Tesla Model X collision warning problems

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Driver assistance · TX

My 2019 Tesla Model X Performance (HW3, Full Self-Driving purchased outright) has experienced repeated, intermittent critical failures of Autopilot/FSD while driving at highway speeds above 60 mph. On multiple occasions, FSD abruptly displayed a RED immediate-takeover warning and disengaged while actively steering, including during curves and lane changes. Immediate driver intervention was required to maintain control. Some incidents involved unexpected acceleration immediately before disengagement. At other times, Autopilot, FSD, and cruise control become unavailable, displaying “Cruise control unavailable.” The problem sometimes disappears without repair. During an active failure, Tesla Service Mode showed Primary Autopilot ECU (A): CRITICAL; Secondary ECU (B): NOMINAL; and Driver Assistance Features: UNAVAILABLE. Recorded fault codes included APS_w135_appCritical, PM_w041_dasMIA, APP_w009_aebFault, and APP_w184_fisheyeCameraStreamExit. Camera previews were unavailable. Tesla Plano Lexington inspected the vehicle in October 2026 at approximately 85,413 miles. Technician logs showed fisheye camera deserializer alerts. Tesla recommended replacing the forward-facing triple camera and coaxial harness but confirmed in writing that the Autopilot ECU has not been proven defective, the cause remains uncertain, and proposed repairs may not resolve the issue. On October 19, 2026, Tesla’s DFW Service Manager also confirmed in writing that these camera/communication faults may impair Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and other collision avoidance features. Tesla could not confirm these safety systems were unaffected. No crash or injury has occurred. Tesla advised against using FSD/Autopilot until repaired. The malfunction remains unresolved. I request the federal safety agency investigate the risk of sudden driver-assistance disengagements and potentially unavailable collision avoidance systems.

Filed Sep 22, 2026 · Airbags, Driver assistance · WA · crash · 2 injuries

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model X to the Macy's at Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA, with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. The navigation system routed incorrectly to Lincoln Square instead of Bellevue Square, and the vehicle proceeded into the Lincoln Square underground parking garage while still in FSD mode. The vehicle briefly stopped at the parking entrance gate where the barrier arm is, then suddenly accelerated at full speed toward a wall — breaking through the barrier arm and colliding with the wall. I attempted to cancel FSD and pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not disengage and did not stop. I heard no Forward Collision Warning of any kind — no audible alert ever sounded. I was not watching the display, so I cannot say whether any visual warning appeared, and I am not aware of any Automatic Emergency Braking engagement or Obstacle-Aware Acceleration intervention. To my knowledge the vehicle has not been repaired and can be made available for inspection upon request. The malfunction put occupant and bystander safety at serious risk: sudden unintended full acceleration inside an enclosed parking garage with an unresponsive brake pedal, destruction of the gate barrier, collision with a wall, and bone fractures of the neck and lower back sustained by both the driver and the passenger, requiring medical treatment. To my knowledge, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. A police report was filed. The vehicle has [not yet / been] inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning sounds of any kind prior to the failure, and I observed no warning lamps or messages. The first indication of the problem was the sudden acceleration and impact itself. The Forward Collision Warning setting was turned ON at the time; no alert of any kind ever sounded. I am working to preserve the dashcam footage with audio, which INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

Filed Jun 19, 2025 · Driver assistance, Visibility · WA

I own a 2019 Tesla Model X. After Tesla upgraded my vehicle from AP2.5 to the FSD hardware module, the front camera view became blurry. I disassembled the camera housing and found that a heated line in the windshield, intended to prevent fog or ice buildup in front of the camera, runs directly through the camera’s field of view. This line now causes noticeable image distortion, which interferes with safety-critical features such as FSD, forward collision warning, and lane keeping assistance. The Tesla service supervisor confirmed this is not my fault. He explained the issue may have been caused by heat from the line gradually affecting the glass, or that the upgraded FSD hardware, which captures clearer images, is now revealing a flaw that was previously less visible. He also mentioned that Tesla redesigned this component in newer Model X vehicles to prevent this issue. However, because my car is out of warranty, they are refusing to replace the windshield. Since the FSD upgrade, I have experienced multiple warning messages while using FSD. On one occasion, while driving on the freeway, the system suddenly disengaged and displayed a message saying the camera had weak visualization and the driver must take over. I believe this is a serious safety issue related to the blurry front camera caused by the heated line in the windshield. Although Tesla acknowledges the problem and that it is not due to misuse, they have declined to offer any resolution. I am now unable to safely use the FSD system I paid over one thousand dollars to install, and Tesla has taken no responsibility. I believe this issue poses a risk to driver and public safety and should be investigated regardless of warranty status.

Filed May 28, 2025 · Body, Driver assistance · CA

The following is copied from: the federal safety agency ID Number: 11487520 Incident Date [XXX] Consumer Location SAN JOSE, CA On nine separate documented occasions, the passenger front wheel molding trim piece, in which one of the proximity sensors is mounted, completely detached, causing the proximity sensor to alarm continuously. On two of these nine occasions, the trim piece detached while the vehicle was traveling on the road, and on one of these two occasions, the vehicle was traveling on the highway at highway speeds. On this occasion, after detaching completely, the trim piece was observed through the rear view and side mirrors, shattering on the road and scattering debris across the highway, potentially causing a traffic hazard for the cars following. On this last occasion, the vehicle was also traveling with the assistance of the Adaptive Cruse Control and Forward Collision Warning features, which both caused the vehicle's emergency avoidance systems to activate when the proximity sensor was falsely triggered. If there were other vehicles nearby, this could have caused a high speed accident as my vehicle executed both an emergency braking and collision avoidance maneuver for no real reason. Please note that I have documented reports of the possible safety issues due to the wheel well trim detaching to the Tesla service department for several of the times I've had the vehicle in for repair. In all nine instances, I've been told that my vehicle is the only one that exhibits this problem. A statement I find difficult to believe as I have observed other vehicles of the same make and model driving around without the trim pieces, and just recently captured a photograph of a Model X driving on the highway with the trim piece detaching as the wind was catching it. See the red arrow in the photograph attached below. This report adds two additional photographs of the same issue that have been taken since the original report was filed.

