Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Post Initial Problems with the Model X

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I am disappointed by the common feeling that we must somehow bury anything that could be an issue with the X for now. All it accomplishes is that websites who are clearly biased against Tesla will own the conversation on issues with the car. It will also give them fresh ammunition to paint information from this forum as 'selective' and 'biased'. And on top of that it's a disservice towards fellow owners to be who might have a similar issue but without being able to get accurate help and information.

Those who just wish to enjoy the car can simply ignore this thread until they are ready to take off the rose tinted glasses.
I was looking for a thread like this. I was sorry to see the attitude by some earlier, but I understand. New cars will come off the line with far less issues or hopefully none at all. But look at it this way, those new owners will be extremely thankful for their additional wait or higher VIN. Compare the difference of my experience with the improvement that other owners will report.

Hopefully mine is the worst, because in one area of the car it is a safety issue. I had to limit the number of passengers due to safety warnings on the touchscreen that I could not correct by pressing the seat buttons. Those warnings also tell you how you cannot use those seats when not positioned precisely, and that may prevent use by some tall adult passengers you attempt to accommodate. (Tip: sit with legs at a wide angle, knees toward the forward seat edge where extra space exists.) All Model X owners can provide input on seat positioning and how software improvement will help over time. But one issue that never surfaced for me before obtaining the vehicle is the latching of the 2nd row. It should have a separate thread.

Tesla Motors requested a punch list of issues after delivery. That is good since most items are not seen until using the vehicle. Some owners wonder why their car isn't arriving on time and still in the Service Center, well why not post some of the problems to help them understand. In my case, if I had children in the rear seat, it could be extremely important. I have already posted most of the punch list at the Tesla Motors forum. While not long, it could help others discover problems that they MUST report and correct. In my Model X, one missing and an occasionally slow to move protective panel allowed an opening that might pinch a hand or small foot as the 2nd row moving seats move. IMHO, that was unacceptable. What if Consumer Reports was to receive a Model X in that condition. It is vital to report the facts that might not be getting to the right people internally.

*UPDATE: After the list was created, I visited the Tesla Service Center to give them the list. We went through each item. More detail is in the list. What I wanted to mention here is while it appears there are missing pieces in the moving seat tracks, the reality is that the left side has the metal and carpet panel, and that is correct. The one on the right has the carpet panel where the metal is. The result is that it looked like both sides were missing a part. But that was wrong! There were NO missing parts. The one on the right ended up having the carpet panel slide up onto the metal panel and break free to travel with the metal panel. Two parts were on top of each other. The result was the hole. No time to fix it then cause I needed to travel to the finest detailer. Back to the original thread...*

Knowing how limited the communication is at times, this may be the only way for my "punch list" to be seen by those at Tesla who need to see it. Since my vehicle was manufactured in November of 2015, Tesla Motors had more time to make things right while it was at the factory. To wait and let the Service Center deal with these issues doesn't make sense.

Another possible damage issue is shipping. I was told by Sales on the phone that "We would not put a Model X on an open 8 car transport." Well, surprise, surprise. My DS told me on delivery day that my Model X was transported that way and that they use it all the time. Why is that a concern? When you see micro-pitting of shiny sparkles on your windshield when driving into the direct late afternoon sun. The immediate thought was, "Oh no, the windshield looks like a single trip occurred from LA to Vegas on a clear day." That drive will add the smallest of shiny specks that are pitted into the windshield on some of the nicest days. It doesn't take much blowing dust particles in the desert or the spilling granular fertilizer trucks through the windy dust storm raw dirt parched lands in the unwatered areas of the San Joaquin Valley to do the slightest bit of damage. Service Center management has already said they would make things right. In this situation, I'd rather see Tesla Motors make sure that optically clear protective film is placed on the windshields before leaving the factory until the car reaches the Service Center or customer.

*UPDATE: Now this MAY be HUGE. For years our Tesla OC group have enjoyed bringing our vehicles to Glistening Perfection in Aliso Viejo. Moe Mistry specializes in making new Tesla Model S and many other makes better than new. All the manufacturers have imperfections in their surface finishes, especially paint, interior and glass. By bringing my Model X to Moe today, he analyzed the hood, the glass and all the other issues that I didn't even list. I have already mentioned in a new post further down in the thread how the paint imperfections increased recently according to the 3rd party specialists, but they also report, THE NEW PAINT QUALITY IS BETTER. It takes the expert who works with the vehicles on an ongoing basis, who correct and refine the finish to, the level of, Glistening Perfection! So in the case of the windshield, it may be environmental deposits. A claying of the glass can remove them. We aren't 100% sure just yet, but it may be that the car (manufactured in November) sat out too long. While the Service Center gives the car a quick wash and polish, even the glass needs a deep clean and protective nano coating. I will know soon and can post the results further down the thread.*

(UPDATE: removed photo/search/document sentence. Only the list is needed.) When you have a vehicle with a low VIN, there is a greater possibility of problem. But as I mentioned earlier, there is more time to make it perfect. So the fun of waiting is now watching and looking carefully for what needs to be corrected.

