Suspension Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 2

Complaint: I took delivery of my new Tesla Model 3 on [xxx], and noticed it pulls hard to the right from day one. The steering shakes constantly, feels unstable, and loses traction—sliding sideways and lurching above 40 mph. It’s dangerous on highways; I’ve nearly lost control multiple times. Service wait times delayed my first visit over a month. Service history: Tesla service, dedham, MA, three visits: [xxx]: techs confirmed pulling, performed alignment—issue unchanged. [xxx]: pulling replicated, alignment redone—no fix. [xxx]: supervisor test-drove, claimed no issues, said “normal operation,” and refused further action. Third-party input: on [xxx], electrified garage (amesbury, MA), a Tesla/ev specialist, replicated the pulling, shaking, and instability. They suspect a suspension or steering defect (e. G. , rack/control arm) and urged Tesla review, citing warranty coverage and parts limits. They called it a safety risk. Current state: the car’s unusable—shaking intensifies above 40 mph, slides unpredictably, and steering resists. I’ve stopped highway driving after near-misses. Tesla’s “normal” ignores this danger. Available for inspection on request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

While regularly driving I experienced a gradual squeaking sounds from the front suspension. A few moments later I noticed that my steering wheel was acting as if it didn’t have power steering. I’m lead to believe that due to the poor design of my Model 3, that the outside elements were easily able to make its way to my universal power steering shaft leading Tesla to remove and replace my steering shaft and my upper control arms as well. The rust on the u shaft was incredible, I’ve only driven in the snow one time and immediately the noises starting happening. I paid everything out of my own pocket due to the undeliverable conditions my steering wheels was in.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Some 2019 Tesla Model 3’s recalled due to lateral and control link issues. Problem seems to be more wide spread. Exactly same problem is apparently happening with my car - also a 2019 Tesla Model 3, but not covered for some reason.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

The front suspension lateral link on our Model 3 came detached from the subframe as the bolts someone loosened. This is a known issue and Tesla has issued a recall (NHTSA recall 23v-235) on this year Model 3, but our VIN is not included in the recall. It seems that this issue is wider than the cars the original recall has included. Upon detachment, the wheel steering did not work, and if it highway speeds, could have cause a fatal accident.

The car started making a strange high pitched creak sound whenever I would turn the steering wheel, or go over bumps in the road. I brought the car to Tesla and they informed me that the following parts needed to be replaced. 1. Front lower compliance links (left and right) 2. Front lower lateral link (left and right) I was notified that the failure of those components was a potentially serious safety issue, and that the parts needed to be replaced as soon as possible. I had Tesla replace the parts, so the issue cannot be inspected. The problem was verified by the Tesla service center, and was not seen by any other professionals. There were no real warnings, other than the annoying squeak sound whenever the sterring wheel was turned. The sound first appeared in November of 2024.

Front and rear suspension bushings wear and rip at very low mileage.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Sep 2022 Tesla Model 3 brought in for noise when steering wheel is turned. Was told it was the control arm. Left and right arms both replaced. Mileage - 53247 Jan 2025 Tesla Model 3 brought in for heating issue and for similar noise when steering wheel is turned. Service rep said lateral links needed replacing. Mileage - 85321 control arms and lateral link replacement at 53k and 85k, respectively, seems highly irregular. I have checked several online forums and found many other Tesla Model 3 owners having similar complaints. I have now replaced a significant portion of this vehicle's front suspension. We have owned 7 other vehicles, all purchased new, over the last 20 years. We have kept those cars between 150k - 200k miles and only 1 of those cars required this type of work, which was performed on a 2011 Jaguar xf at 160k+ miles.

I am experiencing persistent front suspension issues with my Tesla Model 3 performance. The vehicle has been taken to a Tesla service center three times, yet the problem has not been resolved. The issue includes: unusual noises (clunking, knocking, or creaking) from the front suspension. Instability or poor handling at various speeds. Repeated failures of suspension components despite repairs. Each time, Tesla service has attempted repairs, but the issue continues to persist, raising serious concerns about the safety and durability of the suspension system. The vehicle is currently at Tesla service center as of March 4th 2025 and they are working on the same problem for the 3rd time.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Control arm issue and linkage cable.

