2023 Tesla Model X Airbags Problems

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model X to the Macy's at Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA, with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. The navigation system routed incorrectly to Lincoln Square instead of Bellevue Square, and the vehicle proceeded into the Lincoln Square underground parking garage while still in FSD mode. The vehicle briefly stopped at the parking entrance gate where the barrier arm is, then suddenly accelerated at full speed toward a wall — breaking through the barrier arm and colliding with the wall. I attempted to cancel FSD and pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not disengage and did not stop. I heard no Forward Collision Warning of any kind — no audible alert ever sounded. I was not watching the display, so I cannot say whether any visual warning appeared, and I am not aware of any Automatic Emergency Braking engagement or Obstacle-Aware Acceleration intervention. To my knowledge the vehicle has not been repaired and can be made available for inspection upon request. The malfunction put occupant and bystander safety at serious risk: sudden unintended full acceleration inside an enclosed parking garage with an unresponsive brake pedal, destruction of the gate barrier, collision with a wall, and bone fractures of the neck and lower back sustained by both the driver and the passenger, requiring medical treatment. To my knowledge, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. A police report was filed. The vehicle has [not yet / been] inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning sounds of any kind prior to the failure, and I observed no warning lamps or messages. The first indication of the problem was the sudden acceleration and impact itself. The Forward Collision Warning setting was turned ON at the time; no alert of any kind ever sounded. I am working to preserve the dashcam footage with audio, which INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA ID

11766026

Incident

Sep 21, 2026

I have a 2018 and a 2023 Tesla both with the same air bag failure warning, specifically Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Issue. Since this is a critical safety component of the car and Tesla appears to have a wide spread problem with this component, please look into this as possible recall situation.

NHTSA ID

11756754

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

I have had “safety system restraints service is required “ as a warning four different times. Took my car in to a Tesla Service Center all 4 times & each time the repair only lasts about 6 months & it comes up again. For the 5th time I am going to the Tesla Service Center in Little Rock, AR. This time I will have to pay because my warranty is up. It is not fair & I want some remuneration or a replacement Model X.

NHTSA ID

11739176

Incident

May 17, 2024

Recurring front passenger safety restraint system fault that Tesla cannot permanently repair despite 4 service attempts over 16 months. ISSUE: Vehicle intermittently displays "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault - Service Required" with persistent warning chimes and airbag warning indicator. Occurs with and without passenger present. Causes significant stress/anxiety and erodes confidence in restraint system reliability during a collision. REPAIR HISTORY (all under warranty): [XXX] (30,638 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Connector grease treatment. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (32,399 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Replaced Restraint Control Module. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (36,106 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Pin retention repair. Recurred after ~3 weeks. [XXX] (43,204 mi) - Invoice #[XXX] - Harness tension adjustment. Recurred late Nov 2025. CURRENT STATUS: Fault resurfaced 5th time. Service appointment scheduled ~Dec 14, 2025. Vehicle at ~48,000 miles, approaching 50,000-mile warranty limit. PATTERN: Each repair temporarily resolves issue, but fault consistently returns after 2-4 weeks. Tesla unable to identify root cause despite multiple different repair approaches. ADDITIONAL: Original owner. Also had driver-side restraint wiring repaired Feb 2024 (23,310 mi). Issue may relate to known Tesla restraint system concerns. Requesting NHTSA review whether this pattern warrants investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11703187

Incident

Jul 29, 2024

The vehicle has start throwing a safety restraint error. We got into the service mode and it shows there is electrical problems with the driver side airbag system and that it may not deploy in the event of an accident. Tesla is delaying the appointment to review this for 12 days. Their app advised to not drive the car due to a safety issue as all safety measures may not work appropriately. Seems to be a safety level recall.

NHTSA ID

11691180

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle attempted to merge near the contact’s vehicle, which caused the passenger front end of the vehicle to collide into a pole. The air bags did not deploy during the incident. The contact also stated that the front driver's door became inoperable, and the contact had to break the front driver's window to be removed from the vehicle. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was provided. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ID

11671065

Incident

Jul 3, 2025

Mileage

38,000 mi

Description of the Problem: Component/System Failure: On [XXX], while using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature of my Tesla Model X, the vehicle experienced severe phantom braking and unexpectedly veered off the road near Rio Vista, Antioch, CA. The failure appears to be related to the FSD system, braking, and steering. The vehicle is currently in Tesla’s possession and available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Safety Risk: The malfunction put my safety and the safety of others at significant risk. The sudden phantom braking and veering off the road could have caused a serious accident. Fortunately, there were no immediate external damages or injuries, but the incident highlighted a critical safety failure. Reproduction/Confirmation: The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by an independent service center. Tesla has had the vehicle for over three weeks, claiming to conduct a diagnostic check, but has not communicated any findings. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla, but no results have been shared. No inspections have been conducted by the police or insurance representatives as there was no collision or external damage. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The incident occurred suddenly and without prior indication of a malfunction. Summary: The incident highlights a severe malfunction in the Full Self-Driving system of my Tesla Model X, posing significant safety risks. Tesla’s lack of communication and failure to provide a loaner vehicle during the extended diagnostic period is unacceptable. I am requesting NHTSA’s assistance in addressing this safety concern and ensuring a thorough investigation.

NHTSA ID

11602998

Incident

Jun 20, 2024

I just had a forth occurence of the "safety restraint system error" message on my Tesla. I say forth, because the three times previous, I had to go into Tesla to have them "fix" the issue, only for it now, to happen again for the 4th time. I don't think this is a small issue, and you guys need to know about it. Not sure, this is just faulty service teams, or inexperience, or. they are just failing to fix it properly. But given that the messaging has to do with seatbelts and/or air bags, I think this is pretty important.

NHTSA ID

11600483

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

My vehicle has had a multitude of errors for 5 months now about the safety systems being disabled, seat controls malfunctioning, etc. Tesla refused to repair the car (despite only being months old) because I had requested a buyback due to other electrical issues with the vehicle. The driver facing errors (ones shown on the screen that the driver would see) simply said "Safety systems disabled". I contacted Tesla about this months ago and after they pulled the logs from the car, I was assured it was just a generic error and assured me that the car was safe to drive. Today, I found out how to access "service mode" where I could read ALL of the service alerts. It turns out the vehicle is reporting electrical "resistance too high" errors with the airbags which is clearly a safety issue. These errors go back months and were present when Tesla lied about the vehicle being safe to drive. Could the electrical issues cause the airbags to not deploy in a crash or, worse, deploy when they should not which would likely result in a crash? The errors appear to indicate that as they state "The left seat airbag may not perform as designed" and "The farside airbag may not perform as designed". Meanwhile, it's been nearly 5 months since I requested the buyback from Tesla due to this vehicle not being safe to drive, breaking down repeatedly, etc, and they have STILL not responded to my requests. I am at a loss as to how a car manufacturer can get away with such egregious behavior that puts their customers in danger.

NHTSA ID

11525814

Incident

Jan 17, 2023