Ball joint failure leading to need to replace upper control arm on drivers side. 2nd instance in less than a year. 2018 model 3 with less than 40,000 miles.
2018 Tesla Model 3 suspension complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 194, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Sorry to trouble you again ...but.. Here is a model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/37236422?rownumber=9 the suspension fell off and it's lying on the ground. Have a look please. This is not good. Not good at all. Thank you. Keef
There is squeaking sound coming from front wheel passenger side and it becomes louder and louder when cruising at low speeds on city street
Please note that I have used a substitute VIN to file this report since the VIN of the car I am complaining about is unavailable. Here is the model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/34936400/photos this car is in detroit and could easily be inspected by the federal safety agency staff. The photographs show that the cast monkey metal lower suspension arm has snapped. The bright surface of the snapped part shows that it is a clean break caused by bad casting. Also the monkey-metal steering knuckle has snapped completely in half and this has been stashed on the back seat. This is convenient for the federal safety agency staff to inspect because they will not need to get their hands dirty. Close up photographs of the affected parts are attached to this submission. A few owners are now starting to file complaints about broken suspensions. If you open an investigation into suspension failures it will give even more owners the opportunity to report their problems. Thank you. Keef date of crash, mileage etc. Are estimates
Control arm, upper rh damaged or broken. Loud squealing noise when driving at lower speeds 0-30 MPH. Has gotten increasingly worse the past day or so. Tesla technician set an appointment to replace and said it was a known defective part from the manufacturing process. I am seriously concerned about the lh control arm part and if that needs to be inspected and potentially replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 tesla model 3. The contact stated that while driving and turning the vehicle, that there was an abnormal sound coming from the front passenger wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ball joint needed to be repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 26,000.
This is a complaint about a burned out tesla model 3. I have used the VIN of a random wrecked tesla because the VIN of the car in question is unrecognisable due to fire. Here is the toasted tesla https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/35451122/25 it has been burned to a crisp but the front wheel has been wrenched off due to the usual broken suspension arms and popped ball joints. The wheel must have fallen by the wayside because it is not burned in the slightest and has been stashed inside the body of the car post-inferno. Isn't the job of the federal safety agency supposed to be protecting the public? What is wrong with you guys? For the love of fudge please do something. Regards your friend keef
Here is a tesla model 3 I he junkyard. Iaai.com/vehicledetails/35313020/25 frot susension parts ll snapped for no good reason. No airbags deployed, no crash damage. Just the usual wheel gon whompy thing. Please investigate. Thank you. Keef
The car accelerated suddenly on autopilot causing the car skid and fall into a ditch oat 80 MPH in utah. The damage was to the body but the accident could have been worse as it almost went into the other lane
Please note that I have used the VIN of a junkyard model 3 to make this complaint since I do not yet have the VIN of the actual car. This is a complaint about tesla suspension breakages. Here is a video which shows in great detail what happens when the bolt on the suspension fails. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bstebktx0bg the video is from korea and has english subtitles. You have received many complaints about tesla broken suspensions and in particular this ball joint bolt which repeatedly snaps. This video removes any doubt about the issue. These bolts are made in two parts welded together and the part always snaps in a brittle fracture in the zone close to the welded join. I have informed the korean owner that I have filed a complaint on his behalf. Please watch the video which also details other problems including dangerous "phantom braking" thank you. [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Here is a tesla model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/60799809/photos it has not been in a collision, no air-bags have deployed. The front suspension has snapped apart. The cast alloy lower suspension arm has broken in half. This is clear evidence of a casting defect. It is most interesting that the high profile legal action over a suspension failure - https://www.businessinsider.com.au/aladdin-stars-problem-with-tesla-known-as-whompy-wheels-2019-6?r=us&ir=t has now been settled out of court. There is absolutely certainly a systemic problem with the suspension components in all models of tesla cars and it is outrageous that they are allowed to sweep the problem under the rug. I strongly recommend that you now take action in this matter. If you need to have a formal petition before you take action then this will be arranged. Thank you. Keef wivaneff
Model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/60870519 both front suspensions snapped off. Not in a crash.... Wheels simply fell off. Looks like this alleged "safety feature" I.e snap-off wheels is working a little too well. Please investigate thank you keef
