NHTSA Complaint #11635007 — 2024 TESLA MODEL X

I want to bring to your attention a safety issue on the 2024 Tesla Model X. The turn signal buttons are a safety hazard. 1. I have found myself pressing the wrong turn signal button and was nearly in an accident more than once. That’s because the turn signals are placed too close together (see attachment). You have to take your eyes off the road and look down to make sure you are pressing the correct turn signal button. It’s too easy to press the wrong button. 2. At night, it’s hard to read the turn signal buttons as they are not illuminated. This is not only a safety hazard but bad design. Surely Tesla could have put the the left turn signal button on the left side of the steering wheel and the right turn signal button on the right side of the steering wheel. It just makes common sense. 3. It’s even more of a hazard when you are on a roundabout and you want to exit the roundabout. The turn signal buttons are at the bottom of the steering wheel making it very difficult to select the correct turn signal button when you want to safely exit the roundabout (see second attachment). The only real safe solution is for Tesla to revert to the previous turn signals on a stalk, As you are probably aware, with a stalk you select the turn signal with one finger while keeping your eyes on the road. Up for the left turn signal and down for the right turn signal. Very simple, effective and safe. IMHO this hazardous situation warrants a recall to install the previous stalk turn signal device. There is a flood of messages on social media about this safety problem. Nobody likes the new system. I have read online that Tesla's response is that with self-driving you won't need to worry about turn signals. Not every Tesla owner wants or likes self-driving, myself included. This is just a lame excuse. I hope you will do something about the unsafe situation.