Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2016 Tesla Model S.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
On 5/20/25, I had my Tesla repaired as I had suspension issues. They repaired my car to rectify my suspension for both my front and rear tires. Then on 6/12/25, I was driving on the highway and going about 70-75 mph when I heard a huge pop. No warning indicators came on and something did not feel right. I figured nothing else came of it. I was about 30 miles away from home and when I got home, my tire was pushed inward. I was concerned on whether this was related to a bad repair since it was so soon to my previous repair and they indicated that they did not touch that area. After they saw my video, they indicated that the lower control arm of my rear tire broke and they indicated that this was just a damaged component. My biggest concern is that if this issue was not related to the repair work done a month ago, this could be bigger issue as I could have been very concerning that this part broke when I was driving at high speeds and I think it's warranted to check on the quality of the component. In my 40 plus years of driving, I have never experienced this happened to me. If you need documentation or video of how the tire and the axle looks, I can forward it to you. The vehicle has only been inspected by the Tesla dealership service center and as stated earlier, there weren't any warning signs or messages that showed as I specifically was looking for it when I heard the loud pop.
In December of 2023, my right rear axle broke when I accidently hit a curb. The car was repaired at the Tesla collision center. On last Tuesday, November 12, 2024, I heard a noise while braking. I continued to drive, but next time I needed to use brakes, I had a sensation that the brakes were failing, and I wouldn't be able to stop. The brakes eventually engaged, and I was able to stop the vehicle. I went on an expressway and drove as slowly as possible, maintaining a long distance from the vehicles in front of me and using regenerative braking as much as possible, being aware of a possibility of brakes failure. I got home safely on that day, however, the next day, when I was backing out of the garage, I heard a screeching noise. When I inspected the vehicle, I discovered that the left rear wheel was misaligned, looking exactly like the right rear wheel after the right rear axle broke. Although this defect hasn't been inspected by a technician yet, I am virtually certain that it's the same problem that I had before, now occurring on the opposite side. This means that I was likely driving with a broken axle, which could've resulted in a serious accident. As I mentioned, this is the second instance of the same defect affecting my vehicle, which, in my opinion, is indicative of a serious manufacturing defect that needs to be addressed. The vehicle hasn't been repaired yet and is available for inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure.
When I was driving in the parking lot and turned to park at a parking spot I heard a sound from the passenger side front wheel. After I heard the sound the wheel felt stuck and was not moving freely. There were two other passengers in the car along with the driver. This is the second time that this happened. It happened first on oct 2021 when the car's mileage was 51k and the second time when the mileage was 77k. The Model S was purchased in 2016. Tesla service center fixed it the first time and the repair listed the following 1>fore link assembly lh(1041570-00-b) 2>washer nordlock(1033093-00-a) 3>nut hf m14x1. 50 znni nl insert(1004358-00-c) Tesla charged me $495 for it. The second time this happened the damage was a lot more extensive and Tesla recommended I take the car to a Tesla-approved body shop. I took the car to brooks automotive in fremont and they charged me $10,000 for the repairs. My insurance refused to pay for the damages after I filed a claim with the insurance. Tesla refused to pay for it claiming it was not a manufacturing defect and the car was not under warranty. This car is driven by me and my wife and neither of us are rash drivers. We did not hit any debris on the road or remember an incident that could have led to this happening not once but twice. The car has been driven normally and used for normal family activities on public paved roads.
Tesla vehicles suffer excessive “toe-in” wear on all tires. Tesla claims it is a function of the vehicle being heavy and that it is “normal” tires have to be replaced every 12-24 months as a result of the inner portion showing cord, wire, and losing air. The tread on the rest of the tires appears to have 1/8 to 1/4 inch of usable tread however all tires have to be replace as a result of the toe in. Vehicle was repeatedly aligned by Tesla but that did not alleviate the issue. Presents a real danger as the portion of the tire dangerously worn down is on the most inner side of the tire. Not easily visible.
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, he heard an abnormally loud sound come from the driver’s side wheel. The contact pulled over and inspected the wheel but did not see an issue. The contact stated that he continued driving and while driving approximately 35 mph, the driver’s side wheel detached and went into the wheel well. The vehicle then began to steer slowly to the left independently and the contact was able to get the vehicle into a parking lot. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to his place of employment. The local Tesla dealer was contacted however, the cause of the failure not yet determined. The dealer informed the contact that the driver’s side control arm needed to be replaced but the part was not available. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that the failure was not related to the control arm, but that the wheel well and the front fascia lower valence needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,466.
