Driving in a residential area I was unable to complete a left hand turn (less than 10mph). I bumped the curb and ended up with the right tire knocked off of its suspension. Upon inspection one of the links was broken. The car came to an immediate stop and I could not steer it. In the drive leading up to the turn which I could not complete all left hand turns were difficult. Tesla offered no assistance since it was out of warranty and I was forced to have it towed to the nearest tesla certified body shop. The tires are completely inflated still- so even bumping the curb was not hard enough to damage the tires
2016 Tesla Model X suspension complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 151, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My car failed state inspection: "Ball Joint on Right Front Lower Control Arm has excessive play. Part# 1048951-00-B" This is the THIRD such part that need replacement since I have owned the vehicle (four+ years). The replacement solution was a different part, which was not compatible with the second existing Ball Joint (replaced in 2018, approximate) for the passenger side of the vehicle. Therefore, the second ball joint (which was functional) was replaced to facilitate alignment of the wheel. Therefore, I paid DOUBLE the cost to mitigate the issue. While waiting for repair service, at least two or possibly three other Tesla owners appeared for repair of the same type of issue. The concern is that the parts used in assembly were defective.
Front lower fore links. Catastrophic failure while navigating a parking lot. Was told this just happens and that they just break... This vehicle only has 14000 miles. It was not available for inspection, despite receiving recent service. There were no indications of any kind that this kind of failure could occur or might occur. The car would come to an abrupt stop and halt. I have a major concern that it could have caused serious injury at any kind of speed. Video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L9kSAakQmkkFVts8TIaKvAedru3I7wgf/view?usp=drivesdk
I was leaving my gym parking lot, backing out of my parking space. I tried to turn my car and I heard a scraping noise, and the car was difficult to turn. I was able to make it the half a block to Tesla. (In the past I had this scraping noise/issue before and the car was serviced in Jan 2019 when a Tech rode with me to hear the scraping noise I was complaining about, and again in March 2021. At that time Tesla stated the issue was tire related and the tires were checked with no issues observed.) On July 30, 2021 my car was entered into service at Tesla Service Center- 6701 Amador Plaza Rd., Dublin, Ca. 94568 at 8:30am. I let Tesla know I was moving out of state August 8th, 2021. From 7/30- 8/16 Tesla would set a pickup date and then call me to push back the date . This happened several times. I had to rent a minivan out-of pocket in order to complete my drive from California to Colorado. Now on 8/18/21 my car is still in California, and I had to pay a shipping service to have my car shipped to me- out of my pocket. The issue with my 2016 Model X was broken left and right forelinks as stated on the service invoice. Tesla has stated that these parts were replaced. In researching this, I found that this was a problem with other vehicles of my particular year/model. There was no warning when this happened. I could easily have been driving with my family on a crowded freeway during our move, but I was thankfully in a parking lot. I have paid the Service invoice $878.10 out of pocket since my car is out of warranty. I feel Tesla knew about this problem. They failed to diagnose/fix this issue the 2 previous times I took it in. My car was under warranty the 1st time. My car is available for inspection to the federal safety agency, and I am planning on having it inspected on it's arrival to Colorado next week.
While driving straight at about 30mph on the parkway, the connecting rods for the front left wheel suddenly failed. This caused a dangerous grinding of the front left wheel against the wheel well, damaging the tire and wheel well, while pulling dangerously to the left. The car was not drivable after the failure. The car had about 60,000 miles.
A suspension arm (Tesla called it a 'front left fore link') broke on February 2nd, 2021. I was drive about 5 MPH in a straight line to stop at a lighted intersection. There was not any undue strain. The car had less than 34K miles at the time. Towed the vehicle to Tesla and paid $2269 for the repair plus $100 to tow. Now the car wobbles (some call it 'whompy wheel') at low speeds (under 30 MPH). Have an appointment to diagnose on August 6, 2021. Tesla wants $210 to diagnose.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a squeaking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact continued driving to the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the driver’s side upper control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and the passenger’s side upper control arm was replaced. The contact stated that a year later the failure recurred on the passenger’s side upper control arm and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the front and rear suspension were leaning to the passenger’s side. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,451.
While driving slowly, making parking maneuvers, I heard a clunk sound from the right front wheel. Afterwards, sometimes when I turned right, I can hear screeching sounds. After bringing the vehicle to the Dublin, CA Tesla Service Center, the initial inspection revealed a broken control arm. Repairs call for the replacement of both right and left FORE control arms. The repair estimate is attached below.
While backing into driveway at low speed ( $1100 for out of warranty repair. Seems bizarre that they acknowledged a defective part since 2017 but never replaced during any service visits and now will not replace because vehicle is out of warranty. Seems to be a very common issue, so why hasn't there been a recall?
The front left suspension fore link failed, making the car undrivable. We were leaving our driveway at low speed, and the wheel collapsed, dragging against the skirt and creating loud noises and lurching. The steering wheel could not be turned. No collision or other unusual force applied. Car at 36k miles. Tesla repaired, confirmed there was no collision. They said they replaced with an updated part indicating to us the original post is inadequate for safe driving. Since out of warranty we paid the $900+ to replace the inadequate part out of pocket.
