When Tesla released the Model X in 2016, it broke new ground with its class-leading performance, cutting-edge software, and futuristic falcon-wing doors.
With all its modern tech, it also has a tendency to generate more beeps, chimes and audible warnings than most modern vehicles.
If you’re not why your Model X is beeping, this article is here to help.
Table of Contents
1. Autopilot Alerts
Beeps and chimes from the Model X’s Autopilot feature are the most common ones you’ll hear while you’re driving.
Aside from adjusting the car’s speed and detecting other vehicles on the road, the Autopilot’s autosteer will detect lane markings and follow the road on its own.
The car will beep whenever you turn on Autopilot and also when autosteer is about to be disengaged to let you know that you should take over control of the steering wheel.
You’ll know when autosteer is active when the steering wheel icon turns blue on the main display/touchscreen.
The Autopilot will also beep in the following situations:
- Taking your hands off the wheel too long
- Manually change lanes
- Jerking the wheel aggressively
- A vehicle cuts in front of you
- Another vehicle is in your blind spot
- Stepping on the brake while in Autopilot
- Speeding through a stop sign or a red light
- Autopilot has trouble navigating/detecting the road
When Autopilot detects an issue, there will usually be a warning on the screen that accompanies the beep to let you know exactly what is going on.
If you didn’t notice any warnings on the screen, you can tap on the bell icon on the upper right of the Controls screen to see the most recent alerts.
2. Lane Departure Warning
Even if you don’t have Autopilot turned on, the Lane Assist will steer you back into your lane.
If you keep driving erratically and are constantly drifting towards the lane markers, the car will beep continuously to alert you that you have to take control of the wheel and pay attention to the road.
You can turn Lane Departure Avoidance off by going into the Controls menu and selecting the Autopilot settings.
On this screen, you can also select whether you just want the steering wheel to vibrate or allow the car to actively steer you back into your lane.
3. Camera Issues
The Model X’s cameras can have trouble seeing what’s ahead in certain conditions like if there’s too much glare from the sun or during heavy rainstorms.
Debris can also block the cameras, which the car relies on to detect lane markings, vehicles and road obstacles.
In such situations, the car will beep and warn you of the camera or Autopilot issues. The beeping is usually intermittent and goes away after a few seconds.
Here’s how owners on TeslaMotorsClub.com descried their experience:
“I’ve been getting an intermittent error that says “left door pillar camera blocked or blinded”. This seems to happen on the driver’s side only, and only when that side of the car is facing the sun. This does not seem like normal behavior. However, once I’m out of the direct sunlight, the error message goes away.”
“I have had one situation during very heavy rain and poor visibility, Auto Pilot declined to engage citing ‘poor visibility.’”
“My right front fender camera has developed a new quirk, in that I get a dashboard message that the camera has become obscured or stopped working while I’m driving in moderate to heavy rain on freeways. The problem seems to take a half-hour to an hour to appear. When I stop and look at the camera, it appears to be perfectly fine.”
It was not monsoon level, but pretty heavy. Driving on the freeway after nightfall, my 2020 Model X did not show the lines on the dashboard display. I could see the lines but the cameras could not. Also, the first week that I had the car, I got alerts that one of my pillar cameras was obscured. I looked and could see that the clear plastic cover had moisture on the inside, blocking the view. A few days later, I had the same warning from the other pillar cam.”
If you’re constantly getting errors, warning messages and alerts, check the cameras for any debris or condensation that could be affecting its performance.
You might also have a faulty camera module if everything looks ok but you’re still getting constant errors.
Recalibrating the cameras can also help fix issues. To do this, go to the Service menu under Controls, then tap on Camera Calibration.
You’ll have to drive for 20 minutes for the calibration to finish. Once the process is finished, you should be able to use Autopilot again.
4. Collision Warning
Even if you don’t engage the Autopilot, the Model X’s Collision Warning feature will beep three times if it detects a dangerous situation.
