Tesla Model 3 pulling problems

Filed Oct 31, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · TX

Heard a clunk noise when the vehicle turned at a low speed. Inspected the vehicle but nothing seemed amiss. No digital warnings either. Started driving but the steering was weird and pulled to the left. Then the front left tire started shredding and the wheel was displaced. The tow truck guy said that the suspension seems to be the culprit. The car is now on just the wheel. Tesla collision has still not looked at it but gave a quote of 5-6K to start and going up to 12K or more (if the HV battery got damaged). FYI, tire pressures were normal when this happened.

Filed Aug 12, 2026 · Suspension · FL

While driving, I noticed that the vehicle suddenly began pulling to the right. There were no warning lights, warning messages, or alerts displayed on the vehicle's screen before I noticed the problem. I took the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center and reported that the vehicle was pulling to the right. The service center determined that the issue was likely related to the front suspension and recommended replacement of the front lower lateral links, front lower compliance links, and front upper control arms, along with a four-wheel alignment. The vehicle had approximately 80,000 miles at the time of the repair. The service center explained that these suspension components can wear at higher mileage, particularly because of the weight of the vehicle and its battery. I paid out of pocket for the recommended suspension repairs and four-wheel alignment. The repair invoice is available for inspection upon request. Before the repairs were completed, I was driving the vehicle without knowing that there was a potential problem with the front suspension. The vehicle pulling to the right affected its handling and steering and created a safety concern for me and others on the road. There were no warning lights, messages, or other indications from the vehicle alerting me to a potential suspension problem. I was also not warned by the Tesla service center that the issue could be related to a known or potentially widespread suspension problem. A few days after having the repairs completed, I became aware of an the federal safety agency investigation concerning front suspension issues involving Tesla vehicles, including the same make, model, and model year as my vehicle. I had already paid out of pocket to have the affected front suspension components replaced. I am submitting this complaint to document the suspension problem, the safety risk I experienced, and the out-of-pocket expense I incurred to correct the issue. I am concerned that I was placed at risk by a potential su

Filed Feb 27, 2025 · Steering, Suspension · MA

Complaint: I took delivery of my new Tesla Model 3 on [XXX], and noticed it pulls hard to the right from day one. The steering shakes constantly, feels unstable, and loses traction—sliding sideways and lurching above 40 mph. It’s dangerous on highways; I’ve nearly lost control multiple times. Service wait times delayed my first visit over a month. Service History: Tesla Service, Dedham, MA, three visits: [XXX]: Techs confirmed pulling, performed alignment—issue unchanged. [XXX]: Pulling replicated, alignment redone—no fix. [XXX]: Supervisor test-drove, claimed no issues, said “normal operation,” and refused further action. Third-Party Input: On [XXX], Electrified Garage (Amesbury, MA), a Tesla/EV specialist, replicated the pulling, shaking, and instability. They suspect a suspension or steering defect (e.g., rack/control arm) and urged Tesla review, citing warranty coverage and parts limits. They called it a safety risk. Current State: The car’s unusable—shaking intensifies above 40 mph, slides unpredictably, and steering resists. I’ve stopped highway driving after near-misses. Tesla’s “normal” ignores this danger. Available for inspection on request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 1, 2025 · Steering · NE

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The steering system appears to have malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to consistently pull to the right, even after multiple alignments with perfect specifications. This issue is ongoing, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The pulling to the right affects the vehicle's handling and requires constant manual correction by holding the steering wheel tilted to the left. This compromises my ability to control the car safely, particularly during acceleration or regenerative braking when the issue becomes more pronounced. I am concerned that this could lead to an accident or further mechanical failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the issue has been demonstrated and reproduced during test drives with Tesla service technicians. Despite this, I was told the behavior is "normal" or attributed to road crown, which does not align with my driving experience. Multiple alignments have not resolved the issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by Tesla service centers. Technicians have confirmed the pulling during test drives, but no definitive resolution or explanation has been provided. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or error messages have appeared. The problem began in September 2024 after I returned from a 4-month military deployment. During this time, the car was parked in my garage and not driven. The issue was first noticed immediately upon resuming use of the vehicle, which had approximately 12,000 miles on the odometer at the time.

Filed Nov 3, 2024 · Suspension · CA

The front left suspension arm failed and fell out as I was parking my car. If this would have happened at highway speeds it would have caused an accident because the car would have run into incoming traffic, potentially resulting in death. This occurred after a collision repair. The collision center that did the initial repair also fixed the issue. The car has had issues with pulling to the right since this repair. It has been taken to them several times but they are unable to address my concern.