One more thing...The glove compartment was almost empty in my car. Just a cleaning cloth, a "Model X Quick Guide", a Monroney sticker, a removed air bag hang tag and the remaining pieces for the console cell phone connectors. A huge difference compared with the tall stack of stuff in the Model S Signature P85. - "Car 15 missing parts, Where Are You?" (UPDATE: As others have posted, the glove compartments are fairly empty. Documentation is more up to date on the touchscreen.)

So here is the list that is for FORUM use ONLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - NOT FOR USE OR PUBLICATION OUTSIDE THE FORUM.

2nd row seats have some safety covers and/or carpet covers missing when seats are forward allowing an open hole that closes electrically.
*UPDATE: NO missing covers, just a carpet panel that is still stuck to the lower metal panel.*

Right 2nd row seat won't latch and fails to move fully back. Leather bottom has a raised elongated hill that won't lie flat. (I will have Moe advise about the leather!)

Spacer under the rear floor panel is not secure and could be seen in different positions due to the hole in the floor.
*UPDATE: Spacer being free to move is NORMAL*

Software needs an update (the SC attempted, but network failure occurred).

A possible sand grain covered with paint is in the dead center of the hood.
*UPDATE: Tesla offers to repair what customer feels is wrong, BUT my paint is excellent according to Glistening Perfection. Some surface scratches and the polish that isn't best will be removed by claying and their special work. What would be a major mistake is to let Tesla have the hood repainted. The Tesla SC manager said he wouldn't recommend it either, but the customer is always right. That is why you need to call the best 3rd party specialists to get their professional advice.*

The rear seats won't fold down and remain locked (safety latch won't release).
When the rear seats did fold down during delivery, the bottom carpet seat backs were bent out of shape due to binding when raised with trunk floor in either position.
Front seats don't return to the previous position after the 2nd row is moved forward and back.

Front seat leather has some creases that should not have made it past quality control. Appears used and driver seat bottom has a slight tint, (color transfer?).
*UPDATE: This is the most amazing of all. When Tesla Motors SC looked at the seats today, they declared them used and had color transfer. Moe Mistry looked at them later in the day and said, totally NORMAL. Tesla Motors is now using finer materials that are softer and crease due to the softness. The softer materials also have a faster color transfer that the original Model S leather seats. The only problem was that a protective plastic cover on the seats must have been removed. A quick cleaning and proper protection to help decrease color transfer is all that is needed. See what getting the right information can solve.*

The right Falcon Wing Door sill has a dent and white matter surrounding the dent near the latch for the Falcon Wing Door.
The right Falcon Wing Door seal near the front top right is starting to rise above the glass. (Hopefully within tolerance limits at the present.)

Windshield appears to be slightly pitted with a light amount of sparkle across the windshield when driving into direct late sun.
*UPDATE: As mentioned above, environmental deposits may have occurred due to the November manufacturing date and the Model X sitting outside. I can check the results of the claying tests done today when the sun is bright tomorrow. The answer will be to have Glistening Perfection clay and nano coat the windshield.*

Check glovebox and request factory to supply what could be missing or wasn't available in time for manufacture.
*UPDATE: Others report that their glovebox is empty. NORMAL situation. I would like more manuals on the care of Model X to be in paper form.*
Missing Parcel Shelf (included for Signatures - can be sent by UPS when available).

Other than that, the Model X performs perfectly as it should.

PS: I was able to drive down the Santa Ana Freeway from the Tesla SC to Glistening Perfection on AutoPilot. My first major AP adventure. Smoother turns as the vehicle improves over time, amazing! The entire experience of Model X is so spectacular that I want it as perfect as possible. That just takes time in my case, but as usual, Tesla always makes it right. With Moe's added expertise, the Model X will be better than new, it will be improved with perfect clarity and clear bra protection. Great day!

That wraps up the updates for 1/2/16. If the post becomes locked, please check the remaining thread for more updates.
 
Last edited:
Ladies and gentlemen,
Am I the only one here thinking that Founder and Signature series cars are there for final beta testing?