Car lost control at low speed on city street going straight after hearing creaking (under 35mph) therefore making me run into curb. Thought it was due to tire as I saw it damaged, but tesla service center said the control arm is broken also leading me to believe the control arm broke leading me to lose control of the car and causing damage to other vehicle parts.
Faulty front suspension. Front suspension fore link failure. Vehicle creates front suspension squeaking noise while driving or small movements in the vehicle.
Entering the intersection from a four way stop, the driver side lower control arm broke when brake applied firmly at about 10 MPH while turning left. The vehicle made a few creaking sounds when parking for two days prior to the total failure. After failure driver side front wheel moved forward and aft when vehicle was moved and the tire impacted the fender liner and ripped the rear half out.
While backing out of driveway we felt a clunk and heard grinding. We were on a local residential street. I let the car creep forward at no more than a walking pace and applied brakes. When the car was moving forward and brakes were applied an extremely loud grinding and groaning was heard. I had another person drive the car while I observed from the outside and observed the entire wheel shift when brakes were applied.
The rear driver side lower control arm snapped off detaching the rear wheel/tire, brake assembly and strut/axel rendering the car immobile. Fortunately this did not happen 20 minutes sooner as my gf and I were traveling on the highway at normal highway speeds - this would have caused a life threatening, catastrophic multiyear crash being unable to control the vehicle... We were backing out >1mph of a parking space in a very shallow curve when it snapped - we stopped immediately and I think the electronic braking tried to stop the wheel from rolling jamming it further at angle into the wheelwell. There was nor had there been any unusual impacts on this tire nor the vehicle from potholes/sudden stops or any accidents of any kind.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 tesla model x. The contact was driving at 25 MPH, when the brakes were applied before making a turn and the front driver's side wheel moved back to the fender which caused the vehicle to move up and down. The vehicle was towed to tesla (17731 pacific hwy, lynnwood, wa 98037) and diagnosed that two stabilizer links failed and two other links were failing. The left and fore links assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they could not speculate on the failure. The failure mileage was 23,125.
One of the arms connected to the driver's side front wheel completely broke off the wheel assembly while parallel parking at a normal speed. The entire weight of the front left of the car was then resting on the wheel.
Cv joints are starting to fail and making loud noise. Knowing you are investigating I wanted to make sure you have a chance to take a look (or ask specific questions) before the x goes into preemptive servies next week.
Here is yet another tesla in the junkyard. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/39245824?tenant=us&rownumber=10 the front suspension has snapped off completely. This does not look like damage caused by a collision. The wheel and tire are almost undamaged so it is unlikely that a violent force was applied to the suspension through an impact to the wheel. The steel stems of both the steering arm and lower suspension ball-joints have sheared off. These ball-joints are attached to soft alloy parts of the steering knuckle and it should be the case that the alloy would yield before the steel bolts do. You can see that the ball-joint stems have brittle fractures with zero knecking of the bolt. A normal bolt would not be expected to crack in such a manner. These tesla suspension failures are so commonplace that it is obvious the manufacturing, quality control and testing are deficient. Please take immediate action. People are getting injured and killed by these defects. Thank you. Citizen keef
Ever since I bought my 2016 tesla model x I have been having problems with the mcu (main screen) it keeps freezing up, it won't respond to my touch commands, I can not change the suspension settings, driving settings, climate control, disabling pin and everything that is related to the screen which is basically all functions of the vehicle. My tesla is under full factory warranty and I have taken it to service for the same problem along with some other issues 4 or 5 times, every time tesla service center tells me that the screen problem is a known issue and engineers are working on a software fix for it. I have never been able to fully get a use out of all features due to this problem. Tesla has not been able to give me a timeframe on when they are going to send the update to fix the issue with the screen. Meanwhile me and my family are at the risk of not being able to start and drive the vehicle if screen is frozen and we would have to reset the system which usually takes several minutes. Backup camera doesn't show the picture, screen gets distorted. I noticed uneven tire wear which I was told by tesla that it was due to suspension settings and I was driving it in low mode. I can't change the settings due to screen not functioning. I have given tesla several opportunities to fix the issue and they failed. My last service they wanted to charge me around $1700 (50% off) to relapse the screen which should be fully covered under warranty. Problem happens during drive or while stationary.
Failure of the left front suspension fore link, while driving at low speed
My air compressor on the suspension broke. The car is so low to the ground now I could not clear a speed bump without getting stuck on it. In addition, the car bounces quite dangerously on even the smallest changes in road. I was told it was safe to drive by tesla as I am awaiting parts. At one point, the car went slightly airborne on the highway going below the speed limit. It's also very difficult on your back bouncing. I think it would be very easy to lose control of the car and get in an accident, especially if someone were speeding.
