2016 Tesla Model X Body & structure Problems

The following is copied from: NHTSA ID Number: 11487520 Incident Date [XXX] Consumer Location SAN JOSE, CA On nine separate documented occasions, the passenger front wheel molding trim piece, in which one of the proximity sensors is mounted, completely detached, causing the proximity sensor to alarm continuously. On two of these nine occasions, the trim piece detached while the vehicle was traveling on the road, and on one of these two occasions, the vehicle was traveling on the highway at highway speeds. On this occasion, after detaching completely, the trim piece was observed through the rear view and side mirrors, shattering on the road and scattering debris across the highway, potentially causing a traffic hazard for the cars following. On this last occasion, the vehicle was also traveling with the assistance of the Adaptive Cruse Control and Forward Collision Warning features, which both caused the vehicle's emergency avoidance systems to activate when the proximity sensor was falsely triggered. If there were other vehicles nearby, this could have caused a high speed accident as my vehicle executed both an emergency braking and collision avoidance maneuver for no real reason. Please note that I have documented reports of the possible safety issues due to the wheel well trim detaching to the Tesla service department for several of the times I've had the vehicle in for repair. In all nine instances, I've been told that my vehicle is the only one that exhibits this problem. A statement I find difficult to believe as I have observed other vehicles of the same make and model driving around without the trim pieces, and just recently captured a photograph of a Model X driving on the highway with the trim piece detaching as the wind was catching it. See the red arrow in the photograph attached below. This report adds two additional photographs of the same issue that have been taken since the original report was filed.

NHTSA ID

11663536

Incident

Mar 6, 2021

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact’s wife attempted to open the driver’s side rear door however, the door failed to open as intended. The contact’s wife noticed a crushing sound. The driver’s side rear top door glass engaged with the fractured center spine trim and the driver’s rear door top glass simultaneously fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured center roof trim. The contact was informed that the center spine roof trim and the driver’s side rear door glass need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle had been previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V615000 (Structure); however, additional repairs were not covered under the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 106,900.

NHTSA ID

11639855

Incident

Jan 22, 2025

Mileage

106,900 mi

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and concern regarding a serious safety incident involving our Tesla Model X. On Feb 25th, while driving on the freeway, the roof of our vehicle unexpectedly detached and fell off. This incident posed a significant safety risk to ourselves and other motorists. We immediately contacted Tesla to report the issue and were shocked to learn that they considered this a non-covered incident and would require us to pay over $600 for repairs. We strongly believe that this is a clear defect in the vehicle's design or construction and should not be the responsibility of the consumer to bear. Despite our repeated attempts to emphasize the dangerous nature of this situation, Tesla has remained unresponsive and unhelpful. We were even denied the option of purchasing the OEM part ourselves at a lower cost and have Tesla fix it. Tesla insisted we bought the same part from them directly for more than double the price. This forced us to get the repair done at a third party. Now, we have received a recall notice for exact the same issue affecting other Tesla Model X vehicles. This further confirms our belief that this is a widespread problem that should have been addressed by Tesla. We contacted Tesla again, yet again they were dismissive stating that they cannot compensate for repairs done at a third party. We respectfully request that Tesla take full responsibility for this safety defect and compensate us for the costs incurred in repairing our vehicle. This includes the cost of the repair and the part. We hope that Tesla will take immediate action to address this issue and ensure the safety of its customers. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

NHTSA ID

11620711

Incident

Feb 25, 2024

While driving, the roof top trip came off. There was a recall for this problem in 2020 but mine was not part of the recall. Yet the problem was the same and Tesla will not honor their manufacturing defect and repair it.

NHTSA ID

11586282

Incident

Apr 28, 2024

Was heading home from SoCal. Started charging the car at Kettleman... Opened the falcon doors to let the kids out and CRUNCH!!! 3 glass panels started cracking. All 3 panels are cracked and broken just by opening the doors. [XXX]. Nothing was on top blocking anything... no twigs, no debris... nothing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11585933

Incident

Apr 28, 2024

While I was driving , the center glass panel between the two falcon door flew off . There is a recall that was issued for this exact issue and Tesla said they inspected and no further action was taken. I am grateful that no person or person were injured as I was driving 65-70 mph on a highway . Tesla is refusing to pay for the repair and associated damages to the passenger rear roof window that occurred .

NHTSA ID

11573077

Incident

Feb 18, 2024

Almost all body parts including doors and windows have alignment gaps resulting in air leaks into and out of the car creating too much wind noise and very had to keep warm in winter and cool in summer thus overburdening the heating and cooling system causing excessive wear and tear

NHTSA ID

11562220

Incident

Dec 25, 2023

Our 2 year old son broke his left tibia after the falcon door automatically closed on his left foot/leg and it got caught between the door and his car seat. We believe he had his leg dangling off the car seat when we closed the door from the front command station. The door sensor did not stop or give any warning that there was anything in the way. He was seen in the emergency department after the incident and is in a full leg cast for at least 4 weeks. This is a major safety risk for other children/people if the doors cannot sense small limbs and stop appropriately. The car/door is available for inspection upon request. We have not contacted Tesla yet about this but will be calling them very soon. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet since the incident. There were no warnings prior to the incident occurring.

