Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
We noticed that one of our tires was leaning inwards and the alignment was completely shot. There was no event that caused this but just noticed it one day driving. After having to replace two new tires, we took it into the Tesla dealership and they found that the control arm and suspension as well as the frame underneath is broken. The car has a clean tittle and this problem use to be covered by Tesla but for some reason now is not and this is a big steering and safety issue! we should not be responsible for the cost to fix the car if this has happened so often in the past!.
The bolt/fastner holding the control arms almost backed all the way out. I was driving and heard metal sound it got worse on the drive home. I also noticed the alignment to get worse and when I got home I looked and the bolt/ fastner almost came out. There is a Tesla recall for only a small percent for my year with that issue. Tesla wants 4k to replace it. It is a huge safety issue. I have a family and it could have been serious if it detached not only to me and my family but other vehicles other pedestrians.
On [xxx], I started driving to work when I heard an click from my front wheel. The car was driving without any problem. After a while when making a u-turn, the car front wheel got completely locked with a "grinding sound" and I lost control of the car. Fortunately, it was at low speed and I just stopped driving, if it was at high speed, it could've been a horrible situation. I had to park my car, call Tesla and tow the car to them as it was not drivable. After initial evaluation, they said the bolts of the right suspension lateral arm were not only loose, but detached and fell off, so there was physical locking between the wheel and the lateral arm. Also the bolt attachment site at the subframe was completely worn out so they needed to change the whole subframe and both lateral arms. Beside a clear recall from Tesla models 3/y made between 2018-2020 about the exact same issue, and this event being for the same exact problem, Tesla keeps not appreciating that and says that recall is gone. Tesla says the loose component will be audible before it completely separates, but it was not in my case. Looking at people's posts in public media, I strongly believe Tesla is ignoring this life-threatening deficit in these cars and models and this can put the lives of many drivers at risk. While I paid out of pocket for repairs, I'm more concerned about the safety of driving my and similar cars at the moment, so I request adequate investigation. Here is some evidence: [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] . [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Tesla Model 3 performance (m3p) comes with unrealistic "thin" wall tires on 20" wheels that easily pop when they hit potholes, nails, gutters, median divides, gashes in the road, etc. American roads are poorly maintained if at all by transportation departments. Only thick walled tires are suitable for roads. Tesla Model 3 lr (long range) and sr (standard range) comes with 18" wheels and tires, giving it 2 inches more of padding for both a smoother ride and fewer replacements. Each tire on my m3p costs $400-$500 to replace! that's around $2,000 for a set of four tires! whereas 18 inch tires are more common and cost about half of that, about $200 per tire, $800 for a set. The remedy here is at least 19 inch wheel and tire replacements as a recall provided for free by Tesla to provide more padding and fewer tire replacements to deal with typical crappy roads.
Clunk and popping sound while driving, especially while turning the wheel or going over bumps in road. Maneuverability and control of vehicle felt impacted which could have resulted in an accident, damage to property, and injury and/or death of people. The issue was reproduced at the vehicle's service center and identified as a lose bolt that connects the front suspension lateral links to the subframe. This issue sounds very similar to a previous recall for the same make, model, and year of this vehicle, but the VIN for this particular vehicle was not included in that recall.
The front suspension lateral link fasteners on the driver side wheel came loose and fell off the car in my driveway when I was backing up the car. There is an active recall for this issue - 23v235000, but my VIN wasn't included in that recall.
I was parallel parking the vehicle and I heard a loud "thunk" sound. I looked under chassis and came to learn that arm connected to wheel had completely fallen off. Luckily, this was not on freeway or with my family. Vehicle was taken to Tesla for inspection, they mentioned this should not have happened and they couldn't explain for how this would have been undone, initially. They stated they'd replace both arms but would be fee on customer $1200+ which I was bewildered that not only is this part not supposed to easily come off but that this would be something I needed to pay for. I asked that they take this up with management, they came back 20min later to state they notice slight deterioration and sent me an image, which I could barely see and now explained this "could" have been the cause. I've had some folks share that this may be a known issue with 2018 Model 3, which is also same year my vehicle was made it. I'm really disappointed as this is our second Tesla and this has been first huge incident and luckily it wasn't with others inside, as this could have turned out very differently.
I was turning into a parking spot when I heard a loud clanging sound, and I was unable to complete the turn. When I came out to look, the front driver's side wheel was slanted, as if in a turn, the passenger side wheel was straight. I had returned the steering wheel to center before I came out. I found a bolt behind the car, and through visual inspection saw that the front driver's side wheel was no longer attached to the steering shaft. The tow truck driver found another bolt under the car. Neither nut was recovered despite searching. Tesla support told me to tow it to their service center, where they repaired it for me for free, despite the fact that I was no longer under warranty. 1) component that failed: front driver's side control assembly 2) safety at risk: the car was unsteerable at that point, at a higher speed, it would have cause d a crash 3) confirmed by dealer, repaired by dealer. Invoice attached. 4) has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealer, and superficially by the tow truck driver. 5) no warnings or symptoms observed before the incident. Attached: a) picture of the steering arm on the ground, disconnected from the steering shaft. B) picture of one of the recovered bolts. C) repair invoice from Tesla.
