general problems of the 2015 Tesla Model S - part 1

My 2015 Tesla model with less than 55000 mi had the front suspension broke on [xxx] when I pull out of the driveway. I heard a hard noise from passenger front tire that is scraping on the fender liner. The car was not drivable and had to be towed to a Tesla dealership in cherry hill NJ > quoted bill is $1800 to replace. With the low mileage , I never expected the suspension to brake unless there is a defect on the cars manufacturer front suspension fore link. I read on the nshtsa that there was an investigation for the several complain for the 2015 - 2017 Tesla Model S . The service car representative took a picture of the broken suspension fore link that is holding the suspension front tires. I forgot to ask him to forward the picture to me. Maybe I can ask him when I pick up the car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving approximately 45mph on a smooth dry road, the drivers side front lower ball joint broke in half. This caused the wheel to separate from the lower control arm and get lodged between the fender well and the front subframe. This caused the inner tie rod to bend and the cv joint to separate from the inner connection. The rubber brake line was torn in half and undercarriage damage due to it slamming to the pavement. I notified Tesla and scheduled an appointment. This happened on 02/26/2025 at approximately 7am. The vehicle did not drive abnormal or give any warning before the incident. All maintenance and services were up to date.

Failure part was drivers side front wheel "fore link assembly" which broke at the wheel connection on our driveway while turning left in reverse. I heard a loud thunk but hadn't run over anything and nothing irregular outside so I continued but now I could hear something scrapping. Turns out it was the front tire now rubbing the wheel well liner when turning left. Pulled the tire off and you could easily see where the fore link fractured. Fortunately this part didn't fail on the road as the outcome might have been bad considering the possible loss of control. Our car, 1985 purchased new with 68,450 miles was towed via required flatbed to a Tesla service center and repaired. I have all replaced parts including the fractured section that fell on our driveway. Outside of the repair personnel and myself no one has looked at the part but you can clearly see what used to be a circular opening was elongated and ,about a 90 degree section, missing.

Backing out of a parking spot, my car made a loud "thunk" and stopped. I put the car in park and got out, looking all around and under the car. I did not see anything. I backed out of the spot and circled the lot to see if there was anything in the parking spot I may have run over. Nothing. When exiting the parking lot, the car made the same "thunk" and again ground to a halt. I again exited the car and looked all around. This time, I could see that the front driver's side tire was not in the correct position. It was shifted toward the back of the wheel well. I knew something had physically broken. I had the car towed to a service center. They checked the car and said a suspension fore link had broken. They recommended replacing all of them, not just the one that broke. They blamed the age of the car (95,000 miles). I was incredibly lucky that this occurred in a parking lot given that the vehicle came to an immediate stop. There were no prior warning signs. The car last had a scheduled inspection at 87,500 miles.

Drove out of my driveway and 2 minutes later I hear a metal clink and my steering wheel pulled to the left. I was going 15-20 mph. Pull over and see the right rear wheel angled inwards. And see a metal piece broke off. Turns out the rear control arm broke for no apparent reason. Many others reported same issue and there was a recall on this for 2013-2014 sb-19-31-001 [xxx] but not years going forward even though many of the newer Tesla’s have same issue. Luckily I was going g slow but it seems it is just a matter of time before this happens to someone on the highway or at faster speeds to cause some serious damage and injuries. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The universal joint that connects the steering to the wheels is exposed to the elements and causes the steering to be difficult and/or stop working.

Ive been notified that my front upper, lower arms, and bushings on my suspension are damaged. Tesla has sent me an massive bill to replace the parts on the car that I am not able to provide. As a looked up and talked to other Tesla s owners, this apparently is a major issues with all of them and very common. So common that china issued a recall requiring Tesla to fix this manufacture defect of wreaked and poorly manufacture parts. Why is the us not forcing this yet? they should be held liable for their fault mechanic engineer of the vehicle that is costing us thousands of dollars to repair and replace even at very low mileage invoice attached. This was the cost after they gave me discount for replacing a part I did not authorize. This was an issue with the dealership still.

This is the 3rd time a control arm on the car has cracked. I see tons of people online complaining about the same issue with the fault aluminum control arms. I have no damage and no rust and it just cracked on its on as I was backing out of a parking spot. I could have been seriously injured or my daughter had this happened on the highway. My dad is an issurance adjuster for 30 years and has never heard of any cars control arms cracking on their own. Please help as this is a huge safety issue and it seems Tesla has been putting the blame on the drivers. There was a grinding noise in reverse and the wheel was tilted inward. Multiple control arms have cracked in the car. A car that has no damage or accidents. This car is less than 10 years old and this doesn't happen with any other cars. It's a fault control arm part made out of cheap aluminum.

