fails to pick up pedestrians and motorcyclists. at freeway speeds it slams on brakes for shadows, makes a decision to violently abort lane changes for no apparent reason and comes so close to sideswiping other cars that the other drivers frequently honk. of course i keep my hands on the wheel and i'm a more vigilant driver while using this feature. i stopped using it with my 6 year old son in the car and i've now decided to stop using it even when i'm driving alone. i gave it a chance to improve with time (over 3k miles on the car) and the recent updates and have taken it to the dealer twice but this has not improved the functioning. again, all of this is fine for testing on a closed track but the precious seconds spent correcting this feature and the dangerous situations it puts us in are a real hindrance to operating this vehicle safely. i'm disappointed by this feature and i firmly believe this should be pulled from the fleet and reintroduced only when it's properly tested and safe. monies spent on this option should be refunded until it actually works.