The failure involves the rear suspension system, specifically suspected rear control arm / suspension linkage play, which caused severe misalignment (rear toe out of specification). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This defect created a significant safety risk. The abnormal toe condition caused rapid and uneven tire wear, with both rear tires becoming nearly completely bald within less than 7,000 miles. This condition increases the risk of tire blowout, loss of traction, and potential loss of control at highway speeds. The issue has been confirmed by an independent service center (Les Schwab), which documented suspension play in the rear control arm area and alignment out of specification (rear toe approximately +1.20° total). The alignment could not be maintained, indicating an underlying mechanical issue. Tesla inspected the vehicle but stated that no suspension components required replacement and attributed the issue only to alignment. However, alignment does not go out of specification without a mechanical cause. Despite multiple requests, Tesla refused to provide detailed documentation regarding the inspection or repair of the suspension system. They replaced only one rear tire and did not address the root cause. The other rear tire had already worn completely bald. After approximately 5,386 miles, the replacement tire has again worn down close to the minimum safety limit, demonstrating that the underlying issue was not corrected and continues to affect vehicle safety. There were no warning lights or system messages prior to the failure. The first symptoms were abnormal tire wear, increased energy consumption, and unstable driving behavior at highway speeds, which began shortly after vehicle purchase. This appears to be a repeat safety-related defect that has not been properly diagnosed or repaired.
Tesla Model X ball joint problems
93 of the 1,560 owner complaints about the Tesla Model X describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 2016 model year.
- owner complaints
- 93
- worst model year
- 2016
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 28,517
By model year
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 18Harsh shifting 6Shudder 5Steering noise 4Power steering loss 3Tire blowout 2Premature wear 1Fire or smoke 1
What owners say
On March 6, 2026, at 7:15 PM, the rear lower control arm on my 2019 Tesla Model X Raven catastrophically failed while traveling at 55 mph. The suspension component snapped without warning or impact, causing an immediate and dangerous loss of vehicle stability with my children inside. I was forced to perform an emergency stop on the narrow shoulder of US-395, an unlit one-lane highway with a 65-mph speed limit. Because the vehicle was disabled in a remote, dark area, my family was stranded in a hazardous high-speed traffic zone until 10:30 PM waiting for a tow. This failure matches the casting fracture defect described in Tesla Service Bulletin SB-25-31-002. I am reporting this as a severe safety defect that placed my family in a life-threatening situation. There were no warning lights to advise of the failure. Incident details: Mileage at Failure: 76,980 miles Date/Time: March 6, 2026, at approximately 7:15 PM Speed at Failure: 55 mph (Speed Limit: 65 mph) Emergency Pull-over: Yes
Vehicle: 2019 Tesla Model X VIN: [XXX] Component: Suspension/Steering/Drivetrain Defect Description: Three concurrent Technical Service Bulletin failures: 1. TSB SB-21-39-001: Front drive unit halfshafts premature failure (manufacturing defect, pre-May 2019 builds) 2. TSB SB-20-32-004: Steering intermediate shaft corrosion due to inadequate road contaminant protection (design defect) 3. Ball joint/control arm water ingress from inadequate sealing (design defect) All three TSBs failing simultaneously at 177K miles. Vehicle purchased April 2019, within affected population for all TSBs. Tesla issued technical bulletins acknowledging these as defects but requires customers to pay full repair cost ($6,337). Local service management admitted not reading TSBs when reviewing goodwill request. After escalation, received 32% cost-sharing. Three concurrent TSB failures suggest systemic design/manufacturing issues warranting recall consideration. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am reporting a catastrophic suspension failure resulting in complete wheel separation on my 2023 Tesla Model X Plaid shortly after Tesla service. While driving, the front left wheel separated from the hub, rendering the vehicle not drivable and creating an immediate risk of loss of control, collision, and serious injury or death. Tesla towed the vehicle back to its service center and issued written service documentation stating (verbatim): “The front left wheel had separated from the hub. The issue was caused by missing hardware on the upper control arm, leading to further damage.” Tesla did not attribute the failure to impact, road debris, wear, or misuse. The missing hardware was at a critical suspension attachment point. As a result, Tesla replaced multiple major safety-critical components under Goodwill / Internal Service, including the front left active damper/air spring, upper control arm bracket, halfshaft, wheel speed sensor, and multiple structural fasteners. A wheel-off event caused by missing suspension hardware represents a severe safety defect with high risk of catastrophic injury or fatality. This incident raises serious concerns about suspension assembly, post-service quality control, and whether other vehicles may be operating with missing or unsecured hardware. I respectfully request the federal safety agency review this as a suspension/wheel retention safety defect and evaluate whether additional investigation or corrective action is warranted.
Control arm squeaks. Only way Tesla fixes is to replace. Smoke fix is a 2$ grease application to ball joint but they charge 1500$. I have done it 2 times and now again happened.
Summary: The front suspension defect on my 2021 Model X, confirmed by St. Petersburg Service Center (Invoice #3000S0013156326), presents a serious safety hazard. Timeline & Concern: Reported Dec 4, 2024, under ESA. Example of Tesla’s delay tactics—service was scheduled only after warranty lapsed. Issue diagnosed in May 2025 as a faulty front upper control arm. Safety risk: Failure could lead to loss of control. I request a safety investigation to prevent similar unsafe compromises.
Sudden and catastrophic shearing of the driver side rear suspension arm (control arm). My understanding is all these cars from Tesla have aluminum suspension arms which causes identical and catastrophic failure of the vehicle during driving due to choice of Aluminum instead of stainless steel(SS). Aluminum has an ultimate tensile strength of only 90 MPa while SS can exceed 500 MPa. Since my car got disabled completely (motor gets disconnected from the wheel) I almost lost my life with vehicles coming at high speed from behind. I saw the same control arm failures with Tesla cars including S and 3 and X (like mine) all over the world. Here is an example of a very similar failure to mine on a model 3 in Norway : [XXX] The failure is so similar that even the wheel tilted inwards to the wheel bay just in my case due to the clean shearing of the aluminum bushing on the control arm. I would like to make sure these failures do not continue with Tesla and people's lives are not at risk and thus this report. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
We purchased a Tesla Model X 2 years ago and have driven a little over 10,000 miles on it. The car has had continuous suspension problems which resulted in replacing the half shaft twice, control arms and now suspension pins. We drive solely on city roads and highways, it does not seem safe that a car used for regular commute to/from work and school would have such serious mechanical problems so early on.
Wheel tilted in when backing out of driveway turning due to control arm failure
After messaging Tesla due to noise and vibration, they reviewed the videos sent and preliminarily diagnosed the issue a control arm problem. They then stated that instead of having it assessed to determine the extent of the problem, that it was ok to drive and to wait 39 days in order for the problem to be assessed. I attempted to call Tesla they continually put me on hold for extended times up to 1 hour long without speaking to anyone. They state the manager call but none has called to follow up. I do not feel like driving with control arm issues is safe without having the car formally assessed. It is unclear why Tesla is pushing back on this. Waiting 39 days for this is unacceptable.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Tesla Model X ball joint
Which Tesla Model X years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2016 (49 complaints), 2017 (14 complaints) and 2020 (12 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the Tesla Model X?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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