2017 Tesla Model X Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report problems with the center touchscreen most often: it goes blank or reboots while driving, taking the rearview camera, defroster and turn-signal chime with it. Front suspension and steering complaints form a second cluster, many involving noise, shudder or sudden difficulty steering. Most complaints in the sample were filed between roughly 20,000 and 70,000 miles.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Center touchscreen goes blank or reboots

   • 90 complaints (34%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 4.2 yrs old (49 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the large center display turning black, freezing or restarting on its own while parked or driving. Owners say that when the screen is down they lose the rearview camera, climate and defroster controls, navigation, turn-signal sounds and media. Several owners report being told by service that the problem was a known issue tied to the 8GB eMMC memory in the older media control unit, and some were offered a paid hardware upgrade rather than a repair under warranty. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 77,000 miles, with many in the 20,000-50,000 mile range and some owners noting it was worse in cold weather.

   Recall 21V035000

   What to check: Ask whether the media control unit was replaced or upgraded, and confirm the 21V035000 remedy was performed. Before buying, start the car cold and watch whether the screen boots promptly and stays on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Mcu has been super slow and un-usable. Cant use it to make any calls or use voice commands. It is super slow and tend to fail soon and Tesla is not ready to repair or replace it. Other issue I have is, rattling sound while driving and Tesla says its common. I do not expect this when I paid $90,000 for a car. It feels as if I am driving a cheap 20 year old car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11342290, filed 2020-07, 14,000 miles

   “I am experiencing issues with my mcu unit similar to what has been documented in odi engineering analysis ea20-003. I have observed the vehicle electronics and touchscreen fail 4 times in the last few months while driving. In the winter months in mn, this is extremely dangerous as it causes the HVAC systems to turn off. The windows start to fog up and create a safety hazard. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11389142, filed 2021-01, 29,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front suspension noise, shudder and broken links

   • 57 complaints (21%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 3.1 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2025

   Owners describe loud thuds or pops from the front end while turning at low speed, vibration or shudder under acceleration, and in some reports suspension links or ball joints separating so a wheel sits at an odd angle. Some say the half-shafts were replaced and the shudder returned; others report messages about the air suspension being unable to raise. Complaints note that repairs were often quoted at owner cost once the vehicle was out of warranty. Mostly reported between roughly 15,000 and 60,000 miles, often during low-speed turning or reversing.

   What to check: Have a shop inspect the front and rear suspension links and ball joints and listen for clunks on a slow full-lock turn. Ask for service records showing whether half-shafts or links were already replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car shudders when accelerating. I have had the front half shafts replaced twice and now the shudder is back again. They say they are aware of this, as well as the noise that the steering mechanism makes, and the fact that the Model X wipers don't work, but I have to pay to get all these things fixed since it's out of warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #11388533, filed 2021-01, 48,000 miles

   “When turning the wheel and backing up into a parking spot at my work, there was a loud thud/pop near the front left tire. I was traveling 1-5 MPH since I was being careful with my new car. This car was purchased not more than 48 hours before from a Tesla dealership. On the day that we bought it and drove it home the car was shaking so bad we had to move the kids car seats to the back of the car. That same day we set up a service appointment to get that issue fixed while not driving the car because we were afraid there were tire problems. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11323803, filed 2020-05, 25,400 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Steering becomes stiff or pulls to one side

   • 53 complaints (20%)
   • median 41,500 mi at 3.8 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the steering wheel suddenly becoming hard to turn, binding and then freeing up in cycles, or the car pulling toward another lane at speed. Some owners were told the lower U-joint near the steering rack needed replacing; others report the dealer could not reproduce the problem or found no fault. A few link the behavior to loss of power steering assist on rough roads. Typically reported between about 19,000 and 70,000 miles, sometimes on startup or at moderate speeds around 40 mph.

   Recall 22V818000

   What to check: Ask whether the 22V818000 power-steering recall was completed, and test-drive over uneven pavement to feel for binding or uneven effort in the wheel.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When driving at 40 miles an hour three times the car will lock up and pull into the right lane. Each time there has not been another vehicle in the right lane next to me but I'm afraid to drive the car for fear that when this happens I will hit the car next to me I have complained to Tesla and they cannot fix the problem. At this time I m afraid for my life and the life of others. This happens on el camino in san carlos. I cannot take a picture because I'm driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11320428, filed 2020-04, 10,320 miles

   “In june of 2020, the lower u-joint near the steering rack encountered a failed bearing making the car extremely difficult to turn for 90 degrees of steering wheel movement, free for 90 degrees, hard for 90 degrees, and free for 90 degrees. This occured at approximately 68,000 miles and 2.5 years of ownership. Before this was diagnosed, it made the car dangerous to drive and almost caused an accident when my wife was driving when it first occured.”

   NHTSA complaint #11354622, filed 2020-09, 68,000 miles
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Unexpected acceleration, deceleration or shutdown

   • 24 complaints (9%)
   • median 37,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2024

   Owners report the car lunging or accelerating when they believed they were braking or reversing, and in other cases losing power or shutting off while driving. Complaints describe the vehicle becoming undrivable until it reboots, with no warning beforehand, and dealers sometimes reporting that no fault could be duplicated. Several owners say a software update was tried and the behavior returned. Scattered across the sample from very low mileage up to about 97,000 miles, with no single clear pattern.

   What to check: Ask for the service history on drive-unit and software-related visits, and confirm the car has the latest software installed before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicle experienced a multiple-system failure. Warning lights indicated loss of steering assist, loss of cruise control, loss of braking assist, and other safety features. A reset of the computer rectified the issue, but only temporarily, and the software fails again and again. In failure mode, which comes on unpredictably, the brakes make a terrible grinding sound and are not as effective in stopping the car. This is a major safety concern. The onset of these failures is usually when the car is moving and occurs randomly.”

   NHTSA complaint #11350295, filed 2020-08, 75,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH and other various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the issue would be documented. The failure mileage was approximately 97,649.”

   NHTSA complaint #11545866, filed 2023-09, 97,649 miles

Buying note. These complaints center on the older center display and on front suspension and steering wear, so a pre-purchase inspection focused on those areas and a check of completed recalls are worth the effort. Service records showing screen, link and U-joint work help show what has already been addressed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.