2018 Tesla Model X problems & reliability
192 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Tesla Model X, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
13 complaints report injuries (16 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Tesla Model X vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown / Other | 40 | 21% |
| Suspension → | 37 | 19% |
| Electrical System → | 35 | 18% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 32 | 17% |
| Structure → | 21 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 19 | 10% |
| Steering → | 18 | 9% |
| Service Brakes → | 14 | 7% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 6% |
| Seats → | 11 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 22 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 64 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 16,050 miles (middle 50% between 7,400 and 27,750 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I am reporting a serious FSD safety-related software issue. While FSD was engaged, my 2018 Model X 100D (HW3, software 2026.26.6.1, FSD 12.6.4) unexpectedly came to a complete stop in the middle of the street twice. Please do not treat this as a repair estimate. I am requesting that Tesla review the FSD…”
Unknown / Other · filed Sep 11, 2026
“The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle became stuck in drive(D) and failed to shift to park(P). Due to the failure, the safety system locked the doors, and the contact was trapped inside the vehicle. The front end of the vehicle struck the…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 18, 2026
“My vehicle intermittently and without warning disables Autopilot/cruise control while driving, most consistently during hard acceleration from a stop or low speed. The touchscreen displays "Take Over Immediately" and Autopilot becomes completely unavailable for the remainder of the drive. The system only resets after…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Aug 16, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
Engineering Analysis EA26002 · opened Mar 18, 2026 · open
- Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
Preliminary Evaluation PE25012 · opened Oct 7, 2025 · open
- Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
Audit Query AQ25002 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · open
- FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
Preliminary Evaluation PE24031 · opened Oct 17, 2024 · closed Mar 18, 2026
- Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
Recall Query RQ24009 · opened Apr 25, 2024 · open
- Sudden Unintended Acceleration
Defect Petition DP23002 · opened Jun 29, 2023 · open
- Defect Petition Interlock Request
Defect Petition DP23001 · opened Apr 7, 2023 · closed Mar 18, 2026
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
102 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Tesla Model X. The 10 most recent:
On certain Model S and Model X vehicles, the battery powered Pyrotechnic High Voltage (HV) Battery Disconnect will reach the end of its battery lifespan in the near future, which will trigger alerts and may limit the…
SB-25-16-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2025
For some Model X vehicles built before May 2018, should water seep into the printed circuit board of the rear door cladding sensor, an alert might be displayed on the touchscreen.
SB-21-12-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 5, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4-1_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-3_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
2024.38_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
2024.26.9_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4-1_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-4_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
Tesla does not provide physical owner's manual copies. Instead, all available owner’s manual content is integrated into the vehicle software, and only the content relevant for a given vehicle, based on vehicle…
fsd-12-5-3_s3xy.pdf · Over The Air · issued Sep 30, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Tesla Model X has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Tesla Model X?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 16,050 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.