Filed Mar 20, 2024 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 1,000 miles · GA · crash

The contact owned a 2023 Tesla X. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the contact became distracted by an incoming phone call and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags deployed upon impact and the contact became locked inside the vehicle. The whereabouts of the other driver were unknown. The police were called to the scene but were unable to assist with the contact's removal from the vehicle. After close to an hour, the contact finally found a latch to unlock the vehicle. The contact sustained a headache as a result of the accident but did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to a Tesla service center. The contact stated that the forward collision avoidance feature failed to operate as needed which should have prevented the accident. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V862000 (Latches/Locks/Linkage; Electrical System). The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was later totaled without the contact's knowledge. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

Filed Jul 26, 2023 · Driver assistance · OH · crash

I was driving on the highway on Tesla enhanced auto pilot when traffic came to a stop I’d notice my Tesla model X was not about to stop nor slow down for the stopped traffic so at the last minute I had to slam on my brakes and swerved to the right lane where I was hit by a truck pulling a trailer which subsequently rammed me into the truck I was trying to avoid rear ending after Teslas forward collision warning failed to notify me or stop the car from crashing in the first place

Filed Oct 2, 2022 · Body, Driver assistance · CA

On nine separate documented occasions, the passenger front wheel molding trim piece, in which one of the proximity sensors is mounted, completely detached, causing the proximity sensor to alarm continuously. On two of these nine occasions, the trim piece detached while the vehicle was traveling on the road, and on one of these two occasions, the vehicle was traveling on the highway at highway speeds. On this occasion, after detaching completely, the trim piece was observed through the rear view and side mirrors, shattering on the road and scattering debris across the highway, potentially causing a traffic hazard for the cars following. On this last occasion, the vehicle was also traveling with the assistance of the Adaptive Cruse Control and Forward Collision Warning features, which both caused the vehicle's emergency avoidance systems to activate when the proximity sensor was falsely triggered. If there were other vehicles nearby, this could have caused a high speed accident as my vehicle executed both an emergency braking and collision avoidance maneuver for no real reason. Please note that I have documented reports of the possible safety issues due to the wheel well trim detaching to the Tesla service department for several of the times I've had the vehicle in for repair. In all nine instances, I've been told that my vehicle is the only one that exhibits this problem. A statement I find difficult to believe as I have observed other vehicles of the same make and model driving around without the trim pieces, and just recently captured a photograph of a Model X driving on the highway with the trim piece detaching as the wind was catching it. See the red arrow in the photograph attached below.

Filed Jul 20, 2022 · Driver assistance · LA · crash

On July 13, 2021 at round 1951 hours, in broad day light at that time of Summer, The Tesla Model X , 75 D, was engaged in autopilot mode travelling westward at posted speed limit of 50 mph on a local highway road. The vehicle failed to slow down by using "ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL" but went ahead and hit the parked Dooley Truck at Red light, causing crumpling of the front of Tesla and some dent in the vehicle that got hit by it. It failed to give enough 'FORWARD COLLISION WARNING" to apply brakes. It did not deploy "EMERGENCY BREAKING SYSTEM", to avoid the Collision. When the Forward Collision sound was heard, it was too late, and when the brake was applied, it disabled the whole Vehicle and collided and stopped. The Air bag was deployed, but with minor injuries to the Drivers. The front of Tesla was crumpled as designed, and also as there is no Engine but only a Bonnet in front, it easily collapsed on itself. An Investigation was done by Tesla, and they called to say that, Quote: " The Auto pilot feature was on, the vehicle was driving at 50 mph, that is the posted limit on that highway. They could not confirm whether the hands of the driver was on the steering or not? That means they say the hands of the driver may be on the steering wheel, but cannot confirm it? The brakes were applied by the driver 45 sec before the crash, which disabled the main battery of the vehicle and resulted in crash". There were no warning lamps, messages of other symptoms prior to failure, except a warning sound very close to crash". The vehicle was not drivable after the incident, and do not know if this feature was reproduced by independent service. Repeated request to give the above telephoned report from the Tesla Agent has not resulted in any such letter from them.

Filed Jun 9, 2022 · Driver assistance · NC · crash

While driving on an interstate freeway on 8-14-2021, using the vehicle Autopilot driver assistance mode (which I had been using for the previous 18 months without incident), the vehicle failed to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me. This collision resulted in no passenger injury, but resulted in both driver and passenger airbags to engage and resulted in total vehicle loss of the Tesla Model X. No other vehicles involved had airbag engagement. Tesla may have actual information on the functioning of the vehicle and the Autopilot software that may explain why the collision avoidance system failed, but refused to supply me with this information.

Filed Mar 1, 2022 · Driver assistance · CA

Since installing the latest update (2021.24.48), my vehicle is suddenly experiencing: * frequent bogus forward collision warnings (several per day) * instrument cluster outages (black screen) * sudden autopilot shutdowns caused by center display communication failures (MCU) Other people with significantly different configurations (e.g. with the eMMC repair done, with autopilot hardware version 1, etc.) have experienced similar failures. This seems to be a very serious software regression that needs to be addressed immediately.