The suspension on this car developed a persistent noise that worsened over time, prompting me to schedule a service appointment at the Tesla dealership. Although my car has less than 40,000 miles and has been driven primarily on well-paved city roads, both front suspensions were found to require extensive repairs, a final bill of approximately $2,100. Safety concerns: frequent suspension issues in Teslas: online research and data from the NHTSA indicate a disproportionately high number of suspension and steering complaints for Tesla vehicles. In 2023, Tesla owners filed over 260 complaints, significantly higher proportionally than Toyota, despite Tesla's much smaller sales volume. Such trends suggest potential systemic quality issues in Tesla’s manufacturing process. Simultaneous suspension failure: the need to replace multiple components in both front suspensions at just 30,000+ miles raises serious questions about the reliability and safety. A single suspension failure could be a bad luck, but simultaneous failures point to broader design or manufacturing problems. Risk of accidents: suspension failure compromises vehicle control, increasing the risk of accidents that endanger drivers, passengers, and others on the road. Transparency issues in the repair process: the initial repair estimate of $200 excluded labor costs and was revised to $400 without prior clarity. After inspection, the cost escalated to $2,100, leaving me no option but to approve the repairs without the ability to verify their necessity. Lack of transparency in repair recommendations, coupled with Tesla’s track record of suspension complaints, undermines customer trust and raises concerns about the integrity of the repair process. In conclusion, my experience highlights potential safety risks and quality control issues with Tesla vehicles. Suspension defects not only burden customers with significant costs but also pose a serious hazard on the road.

Control arm of the left front suspension system detached with no warning other than an occasional noise that started about 2 weeks before the incident, usually when turning the front wheels at slow speed. This was a potentially dangerous situation for the driver, passengers, and any other vehicles on the road as the tire could have come off at any time. Fortunately the car was being parked (0-1 mph) in a non-congested area when the control arm detached. The vehicle (total mileage approximately 42k) was towed to a Tesla service center 2 days later where the problem--first diagnosed by the tow truck driver--was confirmed by a Tesla service representative. There was no warning of any problem other than the occasional noise mentioned previously. If this parts failure had occurred at high speed on an interstate highway, it would likely have been deadly!.

My car experienced a problem with the control arms and based on my research this is a known problem with Tesla Model 3 yet a recall hasn’t been issued.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Two major safety issues need to be reported: 1) the left front lower control arm falling off in the middle of driving, caused car wheel stuck on a traffic street (luckily it was off the freeway 5 minutes ago). The long bolts connected the lower control arms were loss due to the defective design (the bolts are screwed upward vertically, falling off is definitely just a matter of time). I found there was a class action against Tesla due to this problem (it is referred to model x and s) 2) the other major safety issue I encountered as I turned on the “advanced autopilot “ feature, the car could break suddenly without warning on the freeway. There were no cars or obstacles in the front. I researched online and found many Tesla owners have experienced this so called “phantom breaking” problem as I had (I had experienced this unsafe auto breaking randomly since I have driven this car).

Front suspension lateral link fasteners loosened, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame. I have a 2018 Model 3 and this seems to be the exact same issue that led to a recent recall with the help of the NHTSA. Recall no. 23v235000 sb-23-31-001 an expansion of previous recall number 21v-835. I noticed for months something was slightly off in the front right area of the car. I brought it into the Tesla service center, they drove it and didn't notice anything. About a month later the lateral link separated from the subframe rendering the car undriveable. I had it towed immediately.

At low/no speed, turning the steering wheel to the extreme left or right produces a low-end creaking noise as if something is rubbing.

Under-torqued lateral link bolt these bolts are known to fall out or cause damage to bushings from being installed improperly failure of the suspension would result in the suspension collapsing and the car becoming uncontrollable, with serious risks at higher speeds out of pocket repair has been made by Tesla component has been inspected and tightened to spec no warning sings, other than loud, clunking noises at 40k miles on smooth roads, this is not a driver issue, but a manufacturer assembly issue. They already have a recall for other vins in other years, but I believe this should be expanded to more vins and years, as this appears to be a common issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while making a right turn he observed a loud bang and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that he observed bolt left lateral link of the suspension was hanging with boldt detached an the second bolt completely missing. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the left lateral link suspension subframe, steering rack, and left finder needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v235000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,976.

Upper control arm unit is defective on most Model 3's. This has been reported by thousands of Tesla owners. After 50,000 miles the upper control arm will fail due to being assembled incorrectly, which causes a hard time driving the car and causing a strange sound in the suspension which can cause a risk in driving and increase the likelihood of an accident.