NHTSA ID

11542001

Incident

Aug 27, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the cover on the roof between the two falcon doors detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,900. The contact stated that the dealer and the manufacturer have denied his request for reimbursement.

NHTSA ID

11534326

Incident

Jul 17, 2023

Mileage

54,900 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the roof trim detached from the vehicle. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V710000 (Structure) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,370.

NHTSA ID

11527929

Incident

Jun 19, 2023

Mileage

99,370 mi

This vehicle was subject to a recall NHTSA campaign number: 20V710. Tesla’s own number for this recall is SB-20-12-005. It appears the inspection carried out in 2021 apparently passed at the time and no corrections were made, however, the part in question recently last week. The center spine panel came apart. Tesla are not willing to accept any liability or responsibility even though they now that this recall exists. This is a safety matter and it appears that even though vehicles were inspected at the time and deemed to have passed they are still susceptible to having the part fail later on.

NHTSA ID

11521673

Incident

May 8, 2023

Vehicle's "Falcon Wing" doors would malfunction when exposed to direct sunlight where door panels would become hot. Doors would not open remotely due to the sensor believing an object was blocking the door, the message on screen would read "Obstacle detected" when no object was present. Occupants would manually have to hold down the open button on screen or the physical button in order to open the door. Which would open very slowly or stop oppening halfway due to a phantom object being detected. This would pose a risk for rear occupants unable to exit the vehicle in a timely manner in case of an emergency. The vehicle was taken into service 8 different times to address the issue. Service center claims they could not recreate the problem but found the tripod mounts for the infrared door sensor to be misaligned. Each time a temporary fix was performed and the problem would reappear not long after. Contact sent a certified mail letter to the manufacturer demanding a resolution or compensation for the issue. No response was ever received from the manufacturer. A 9th visit to the Tesla service center for the same issue netted a result where new tripod mounts that hold the infrared door sensor were installed. Since this repair, the Falcon wing doors operate normally most of the time but will still occasionally malfunction if the doors are exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

NHTSA ID

11490448

Incident

May 2, 2020

On nine separate documented occasions, the passenger front wheel molding trim piece, in which one of the proximity sensors is mounted, completely detached, causing the proximity sensor to alarm continuously. On two of these nine occasions, the trim piece detached while the vehicle was traveling on the road, and on one of these two occasions, the vehicle was traveling on the highway at highway speeds. On this occasion, after detaching completely, the trim piece was observed through the rear view and side mirrors, shattering on the road and scattering debris across the highway, potentially causing a traffic hazard for the cars following. On this last occasion, the vehicle was also traveling with the assistance of the Adaptive Cruse Control and Forward Collision Warning features, which both caused the vehicle's emergency avoidance systems to activate when the proximity sensor was falsely triggered. If there were other vehicles nearby, this could have caused a high speed accident as my vehicle executed both an emergency braking and collision avoidance maneuver for no real reason. Please note that I have documented reports of the possible safety issues due to the wheel well trim detaching to the Tesla service department for several of the times I've had the vehicle in for repair. In all nine instances, I've been told that my vehicle is the only one that exhibits this problem. A statement I find difficult to believe as I have observed other vehicles of the same make and model driving around without the trim pieces, and just recently captured a photograph of a Model X driving on the highway with the trim piece detaching as the wind was catching it. See the red arrow in the photograph attached below.

NHTSA ID

11487520

Incident

Mar 6, 2021

Obstacle detected error code. It shows this when trying to open rear falcon wing door. No obstacles or anything around. I’ve researched and it’s a very common problem with these cars and the door sensors.

NHTSA ID

11482924

Incident

Sep 5, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while opening the passenger’s side gull wing door for his daughter, the center spine applique detached inadvertently and struck the passenger’s side upper and rear glass window, causing the window to shatter. The contact's daughter who was near the vehicle did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local service center where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with Tesla Technical Service Bulletin Number: SB-20-12-005, when the falcon wing door opened, the glass window pinched against the center spine causing the window to buckle and shatter. The service center informed the contact that he had to pay the repair fee out-of-pocket, they would not cover the cost of fixing as it was not deemed a safety issue. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,209.

NHTSA ID

11480605

Incident

Aug 17, 2022

Mileage

55,209 mi

I've had the vehicle for nearly 3 years and have come to realize that the driver side door panel as well as the passenger side door panel make squeaking noises when temperatures rise from 55 degrees and above. I've brought the vehicle in for service numerous times and the squeaking issue has not been able to be fixed. I have come to understand that whatever interior lining/plastic etc. Installed within the doors loses its firmness in a higher heat climate. Please help to address the issue. Thanks!