Filed Aug 15, 2024 · Suspension · MA · crash

Without any warning from feel unstable, wobbly, or noisy, my car began pulling hard to the right as I was going straight on a small street. I was going about 10 m-15 miles an hour. My steering wheel did not respond to my efforts to straighten the vehicle and my brakes did not slow the car’s path. I was only stopped by two parked cars on the side of the road that I bounced off of. When I got out, bystanders pointed to the sheared tie rod on the front passenger side. The witnesses stated it was clear from their view that if I had been going faster on a wider street there would have been severe injury Instead of only three cars being damaged. My car was three years old and had passed its annual inspection one week before. The police were called twice but did not come within three hours so the car was towed without a police report.

Filed Jun 10, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · NJ

I was driving my Model 3 when this alert occurred: ALERTS DRIVABILITY - VEHICLE MAY NOT RESTART/SERVICE IS REQUIRED ADDITIONALLY THE SCREEN STATED PULL OVER THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SAFELY. I was in the middle of the road driving so it became dangerous. I could not steer the vehicle and the brakes were barely working. I could not immediately stop because I was in the middle of traffic. I pulled right over as soon as I could and shut down the vehicle. I believe this is a defect. When I spoke to Tesla repair personnel I was told they know about this and it is happening when the Model 3 reaches 40K. How can they not address this - why would someone wait until someone is in a serious accident? I called to set up an appointment for this emergency and was told I cannot get an appointment for 1 month and I should not drive my car. When an electric vehicle just shuts down you cannot control the vehicle - this is very very dangerous.

Filed Jun 2, 2024 · Driver assistance, Steering · TX

The steering wheel locked up while I was driving. I was driving on a country road and the road didn't have any painted lane stripes and the car got a lane departure warning and the steering wheel pull me hard to the left, I almost got out of the road and on the way of a incoming vehicle, I break and pulled hard to the right and managed to pull to the side. When I got into a complete stop I checked all the settings, I turned off the late departure Assistant and the steering wheel was still locked. There is no on or off button on the car so I walked away from the car, the car locked and unlocked to get back in and the steering wheel was back to normal. It was very scary, lucky I was driving slowly and I wasn't around heavy traffic.

Filed Feb 2, 2024 · Steering · CA

We picked up a brand new car and as soon as we drove it off the lot, we noticed that the steering was pulling hard to the right as if the steering wheel were too loose, especially at high speeds on the highway. There were never any alerts or warnings about this issue in the car. But if we took our hands off the wheel, it would have driven off the road fairly quickly. We immediately reported it to Tesla since it was a new car and dropped it off for servicing. They realigned the car, but again after driving it it was still noticeably pulling to the right. We brought it in again and they did another realignment that ended up not making a difference. We brought in a 3rd time and they manually realigned it and tightened some bolts and said that should fix it, and again the problem persisted. So the 4th time we brought it in, we said this is on the verge of lemon-status, so they ended up replacing the whole steering rack and that ended up fixing the issue finally. Luckily they didn't charge us given it was under warranty and reported immediately. But given the recent news on your investigation into related steering issues, we wanted to flag this. Tesla clearly has quality control issues and didn't address the issue until we pressed them after 3 visits to the shop.

Filed Feb 1, 2024 · Driver assistance · FL

I leased a Tesla Model 3 on [XXX] in Tampa, Florida On [XXX] the car went into Sudden Unintended Acceleration as I was coming out of a "Hold" at a Yield sign where I was at a complete stop waiting for traffic to fully clear for a right hand turn onto a two lane street. I was coming off of [XXX] onto [XXX] in St. Petersburg, Florida. As I started the turn, the Tesla tossed me onto the curb and along a pedestrian sidewalk at high speed. I tried to brake, but the car continued plowing towards a traffic sign that I avoided hitting by making a hard left to try to get back onto the street. Instead of returning me to the street and my lane, the Tesla threw me left across two lanes of traffic, over a grass divider, and into two lanes of oncoming traffic heading straight for a head on collision. At this point, the steering wheel went out, was completely unresponsive and just kept spinning around. The brake was still not responding. I kept spinning the wheel towards the right until at the last minute the car sped back onto the correct side of the road where I was abruptly and without any kind of a jolt, able to regain control of the car: the brake responded and the steering wheel stopped spinning. I then drove at a speed of about 20 miles an hour to the closest residential street. After stopping to gather my wits for about half an hour, I slowly drove home with the emergency lights on and parked it in the parking lot. The Tesla had damage to the front and undercarriage. The Tesla's steering wheel pulled to the right. I did not get into that Tesla again and demanded that they tow the car away and warn others that it is a death trap. They towed the car. I am never getting into any other Tesla again for as long as I live. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)