The front suspension started making a lot of loud noises, the service center acknowledged that it's a control arm issue potentially however my VIN is not listed in a recall that was conducted for this manufacturer and they're doing more recalls on it but the manufacturer says that I have to pay for the repair despite it being a safety issue for the control arm not being tightened to the frame and suspension and potentially dislodge.
Only when driving on hwy speeds 65 mph and above the steering pulls, while correcting to drive safely the car jerks and is very unsafe during hwy speeds as if I'm fighting to keep straight on the road. Tesla confirmed it was the lower lateral links which was replaced but did not fix the issue. The vehicle continues to have the same issue and now telsa is saying the steering rack may need to be replaced. Seems this is a common issue with this car!.
Hit a rock and the wheel cracked open circumferentially between the rims. The tire did not pop nor did the edge of the wheel rim get damaged. The rock did not damage the front valance so the rock was less than 6”.
Car is 4 years old with 22k miles only and never was involved in an accident or high impact situation. When backing out of driveway and then turning wheels going forward at low speed, a loud noise occurred in the front passenger wheel area and car came to a complete stop. After going out to investigate, the car body was resting on the wheel and two bolts were on the road and the lower control arm was detached from the underbody and dragging to the floor. Had this happened at high speed I can’t imagine what would have been the outcome. No early warning signs occurred prior to this incident.
My vehicle, was parked and pulled out of the parking lot on a doing a complete left steering turn, couple of nuts&bolts carrying the vehicle control arm fell to the ground and the entire control arm disengaged out of the shafts. This could have been very fatal, if my family or me were riding the car. Tesla was trying to tell me that saying that, this is caused due to a high impact etc, not doing wheel alignment etc. And they want to charge me $3561+ to fix this shaft to put back the nuts and bolts that fell off from the car.
Vehicle developed a loud squeak coming from driver’s side front wheel well that sounded like a something vibrating or rubbing a spring at ~54300 miles. Reported issue to Tesla via the Tesla app. Tesla’s recommended solution is to replace both the right and left upper control arm. Further research found that this is a widespread problem reported by Tesla owners on the web. Indeed when I was at the Tesla service center the women in line in front of me was bring in her vehicle for the same problem. The upper control arms include a ball joint that needs to be lubricated. This vehicle’s upper control arms do not have a built in means to lubricate that joint like a zerk fitting. The vehicle is available for inspection. The safety issue here is a defective and/or poorly designed part which if left un-lubricated would likely experience water intrusion, corrosion and possible catastrophic failure – maybe breaking at speed. Our vehicle has lost lubricant at the ball joint given the noise and is likely susceptible to/experiencing water intrusion. Also found “sb-20-31-006 service bulletin reseal front upper control arm ball joints”, but this curiously does not include our vehicles VIN. My suspicion is our upper control arm has a different part number than the upper control arm in sb-20-31-006 but is likely a very similar part. My concern is part number whack-a-mole is taking place. Tesla did not even have to inspect the car to know what the problem was. No other parties have inspected the part and no warnings, alerts, messages or other symptoms have occurred except for the horrible noise.
Bolt that held holds the control and subframe came loosened over time. Tesla is saying it is my fault but there are multiple people with the same issue on the internet. Https://insideevs. Com/news/509767/Tesla-model3-control-arm-fix/ https://insideevs. Com/news/438005/upper-control-arm-chronic-defect-model-3/ https://teslamotorsclub. Com/tmc/threads/suspension-rattling-sound-turned-out-to-be-a-loose-bolt. 185958/ https://teslaownersonline. Com/threads/suspension-bolt-not-torqued-Tesla-roadside-a-joke. . Read more...
We have a 2018 Tesla Model 3, purchased new in late July 2018, which currently has about 32,000 miles. We have now had 8 flat tires in the span of 26 months or on average one every 4,000 miles, all by puncture. We live and drive in the san francisco bay area. Our other vehicles have gone 10+ years without a flat tire so the Tesla flat tires are not due to the area we live in. . On our Tesla we have had to replace 7 tires, 5 with assistance from michelin at a total out of pocket cost of about $2,000. Plus much time, pain and suffering. The flat tire issue is an obvious design flaw as Tesla specs and delivers the car with michelin 235/45r18xl 98w mic primacy tires that are prone to puncture due to the weight of the vehicle, the low profile soft rubber tire and the car does not come with a spare tire. We have talked at length with Tesla service and they admit that the car is a 'flat tire magnet' as it is one of the heaviest vehicles on the road, the low profile performance tires are puncture prone and flat tires are the most common repair. We have been stranded several times due to getting a flat in an area with poor cell phone coverage, which means you are basically hitch hiking. On 2 occasions we were on a freeway in the fast or second lane when the puncture occurred and the vehicle automatically slowed down with alarms screeching forcing drivers behind us to pass on the right precluding us from pulling over for a long period of time, which destroyed the flat tire, requiring replacement. This was an extremely dangerous situation and left my wife and I terrified. We no longer trust the vehicle for trips outside of our immediate area.