NHTSA ID

11459950

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Falcon doors missing from ui. While on highway going highway speed, piece of the roof flew off car.

NHTSA ID

11458556

Incident

Mar 27, 2022

There was a recall to replace the center spine applique on Nov 16 2020. recall # 20V710000. I brought the Car in for replace on Feb 3, 2021. They refused to replace, saying it was safe to drive. I brought the car in for AC service on Dec14 and asked them to replace the Center spine applique due to a 6in long hair line cracked. Again then refused to replace. Now they ask me to pay 599.16 if they replace it. Please see 2 attached screenshots for your reference!

NHTSA ID

11448152

Incident

Dec 14, 2021

My vehicle was being repaired by a collision repair shop to replace the front bumper and grill. When they finished the repair and were calibrating all the sensors, they discovered that the driver door would not latch consistently. When it did latch, during test drives by the collision employees it would fail while driving down the road and the door would open on the highway. They could not return the vehicle to me until the door issue was fixed. They attempted to fix it by replacing the door actuator once that part arrived from Tesla. That also did not fix the problem. After contacting Tesla they were told it is a known problem for which a retrofit latch kit is needed. Tesla would not repair the latch without payment for the kit parts and labor to install it as the car was out of warranty. The total bill was $820, including $310 for parts and $455 for labor. In my opinion this should be a required safety recall for the Model X as it allows the driver and passenger doors to open while the vehicle is underway. Note: As I was not driving I can not report the approximate speed. The mileage and date is an estimate as the vehicle was under the care of the collision repair shop when the incident occurred and was reported to me.

NHTSA ID

11445608

Incident

Oct 14, 2021

Rear spoiler is made of aluminum and is corroded. The roof leaks water

NHTSA ID

11444059

Incident

Dec 12, 2021

The contact owns a 2016 TESLA Model X. The contact’s wife stated while driving 15 MPH, she heard a sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the rear passenger’s wheel was bent outward from the subframe of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and it was diagnosed with needing the control arms to be replaced. The subframe assembly was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,900.

NHTSA ID

11434103

Incident

Sep 15, 2021

Mileage

77,900 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TESLA MODEL X. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING OVER A PUDDLE OF WATER AT 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL BODY TRIM DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER TESLA SERVICE CENTER (8280 CASTLETON CORNER DR, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46250) AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000.

NHTSA ID

11403645

Incident

Mar 18, 2021

Mileage

61,000 mi

2016 TESLA MODEL X. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 20V-062 AND 20V-710. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER WOULD NOT HONOR THE RECALL STATING THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EXPERIENCING THE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SCREEN WOULD BLACK OUT RANDOMLY AND THE STEERING ASSIST DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD TRIM SEPARATION THAT WOULD LEAK WATER THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR. *JS

NHTSA ID

11394241

Incident

Nov 18, 2019

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE ROOF TAP FLEW OFF THE CAR IN MID-JUNE 2020. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND HAD IT FIXED, AND COMPLAINED TO THE MANAGER AT BURBANK SERVICE CENTER IN LOS ANGELES. THEY IGNORED MY COMPLAINT AND THE SAFETY HARZARD POSTED TO THE SAFETY OF THE FREEWAY. I REQUESTED THEY REPAIRED IT UNDER THE WARRANTY. THEY REFUSED, AND CHARGED ME OVER $1400 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE NEW ROOF TOP. NOW, I SAW THE RECALL, AND I TRIED TO GET REFUNDS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. THEY REFUSED.

NHTSA ID

11376896

Incident

Jun 21, 2020

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON AN INTERSTATE, A GLASS PLATE APPROXIMATELY 8 I INCHES X 18 INCHES ON THE CAR ROOF SITUATED BETWEEN THE FALCON WING DOORS AND COVERING THE DOOR LIFT HENGES WAS BLOWN OFF BY THE WIND FORCE. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED UNTIL ARRIVAL AT MY DESTINATION. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS NEAR ME AT THE TIME. SO, I AM UNAWARE OF ANY DAMAGES TO OTHER VEHICLES. THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE DAMAGE OR INJURY HAD THERE BEEN ANOTHER CAR DIRECTLY BEHIND ME SHOULD BE EVIDENT. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE GLASS PLATE IS ONLY ATTACHED WITH GLUE. ACCORDING TO THE TESLA MODEL X OWNERS FORUM, THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS AND IS RELATED TO DETERIORATING RUBBER SEALS AROUND THE FALCON WING DOORS THAT TESLA HAS CLAIMED TO BE ONLY COSMETIC. I BELIEVE THAT THE DETERIORATION OF THAT RUBBER SEAL ALLOWED THE WIND TO GET UNDER THE GLASS PLATE AND ALLOW IT COME LOOSE.

NHTSA ID

11355455

Incident

Sep 10, 2020

Mileage

55,850 mi