I expected issues and knowingly signed up for this in 2013. To quote Mark Twain... "If you set your expectations low, you will never be disappointed." The reality is that Tesla is still a small company playing a big game. They just don't have resources and expertise to get it right in one go. At least not all of it. They are probably in their last year or two when they can still get away with these things but the clock is ticking.

Here is another one. Minor but I will just throw this in here - noticeable gap in panel alignment.

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 11.44.16 AM.png
 
...I expected issues and knowingly signed up for this in 2013...Here is...noticeable gap in panel alignment.
I too expected issues, but this is 2016 and my Signature P85 in 2012 was in excellent condition at delivery. Yes, it was a higher VIN, but Tesla experience is much greater now.

In regard to the alignment, the Black Alcantara Headliner could hide such things. Thanks for the heads up, I will check with my brightest flashlight.

*UPDATE: I checked with the flashlight. All the alignment inside appears to be perfect with my headliner. Thanks for sharing so I could check on it.*
 
Last edited:
The sad thing is that people like Realist are retweeting things from Paulo Santos like 'early Signatures already in for repairs'. If they'd also tweet the positive, it wouldn't bother me. But they cherry-pick. And I hate that.

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 10.21.33 AM.png
 
Last edited:
The sad thing is that people like Realist are retweeting things from Paulo Santos like 'early Signatures already in for repairs'. If they'd also tweet the positive, it wouldn't bother me. But they cherry-pick. And I hate that.

View attachment 106245

That's really disappointing.

Frankly, it's incredibly important that early VIN folks report issues to Tesla so they can be corrected and fixed for future production. I don't see a convincing argument for those issues to be posted here.
 
Problem, Vehicle won't change lanes using the turn signal and AP.
Corrective Measure, Ooops setting for auto lane change was off.

I was actually quite pleased when I opened the glove box that it was not filled with useless crap that had to be cleaned out and stored.

So far my only recomendation to Tesla would be to include a padded child seat extender strap for the child safety seat rear attachment on the second row seats. We solved the problem by putting the child seat in the third row. My three year old grandson actually thought it was great to ride there. Maybe offer an extender strap in the online store.

We have been driving the car too much to even have time to look it over and worry about anything else.
 
Last edited:
The sad thing is that people like Realist are retweeting things from Paulo Santos like 'early Signatures already in for repairs'. If they'd also tweet the positive, it wouldn't bother me. But they cherry-pick. And I hate that.

Of course they cherry pick the negative and try to make it sound as bad as possible. Many of these people bet big against TSLA and got pummeled. I fully expect investment professionals of this type to try to exact revenge whenever possible, although I think this is futile even in the short term.
 
It's a given that this thread will be very popular with shorts but as a 4x owner, shareholder and EV evangelist, I tend to favor long term benefits over a possible spike in shorting activity.

Fundamentally, Tesla has already established themselves as a premier brand with the mission that has a large number of affluent followers agreeing with. This is the hard part in building any business. Some are trying for decades and centuries and fail.

Having said that, I expect my $145k car to have trim panels that align better. :)

This car will win so many awards this year it's gonna be silly.
 
Of course they cherry pick the negative and try to make it sound as bad as possible. Many of these people bet big against TSLA and got pummeled. I fully expect investment professionals of this type to try to exact revenge whenever possible, although I think this is futile even in the short term.

I understand that. Only explaining why some might not be willing to give them any fodder.

I have no fodder to give. I'm absolutely delighted with the quality of Sig 2. I did have a third row not folding issue that was resolved the next morning. But none of the gaps/finish/etc stuff that Mark is reporting. Glove box is pretty empty. Can't complain about that since I didn't know it was supposed to be full of anything. :)
 
That's really disappointing.

And so not surprising coming from the likes of that guy.

Frankly, it's incredibly important that early VIN folks report issues to Tesla so they can be corrected and fixed for future production. I don't see a convincing argument for those issues to be posted here.

Agreed. I've never been able to wrap my brain around people wanting to shout negativity from the roof top (Internet), particularly when considering the situation and context. I don't buy the whole 'for the benefit of others'. You can benefit others simply by contacting the source, who has always been open to hearing how they can improve their products and services (particularly when presented to them in a reasonable manner).
 
...Glove box is pretty empty. Can't complain about that since I didn't know it was supposed to be full of anything. :)
With all the Owner's Manuals and other documents on the touchscreen, the answers are always handy. I appreciate an empty glove box too and with the heated steering wheel, it should stay empty!

I am listing details, because it's the list that will go to the Service Center.