Failure of l front fore link resulting in unstable wheel, contact of wheel with wheel well, difficult steering and inability to drive vehicle.
Front suspension lower fore link broke; this led to a car that cannot be moved in the middle of the road; Tesla knows about it, they have 2 bulletins on it, but do not replace them, despite being a road hazard.
While pulling my car out of the garage driveway on 1/8/2021, heard a metal cranking noise and I wasn't able to turn the steering wheel to the left. After inspecting the wheel, noticed the front wheel on the driver side was touching/stuck the wheel liner. Scheduled a service appointment with Tesla and took the car to the Tesla service center today, they identified both front forelinks need to be replaced. . Read more...
Hello, I purchased a used car from Lexus of rockville on Saturday and as I was driving home I heard a 'pressure buffeting sound' ( sounds like a window is cracked- but all windows are up) I contacted Lexus on my way home and they told me to bring back the car . I returned with the car and the salesman and sales manager told me they would not take the car back because I pulled off the lot with the car. They refused to even look at the car. And informed me there was a no return policy. Which is ridiculous. Now, I'm stuck with a $50k that I can't drive. The noise is so bad it impedes my ability to drive, which is a complete safety hazard . I even asked if they could take this car back and let me finance a different car and the said 'absolutely not'. I have own 2 Toyota's and never experienced anything like this. I wanted to do business with Lexus because I always had good experiences but I notice your customer service has fallen way behind the curve. Very disappointing experience. Daily I deal with correspondences with the white house and customer service is always our one number one concern but clearly Lexus of rockville does not believe in customer satisfaction. This car came from auto action defective and now the dealership refuses to fix the pressure buffeting probably and is passing the expense on to the customers . Which is extremely deceptive please, contact me [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Below is a copy of an email I sent to Tesla on April 30,2018. I have yet to receive a response. Please contact me if you need more information. On January 23, 2018 I had an incident with my Tesla where I hit a small pothole (11' wide by 18' long and 2' deep) at a moderate speed of about 40mph. (I have pictures of the road the pothole in question. ) I lost some control of my car swerving into the oncoming lane from the impact, but managed to pull over about a couple of hundred yards after that with no further incident. I thought I had blown a tire since I have low profile tires on the larger rims only to find the tire was still inflated. However the wheel was off camber and I noticed that it had damaged some of the wheel well on further inspection. I eventually got everything fixed (about four weeks later) and the bill was $4200. 00 which I paid. However, after much thought and consideration, I believe the control arm is of a faulty design and this should have been covered by Tesla. In fact, I have a picture of the control arm while it was on the car and I am in possession of it and all the damaged parts. I do not believe that my Tesla should have suffered so much damage for a relatively small pothole and believe the heavy lithium battery coupled with the improperly engineered control arm caused the problem. I also note mine is not the only complaint of this nature as I have seen other complaints in online blogs and feel that this may be a systemic problem with Tesla's control arms. It is also important to note that I purchased the Tesla for many reasons, but one of the main reasons was its safety record and ratings by the NHTSA who I have copied on this email. After losing momentary control from hitting such a small pothole which put me into the oncoming lane, (I was lucky there was not oncoming traffic) I do not have the confidence in the car that I once did.
At approximately 9am on the morning of 1/4/18, I was driving in autopilot on the 405 heading north to my office in santa monica in my Tesla Model S and the car simply ran into the barrier wall on the left side of the car pool lane at 75mph. It was absolutely crazy! I have contacted Tesla about the accident several times, but they are simply not interested. I just read about an accident that the u. S. National transportation safety board is investigating where the same thing happened and the driver died. I believe my accident could have ended the same way and I think it needs to be taken very seriously.
Our 2016 Tesla Model S dropped the left rear wheel completely while my wife was driving on freeway 5 north bound last Saturday night (08/19/2017) in san juan capistrano area, right before exit 81. The road is smooth and without bump or sharp turn. All other cars was able to run by normally. The right rear wheel also lost a locking nut. The accident was very dangerous, very scary! we just had a routine service at Tesla service center this June.