Along with the rapid beeping, the screen will also flash red when the vehicle detects an imminent collision.
Warnings from the front collision avoidance system are pretty obvious since you can immediately see what’s causing it to go off.
The side collision system can also be triggered if you’re driving too close to another car or if the side of the car gets sprayed with water.
A lot of newer Teslas no longer have radar and just use the cameras to detect obstacles. Many owners have complained that the camera-based system is not as reliable and causes too many false alarms.
Here’s how a few owners described their experience on TeslaMotorsClub.com:
“It’s no mystery that Forward Collision Warning is way too sensitive. There are some roads I drive on frequently that trigger it fairly consistently just from a curve. However, I have noticed that even when selecting Off for the setting, I am still getting the errant warnings.”
“Every FCW I have ever been issued has been false. Several were as I slowly crept forward to be able to swipe my card to enter my workplace parking lot.’
“I have been getting these strange alerts after 1,000 miles. I was turning into a left turn lane and received a red alert to stop and I was almost at a stop. The car was two car lengths in front of me and no cars on either side of me. This happens twice on different days. I also received a forward collision warning which highlighted the car that was two car lengths from me in red.”
Another owner on the r/TeslaModelX subreddit also shared their thoughts:
“That front end collision warning beep goes off all the time and when I am nowhere near the car in front of me. Basically if the car in front of me hits their brakes and I don’t hit mine it goes off!”
If you get too many false alarms, you can turn down the sensitivity of the Forward Collision Warning in the Autopliot settings. You can also turn the warnings off completely.
However, you have to turn it off every time you drive the car if you don’t want to be constantly bothered by the collision warnings.
Related: Tesla Model X Alarm Going Off? (12 Main Causes)
5. Driver Monitoring System
The Model X has a Driver Monitoring System and cabin camera that detects your eye movements and what you’re doing inside the vehicle to make sure you’re paying attention to the road at all times.
It no longer just relies on your hands putting pressure on the steering wheel to verify whether or not you’re alert and able to take over control of the vehicle when the Autopilot disengages.
The Driver Monitoring System will beep twice and display a warning that says ‘Please pay attention to the road’ if you’re not looking straight ahead at the road.
If you repeatedly ignore the warnings, the car will continuously beep until you take control of the wheel and Autosteer will be completely disabled for the rest of the drive.
Some of the things that can trigger the Driver Monitoring System include:
- Staring at the touchscreen too long
- Holding your phone while driving
- Driver posture
Many people have complained that new software updates have made the Autopilot completely unusable since it constantly disengages even if you turn your head for a few seconds.
Here’s how owners on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit described their experience:
“It randomly disengages FSD with the red steering wheel and beeps and says ‘Cabin camera blinded or covered.’ I have to move the wheel and wait 15-20 seconds and FSD is available again, for another 1/4-1/2 mile… rinse and repeat.”
“The nagging is incessant. Just navigating the music menu while driving gave me so many back to back “red hands on the wheel” warnings that autopilot shut off.”
Some owners have said that wearing sunglasses helps alleviate the problems brought about by the aggressive driver monitoring system.
Covering the camera with tape can disable the system completely and reverts back to the old method of detecting that your hands are on the steering wheel to keep Autopilot turned on. However, this workaround also disables the Full Self Driving (FSD) mode.
Older models also didn’t come standard with infrared night vision for the cabin camera. This causes the FSD to stop working when it’s pitch black outside.
Switching on the interior dome lights can often provide enough illumination to help the cabin camera see better at night.
It’s also important to note that the Model X only got equipped with a cabin camera some time in mid 2021, so older cars do not have camera-based driver monitoring at all.
In some cases, the false alarms were caused by defective camera modules. If you suspect that this is what’s causing your issues, you’ll need to contact Tesla Service and have it diagnosed and/or replaced.
6. Speed Limit Warning
The Model X has a speed limit warning that will chime if you go over the set threshold.
The Speed Assist feature also detects speed limits using traffic sign recognition and navigation data, but you can also manually set your desired speed limit in the Autopilot settings.