*UPDATE: List given to Tesla Motors, many answers provided and the original post has been updated but is now locked from edits. Read further for more updates.*

If I listed all the things that are perfect with Model X, that list would fill several pages.
 
Last edited:
...I don't buy the whole 'for the benefit of others'. You can benefit others simply by contacting the source, who has always been open to hearing how they can improve their products and services (particularly when presented to them in a reasonable manner).
Tesla Motors has always corrected everything with my Model S.

The dual answers I have received during the wait for delivery gives me concern to back things up, ask multiple sources, and read the forums and test the answers.

The denial by some recently that the AM radio band doesn't exist in Model X is based on incorrect data on the Monroney sticker and readers viewing photos where XM looks like AM to them. Sometimes you gotta keep addressing the issue in another way until the facts are clear for everyone.

In this situation, I want those who have a new vehicle problem to know they are not alone. While Tesla cares, the customer may think their vehicle is the only one with the issue. That can be emotional, frustrating and may result in a poor attitude. We know a new product may have issues. Sharing can result in compassion and joy that they have no problems. That is worth taking time to logon and type the text. I hope it also results in all the Model X windshields to be delivered with all the protection they deserve.

*UPDATE: While the windshield needs 3rd party professional cleaning for my vehicle, it would save time to have added protection during delivery.*

This thread can also help those taking delivery to check on similar issues. I just got off the phone with my detailer who will be adding clear bra protection soon. Paint flaws are up recently as he does a lot of Teslas. But on the positive side, the paint quality is better. His suggestion is to not repaint the entire hood for a small sand grain, but only he can assess this in regard to what he can do on his side. My suggestion is we may do a partial bra up to the flaw. I should know soon and report back later.

*UPDATE: No partial bra needed. The paint flaw is minimal. While clear bra will help future damage, any original flaw may be visible under the clear bra.*
 
Last edited:
The sad thing is that people like Realist are retweeting things from Paulo Santos like 'early Signatures already in for repairs'. If they'd also tweet the positive, it wouldn't bother me. But they cherry-pick. And I hate that.

View attachment 106245

Reminds me of the news. Always reporting bad things such as accidents and deaths of unknown citizens but never good things about unknown citizens such as marriages of unknown couples.

It is never "This is the 6 O'clock news... mr and miss unknown just got married and had a lovely day." with a reporter standing outside the church

It is always.. "Car hits tree injuring driver." reporter standing behind railing near accident.

Not that they shouldn't report bad things but where is the balance?
 
The sad thing is that people like Realist are retweeting things from Paulo Santos like 'early Signatures already in for repairs'. If they'd also tweet the positive, it wouldn't bother me. But they cherry-pick. And I hate that.

All the more reason for TMC not to engage in the same (but reverse) tactics but instead encourage owners to post both the good and the bad!

- - - Updated - - -

But to Bonnie's point that would a) balance the presentation of information and b) put it all into perspective.

There are at least 10 owner threads right now up on TMC and all of them are overwhelmingly about highlighting the positive aspects of the vehicle. But one thread to list points of improvement would be unbalanced?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blip
All the more reason for TMC not to engage in the same (but reverse) tactics but instead encourage owners to post both the good and the bad!

There are at least 10 owner threads right now up on TMC and all of them are overwhelmingly about highlighting the positive aspects of the vehicle. But one thread to list points of improvement would be unbalanced?

I'm not going to make things up to make you think I'm being balanced :). The X I have is great. No one is saying not to post. At least I wasn't. I just didn't see a need for a database yet.
 
...I just didn't see a need for a database yet.
And I agree 100%. No database. Just provide some examples in a thread so others can be alert. If it's been mentioned, then there is no need to post.

Tesla Motors will find things that we never may see during their service of any of the vehicles, Roadster, S or X. The only reason I get busy is to help solve my issues quicker. Having an engineering career did change how I approach these things.

And for those who absolute perfection in your Model X, watch out for the pets paws and the children's shoes! Those ultra shiny smooth seatbacks and clean wheel wells surfaces look wonderful now. I hope you can keep them looking great! Some theme park ride designers rode in my X on New Years Eve and their comment was how it would look with customers entering and exiting. They absolutely LOVED Model X and wanted the Ludicrous ride again!
 
Last edited:
Thanks to all X owners that have posted both positive points and the little niggly issues. Tesla is not perfect, there will be issues and the company has a track record of fixing them. I just like the idea of being forewarned and not surprised. I also appreciate the heads up to better pick a delivery time frame.

As for Realist, he is a tool. His handle might as well be NiceGuy given the irony of his current one.