Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Tesla Model X submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Was stopped at a red light behind the car in front of me. I was stopped at a appropriate distance from the car in front of me. I had my right foot on the brake pedal, when the car accelerated on its own. It launched its self into the car ahead of me. I looked down and my foot was still on the brake pedal. None of the air bags inside the car deployed.
The drivers airbag in my 2016 Tesla Model X deployed without incident while in a drive thru so maybe 2 mph. I didn’t hit anything nor is there damage to the vehicle or previous repairs that would cause it to explode. Thankfully I wasn’t seriously injured just the airbag slapped my arm off the steering wheel leaving a red mark for a couple hours and my families ears running for 15 minutes. Embarrassed going through a drive thru with an airbag in my face but thankful it didn’t happen at high speed driving. I drive it home s as everything was functional, even steering wheel audio controls. About three weeks prior there was a safety restraint light on the dash but I thought it was a seat belt related issues as I replace the third row seat belt a couple months ago. Also about two weeks ago I heard what sounded like some loose beads in the steering wheel when turning a really slow speed, obviously something was coming apart but I had no clue it would be this. It was dropped off the next day at the Tesla service center in League City, Tx, [XXX]. At this time they have not had a chance to look into it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2016 model X has been experiencing front passenger and rear passenger safety restraint system faults off and on since we purchased the vehicle in 2019. This notification requires service and the Tesla service center has done a mixture of hardware checks, replacement of parts and keeps blaming the issues on a firmware update that will eventually happen in the future. Tesla says that when the system is tripped the airbags may not deploy and to schedule service when it happens. Because the vehicle is under a used warranty they refuse to address this as a recall or possibly defect.
On Tuesday September 13th 2022 morning around 10.55am EST, I had entered the Hindu temple of Florida premises driving my TESLA model X. I slowly progressed towards the parking spot and made a slow right turn to park the car. At that time the Tesla suddenly accelerated at full speed, took off like a rocket, jumped the curb, knocked down a sign post and jumped into the ditch which leads into a pond. The car veered to the right, jumped out of the ditch back toward the parking spots, hit two vehicles ( a Honda CRV and a Lexus) with a significant force and hit a tree with a big impact and finally stopped. Surprisingly airbags did not deploy. I was wearing the seat belt and was the only one inside the vehicle. Fortunately with gods grace I escaped with minimal injuries. I get nightmares every day since then thinking about how close to death I was. Had the gone gone straight into the pond, I could have drown to death inside the vehicle, had it gone in a different direction and hit those concrete walls of the temple, I could have been crushed. More significant was it did not run over any of the visitors who frequent thaw temple! This sudden unintended acceleration not only shocked me but also shocked several people who were witness to this crazy event. The CCTV footage I obtained shows the car going towards the parking spot and caught the initial acceleration and take off and the big thuds twice that ensue within a few seconds. I have heard Tesla cars were involved in certain freak accidents but never imagined that I could be part of one. I’m uploading a few photos, a video clip and a cctv footage clip for your review. I read reports that Tesla blamed these type of unintended acceleration on driver errors pressing the gas pedal! I’m in total disbelief how in the USA with so many safety standards and accountability, that this can continue to happen. ~ [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
ON JANUARY 28, 2019 I BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY IN MY 2016 TESLA X, BRAKED, STOPPED, PUT IT IN DRIVE AND BARELY, SLOWLY STARTED DOWN MY LANE WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT FULL SPEED DOWN THE LANE. I TRIED THE BRAKE TWICE BUT IT DID NOTHING TO SLOW THE ACCELERATION.APPROXIMATELY 75 YARDS DOWN THE LANE THE TESLA ENTERED THE CROSS STREET BELOW AND CLIPPED ANOTHER CAR, DEMOLISHED A LARGE BANK OF MAILBOXES ACROSS THE STREET, TOOK BRIEFLY TO THE AIR SEVERAL FEET DUE TO THE HILLSIDE THERE, HIT A LARGE CEDAR TREE, GLANCED OFF AND FINALLY STOPPED NOSE DOWN, HIGH SIDED ON A LARGE LANDSCAPE BOULDER. BUT FOR THE BOULDER, I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED DOWN INTO THE DEEP RAVINE BEHIND THE NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE. THE AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED DURING THESE EVENTS. I WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE AND DIAGNOSED WITH A T-12 SPINAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE, WHICH IS STILL PAINFUL A YEAR LATER. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. POLICE REPORT AND MEDICAL RECORDS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
HERE IS A REPORT OF A TESLA MODEL X IN CHINA HAVING EVERY AIR-BAG IN THE CAR SUDDENLY GO OFF WHILST THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. HTTP://HZNEWS.HANGZHOU.COM.CN/SHEHUI/CONTENT/2017-06/27/CONTENT_6588362.HTM (GOOGLE WILL TRANSLATE) OCCUPANTS WERE SLIGHTLY INJURED BY THE AIR-BAGS. IF TESLA AIR-BAGS WERE TO GO OFF RANDOMLY THEY COULD CAUSE A MAJOR CRASH. THE OWNER CLAIMS THAT TESLA IS BEING UNCOOPERATIVE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE
I HAD PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, PROCEEDED TO PULL INTO A SPOT ADJACENT TO A CINDER BLOCK BUILDING. I HAD MY FOOT LIGHTLY ON THE GAS PEDAL, THEN AS I MADE THE TURN INTO THE SPOT, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE - THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND SPED UP AND THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP IT. I WENT RIGHT INTO THE CONCRETE BUILDING, HEAD ON - AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE FRONT END CRUSHED AND THE 2 AIRBAGS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DEPLOYED AND WERE SMOKING. I READ ON LINE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INCIDENCES OF THIS HAPPENING WITH THE TESLA. SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION WITH MY FOOT NOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP BY THE BRAKES! I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR HIT ANOTHER PERSONA OR VEHICLE. THE CAR HIT THE BUILDING AS WELL AS A NATURAL GAS PIPE THAT WAS RUNNING ALONG THE BUILDINGS SIDE AT THE LEVEL OF MY FRONT BUMPER. I FILED A POLICE REPORT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TESLA MODEL X. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING AND CRASHED INTO A WOOD FENCE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49.
AUTOPILOT SAFETY HAZARD CREATING A CRASH WITH ME AND MY SON. ON JULY 25TH, 2016 AT 4:30AM I WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT WITH MY TESLA MODEL X 2016 WITHIN 3 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP. THE ROAD WAS WIDE OPEN WITH ONLY A FEW CARS AND GREAT CONDITION FOR AUTOPILOT, WE ENTERED IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WITHOUT ANY CONSTRUCTION OCCURRING AT THE TIME. PER THE PICTURE ATTACHED YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE IS 2 YELLOW LANES, BUT THE TESLA DETECTED ON AUTOPILOT ONLY THE FARTHEST CLOSEST TO THE GUARDRAIL MAKING THE CAR DRIVING STRAIGHT TO THE HAVE DUTY CONSTRUCTION CONES. THE ROAD WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND ACCEPTABLE TO ACTIVATE AUTOPILOT. AIRBAGS WAS NOT DEPLOYED.
OUR 5 DAY OLD TESLA X WHILE ENTERING A PARKING STALL SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AT HIGH SPEED ON ITS OWN CLIMBING OVER GRASS AND AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND MY WIFE'S ARMS HAVE BURN MARKS AS A CONSEQUENCE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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