Tesla front right hand lower forward link failed at the ball joint (aluminum casting spilt open) part #1041575-00-a, frt fore awd lca rh, made in canada. This happened while backing up on flat pavement without warning. The car has been well cared for, garaged, never damaged or abused and has less than 52k miles. It could have caused a life threatening accident if it would have happened at speed.

Tesla Model S began making clunking/grinding noise when reversing out of a driveway with the wheel fully turned. It turned out that the front left and right fore links have failed prematurely and caused the front wheels to rub on the wheel arch/fender. No potholes were ever hit to cause the damage. Car needed replacement parts totaling $979. A wheel alignment was also needed. Car only has 97,000 miles.

I had driven to a shopping center for buy a new backpack for my daughter who was starting school. After shopping, as I reversed my car, I felt as if I had gone over a bump. I came out to see if there was a bump or something else in the parking lot but found nothing that my car could have gone over. I got back in the car and started my drive and immediately, started hearing loud and griding noises. The noise would get worse as I would turn the steering wheel and the car would also seem as it is going over bumps. I immediately came out and look around and found nothing; I then looked at the wheel well and the surrounding area and didn't detect anything out of ordinary. I was able to drive the car home (roughly 1. 5 miles) at speed no faster than 3-5 miles/hour without continuous loud and griding noise. I contacted Tesla who gave me an appointment for a week later. Inspection found fore-link broken. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? left fore-link connected to the front suspension of the car. Part is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the breakage of the part made the wheel get disconnected from the suspension. Had I been driving on a highway or other roadways at higher speed, my car would have certainly gotten out of control and endangered my life and the lives of others. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? this is a known issue that has been reported by many Tesla Model S owners. There is also a recall in china for the similar parts. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes, it was inspected by Tesla service center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? there were no warnings or other symptoms prior to the failure of the fore-link.

Lower control arm of front passenger wheel cracked and came off while backing out of driveway. Rendered undriveable, required tow to fix.

The control arm that holds my tire in place completely broke apart. It looks like the ball joint severed from the rest of the unit. I didn’t hit anything - not even a pot hole. I was driving in a residential area going 25 mph. I thought my tire went flat so I checked the car and didn’t see anything. I continued to drive the car and turned on the main road and my car almost veered me into oncoming traffic almost causing a crash. Luckily with sheer strength I was able to pull the car barely over to the side. Had I not been driving where I was, this could have been a scary situation. Tesla admitted to me this is a known safety issue but then said because my car isn’t under warranty, I was responsible. I asked for the defective part and have it in my possession.

Rear suspension cannot be adjust which results in uneven tire wear that is hard to see which has lead to 3 tire blowouts in less than a 12 month period on the rear tire.

Dear national highway traffic safety administration, I am writing to bring to your attention a serious safety issue that I experienced while driving my Tesla Model S 2015 on freeway 680 in [insert location]. On 2/27/2023], the left rear wheel of my car suddenly dropped, causing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Fortunately, the incident occurred at night with less traffic, or it could have been catastrophic for myself, my children, and other road users. I have learned that Tesla has issued a recall in china for the same suspension issue that I experienced. However, I am deeply concerned that there has been no such recall or acknowledgment of this issue in the USA. It is alarming that such a dangerous fault could occur on a car that is marketed as a high-tech and safe vehicle. I believe that it is crucial to investigate and take immediate action to rectify this potentially fatal flaw in Tesla Model S 2015's suspension system. I urge you to look into this matter and work with Tesla to issue a recall for affected vehicles and implement a fix to prevent any further accidents. As a concerned citizen and a victim of this unsafe suspension issue, I implore you to prioritize the safety of Tesla owners and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you will take swift action to address this serious safety issue.

Driving slowly, in reverse, in a smooth parking lot, the front right suspension made a big thudding noise and both steering and any braking made horrible metal and other screeching noises. This was at a very low speed. The suspension part, the forward link (lower control arm) had split open and no longer held the ball joint in place. This happened without any warning of any sort, and with no (I've owned the car for about 45,000 miles and 3. 5 years) known abuse of the front suspension (no hard potholes, no curb, no rough or dirt roads, only smooth well-kept roads). If this failure had happened at highway speeds or even city street speeds, losing the ability to brake and steer properly could have been disastrous and is a safety issue. Part may be available after Tesla provides service - car is under a pre-owned certified warranty. From first inspection metal "bushing" on forelink appears to be completely cracked open.

