Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Tesla Model X owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that upon activating Smart Summon, the vehicle turned directly towards a vehicle parked to the left at an undisclosed speed, resulting in a crash before that contact was able to cancel Smart Summon, after which the vehicle came to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. A Police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the cruise control or autopilot functions activated, the brakes inadvertently engaged, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. The vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated that after the full self-driving beta program was installed, the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer transferred the contact to the tech department. The tech department informed the contact that they would repair the failure with an over-the-air software update. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. …
The contact's wife owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing electrical failures. The contact stated while his wife was starting the vehicle, a message indicating a low-battery voltage was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown Tesla Service Center, where it was diagnosed that an electrical malfunction was causing a constant drain on the battery while the vehicle was turned off. The battery was replaced twice within two years. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was driving 25-30 MPH, messages indicating that the ABS, the Automatic Brake Hold, the regenerative brake, and the power steering was inoperable were displayed. Additionally, the vehicle jerked, causing the contact's wife to lose control of the vehicle. The contact's wife depressed the brake pedal and veered to the side of the road. …
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that the autopilot feature was activated while driving 70 MPH however, the vehicle was unresponsive. The vehicle failed to slow down, and the brakes and steering wheel would not engage. The contact had to hold down both scroll wheels to reset the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the tires with snow tires. The dealer informed the contact that it was illegal to drive the vehicle with a secondary fault detected since the system crashed while on autopilot. The dealer provided a loaner vehicle. The dealer repaired the vehicle by replacing the Gateway Micro 8 GB SD flash drive card. However, the failure recurred. Additionally, the audible function was inoperable. …
Was pulling out of the Starbucks drive thru when the car accelerated quickly on it's own. The brakes also failed. The vehicle only stopped after hitting a tree and a light pole. Very dangerous situation as this occurred in the morning when Starbucks is busy. State Farm insurance is in possession of the car currently. We are awaiting their findings. Police report is also pending. I did not see a warning indicator on the car or any indications of any problems. However, the car had been serviced frequently for different issues with Tesla. After the accident, Tesla offered no assistance regarding finding out if there was a safety issue and said we were on our own.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the driver screen and the center console screen went dark which caused the contact to have no access to electrical features in the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and temporarily the vehicle operated as designed. The failure recurred several times. During the failures, the electrical functions and safety features were inoperable. The local dealer sent a mechanic to the residence to reformat the software however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,311.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while the vehicle was plugged into the home charging station, an app message was received that indicated that the vehicle had no charging power. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the home charging station electrical cables connecting to the home had malfunctioned causing the electrical wiring to become burnt and charred. The home's electrical wiring was also damaged during the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 53,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the self-driving mode disengaged unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center, where it was diagnosed that the self-driving system had completely failed. The Service Center determined that the self-driving computer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
The contact owns 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while using the self-driving feature or the cruise control, the vehicle would brake independently. The contact stated an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure on multiple occasion. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure by the App. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH with the Self Driving feature activated, the contact was unable to disengage the feature by tapping on the brake pedal. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes later, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact scheduled an upcoming appointment with the dealer for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacture was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights.
Remedy: Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.
Electrical system › ADAS › Driver monitoring › Software
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy.
Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.
Electrical system › Software
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds.
Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, including Summon and Smart Summon, free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Recall 23V838 Remedy Effectiveness
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening a Recall Query to assess the remedy adequacy of Recall 23V838. On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed a Defect Information Report (Recall 23V838) applicable to all Tesla models produced and equipped with any version of its Autopilot system, which Tesla described as an SAE Level 2 (L2) Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The Office of Defects Investigation ("ODI") is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute tra c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automation system requiring a…
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
On October 17, 2024, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24031) of Tesla's Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) to assess: the ability of the FSD system to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions; whether any other FSD crashes had occurred under degraded roadway visibility conditions that are…
Autopilot & First Responder Scenes
On August 13, 2021, NHTSA?s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-020) to assess the performance of Tesla?s Autopilot system (a system characterized by Tesla as an SAE Level 2 driving automation system designed to support and assist the driver in performing the driving task) available in Tesla vehicles.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Tesla's Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the system's ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient time to respond.
Autopilot System Driver Controls
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded PE21020 to EA22002 on June 8, 2022, to extend work and deepen the PE21020 crash analysis, to supplement that analysis with additional data, and to perform vehicle evaluations to understand how Tesla's Autopilot system may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver's supervision.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
The Office of Defects Investigation ("ODI") has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. ("Tesla") in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the "SGO"), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports.
Electrical complaints in other Model X years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2020 Tesla Model X?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the electrical system of the 2020 Tesla Model X, 22% of the model year's 128 complaints. The component named most often is adas › autonomous/self driving (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Tesla Model X electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 24V-051 (instrument cluster/panel, Jan 30, 2024); NHTSA recall 23V-838 (software, Dec 12, 2023); NHTSA recall 22V-235 (software, Apr 12, 2022). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Tesla Model X electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles, and 60% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.