2013 Tesla Model S: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Jul 6, 2025 · Body · MD

Front impact bumper separated from mount on one side due to rust. Noticed a noise from front of car when going over small bumps in the road. If we had been in an accident, the impact bumper would not have provided adequate protection for the passengers or vehicle components near the drivers front where the mount had separated from the bar. No other inspections have occurred. Pictures and info can also be found here: [XXX] Issue found during replacement of upper control arms. (image has an upper control arm that was removed from the same car at the same time with little/no rust) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 17, 2025 · Suspension · IL

Driver's side rear control arm failure. The outside knuckle of the control arm cracked and is missing a portion. Tesla agrees this is SB-19-31-001 and will not repair without payment, due to the age of the vehicle. Vehicle has been serviced by Tesla multiple times without comment that this should be replaced.

Filed Oct 14, 2023 · Suspension · NJ

Driving at normal speeds and conditions my rear drivers control arm snapped off and wheel almost fell off , if driving at higher speed could have been deadly

Filed Jul 18, 2023 · Suspension · WI

Lower rear driver side control arm broke. A pop was heard at the stop sign only yards away (40 approximately) from my destination. Vehicle was placed into reverse to back into a driveway. The vehicle got stuck in the middle of the road and required a tow to move it.

Filed Dec 8, 2022 · Suspension · NY

I bought a used, but well cared for, gently used and properly maintained, 2013 Model S P85 from an individual in CT on Oct 8, 2022 with 77937 miles on it. I had the car about a month and a half of normal use when it ran well with zero issues, which included driving all the way from NY to VT over Thanksgiving at highway speeds with no issue. When back in my own town and making just a few turns to get to work on local roads on 11/28/22, I found myself losing control of the steering column and going off the road at a very low speed. The only indication that something was wrong was the traction light that came on just before I couldn't steer anymore and luckily found my way off to a soft shoulder. The front right tire was tilted in significantly and the car required a tow, and then a whole series of expensive and extensive repairs effectively replacing all components of a failed suspension system, starting with a broken control arm on that front left side. The incident left me shaken. Even when I get my car back, assuming I can find a way to pay for this (currently $4K+), I am now not very confidant in the new but insufficient suspension parts, learning that so many other cases exist and there's a class action being filed against Tesla for insufficient strength of these parts to sustain the torque of the Teslas. This car wasn't subjected to any accident or abnormal use, it was only driven as intended. The damages however were extreme and sudden. I've included the current invoice from the dealer on the repairs, which grew daily as they investigated further, photos of the car tire and it being towed, and messages between myself and the Tesla service center. Thank you for your consideration.

Filed Jun 2, 2022 · Suspension · MI

Rear passanger control arm cracked and broke as I was driving on the freeway. Tire began to wobble and make driving unsafe.

Filed Jul 8, 2021 · Suspension · WA

In June, began hearing noise from the front suspension area while turning at speeds from 0-45 mph. I created a service appointment and I was initially told the front control arms and shock needed to be replaced due to wear and tear and would not be covered under warranty. Was informed the shock was leaking and it was required to be replaced in conjunction with the control arms repair. Was told “I won’t say its safe to drive, because at some point it can fail ”by the service advisor on 7/6/21 on a recorded line (recording available but not able to be uploaded here). To me, this indicates a safety concern; however, I was told it is a wear item that commonly needs to be replaced on older cars due to mileage/age of car and is not checked on the annual service unless there is noise or problem. However, suspension items are not listed anywhere on the website, manual, or 2013 esa, or original warranty as being wear items needing replacement/checks after a set mileage or vehicle age. Having an annual service that does not check a wear item that appears to have turned into a safety item – makes no sense. Additionally, the front suspension was checked on 2021.2.11 @ 82,562 miles as evident by the uploaded service invoice. At the time, there was a difference of 6,146 miles and less than 5 months since the suspension check. I pointed the above concerns out and how I knew there was a pending the federal safety agency investigation into control arm failures, and it was then determined that the control arms could be replaced under warranty and the in conjunction and required spring would be customer pay per the ESA contract.

