2021 Tesla Model X Steering Problems

Steering got stuck on the road while driving. I couldnt move or change lanes. It was really scary. Then I slowed down and then I had tp pull out of the road to the shoulder. Then I waited for 20-30 mins and restarted the car. Then it worked. I was able to go home. I contacted Tesla and they said they need to look into the issue. At the service center, now they are saying they need to replace entire steering system and the cost is 5000. This is not fair and unprofessional. And it is very scary experience.

NHTSA ID

11695485

Incident

Sep 26, 2025

Heavy steering warning. Steering gear left hand drive.

NHTSA ID

11694883

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

After completing a 17.5-hour, ~1,000-mile non-stop road trip from Florida to Texas using Autopilot with no interventions or issues, the following week this vehicle experienced a sudden and total steering failure while slowly turning through my residential neighborhood. The steering locked up without warning and caused the car to drift partially into the opposing lane. No power steering warning was shown prior to the failure. Tesla Service diagnosed and replaced both the Front Body Controller (Part #1585663-00-C) and the Steering Gear Assembly (Part #1070801-00-F) under warranty. This is an extremely dangerous failure scenario — had it occurred at high speed, the outcome could have been catastrophic. I am reporting this to ensure it’s documented and investigated, as it appears consistent with similar steering failure complaints in 2021+ Model X vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11674412

Incident

Jul 10, 2025

My car has 50,000 miles on it and is just over 4 years old. The steering column has failed causing it to not be able to steer. The service for this is a new steering column at a cost of over $5,000.00. The Y models and 3 models had a recall on this issue. Now it looks like the X models are having the issue as well. The consumer should not be responsible for this. It is dangerous. It is expensive to fix. A steering column should not fail at 50,000 miles. I am not the only person who has been faced with this issue. Tesla service even confirmed that they are seeing this on the X models. I think an investigation should be done. How many $5,000.00 repairs for safety has the consumer been saddled with?

NHTSA ID

11668225

Incident

Jun 17, 2025

Steering assist error code. Car has less than 25,000 miles and Tesla is reporting this is common and the steering rack needs to be replaced and the steering gear left hand drive. Tesla Temecula also said there was a system malfunction that caused it but they do not dig into that they just do the service for $5100. Looking online this is common.

NHTSA ID

11664453

Incident

Jun 2, 2025

Alerts: UI_a020 - Steering Assist Reduced APP_w264 - Lane Departure features unavailable This incident happened suddenly during a normal commute from work to home. It caused the steering of the vehicle to be very heavy and difficult to control which could have potentially led to an unwanted accident on the road. There root cause seems to be a failure in the steering rack component of the car. It is a very common and prevalent issue with Tesla vehicles, and complaints on various Tesla forums and Reddit threads about this same issue. There also has been NHTSA investigations in the past regarding this. The failure caused the loss of safety functionality such as Lane Keeping Assistance, Lane Departure Assistance, Autopilot and FSD. Tesla Service Center diagnosed the alerts as a steering rack hardware failure and is charging almost $5000 to replace the part. Given that this is such a prevalent issue among so many Tesla vehicles, it needs to be addressed by the manufacturer and should be a safety recall and not on the customer to pay out of pocket.

NHTSA ID

11616404

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

Steering rack failure: replacement needed for Model X 2021 at approximately 55K miles. From Tesla Service Center: Concern: Customer states: Alerts - Steering assist reduced/Steering may require increased effort. Repair Notes: Performed vehicle data review found alerts for steering rack assembly, inspected steering rack harness connections found good connections, inspected for any outside influence found none. Found steering rack has non-serviceable internal fault. Recommend steering rack assembly replacement and alignment check. Correction: Steering Rack (Remove & Replace) - Remove and Replace Part Quantity and Labor Hours $4,641.46 + taxes

NHTSA ID

11612318

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

I was driving and the car started changing lanes. The steering became heavy and I was barely able to move it and required extreme force. Tesla screen displayed ( steering assist reduced ). I almost died. I was facing cars on both directions and was barely able to get my self to a safe spot. There was no warning before this happened. The car is currently with dealer The steering became acutely extremely heavy and unresponsive and locked on a busy road

NHTSA ID

11595384

Incident

Jun 19, 2024

The steering locked up and it would not move. This happened as I was driving on a road at about 35 miles per hour. I could not steer until I dropped the car speed under 10 miles an hour and using great force was able to navigate the car to safety. I had the car towed to Tesla for repair. They kept it about 4 days and returned it. Within 40 miles of driving the car gave a notification that the steering was "reduced". I was in the car with my [XXX] daughter and about to get on the freeway. I immediately pulled over and had the car towed again to Tesla for repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11591867

Incident

May 26, 2024

[XXX] I was driving southbound on [XXX] in Dallas, TX (near [XXX] exit) in Tesla ModelX, with 2 kids in the back seat. It is raining. My speed is around 60-65mph and I am in the rightmost lane. Suddenly the vehicle skids a little, and my steering wheel and brakes are not working anymore. It seemed that the car took complete control and does a full 360 rotation, crossing 4 lanes on the highway. I recall the 10 seconds when I am facing the incoming cars and the only thought I had "this is the end". For whatever reason, the incoming cars slowdown and my tesla makes a full circle, crosses 4 lanes again and gets positioned correctly in the flow of the traffic and in the rightmost lane. my speed now is around 20-30 mph and I suddenly regain control of the brakes and the steering wheel. My kids are crying in the backseat. I still am trying to figure out how and what happened, I cant believe I am alive and I did cry thinking that anything could have happened to my kids. We could have all died on the spot given the rain and how fast the highway traffic goes. I am [XXX] and have been driving for about 30 years. I know how to control minor skidding in rain. I go skiing frequently and can drive on ice (but this was no ice, just water). The only explanation is the malfunction of the Tesla mirrors/cameras (perhaps due to rain water), and taking the wrong decision to swerve the car completely across 4 lanes back and forth. I wish nobody has to go through such life-altering experiences due to a car malfunction, I will never forgive Tesla for the nightmares I still get and the trauma I and my kids had to go through due to the error of a machine. There were no issues before or after with the car, no damage, our tires were relatively new, no police was called. Tesla of course must record incidences like this and they did call me and escalated this to their highest level. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11585512

Incident

Apr 20, 2024

AFTER AN UPDATE I WAS REVERSING MY CAR , CAR STOPPED IN MIDDLE OF ROAD AND STEERING WHEEL LOST CONTROL WITH SIGN OF STEERING ASSIST REDUCED AND LANE DEPARTURE ..... IT WAS A DEATH SCARE. I CONTACTED TESLA, 3 WEEKS AGO AND TODAY MY CAR HAS GONE FOR REPAIR. I HEAR THAT MODEL Y AND 3 ARE RECALLED. I CAN NOT TRUST DRIVING TESLA MODEL X CAR ANY MORE.

NHTSA ID

11535984

Incident

Jul 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer while entering a parking lot. The contact stopped and restarted the vehicle before driving back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000.

NHTSA ID

11470730

Incident

Jun 16, 2022

Mileage

8,000 mi