Incident summary: on [xxx], I was in an accident and dropped my Tesla Model 3 at Tesla’s north phoenix collision center in Nov 2024. I received the car back in Dec/Jan. Immediately, I noticed dangerous swaying, bouncing, and veering when hitting dips—especially on the freeway. The car was unstable and unsafe to drive at high speeds. In Feb/Mar, tanner (assistant manager at the collision center) drove the vehicle with me in the passenger seat. After hitting a dip on the freeway, he panicked, exited, and agreed something was wrong. I was later told they did a wheel alignment, but the issue remained. This was the second time they returned the vehicle in an unsafe condition. I nearly crashed due to how unstable it felt. In may 2025, I brought the car back again. Tanner suspected the steering column but said no diagnosis was done. He gave me a loaner vehicle, which had a flat tire. I had to drive my own unsafe car for nearly a month while waiting for another loaner and parts—no resolution during that time. On 6/13/2025, I contacted the Tesla glendale service center. The advisor expressed frustration, saying this collision center often offloads unresolved issues. I also contacted Tesla support (877-798-3752), who advised me to file this NHTSA complaint. As of June 2025, the issue is still unresolved. My car continues to sway and veer dangerously on the freeway, and Tesla north phoenix collision has failed to properly diagnose or fix it despite multiple returns. This vehicle is unsafe to drive, and I’ve been given excuses for over 7 months. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

I was called told suspension issue unrelated to accident. Sounds like a recall from the same year and same model. Could it be under this recall? suspension: front recall date 2023-03-30 recall no. 23v235000 Tesla, inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Model 3 vehicles. The front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame. Recall consequence a lateral link separation could shift the wheel alignment, causing instability and increasing the risk of a crash. Recall action Tesla service will tighten or replace the lateral link fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed may 30, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 (tel:1-877-798-3752). Tesla's number for this recall is sb-23-31-001. This recall is an expansion of previous re call number 21v-835.

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.

Lateral links failed. It was exactly what was described in this recall. However my car was not part of the recall because it was manufactured outside the date range. Recall affected until Mar 2019. My car was produced maybe a month or two afterwards. [xxx] the fastener became loose and the entire lateral link popped off. This happened in the parking lot and the entire car dropped 3 inches. Had this happened on the freeway it would have been much more dangerous. Problem was inspected by Tesla and Tesla said they were not at fault. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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).

See attached document for complaint.

The suspension front control arm and lower links were all bad and had to be replaced. One day, our car started making this terrible clunking sound, so we brought it in. They charged us $1,800 to replace the whole control arm/link system. I have seen that this is a common problem. I have heard that the issue is known by Tesla as a defect because they put in bad control arms in the early models of Tesla that are known to go bad. We were told that if we did not get them replaced, they could go out while driving and cause us to lose control of our vehicle.

Without any warning from feel unstable, wobbly, or noisy, my car began pulling hard to the right as I was going straight on a small street. I was going about 10 m-15 miles an hour. My steering wheel did not respond to my efforts to straighten the vehicle and my brakes did not slow the car’s path. I was only stopped by two parked cars on the side of the road that I bounced off of. When I got out, bystanders pointed to the sheared tie rod on the front passenger side. The witnesses stated it was clear from their view that if I had been going faster on a wider street there would have been severe injury instead of only three cars being damaged. My car was three years old and had passed its annual inspection one week before. The police were called twice but did not come within three hours so the car was towed without a police report.

1. I had my car for only 6 years, and the main monitor would randomly go black. I have to do multiple hard resets to get it to work again. 2. I'm getting a front left safety restrain system fault, on a car that I had only for 6 years. Compared to my prius that I had more than 10 years, which I had no problems at all, Tesla is junk. 3. Front suspension is squeaking when making turns at slow speeds. Review of youtube indicates that this is a very common problem. Tesla should fix this for free instead of charging $800.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the contact noticed a knocking sound coming from the suspension with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed as the front suspension lateral link separated. The contact was informed that the front suspension lateral link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,543.