Another good example of a model 3 with the front wheel and suspension fallen off for no good reason. No air-bags deployed. No other damage to car, wheel and tire undamaged. It simply fell to bits. All the ball joints and steering arm snapped. Not good. Please look at the photo. This is insane/ludicrous. Thanks. Have a great christmas. Keef
Another model 3 with a busted suspension that was not caused by crash damage. Https://poctra.com/2018-tesla-model-3/id-axdy8oz8lq7lefql/houston-tx/photos all you have to do is go to the poctra website which has archived photos and details of more than 4000 wrecked teslas. A huge number of those cars have broken suspensions that can not be excused as being the result of a crash. Just to restate the bleeding obvious one more time. Tesla suspensions are too weak for the power and weight of the cars. Quality control is non-existent. The toxic culture at tesla which has employees living in fear of elon musk means that these systemic failures are swept under the carpet. Tesla is still using non disclosure agreement to silence customers. The supposedly upgraded suspension parts which are the subject of a technical service bulletin are not being fitted to cars except after they fail. If I can so easily discover examples of these suspension breakages by visiting https://poctra.com/ then surely you can have some of your staff do the same thing. Thank you keef
Model 3 in junkyard. Https://poctra.com/2018-tesla-model-3/id-bhrvgpblesxtxtyf/phoenix-az/photos no air-bags deployed the only damage appears to be self-inflicted by the usual broken ball-joints causing the wheel to break loose and whomp into the bodywork. Same failures over and over. Please get onto this. Keef
Here is another tesla model 3 with front suspension that has fallen apart. Https://poctra.com/2018-tesla-model-3/id-bj9kvynfmygislwp/waldorf-md/photos it does not take a rocket surgeon to see that there is a repeating pattern of failures. All the ball joints have snapped. Please investigate. Thank you keef
Here is a tesla model 3 in the salvage yard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/59959469/photos it is listed as having suspension damage. No air-bags have been deployed and damage to the bodywork is only slight. The headlights have not even been broken. The wheel is seriously whompy. Whilst the photographic evidence is not 100% proof it does appear that this failure is consistent with the the other reports of the alloy suspension parts snapping far too easily. The fact that the wheel and tire are undamaged and there being only minor damage to the bodywork make it far more likely that this is another case of self-inflicted injury caused by fragile suspension parts. There is no paint damage nor any transfer of paint from another vehicle. The damage to the wheel well is consistent with a disrupted wheel whomping around and bashing the well from the inside. I would be gratified if you would investigate. Thank you. Keef
Here is a tesla model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/60239049/photos it has some front end damage but what is remarkable is that the alloy steering knuckle has cracked in half and the stems of both ball joints have snapped off. The wheel and tire are both undamaged. It is very unlikely that so much force can have been transmitted through the relatively fragile alloy wheel as to cause all that damage to the suspension components. The model 3 shares similar suspension components to those used in the model s and x. So many examples of suspension failures indicate a systemic problem. Please investigate these highly dangerous issues. Thank you keef
Model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails?itemid=34629617&rownumber=5&similarvehicleitemid=&isnext=&loadrecent=true front suspension gone all whompy. Headlight not even broken. Perhaps the snap-off suspension safety feature is working a little too well. An investigation would be nice. Merry christmas. Keef
Here is a model 3 in the junk yard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails?itemid=34558147&rownumber=13&similarvehicleitemid=&isnext=&loadrecent=true it has been in a rollover accident so it has extensive damage. The front lh suspension has fallen to bits. The wheel has been sliced in two which suggests that it was was cut by a sharp object whilst still rotating. It does appear to be a strong possibility that this rollover was caused by the suspension failure. The connection to the steering arm has snapped which is cause for concern. The stems of both ball joints have snapped. Several of the alloy components have cracked in half which suggests that the castings are of poor quality. Given that many owners fell that it is ok to drive hands free or with just a finger resting on the wheel a failure in the suspension can have fatal consequences. Please investigate. Thank you. Keef
Here is a tesla model 3 in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/54348349/photos the front wheel and complete suspension has completely fallen off. No airbags deployed so there has not been a front end collision. Another car has biffed the back of the tesla after it slowed down rapidly when the wheel fell off. Tesla enthusiasts claim that the wheels are designed to snap off easily and this is a safety feature. Other road users may be less than impressed by this feature when the tesla wheel flies off and smashes their head in. These teslas are indeed....ludicrous. Please investigate.