From the same menu screen, you can turn off the speed limit warning completely or choose to just display a warning instead of a chime.
Speed Assist won’t work properly in certain situations such as:
- Poor visibility
- Sign is blocked by traffic or objects
- Inaccurate GPS data
7. Green Light Chime
The Model X will alert you with a soft chime if you’re stopped at an intersection and the traffic light turns green.
The car will also play the chime even if you’re several vehicles behind that car that’s directly in front of the intersection.
It’s quite useful if you want to take a short break and avoid continuously staring at the traffic light to anticipate when it will turn green.
You can enable or disable this feature by going to the Autopilot settings and scrolling to the bottom of the menu.
This feature is only available in cars with Hardware 3.0 and newer, which was released in 2019.
8. Gear Chime
After a recent software update, the Model X will emit a sound when you shift into Drive, Reverse or Park.
This feature can’t be turned off in the Model X and Model S, unlike in the Model 3 and Model Y where you can disable it by going to Controls and then tapping on Safety.
Here’s how owners described their experience on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit:
“On 2023.38.6 and I just noticed the chime when swiping into drive or reverse, can I get rid of it? I didn’t see an option in settings.”
“Same issue on a 2022 Model S with the same software version, no option to turn off gear chimes and it’s equally loud with Joe Mode on or off.”
The car will still alert you with a chime if you try to shift into another gear that’s dangerous for the driving conditions.
For example, if you’re driving on the highway, it will chime if you intentionally or accidentally shift to reverse.
Related: 11 Common Problems With the Tesla Model X (Solution Guide)
9. Park Assist
Like a lot of modern luxury vehicles, the Model X has Park Assist that can emit beeps to help you avoid fender benders when parking in tight spaces.
Although new Teslas made from October 2022 onwards no longer have ultrasonic sensors, which is similar to sonar, to detect nearby objects, recent software updates made it possible for the park assist to use the car’s cameras instead.
However, the camera-based system has been criticized for being unreliable and not very accurate:
Here’s how one owner on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit described their experience:
“I have a tight garage with roughly 1.3 feet of distance leeway. I find the Parking Assist to be wholly inaccurate on when to actually stop. In order to park inside my garage I have to park ~4 inches past when it says “STOP.” In addition, I back into my garage (better placement of the charging box, and easier to get out, and easier to get dogs in and out), but I have to go up a 45 degree curb. It detects the curb as a wall, and yells at me accordingly.”
Newer software updates might eventually make the camera-based park assist more reliable. You can also turn off the park assist chimes by going into the Controls menu and selecting the Safety settings.
10. Seat Belt Warning
If the Model X detects that there’s an occupant in one of the seats and the seat belt is not buckled in, it will make a continuous dinging or beeping sound as soon as you exceed 14 mph.
It will also emit a much louder beeping noise if you unbuckle your seatbelt while Autopilot is engaged. Unbuckling your seatbelt will also completely disable the autosteer function and the screen will flash red.
The seat belt warning will also be triggered if you put some weight on the seat such as a child’s car seat or a gym bag.
In the Model X, you can disable the warning for the rear seats by holding down the steering wheel scroll buttons.
However, it can’t be disabled for the front passenger seat.
The seat belt warning can also go off for no reason if there’s an issue with the seat sensor or the seat itself.
Here’s how owners on TeslaMotorsClub.com described their experience:
“Driving to work today I got the seat belt warning symbol and chimes for the passenger seat despite it being empty. The same thing happened on the way home, but it does go off if you put the seatbelt into the buckle.”
“Had this problem when I picked up my car… seatbelt alarm was going off as soon as I pulled away and stopped if I fastened the front passenger seat belt. Drove back to the delivery centre and they got me to do a reboot (foot on brake and both steering wheel buttons) and it fixed it!”
A software glitch can sometimes also occur and cause the seatbelt warning to go off even if you’re buckled in.