Third party product called an alloy gator (https://alloygator. Com/us/) which is sold by alloy gator north America (us office 9035 dearborn Ave, blaine, wa 90238) tel 1=855=534-2867 partially detached from my wheel while I was on the highway, began flying around, and smacked into my passenger side rear door, rear quarter panel and rear bumper. It then snapped off and shot away from the vehicle like a high speed projectile. The product contains no warnings about the risk of this happening, seems to be defectively designed, and it could very well have hurt a person or property when it snapped off at high speed. The product is unsafe and should not be permitted to be sold in the u. S. Attaching pictures of the damage caused as well as a photo of the remaining part of the alloy gator as it appeared on my wheel after the damage was done.
Driving on highway 10 lake city to jacksonville FL, suddenly heavy rain caused car to skid driving in autopilot mode at 70mph , the road changed from asphalt to concrete and car could not handle that change , car went into hydroplan/skid mode with 15 snake lapses before I could bring it to rest on shoulder , we were lucky to have survived as a semi truck was just 20 seconds behind us. The car even after halting accerelated on its own causing another small burst of skidding. . To add to the woes - the auomated wipers on this car are too slow , sudden rain pour on windshield cause lack of visibility and to turn the wipers to full mode , it takes 3-4 swipes on cars computer , which during crucial moments is a very bad design and can cause unitended accidents.
Here is a Model 3 in the junkyard. . Read more...
Hello- I was trying to park my vehicle in a parking spot in santa clara, California when the car automatically accelerated and hit another car. It then immediately had a flat tire. I did not hit the wrong pedal nor was I accelerating it. It was quite dangerous. It came to a halt after hitting another car. Both the cars were damaged. Prior to that we had difficulty trying to connect to the car using the app on the phone but thought it could have been due to an app error. Not sure if it was correlated. This event happened on Sep 24. Tesla advised me to tow the car to the service center. Since then my car has been with Tesla service. They have not given us any updates about the diagnostics and keep telling us to take the car back. They have cleared to drive the car for 20 miles. My car was extensively damaged. I request you to help. This is quite serious for the safety of everyone. While I am willing to accept if Tesla proves beyond a doubt that it was my error, I am quite confident that it did it automatically. I am also concerned that Tesla has not given us any update for the last 3 weeks and have not provided us with any details of what the course of action is beyond asking us to take the car back and clearing it to drive for 20 miles. I have 2 kids and want a thorough investigation for the safety of everyone involved. Please help.
Parking car with foot on brake,when the car lunged foreword into parked cars, damaging my car and two other cars parked in front of me.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. While driving 25 mph in the rain, the contact heard an abnormal noise. The contact pulled over and noticed that the rear bumper and rear wheel hubcap on the passenger side had fallen off. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the failure was due to an act of god and they would charge for towing the vehicle to a certified collision center. The contact called her insurance company and the vehicle had been at the certified collision center for over a week. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer reiterated that an outside influence caused the parts to fall off and they would not pay for the repairs. The contact wanted the manufacturer to cover the costs with the initial warranty since the vehicle was just purchased in July of 2018. The contact suspected that the parts being used were of inferior quality. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
Brand new vehicle with 2 tires having side wall bubbles. No rough driving . Seems to be an inner tire problem. Maybe a defect . Continental brand tires.
I hit a medium sized pothole on a freeway in 2019 and cracked 2 rims. After replacing the rims and tires, I still had vibration. Now, over about 100-1000 miles, my alignment goes out and my suspension and steering begins to loosen (or feel that way), leading to steering instability, bounciness and vibration through the steering wheel. There are no warnings to identify this, but the car's own "applied offset diagnosis" will show this problem. I've been to Tesla over 10 times to attempt to repair this and they say the car is working as designed after redoing the alignment and torqueing suspension. On about 3-4 of these visits, Tesla has reproduced the problem on a test drive. In 8 of 10 of the visits, the alignment printout afterward shows the front left toe is out. Because they say this is how it is designed, I believe this is a design issue that could put myself and others at risk. I've replaced so many parts, I can only assume through process of elimination that it's the steering rack or something in the subframe being loose that's causing this. Maybe all the bolts in Teslas just get loose too easily. Overall my issue is that Tesla is unwilling to correctly diagnose or repair the problem, not necessarily that this happened in the first place. There could be thousands of other customers driving vehicles and Tesla deems as safe, but really are not.
The bottom front under piece composite material which is part of the under carriage spontaneously broke while driving on the freeway in the rain. There are numerous reports in the internet of the composite under pieces breaking from water or missing/loose bolts.