Driving at highway speed, swerved slightly (in lane) to avoid road debris, front aft suspension snapped suddenly and separated from ball joint causing wheel to collapse in, disabling vehicle and causing temporary loss of control in rainy conditions. There was no warning, noises, looseness or other symptoms present prior to this event, vehicle had to be towed. Pictures were taken as well as a police report. I have the broken part in my possession.

I was driving my car around town and heard a slight knocking sound. It didn't seem to be a significant issue. Within a few hours, the knocking turned into a grinding sound. It seemed like the wheel was getting stuck in the wheel well. It didn't appear to be a significant issue, so I drove the car home. There were also no warning lights or indicators. As I drove home, the problem got worse and worse to the point where I was concerned about not being safe, but also didn't want to tow my car for a short distance. When I got home, I removed the tire and discovered that the fore beam on the right side had broken and was no longer connected to the wheel. Further research has shown that this is a known issue and there was a recall for the same issue in china. Tesla states that this happens due to driver abuse and bad roads. I can assure you that this isn't the issue in this case. When I brought it to the shop, Tesla insisted on replacing both sides, which indicates a concern for this to happen again. I have requested the broken part to be returned to me so I can inspect what happened.

Heard a pop sound as I backed from my garage. Started moving forward and heard a rubbing noise from tire. Moved car back into garage to inspect. When car was jacked up I found front following control arm broken at ball joint and completely separated. I've contacted manufacturer about repair but this could have caused severe driving hazard and lose of control if it occurred at speed. I've sent pictures manufacturer and have not heard back about repair. There was no warning of failure other than popping noise then failure.

I was backing out of a parking space while turning the steering wheel to the right. It sounded like I was running over a plastic milk jug or something like that. I stopped the car, inspected, there was no object under the car or in the wheel wells. I looked to see if any of the wheels were rubbing on the wheel well and did not see that. I then asked a friend to watch as I backed up, moved forward, and turned the wheel. He observed that the front wheel was rubbing on the wheel well, so I had the car towed to Tesla service sodo. The next morning I found a portion of the aluminum bearing that is part of the right fore-link assembly. I drive the car for commuting and there were no incidences of impact that could cause this.

I was driving on a street and needed to stop fast to avoid rear ending a stopped car. The control arm of my car broke. There was no debris on the road and I didn't hit anything. My car was towed to a Tesla service center and they replaced both control arms (per the service person) and charged me only $200.

When driving above 45 mph, there is a shuddering sound that comes from the front left of the car. After taking the car in for service, I was told that "the front aft and fore links are bad on the car" and need replacement.

Front right suspension lower forelink sheered apart while backing out of a parking space.

While I was backing out from my car garage and turn the steering wheel, I heard a squeaking sound while applying a brake on the passenger front tire area. I stopped the car and went out to check, the front passenger tire pretty much pushed all the way back touching the wheel arch liner (see photo). I called Tesla and they sent a tow truck to towed it to their service center near by. I didn't realize how wide spread the issue was until I research the problem online. I filed this complaint to solidify with other people which have the same problem.

Left front wheel rubs against wheel well when turning and a rubbing sound is heard at speeds around 55 mph. The dealer inspected and said that the suspension had failed and needed replacement.

Suspension keeps making noises such as knocking roughly in both front wheels. Feels week and in high speeds it might get broken causing loss of control. Took it to service they will charge me even with the repair bulletin I found in NHTSA. Correction: four wheel alignment (air suspension) (adjust camber caster toe) correction: links - front suspension - lower - aft - lh/rh (remove & replace).