You can try turning off the car, opening the door and locking it up again to try to clear out the software glitch. Buckling and unbuckling the seatbelts can also fix any sensor issues.
In some cases, a warning on the screen that says “Safety restraint system fault’ usually appears along with a beeping sound.
“I’ve been getting this for about 6 months now on my 2018 X 100D. It comes and goes. Almost always the restraint fault is the rear seats.”
“I have same error last few days on 22 MX. I also took out and replaced a car seat for kid. It started after, so maybe something there.”
If you suspect there’s a hardware or wiring issue, you can take the car to a Tesla service center for a proper diagnosis.
11. Rear Seat Issues
The Model X will warn you if the middle and rear seats are not in the right position whenever you shift into Drive or Reverse.
For example, if the rear third-row seats are folded down but not locked in place, you’ll get the warning and chime.
You’ll also get similar warnings if the second-row seats are in the forward position while you’re driving.
Here’s how a few owners on TeslaMotorsClub.com described their experience:
“I will move the middle seats forward to carry my bike in the back of the car. But it’s really annoying that the rear seats unlatched warning comes up every time I switch from Drive to Reverse or visa versa.”
“So far, the warning on our 2018 X has been intermittent – and seems to happen only when we have the passenger-side middle row seat in a specific position. If we slide it to another position, we don’t get the warning.”
“My 2020 Model X Long Range Plus notifies me to move the middle bucket seats back when driving. The vehicle is hard to pack for road trips with two people when those seats are back, and moving them forward offers more room for storage.”
“When we pulled out of the garage, got the warning that one of the 2nd row seats wasn’t secured (I suspect it is the passenger side seats) – warning flashed on the display as we were pulling out onto the driveway, with a warning chime.”
If you get the warning while the third-row seats are folded down, you need to make sure they are properly latched down and locked in place.
If the second-row captain’s chairs are in the right position, you can try moving them a bit forward or backward which can sometimes make the warning go away.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to completely disable these seat warnings.
In some cases, Model X had to replace the seats completely because they couldn’t lock it in place.
Each seat can cost around $4,000 a piece if the vehicle is already out of warranty.
12. Trunk Issues
When you press the button under the trunk’s exterior handle to close it, a single beep is emitted.
This serves as a simple reminder to get anything out of the way as the powered trunk goes down.
If the trunk detects an obstruction while it’s opening or closing, it will stop and beep twice.
It can also beep and not open if the temperature is too cold and the mechanism is frozen.
In some cases, the liftgate can also beep and stop opening halfway even if there is nothing in the way, which could indicate a software issue.
If this happens all the time, you can try to reset the trunk’s opening height by opening it completely and holding the trunk button under the handle for a few seconds until it beeps.
The struts or trunk latch can also fail which causes the liftgate to just open or close partially then beep.
Here’s how one owner described their experience on TeslaMotorsClub.com:
“Out of nowhere I can’t close or open trunk anymore. It beeps when I try to close it using the button or app or MCU, but trunk does nothing. Manually closing of course works. Opening from closed position also just beeps but nothing happens. MCU reports that it is open when open and closed when closed. Car is 2018 MX 100D.
“My Tesla X (old model) approx 10-15 min after I lock it sounds alarm that the back trunk is open. However it is not.”
Many Model X owners have also had issues where the cinch actuator fails which makes it impossible to open up the trunk, and you’ll only hear beeps when you try to open it.
If the trunk/liftgate has trouble opening or closing completely and you’ve already tried resetting the trunk opening height, contact Tesla Service so they can properly diagnose the problem.
Related: 6 Most Common Problems With Tesla Model X (Explained)
13. Faulty Latch or Sensors
Just like any other modern vehicle, the Tesla Model X will start beeping if you drive away with an open door or frunk.
Compared to other Tesla’s, the Model X has more sensors and electronics due to the powered front doors and falcon wing doors.
The falcon wing doors (FWD), as well as the front doors, will beep if it detects an obstruction while it’s opening or closing, or if there’s an issue with the powered mechanism.