The control arm for the front driver side wheel broke all of a sudden. There was no impact that caused this. I heard a loud metal grinding noise while reversing the car out of garage, while the car was resisting to move back. The wheel also started rubbing against the walls & damaging it. Called the towing service & they found the control arm broken & grinding against the wheel. The front suspension could have collapsed if I had driven even a little bit. Finally towed back to service center, awaiting for a response from tesla service team
Tesla model x front left fore link failed while braking at an intersection on city streets 1/2 mile from home. Accident occurred at 5 MPH or less. Vehicle was driven back to home. Any application of the brake caused lf wheel to move rearward and contact rear of wheel well. Liner was ripped off, retrieved off the ground, and placed in trunk of car. Tire rubbed against wheel arch liner (wheel liner) ripping it off and destroying it. Electrical lines behind liner had insulation damaged. Hydraulic lines behind liner were loosened. Disc brake dust shield was damaged. Vehicle was towed to a tesla repair facility. While there were scratches on the leading edge of the fore link, indicating contact with an object, driver has no recollection of this event and if it occurred, it had to months (or years) before the failure at the knuckle ball joint ring. Part was replaced at owner's expense. Damaged part was requested but not provided for inspection. Tesla took photos of the link prior to replacement (attached). This entry should be filed with the federal safety agency investigation pe 20-020.
I was getting home, driving into my driveway at a speed of 5 miles an hr. I braked to park the car and I heard a jerk and the car made a big noise and then hit the front of my home door. I reversed and braked to see if it would happen and it did and the car felt like it was very heavy. We then parked on the driveway and called tesla roadside assistance and they informed us to get it towed to a tesla dealership. Tesla, refused to pay for the towing or the repairs or provide a loaner car. We requested them to replace it as part of the warranty, which they refused to do. We understand there are many people who are dealing with a similar issue. This is very concerning that tesla is knowingly putting our lives at risk, instead of addressing a known issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 tesla model x. Equipped with tire brand: bridgestone tires, tire line to1027257-00-8, tire size: 275/45r/20 cclxs, dot # unknown. The contact stated that the vehicle's steering had been shaking in the contact's hand while driving. The contact's daughter was driving the vehicle and she felt a boom in the vehicle. The two tires on the passenger side of the vehicle had flattened.the vehicle was towed to the dealer tesla 52 derwood cir, rockville, md 20850 (301) 738-6523 . The dealer said that the entire suspension system had failed. The contact had the repairs completed at the dealer at a cost of $8,000. The manufacturer stated that the warranty had expired and would not assist with the repair costs. The failure mileage was 34,000. *bf
In 2019 air suspension compressor failed- required 3500 dollars to fix, was told its wear and tear. Again on nov 20th air suspension failed sign coming up. Tires very close to body, car sitting low on road.
Upper control arms on both driver and passenger side had to be replaced because of loud noises when going over even small bumps and also while attempting to steer car at slow speeds. Each side was replaced in quick succession, about a month or two apart and was outside of the 5 yr/100000 mile warranty and service and part charges incurred. Service date identified below approximate, dont have the actual date handy
I have been noticing my 2016 tesla model x 90d has been making a strange rattling noise from the front right tire/suspension area. It only makes that noise at lower speeds of 30mph or less. When I took it in for service on october 27, 2020, they shared that it was likely the air suspension system that needed to be replaced, but they weren't sure and they recommended we not replace it until it failed (I.e. Would no longer adapt to going up or down when we pulled into our drive-way, etc...). After reading the investigation that was recently announced, I thought it was good to share this information with your team as it could be a similar issue. The noise, which sounds like a rattling or something is loose, began around may of 2020. In addition, I have found it very odd that I have had to replace tires within one year of purchasing them because the inside area of both rear tires have worn down completely to the tread. During my last service on october 27, 2020, they said they would adjust the rear suspension so the tires would not wear out like that as it was likely due to an alignment/camber issue with how the suspension was riding.
While maneuvering in reverse at low speed in a flat commercial parking lot about a mile from my home. I was maneuvering to enter a parking space, at only one or two miles per hour. I hear a loud noise. The vehicle started making a loud noise. I determined that some sort of catastrophic failure had happened in the front passenger side suspension. The wheel well liner was torn from the front wheel well. The tow truck driver visually confirmed that the front passenger suspension had failed (they mentioned a part by name, but I don't recall what they said). The vehicle was towed to tesla service watertown, where a few days later they confirmed, in their words "found rh front fore link, wheel arch liner, and fender garnish require replacement, and vehicle requires alignment". They denied the service under warranty, stating that in the view of their service technicians, I had struck some sort of obstacle causing the failure. For the record: I did not. There was no notable coliision or road hazard strike in the period leading up to this suspension failure. I paid $1319 out of pocket (and lost the use of the vehicle for 5 days waiting on parts) to restore the vehicle to service, and there's still a deferred item from the service item I haven't addressed yet: "front camber was not able to be adjusted due to hardware, and will require replacement in the future. Also noted vehicle has vibration under acceleration. Recommend scheduling follow up for axles and motor mount." when I read today that the federal safety agency was initiating an investigation into something similar, I wanted to add my data to the complaint. Attached is the service invoice from tesla related to this issue.
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