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Tesla Model X wipers problems

24 of the 1,560 owner complaints about the Tesla Model X describe windshield wiper failure, most of them for the 2023 model year.

owner complaints
24
worst model year
2023
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Jun 21, 2024 · Steering · CA

The horn is not mechanical and is not located in the center of the steering wheel. It is dangerous that it is a switch on the right side of the wheel. The horn is located next to the wiper switch and I have had multiple incidents where I could not initiate the horn and used the wipers. Tesla has a retrofit where they can put the horn in the middle and the newer models have it in the center of the wheel like traditional vehicles but are charging 2400+ for owners to get it corrected.

Filed May 31, 2024 · Visibility · GA

Tesla Model X wipers are not working properly in rain. The max speed is 3 and it is not helping in the rain at all which is a severe safety concern for me and other vehicles on road. The Auto mode on wipers also doesn't detect the rain properly and sensitivity is not adjusted. Please look into this. I believe this is across all the Tesla models. Tesla is pushing over the air updates for wipers but this is not helping at all.

Filed Apr 29, 2024 · Steering · NY

I have driven this model x a few months now and there are many time I wasn’t able to put on turn signal and honk the horn due to design . The turn signal is activated by turn buttons in a very small area right next to each other. When needed , the button would cause a lot of confusion , for instance , if I want to put on left blinker I would accidentally put on right, it is especially true when trying to put on signal when the steering wheel is already turned, the only way to avoid false input is to physically looking at the turn signal buttons before put on the blinker , but it is very dangerous for you driving because you are taking your view from the road. Also the horn activation is also very dangerous , I have encountered some situation when the horn is required to gain attention from other drivers or even pedestrians, but when needed , I am either missed the horn button completely or would activated the windshield wipers instead due to its design. Just like turn signal I would have to take my eyes off the road to make sure the correct button was pushed . I think it is very dangerous. I hope there’s some recall available to retrofit traditional horn button in the center of the steering and a physical turn stalk . Thank you for reading this and I hope it’s a valid complaint and would result in some positive outcomes to ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

Filed Mar 9, 2024 · Visibility · CA

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.

Filed Jan 16, 2024 · Wheels · CA

No horn in middle of the wheel. Tried pressing the small button and instead it caused windshield wipers to activate.

Filed Jan 14, 2024 · Driver assistance · PA

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.

Filed Jan 13, 2024 · IL

It has become apparent that the turn signals and horn buttons buttons have safety concerns. Both functions are severely amplified when needing to invoke them while the steering wheel is turned/turning causing the driver to temporarily become disoriented around where the buttons are without needing to take their eyes off the road. I’ve run into this multiple times and has created situations where I’ve missed the buttons. The horn should reside in the center as standard with nearly all vehicles. Also, I’ve accidentally signaled or honked the horn due to proximity to other less urgent functions like audio controls or wiper functions.

Filed Dec 19, 2023 · Electrical · PA

The component that is not working on my car is the intermittent windshield wipers. The issue is that the intermittent wipers do not come on in eaither of the 2 low settings. The wipers only work in the steady low and high settings. When it is just misty out or a light rain, you have to manually push the button at the end of the stalk to give a swish of the wipers. If you are on the steady low setting, it is too much and the wipers squeak on the widsheild. I originally brought this into my Tesla service center in October and they told me that this would be fixed in a firmware update. I have followed up a few times as the update never came and today I am back at the service center and they have told me that they are still waiting for this problem to be addressed and that I should just use the other low and high speed wipers to clear the mist. It is now the end of December, almost 3 month later.This is not safe and should be addressed right away.

Filed Nov 13, 2023 · TX

Driver ahead of me went to turn into wrong way/ one way st, immediately decided to turn back into my lane. The horn is a small button and mashing on the right side (as tesla suggested) resulted in the auto pilot turning on, windshield wipers, and voice control. All which didn't work and prohibited me from reacting. The horn needs to move back to the middle where it has been for centuries, mashing doesn't work as it was more dangerous than if the horn had just been where it was supposed to instead of a tiny button.

Filed Oct 22, 2023 · Visibility · CA

Beginning in a recent software update, the windshield wipers in (at least early model) Tesla Model S and X cars with FSD beta no longer function in intermittent mode. Only the faster wiper speeds are functional. This regression results in unacceptable levels of driver distraction manually triggering the wipers with the button, and should have been fixed weeks ago. We're requesting a formal recall. It really isn't acceptable for their testing processes to be so flawed that something this serious could make it into released builds, beta or not. As a software engineer by trade, I find Tesla's testing to be nothing short of incompetent, even by iOS app standards, much less car standards, and they should really be fined every time they screw up this badly.

Related recalls

Visibility: power window devices and controlsReported September 19, 2022 · 1,096,762 vehicles affected
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

Visibility: defroster/defogger/HVAC systemReported January 29, 2021 · 134,951 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Tesla Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles with a center display equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. When the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem, causing a failure in some of the center display functions.
Risk
The eMMC controller wear-out condition can cause the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Owners should ensure their vehicles are operating firmware release 2020.48.48.12 or newer, which will alert owners if the eMMC is approaching lifetime wear. Tesla will notify owners, and will replace the VCM daughterboard with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-21-001.

Recall number 21V035000 · Recall details

Questions about the Tesla Model X wipers

Which Tesla Model X years have windshield wiper failure problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2023 (8 complaints), 2022 (6 complaints) and 2017 (5 complaints).

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