If the doors, frunk and liftgate are securely latched, but the car is still beeping and warning you that they’re open, it’s most likely caused by a faulty latch or sensor.
A few owners on TeslaMotorsClub.com shared their experience:
“Got my 2022 last year. It’s been having issue with passenger falcon door since the beginning where it’d open half way and stop abruptly and showing obstacles detected with the red line next to the door, while in reality there’s nothing, and in an open outdoor area. It has happened about 10% of the time and kept getting worse, which is enough to cause inconvenience when dropping off kids at school.”
“It doesn’t happen every time it rains, but sometimes before/after/during rain (only around rain though) where my FWDs (both) won’t open at all. They just beep at me, whether it’s from the handle, app, touchscreen, or key fob.”
“Two days ago I noticed that the driver’s side door would open only 1 inch. Then I noticed while driving the obstruction signal would intermittent go on and off. Clearly there was nothing obstructing the door. The door is clean. This occurs with and without sunlight hitting the door. It’s affecting the driver’s door and the driver’s side FWD… Seems like a sensor is malfunctioning. My Model X is 7 months old with 10,600 miles on it.”
At least one Model X owner has also had issues with the falcon wing doors beeping while they’re driving:
“Slow and tight traffic, I was trying to change lane to the left one on slow speed about 25-30 km/h (18 mph). Manual mode, no autopilot. During the lane change when I was at about 1/3 in the new lane trying to merge between two cars my MX suddenly started making loud beeps from somewhere behind me from left side. The sound was very similar if not exact same as the one when you try to override FWD to force them to open or close when they “see” something in their way.”
Faulty frunk latches are a fairly common problem on a lot of Teslas.
Some owners were able to fix it by adjusting the alignment of the latch by themselves, but in most cases, it can only be fixed by replacing the entire latch.
The car’s door and frunk sensors can also malfunction if they get wet after a heavy rainfall or after going through a car wash.
You can try wiping off and drying out the latches, then spraying some WD-40 or electronics contact cleaner on them to get rid of any moisture that could be causing the error.
If the issue persists, you should contact Tesla and book a service appointment to get a proper diagnosis.
14. Software Glitches
Random software glitches can often cause random alerts and beeps even if all of the Model X’s hardware is working properly.
You can try to clear out the software issue by holding down the two scroll wheel buttons on the steering wheel for a few seconds until the touchscreen boots up again. This forces the car’s computer to restart.
If this doesn’t solve the issue, you can try getting out of the car, and unlocking/locking the car a few times. In some cases, just leaving the car alone for a few hours can resolve minor software problems.
Some software updates can also mess up features that were working fine before and cause the car to start randomly beeping.
Here’s how a few owners on TeslaMotorsClub.com described their experience:
“New model X has been making a faint beeping noise since I received it two weeks ago. It mainly occurs when I press the gas or braking. It sounds like morse code in the background, and is super annoying.”
“I had that strange beeping when I accelerated driving at home the first day I picked it up. It seems to have gone away after I got a software update. I have no idea what it was but I had the same thing going on.”
If you contact Tesla, they can sometimes manually force a software update to get rid of the problems that the previous software version caused.
15. Hardware Failure
A few Model X owners have had their car suddenly display a “Vehicle Shutting Down, Pull Over Safely” error that’s often accompanied by continuous beeping.
When this message appears and the car continuously beeps, there might be an issue with an essential component like the drive unit or the high voltage battery.
Here’s how one owner described their experience on TeslaMotorsClub.com:
“My 2022 Model X Plaid was parked at the restaurant parking… When trying to go home, I pressed the brake pedal and got this “Rear left motor disabled – OK to drive” message on the dashboard. Also a big “PULL OVER SAFELY, Vehicle shutting down” message. Car couldn’t be put in D or R.”
“After normal startup this morning, less than one mile into a drive, all of a sudden I got warnings: “Automatic braking disabled/front motor disabled/unable to drive”. Stopped (no choice). Both screens working, but car would not move. 2020 X 100D.”
