What are the common problems with the 2021 Tesla Model X?
Owners of the 2021 Tesla Model X have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering (13) and the electrical system (7). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 6 of its 41 complaints list a mileage (40 to 8,000 miles), too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2021 Tesla Model X. Owners named steering most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 41 complaints, 3 report a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2021 Model X
NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2021 Tesla Model X. Owners named steering most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 13 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 7 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Suspension | 6 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Lane Departure | 5 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 41 complaints, 3 report a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 Model X
Too few complaints on the 2021 Model X list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: 6 of its 41 complaints list a mileage (40 to 8,000 miles), and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 Model X wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 538 NHTSA owner complaints on the Tesla Model X that list mileage came after 19,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Tesla Model X last? →
Is the 2021 Model X a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Model X: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 41 complaints, the 2021 ranks 8th of the 10 Tesla Model X model years from 2016 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2016 (453). The fewest: the 2025 (16).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Model X | 453 | 259 | 30,000 |
| 2017 Model X | 269 | 111 | 30,000 |
| 2018 Model X | 193 | 69 | 12,000 |
| 2019 Model X | 102 | 38 | 15,000 |
| 2020 Model X | 128 | 38 | 5,000 |
| 2021 (this page) | 41 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2022 Model X | 129 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 Model X | 195 | 11 | 4,200 |
| 2024 Model X | 27 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2025 Model X | 16 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
2021 Tesla Model X recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 24 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Tesla Model X. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 26V283000 | May 4, 2026 | BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE |
| 25V172000 | Mar 19, 2025 | AIR BAGS |
| 24V967000 | Dec 23, 2024 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:CUSHION |
| 24V554000 | Jul 24, 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE |
| 24V376000 | May 28, 2024 | SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 Model X lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 Model X.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 35 of the 41 complaints on the 2021 Tesla Model X give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: MODEL X. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: MODEL X.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2021 Tesla Model X questions
What are the most common 2021 Tesla Model X problems?
NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2021 Tesla Model X. Owners named steering most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 41 complaints, 3 report a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Tesla Model X?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 2021 Tesla Model X: 6 of its 41 complaints list a mileage (40 to 8,000 miles), and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 Model X can cover.
Is the 2021 Tesla Model X a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Model X: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 41 complaints, the 2021 ranks 8th of the 10 Tesla Model X model years from 2016 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2016 (453). The fewest: the 2025 (16).
How many recalls does the 2021 Tesla Model X have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 24 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Tesla Model X. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2021 Tesla Model X before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Tesla Model X.