The new stockless button controls on the Tesla are entirely unsafe. The buttons themselves are extremely unreliable and don't always respond, and the placement on the steering wheel requires you to take your eyes off the road in order to locate the correct button. I was recently driving on the freeway with my wife and kids in the car, it had been raining earlier and the roads were wet. A car in the opposite fast lane hit a puddle which sent wave of water over the center divider. It covered our windshield to the point where I couldn't see. With previous cars, including previous Teslas, it was easy to quickly tap the stalk and engage the wipers, but now with this new button system I had to look down at the steering wheel to find the button to quickly engage the wipers. From the surprisingly blinding wave and the time it took to clear the windshield, I veered into the next lane and almost hit the car next to me. It was an eye-opening experience with a car I've really enjoyed owning. The buttons are terrible, and a deviation from a universal, internationally accepted system that was not broke, did not require fixing, and has created a safety hazard.
2022 Tesla Model X: windshield wiper failure
6 of the 129 complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model X describe windshield wiper failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- recalls
- 1
Windshield wiper failure by model year
What owners say
No horn in middle of the wheel. Tried pressing the small button and instead it caused windshield wipers to activate.
My vehicle does not have a horn in the center. It is a button. Elon Musk told the public over and over they all had a center horn that just wasn’t activated yet, that would enable it in a future software update and that was a lie. This button horn on the right hand side never functions when needed. There is no “cover the entire right side” with your hand to make it honk when you’re quickly reacting to a safety hazard. It sets off the wipers usually without even honking. I don’t mind the weird turn signals, but this needs to be fixed. Now that they’ve announced a new model with a regular horn and lied to us about our cars actually having them but being “disabled” I think we are entitled to a retrofit of a brand new one with a center horn like every other vehicle on the road. Rear cross traffic alert? What real cross traffic alert? After I bought this car I was absolutely floored to find that when I back up, it doesn’t alert or beep or make any sound if a car is coming or a human is walking behind it. I was inches from hitting a neighbors child on a bike once and I am still shaken from what could have happened had I not heard someone yell. The car will scream and beep and flip out at every little other issue but doesn’t have this? Every car I’ve had since 2008 has had this feature. It is absolutely unacceptable that this noisy beeping computer car doesn’t have any audible rear cross traffic alerts. Please force them to fix this. It is DANGEROUS. The rear window is so high up it’s impossible to see beneath it. If I’d hit that child, I never would have forgiven myself. Please force them to add an audible warning.
Critical Safety Issue: Malfunctioning Wipers in Both Auto and Manual Modes. Experiencing nearly catastrophic situations due to faulty wipers during heavy fog and rain at nighttime while driving at high speeds is a severe safety concern. Immediate attention is required, especially with the impending rainy season. Tesla Service's previous attempts to resolve the issue have been unsuccessful. 1. Auto Wipers Malfunction. - Historical Performance: The auto-wiper functionality has consistently performed inadequately. - Current Issue: As of the latest software update (2023.7.30), the auto wipers frequently fail to activate throughout the duration of trips in heavy rain. - Case Instances: This issue was observed on August 29, 2023, at 8:04 pm, 8:08 pm, and 8:09 pm, resulting in zero visibility through the windshield as the wipers did not activate even once when set to Auto. 2. Manual Wipers Deficiency. - Current Issue: Occasionally, pressing the wiper button on the yoke yields neither action nor haptic feedback, sometimes lasting for a few minutes. - Case Instances: This problem was replicated on multiple occasions, including January 8, 2023, at 10:39:33 pm, and July 25, 2023, around 6:57 pm when other buttons on the yoke also failed to respond. Despite yoke replacement on January 6, 2023, the issue persists. 3. Wiper Speed Options. - Having just wiper speed settings (Off, I, II, and III) is insufficient for safely navigating varying rain intensities. This issue is further compounded by a faulty yoke button responsible for initiating the wiper speed change. Conclusion. Simultaneous failure of both manual and automatic wiper systems results in zero visibility, posing an extremely high risk of vehicular accidents. Immediate action is imperative.
In all late 2021 and 2022 Model S and X cars from Tesla, the manufacturer removed the left and right stalks for a) directional signals b) wiper controls c) forward/reverse/park controls and also made it nearly impossible to use the horn, with only a tiny button to sound the horn. The driver is forced to remove their eyes from the road to a) turn on left or right directional signals b) choose forward or reverse c) turn on window washers d) turn on wipers when they fail to turn on automatically and e) press the horn. AT NO TIME SHOULD A DRIVER HAVE TO REMOVE THEIR EYES FROM THE ROAD TO DO THESE FUNCTIONS. Traditionally, any driver could use a left or right hand without removing eyes from the road and use any such control. This is not possible.
The 2021-2022 model X “yoke” steering wheel is poorly conceived and a safety hazard. 1) horn location is tiny, and moves as wheel turns, impossible to quickly activate horn in emergency situations 2) high Beam lights are on a tiny button which also moves and cannot be activated when wheel turns or in an emergency situation, or even when choosing to cross an intersection during a yellow light because a car behind you is tailgating. 3) wheel shape: when used at lower speeds in autopilot Beta mode, the electronics literally rip the wheel out of your hands when turning right on residential streets. It is impossible to maintain hands on the wheel without risk of personal injury during some autopilot beta turns. Safety of the vehicle would be returned if the prior 2017-2020 round wheel with turn signal, wiper control, and gear selector stalks returned. The inability for the driver to control following distance in the ADAS (cruise control) systems without dropping 3 levels down into on screen menus is also unsafe.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Visibility: power window devices and controls
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Model 3, 2020-2022 Model Y, and 2021-2022 Model S and Model X vehicles. The window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
- Risk
- A closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update of the automatic window reversal system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2032. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-013.
Recall number 22V702000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2022 Tesla Model X wipers
Is windshield wiper failure a common problem on the 2022 Tesla Model X?
6 of 129 owner complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model X (5%) mention windshield wiper failure. The model year with the most reports is 2023.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2022 Tesla Model X?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2022 Tesla Model X
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