Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 2016 Tesla Model S

Leaving a parking area by backing up and then turning to the left to start to drive, the front passenger side wheel started a loud grinding noise, went up and down, and stopped. I went to take a look and found that the wheel was touching the front wheel well. Had to call towing service that took the vehicle to a nearby service center. Tesla service confirmed the front lower control arm/link was broken. I replaced both sides just to be safe. Wheel alignment was performed per service requirement. $1003 total cost, not including the towing service cost.

Lower right control arm failed. Fully cracked and piece broken off. Vehicle was stationary got two weeks and had zero suspension issues until being moved out of parking space. Upon movement 1-2mph wheel started to rub wheel liner upon investigation found broke control arm.

Vehicle was in motion at about 30-35 mph in a highway construction zone, and I heard a bang, vehicle lost control and was sent off the road. When I inspected the vehicle after the vehicle came to a stop, I noticed the fore link/forward control arm was loose. The stud that held the ball joint to the steering knuckle had been sheered off.

I was backing up slowly, 1-3 mph, and the front driver tire got buried in the back of the wheel well. I was only turning slightly, and the ground was relatively flat. There was no sound or anything, the car just stopped because the wheel was jammed in the wheel well. I came to find out the lower control arm/forelink had failed. It cracked and separated at the steering knuckle. Tesla was ok about fixing it, thank goodness the car is under warranty or it would have cost thousands to replace both sides for something that should never fail. I couldn’t leave the other side in place knowing this is common defect and that my family’s safety was in jeopardy. Thankfully this didn't happen while doing 65 mph on the freeway. Tesla begrudgingly replaced both sides under the warranty. But, they didn’t repair it correctly. I’ve repeatedly told them the tire rubs against the front wheel well, and it didn’t before, but they said it doesn’t rub. Even though, I have pictures showing the tire against the wheel well, with no space in between. I also had to ask them to put all the retaining clips in place repeatedly, but they still left at least 4 out. All this happened at the service center in buena park, CA. Their customer service is terrible and there is no way to escalate problems beyond the service advisor you deal with. So, basically I’m stuck not really knowing if it continues to be a safety hazard because Tesla refuses to cooperate and there is no one else to complain to. I have another service appointment soon, I’m hoping it will finally get resolved. I used to be a huge fan, but this company is a black box when it comes to customer service. They need to be held accountable for dealing with customer complaints regarding very legitimate system failures.

This is another complaint about the Tesla suspensions. Commenting in this forum:https://seekingalpha. Com/news/3396557-musk-denies-murdoch-favorite-Tesla-chair *** simon mac, contributor comments2440 | + follow @idaho stoic meanwhile Tesla have redesigned the suspension control arms for the Model S/x with much stronger forged items. My Model S had replacement suspension links on multiple occasions, which in fairness to Tesla were done under the auspices of a TSB and without me bringing it up as a concern to the service department. I also had a lot of work done on the hv junction box (again not raised by me). This seemed to happen not far after the suc fire in norway a little while back, a lot of other Model S owners I know had the same work carried out. The question is are those folks who are skipping the suggested maintenance regime, missing out on a lot of work which is borderline recall, and Tesla are doing stuff that can't be ota'd under the cover of servicing. *** please read this report from an owner and demand that Tesla recall all affected cars to avoid further crashes and loss of life. I am not a Tesla owner. I am a concerned citizen. My full name and contact details are included with this submission.

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.