I own a 2015 Model S - 85d / mileage 42967 purchased September 2015. On July 11, 2021, I visited family in IL and returned to my residence. I was heading to the grocery store and backing the car out of the driveway by the garage door going 5-10 mph. As I turned to the left to back out, I immediately heard a squeaky grinding noise by the front left driver-side of the tire area. I moved forward and backwards to straighten the car and heard the grinding noise again. I also felt the left front driver tire rubbing into the wheel well liner around the tire and a little wobbly. I very felt uncomfortable and decided not to drive the vehicle and parked it in the garage until it was towed. I was without my vehicle and drove an alternate vehicle with gas. I called Tesla on 7/12/21 to inquire and was inform I may need a wheel alignment and scheduled appointment for 8/2/2021. There was the risk and danger of having a severe accident as I did not feel safe hearing the grinding noise. On Sunday, 8/1/2021, as I pulled the Tesla out of the garage to be towed this friend noticed the left tire moving from side to side. I updated my Tesla appointment and informed them of this issue. I received a call on 8/3/2021 from the Tesla repair technician stating the problem was a broken suspension joint with the front driver front fore link. My thought was – “what if this had occurred and broke while on the highway driving 65-70 mph?" I immediately went online to google and found the article that Tesla posted a 2017 service bulletin about the fore link suspension. I informed the Tesla repair center about the article and asked if Tesla would cover the repair expense since my vehicle problem has the exact issued addressed by elon musk. I had to pay $978. 36 repair bill. There was no inspection except the Tesla repair center. There was no warning indication, alert or message for this critical failed nor correspondence from Tesla regarding the critical suspension problem.

While backing out of the driveway I heard a loud crack and grinding noise when turning the wheel to pull out into the street. Upon stopping a checking where the noise was coming I found that the left lower fore link completely sheared/ cracked off and the wheel was up against the back of the wheel well. ** area where the wheel was backed up against (completely tore the liner) has the cooling tubing (now leaking) & a high voltage wireline. This could've resulted in serious issues if we were traveling at higher speeds. Tesla has failed to reach out and call back regarding the issue and the vehicle is rendered completely useless/ undrivable. I've owned many vehicles and this is most certainly not normal ware and tare! this is a big safety issue and needs to be addressed ASAP. Thank god my family wasn't on the highway or any road above 5mph when this happened. The damage would've been catastrophic.

I was driving at 30 mph on an empty, flat, straight road when the front passenger wheel popped and the car started wobbling and became uncontrollable. I pulled over and this wheel was tilted sideways off-axis. The car needed to be towed. I was told by Tesla that the front passenger wheel’s “control arm” broke. This happened without warning and without any impact or accident on the vehicle. Had there been traffic, or had I been driving at high speed, the vehicle would certainly have collided with other vehicles.

- the right front drivers side wheel wobbles when making a left turn into a parking space. - the right front drivers side wheel wobbles when making a left turn out of a drive way when turning into the street. - it reminds you of a basketball rolling around the rim before falling through the hoop, and then falling back in-place. -this is not an everyday occurence.

Please note: the VIN of the actual car that is the subject of this complaint is unavailable therefore I have used the VIN of another Tesla of the same year and model in order to be able to make this submission. This complaint is about suspension failures in Teslas. Here is a Tesla in a salvage auction in england. . Read more...

This is a complaint in regard to your investigation of Tesla suspension defects. Please not that I have used the VIN of a random car to file this complaint. The car affected is a 2015 Model S but the VIN is unavailable. Here is page 6 of a long thread reporting similar failures. Https://teslamotorsclub. Com/tmc/threads/failed-rear-lower-control-arm-service-bulletin-sb-19-31-001. 205172/page-6#post-5339710 snip**I had the rear suspension failure happen to my car yesterday. Luckily my wife was in a parking lot, so no one was hurt. Its a 2015 model, but must have been produced sometime in 2014. About 100k miles. ** photographs are attached. Snip**what is obvious to me as a structural designer of similar fittings, is that the part is poorly designed for anything but single use spacecraft. The ration of lug to bore diameter is literally "off the charts" as far as the design charts I have used. . . . Plus no protection from corrosion or dissimilar metals contact. A perfect storm for short tranverse stress corrosion cracking causing net section tension failure at a low level, say 5000 psi. ** please look at the attached photographs. There are many thousands of these cars on the roads. The danger is increasing as the cars age. Please take immediate action. Thank you. Keef.

My infotainment mcu goes blank or is completely unresponsive. This will happen intermittently and without warning. Sometimes I get in my car and the screen remains blank for the entire drive, cutting off access to vital performance features of the vehicle, as well as disabling airbags. I've already taken this to Tesla under their 'warranty program', but they refuse to do anything other than reset the computer. They will not repair or replace anything.

Backing up in my driveway at 2 mile per hour, right rear suspension collapsed. Car transported by flatbed to Tesla cleveland. Extensive repairs including to right front suspension. I note 42 other complaints of similar to NHTSA on Tesla Model S 2015-7 year models.

Front suspension failed at 64,xxx miles. Loud rattling at low speeds and over any bumps or driveways. Tesla said it was a wear and tear item but at 64k miles, suspension should not have failed.