Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
While driving a Tesla 2021 Model 3 tonight at 8:45 p. M. Turning left the wheels locked to the left and would not turn straight causing me to hit a concrete divider. After hitting concrete divider steering released to normal driving but driver side car front rim tire was damaged and wheel alignment misdirected.
While driving, I started to hear a creaking sound while backing up and turning the wheel left. The sound became worse over the course of a few weeks. The steering also felt a little loose. I reached out to the manufacturer for a service appointment, and could only be scheduled about a month out. After a few weeks, while trying to parallel park, the car felt like a tire was stuck, or had a flat. I stopped the car to look at all of the tires and they looked fine. When I returned home, I tried to recreate the issue with my wife moving the car slowly from the driver seat while I looked at the wheels. As she turned and backed up, the creaking sound was very loud, but the tires looked fine. When she put the car in drive and began to pull back into the driveway, I could see the front passenger tire was turned abnormally far to the left, looked like it was leaning, and it was locked (not rolling). Once we had the car in a safe position, I jacked up the car and looked at the passenger control arm to see a bolt completely missing from the front suspension lateral link. The other bolt was 1/2 of the way out and barely holding on. If this had come apart at highway speeds, I am afraid it could have killed or seriously injured my family.
Ever since Tesla pushed a software update to my vehicle on or around 12/20/23, the vehicle screen crashes and reboots every time I enter enter my vehicle. The software version is 2023. 44. 30. 5. 1. The vehicles systems; backup cameras, parking sensors, etc. Are in operable for approximately 2 minutes during the reboot process rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. I have reported this issue to Tesla on multiple occasions with no resolution offered other than a note that this is “considered” normal with the current software version. I was pushed software update 2023. 44. 30. 8 on 1/8/24 and the issue persists. I have scheduled a service center appointment for 1/29/24.
The tpms alerted me that the front driver tire was low at 36 psi. Pulled into gas station within a mile from initial alert and when I unscrewed the valve cap the valve stem broke and shot out of the tire and the tire deflated. The components were found and are available for inspection. The car has not been repaired yet and is currently at the Tesla service center in agoura hills at 28721 bldg a canwood street agoura hills, CA. I drive two children under 5 and am lucky this did not occur at high speeds or while the vehicle was in operation at any speed. There is no reason this should have happened. There was no prior damage to the wheel or tire.
The tire fell off the car while driving. The lateral link bolts have come unfastened and cause the link to come out of place and consequently damage several suspension components. As the bolts unfastened, the wheel was separated from the car and fell off, causing the car to be undrivable.
I want to report an issue I have with Tesla concerning the damage that occurred to my vehicle as a result of a failure of Tesla fsd version 10. 3 firmware release 2021. 36. 5. 2 recalled by Tesla on 10/29/21 NHTSA recall number 21v-846. At noon on 10-24-21, I was testing the latest release of fsd as part of the beta program. My Tesla was in self-driving mode on a city street at 35 mph. This was the same route it had already successfully done earlier in the day, when suddenly the car jumped over the curb, causing damage to the bumper, to the wheel and a flat tire. This appeared to have been caused by a discolored patch in the road that gave the fsd a false perception of an obstacle which it tried to avoid. Immediately after the accident, the car was towed to the service center. The repair was finished on 10/27/21 at which time I was asked to pay $2,332. 37 to take possession of the car. I explained that the damage was caused by the recalled version of fsd NHTSA recall number 21v-846 and that Tesla should be liable for the damages. I was advised that the engineering team would conduct an investigation and based on the results the money would be reimbursed. However, I did not agree to pay hoping that after the investigation Tesla would honor the recall. After two months of waiting, there is still no communication on the results of the investigation even though the case is quite simple. The car was going straight at a very low speed in self-driving mode. There is nothing except the recalled version of fsd that could have changed its trajectory. Therefore, it is obvious that nobody looked at this issue and there is no commitment to doing so anytime soon. I communicated using the Tesla app chat that I am not willing to wait indefinitely and gave notice that I intend to file a petition with the court. I gave e-mail notice to Tesla’s resolution team as well to make sure that my notice reaches Tesla’s legal department. I have paid the invoice on 12/22/21 to get my car back.