To get rid of the beeping, you can try the typical troubleshooting steps that would normally fix a software glitch such as:
- Holding down the steering buttons until the screen restarts
- Locking and unlocking the doors
- Disconnecting the 12-volt battery
- Letting the car sit for a couple of hours.
Many of Tesla’s drive units also make faint whining noises at certain speeds.
In some cases, a weak 12-volt battery can also cause random beeps and errors to appear, so try getting your battery checked at an auto parts store.
If this doesn’t fix the issue, it’s best to contact Tesla Service for a proper diagnosis.
16. Charger Issues
If your Model X is beeping while it’s being charged in your garage, it might not be the car at all and could be coming from your home charger.
Chargers can have errors and start beeping if they encounter a power outage, an electrical fault or a wiring issue.
You can try plugging in the charger using another electrical socket to make sure there’s no problem with the electrical circuit.
You can also check the charger’s manual for any troubleshooting steps or contact the manufacturer for more advice.
Other devices like a garage door opener can also beep incessantly if it’s low on battery and make you think that it’s coming from your Model X.
Additional Steps to Consider
Check the Notification History
Analyzing your notification history can help you identify what’s causing your Model X to beep randomly.
To access the notification history, simply go to the Service menu and select Notifications.
This will show you any errors or notifications that you may have missed, including the exact time and date that they occurred.
Doing this might give you helpful clues as to what’s causing the mysterious beeping.
Use a Diagnostic Scanner
Although the Model X doesn’t have a traditional OBD2 port, you can use an adapter cable to hook up an OBD2 scanner and see if you can find any trouble codes.
In older models, the connector is under the driver’s side dash near the door. Newer Model X’s have the connector hidden behind a panel under the main touchscreen.
Once connected, you’ll need to download a compatible app to read the codes. You can research the codes online or consult vehicle-specific forums for more advice and further troubleshooting steps.
Check for Recalls or TSBs
Check for recalls for your vehicle by going to the NHTSA or Tesla Service recall page to see if there are any outstanding issues with your car that may affect the alarm system.
Entering your VIN on the NHTSA website’s Safety Issues and Recalls page will also show you a list of TSBs (Technical Service Bulletin) for your specific vehicle. Look out for any known problems with the doors, electronics or software that may be related to your alarm issues.
A recall is issued by a vehicle manufacturer for issues that are safety-related, while a TSB covers components that may be malfunctioning but don’t compromise the safety of the vehicle.
Disconnect the 12-Volt Battery
Although some software glitches can be cleared out by holding down the steering wheel buttons, disconnecting the 12-volt battery completely powers down the car’s computers and allows you to do a full power cycle.
A weak 12-volt battery can also cause random errors and glitches to appear, so replacing it with a brand new one might be in order if the car is already a few years old.
How to Test the Battery:
- Before testing, remove the surface charge from the battery, this allows for an accurate reading.
- Power down the car and leave it unplugged for several hours
- Set the multimeter dial to the ’20 Volts’ setting.
- Make sure the car is turned OFF.
The multimeter will have a red probe and a black probe.
- The red probe is for making contact with the positive terminal.
- The black probe is for making contact with the negative terminal.
Measure across the battery terminals.
The meter should display a reading, if the battery is fully charged the voltage should be between 12.2 and
12.6 volts.
Anything under 12V and the battery should be charged or replaced.
Contact Tesla Service
If you’ve run out of ideas trying to troubleshoot the problem on your own, you can schedule a service appointment through the Tesla app.
You can either take it to the nearest Tesla service center or have a mobile tech come out to your location.
Once you schedule an appointment, you can start talking to a representative about your problem.
If you’re able to resolve your issue after consulting with a representative, you won’t be charged for the service as long as you cancel the appointment at least 24 hours in advance.
Sources
- https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modelx/en_us/
- https://www.tesla.com/support/service-visits
- https://service.tesla.com/vin-recall-search