Purchased 2023 Tesla Model 3 performance in January 2024. On August 6, 2024 at approximately 2 pm, I got a flat tire drivers side front on a remote highway outside of reno nv. At that time, I found out that I didn't have a spare tire or jack supplied by Tesla. I called Tesla roadside service and was told before they would send out assistance, I had to agree to purchase a new tire at 540. 00 per tire, the towing company couldn't be to my location till after 6pm. I declined Tesla service. The Tesla had less than 18000 miles on it. My son came and assisted me in removing the flat and we took it to les schwab tire center where I purchased a new tire for 375. 00 dollars. Les schwab stated that the wear on the tire was caused by alignment. I contacted Tesla made a service appointment for alignment for August 26, 2024. I got another flat on the drivers rear on August 20, 2024, which cost 283. 00 from les schwab with the same disposition as caused by alignment. I took the car in the next morning and had the remaining two tires changed as it was no longer safe to drive 766. 00 cost, and alignment was to blame milage was documented by les schwab at 18792. When I went for the service at Tesla, I was told they do not warranty tire or alignment and when I told them that I would let small claims decide if that the tire wear was excessive and caused by improper alignment, they threw me out of the dealership and have refused to work on my car. The main reason for filing the complaint is none of this was disclosed when I purchased the car, every car I have ever bought has come with a spare tire, jack, and tools needed to change it. There are no other tire repair shops that can do Tesla alignments, Tesla offers no warranty on their tires and les schwab stated even their lowest cost tires come with a 20k mile warranty. Tesla is price gouging for tires 540. 00 each and alignment 275. 00. Any of the Tesla forums state that this is happening thru all models and tire sizes to most owners.

Received several "steering assist reduced" alerts when stopped in traffic last week, followed immediately by the failure of the power steering after each alert. Power steering resumed after a soft restart. Tried to make appointment at Tesla service center last Friday to get this addressed, but they said they had no appointments available and would not be able to diagnose my vehicle until today, August 12, 2024. . In the interim, the power steering went out again while on the freeway, forcing me to exit and restart the vehicle again. This is a clear danger to myself and my passengers. After receiving the results of the diagnosis today, they informed me that both the steering rack and harness would need to be replaced at the cost of nearly $5,000. The technician showed me some corrosion in one of the electrical connections where there had been water intrusion. I told him this was surprising since the car is relatively new and it would seem that Tesla would have sealed this connections to resist the relatively dry rainy seasons we experience here in southern California.

During the first 5 years of ownership and while under warranty I experienced many creaks in the suspension that did not sound normal. I took it to the Tesla service center many times but was often unable to reproduce the sound when needed and told there was nothing they could do. When a technician did finally hear the sound, Tesla resealed the ball joints at no cost. This was a short-term fix and the problem persisted. After doing some research on my own I have found that this is a known defect in my car model along with the control arms often failing which can cause loss of control of the car. I am now over a year past my warranty and the control arm did in fact fail at 46,000 miles. I experienced a loud creak/rubbing sound when driving over any uneven surface. This happened overnight and was not due to any incident. When I brought the car for repairs and inquired about all of this I was told that this is normal wear and tear and that because it is such a heavy car it is not an unusual repair. I pressed the technician sharing the information I had researched and he said that he would not charge me for the labor. Because this is a known defect and I have read about many owners having to replace the control arms multiple times (often at very low mileage), I continued to argue for no cost to me which was finally granted. That being said, Tesla definitely knows it has a defective product and is doing everything it can to make owners responsible for any cost.

The right front passenger side suspension started squeaking at 22586 miles. Service center replaced lower lateral links on 7/1/24. Repair did not fix the squeaking sound. Service center could not replicate the issue until a test drive with myself and a tech on 9/20/24 and made me make a third appointment for repair. On 10/16/24 the service center said the control arm was failing, but did not think it would be covered under warranty. A quick internet search turned up lawsuits, hundreds of complaints, and crashes resulting from failing control arms.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle for service, the contact was made aware that the front suspension lateral linkage bolt had detached and that the bolts were damaged. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v235000 (suspension); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

This complaint is about a Tesla rental car from avis which has just shown up in the salvage yard. Because the VIN of the wreck can not be identified I have used the VIN of another wrecked Tesla. Here is the wreck in question. . Read more...

The suspension: the control arms and lateral links suddenly stopped working. No trauma to car. Car only has 25, 000 miles. Very dangerous as car and steering could have stopped working suddenly and cause death and an accident. No warning lights went on at all. Only a sudden grinding and clanking sound. I had to pay over $2000 out of pocket to repair and I had to wait a full month before they were able to diagnose and repair it. It was diagnosed and repaired by a Tesla dealer.