Over 5000 miles of driving, there is a significant amount of vibration and buffeting in car at any speed over 45mph. Tesla service has had eight opportunities to resolve this, to no avail. The tires have been replaced to eliminate this as a possibility, and the wheels checked for runout - all measure very good. Suspension components or control arms are the likely culprits. In addition to the suspension components failing after less than 5000 miles, the drivers seats on most all model 3 are loose and rock back and forth, with tesla saying it is 'within specifications'. This could be another serious safety concern in the event of a crash, as it is unclear why the seat disturbing becomes loose with normal use. After discussing with other model 3 owners with identical issues, it is clear that this is a inherent vehicle / parts problem, and tesla is doing the least possible to address these concerns.
Model 3 in the junkyard. It's gone horribly whompy.. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails?itemid=33644612&rownumber=11&similarvehicleitemid=&isnext=&loadrecent=true please investigate. Thank you.
Model 3 in junkyard. Not in a crash. No air-bags gone off. Front suspension arm snapped off. Steering tie-rod snapped off. Tesla seems to be procuring its steering and suspension components from a pretzel factory. Please investigate. Concerned citizen etc. Thank you. Have a fantastic day.
Another model 3 just arrived in the junkyard. Https://www.copart.com/lot/42720419/photos not in a major collision, no airbags deployed. Front suspension has snapped like a pretzel. All the ball joint stems have snapped off. It is probable that all of the bodywork damage is self inflicted as a result of the suspension failure. Please contact the owner and ask him why his wheel fell off. I am continuing to file these complaints in the hope that you will see that these suspension parts are dangerously fragile and unfit for a golf cart let alone a high performance road vehicle. Please do your job. Thank you. Concerned citizen etc.
This is a complaint about the weakness of the suspension ball joints in all models of tesla cars. I have taken this car as just one egregious example and I can show you many more that have failed in the same way. I will follow this up by filing a separate complaint on a model x which has the exact same failure. Here is the model 3 https://www.copart.com/lot/42908029/photos no airbags have been deployed in this car. There is no collision damage that would justify the ball joints having snapped in this way. This car is still available for inspection. Please do this. Thank you...concerned citizen.
Here is a tesla model 3 in the salvage auction yard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicle?itemid=32965341&rownumber=21&loadrecent=true it has some collision damage at the rear, perhaps because it stopped unexpectedly when the front suspension fell to bits. The photographs show that the upper ball joint has popped apart and that the stems of both lower ball joints have snapped. Tesla is using dangerous low quality components in these cars. The photographs of this wreck prove this. Please have this wreck inspected. If you wish to see many more examples of model 3 suspension parts that have snapped like a pretzel then there is a collection of them here https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@n05/albums/72157701887554265 please note..I am not a tesla owner, just a concerned citizen. Date of incident is an approximation.
This model 3 is in the salvage auction site. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicle?itemid=32947552&rownumber=22&loadrecent=true it has not been in a crash. No airbags have been deployed and there is negligible front end damage. The suspension has snapped off. The attached photographs show that the alloy suspension arms have cracked in half. This has the appearance of brittle crack failure caused by a casting defect. It is a certainty that this is not a one off incidence. This points to bad manufacturing, bad quality control, and bad testing. This is on top of the repeated failures in model s & model x suspension parts. Tesla appears to be a sick company with zero regard for public safety. Please take action to prevent needless deaths and injury.
Here is a tesla model 3 in the junkyard https://www.copart.com/lot/47780498 it has not been any major collision. The suspension on the rh side is broken. The top wishbone which is made out of (can you believe this?) plastic.has snapped off. This not good. Please be so kind as to investigate. Thank you. Concerned citizen etc.tc.
Here is another model 3 in the junkyard with the same old snapped sparrow leg suspension. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicle?itemid=29342528&rownumber=85&loadrecent=true all of the air-bags have gone off but there is no significant damage except for the snapped suspension. It is quite likely that after the wheel went whompy the car spun around and decelerated rapidly setting off the airbags. There are now four reported instances of model 3 snapped suspensions and yet not a single owner has filed a complaint. I wonder why.... Perhaps tesla has them sign an nda? Please investigate. Please please investigate. Thank you. Perplexed citizen.
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