Filed Feb 26, 2021 · Suspension · 112,900 miles · CA

My vehicle started making some loud creaking/squeaky noises when turning and going over bumps at any speed or parked. I had it inspected by a tesla service center and they said the left control arm is starting to fail and should be replaced. They also recommended replacing the fore link assembly to address some rattling noise that was going on also. I recently read that tesla had issued a recall in china for this problem for the model s and is currently investigating the issue in the us. I would like to add my vehicle to this investigation as it seems that I'm being affected by this problem.

Filed Feb 18, 2021 · Suspension · 53,000 miles · FL

Changed the suspension components before full failure occurred. Car was brought in due to safety concerns, technicians noted the entire suspension system was on verge of collapse and not safe to drive. Under their service bulletin they replaced the rear control arms as a good will gesture and charged for the front upper and lower control arms. There is a design flaw for this suspension system and the manufacturer is refusing to acknowledge their flaw, leaving users unaware and with the potential for severe loss of life.

Filed Dec 10, 2020 · Steering, Suspension · 90,000 miles · OH

We own a 2013 tesla model s 85, rear wheel drive, no autopilot. As vehicle aged, the steering was noticeably vague and the vehicle became "darty" on the highway, seemingly wanting to drive out of the current lane on its own. This dartiness became worse and worse over time, and also was worse when accelerating or decelerating. We first alerted the dealer of the problem in aug 2019, and they replaced few components in the front suspension (both upper control arms and the right forelink) and charged us $1571+tax for parts and labor. The steering seemed a little better for a while, but in jan 2020 we brought the car back in with concerns about vague steering and the dealer recommended a wheel alignment, which we paid for. The alignment yielded no improvement and the car became increasingly difficult to drive on the highway, requiring constant steering adjustments to keep in its lane. We brought the car back to the dealer in may 2020, and by this time the dealer verbally agreed that the car was not safe to drive in its current state. They replaced both rear lower control arm assemblies and charged us $1382+tax, but this still did not resolve the dartiness. We returned to the dealer later in may 2020, and they recommended replacing nearly every other suspension part, including both rear toe links, both rear upper links, both front aft links, the front fore link that wasn't previously replaced. The cost for this was a $1870+tax. Fortunately, the steering issues did not result in any accidents. Since this last repair, the car now drives relatively normally for a 7 1/2 year old car. We are reporting our experience after we learned that the federal safety agency is investigating a series of other suspension-related concerns with tesla model s cars. We believe it is unreasonable for a car to become unsafe to drive in 7 years subjected only to normal personal use.

Filed Nov 29, 2020 · Suspension · 80,000 miles · IA

Ball joint on front left upper control arm assembly failed prematurely at approximately 80,000 miles vehicle usage; specifically, it separated so as to cause the uca (upper control arm) to disconnect from from the steering knuckle during a low-speed parking lot maneuver (three point 'y' turn) at approximately 5 MPH or less, which caused the wheel to tip in words against the strut assembly. Repaired suspension by replacing upper control arm with integral ball joint. Approximately 40,000 miles later, the ball joint on the right hand upper control arm exhibited extreme looseness and clunking sounds forcing me to replace the rh uca / ball joint on that side as well. Vehicle now has approximately 150,000 miles vehicle usage and the suspension is once again exhibiting abnormal clunking noise (from the lh front corner) over bumps at low speeds that makes me suspicious that additional or same ball joints are wearing prematurely. I am a professional mechanical engineer (with 27 years industry experience) responsible for propulsion systems on agricultural harvesting vehicles and can definitively state I have never abused this vehicle. The wear rates are excessive on the uca ball and socket connection which does/could cause ball joint separation and suspension function/control.

Filed Nov 29, 2020 · Suspension · 57,300 miles · TN

Front suspension control arm disconnected, dropping body onto tire. This happened at low speed in a parking lot. Tesla replaced the control arm.