The 2018 Model X experienced a sudden and complete loss of power and became totally inaccessible. All doors and access points were inoperable and the vehicle could not be unlocked, disconnected, powered on, or placed into any service or tow mode. Emergency front-trunk release cables had to be used and external 12-volt power applied at the jump terminals to wake the vehicle. The inability to access the vehicle was unexpected and alarming. Children, pets, elderly, and others could have been inside of the vehicle. Thankfully, they were not. Tesla inspected the vehicle and stated the failure was related to the battery coolant heater. The failure resulted in a complete vehicle immobilization and access failure. I had previously experienced restart warnings on the dashboard, but I did not expect a total lockout and loss of access. The inability to access the vehicle was unexpected and alarming. It may be a known safety issue. It should be recalled. This condition presents a serious safety risk because occupants could be trapped inside the vehicle and the vehicle cannot be accessed or moved without external power. In extreme heat or cold, or in a medical or emergency situation involving a child or pet, this failure mode could create a life-threatening situation. Importantly, even after multiple requests, I have not received a copy of the diagnostic report, or anything other than informal emails or calls. Tesla has not provided information regarding this failure other than broad statements, and visuals of the location of the battery pack, in an attempt to deny warranty coverage. The Tesla reports a High Voltage System alert currently. The vehicle is subject to Tesla’s Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty. Tesla has stated that the failed component was the battery coolant heater, but has refused to cover the repair under warranty. Tesla confirmed the failure but has not provided the diagnostic report, fault codes, or vehicle logs supporting its determination.
2018 Tesla Model X: sudden loss of power
6 of the 193 complaints about the 2018 Tesla Model X describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Sudden loss of power by model year
- 20231
- 20223
- 20213
- 20202
- 20193
- 20186
- 20174
- 20166
What owners say
Car lost power on the highway suddenly and would not start after and we pulled over on the side of the highway. Took a picture of all the alerts. Heard a loud thunk noise when the car lost power, did not hit anything in the road. Event: 2:21pm March 31,2024. Was needed to be towed to service center. BMS u008 error displayed on screen among others. No alerts until the immediate loss of power. _ _ limpMode Acceleration and top speed reduced Performance may be restored on next drive After the Tesla service center ran diagnostics they discovered that the HV battery failed and needed to be replaced. This put my entire family (wife and two children) at risk to a major accident either due to the sudden deceleration of the vehicle and being rear ended by another vehicle on the highway (I was traveling at highway speeds when the failure occured).
Car lost power on the highway suddenly while driving at highway speeds and would not start after we pulled over off the highway. Took a picture of all the alerts. This is the second catastrophic event with this vehicle due to the HV battery. Event: 11:32am November 27,2025. Was needed to be towed to service center. BMS u008 error displayed on screen among others. No alerts until the immediate loss of power. After the Tesla service center ran diagnostics they discovered that the HV battery failed and needed to be replaced. This put my entire family (wife and two children) at risk to a major accident again due to the sudden deceleration of the vehicle and being rear ended by another vehicle on the highway (I was traveling at highway speeds when the failure occurred) or being unable to stop suddenly as the braking system was not effective / difficult to press the brake pedal. I used my Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses to take a photo hands free using a voice command to capture my speed and the error that displayed when I lost power on the highway and the amount of traffic around me.
While driving on highway with autopilot on . I received the message "Steering Assist reduced .Vehicle will require additional force to steer". I believe I hit a rough patch on the highway and my steering lost power and became very hard to steer the vehicle. Somehow I managed to drive for 20 miles to safety. When I recached home I did power reset few times and the issue went away. I noticed similar issues with model x but not for year 2018 Model x. I have opened a service request with Tesla .Tesla send me an invoice of $5500 for repair.
2018 Tesla X with only 48k miles has lost power (electric) steering and controllability. This is a huge safety issue which I see in many, many other Tesla X reports on the federal safety agency web sire. Tesla has acknowledge it a know issue however says they can’t get us an appointment to did the problem for until January 6th, 10 weeks from us contacting them. Totally unacceptable and they don’t care. There’s no warning lights, no other issues, just steering locks in 1/4 turn increments which I’m fairly sure is the steering “u joint” others have spoke about. No one local will touch it and Tesla will not come out with novel mechanic to assist. They say tow it in (2 hour) to our service center, $500, and we’ll look at it January 6th, today is November 26th. I admire Elon and everything he stands for, I’m positive if I could speak to him this service would not be acceptable to him either. Over 2 months without a car…. Really….. This is a clear and obvious safety issue and should be a recall for all 2018 Tesla Model X vehicles. I’ve owned many cars and never had a steering column-u joint issue at 48k miles. In closing it should be known Tesla as well says the estimate for repair is $600…… plus the tow. For a 48k mile car, the federal safety agency, please help the hundreds of owners who are having this huge SAFETY ISSUE! Thank you !
Unexpected loss of Power steering and premature suspension failure caused loss of full control of vehicle.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2018 Tesla Model X loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2018 Tesla Model X?
6 of 193 owner complaints about the 2018 Tesla Model X (3%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Tesla Model X?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2018 Tesla Model X
Adaptive cruise 13Sudden acceleration 13Grinding brakes 7Screen failure 6Ball joint 5Phantom braking 5
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