Suspension Problems of Tesla Model Y - part 1

I am filing this complaint to report a serious safety defect in the Tesla Model Y. On [date], my wife suffered a rear tire blowout at freeway speeds in our Tesla Model Y. Despite regularly checking tire tread depth and relying on Tesla’s built-in tire monitoring systems, the blowout occurred because the inside edges of the rear tires had worn down to exposed cords, while the outside tread still appeared to have ample depth. Tesla service attempted to explain this away as “normal wear and tear” and a need for alignment. However, this is misleading. The Model Y’s rear suspension has built-in negative camber that cannot be adjusted from the factory. Alignments can only adjust toe, not camber, so this design characteristic inevitably causes accelerated inside-edge wear regardless of alignment. More critically, this risk is not disclosed to consumers: it is not explained during the sales process. It is not documented in the owner’s manual. Tesla’s sensors only track pressure, not tread depth, meaning there is no warning system to alert the driver. The average consumer has no way of knowing they must crawl under the car to inspect the inside edges of the tires. To an owner, the tires look safe until catastrophic failure occurs. In addition to the safety hazard, this hidden defect creates a financial burden. Because of the blowout, I was forced to spend $1,200 on new tires unexpectedly. This premature and unforeseen cost compounds the danger by placing families under financial stress along with physical risk. This represents a foreseeable safety hazard that endangers Tesla drivers and passengers. I believe this condition warrants a formal NHTSA safety investigation and potential corrective action (such as a recall, suspension redesign, or mandatory disclosure). Vehicle details: Tesla Model Y mileage at time of incident: 43940 I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter promptly to prevent additional ac.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The 2 bolts on the lower lateral control arm on the front driver side fell off as I was driving. This caused the front wheel to collapse into the wheel well. Two large bolts were on the ground. Car had to be lifted onto tow truck . The car is out of warranty but this is a manufacture defect for the bolts to just fall off. If I had been on the freeway, there would have been a major collision. Luckily I was on a residential street. Tesla needs to do a recall. I looked up this issue and many Tesla owners have the same experience. Please help.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

Two days ago a warning popped up on the Tesla screen saying to schedule service for something the car had detected. It said the car could still be driven. I submitted a service request in the app, and in the meantime researched the error. Per google, it said this was a potential issue with suspension / steering components that needed to be looked at. The next day, a Tesla technician called and asked what my appointment was for. I told him about the error and that I had found it said it was for a suspension or steering issue. He told me I was wrong, and that it was only for low tire pressure. The car did not have low tire pressure. He said the appointment wasn't needed, cancelled the appointment, and told me to drive 30-40 miles to clear the error. Literally 5 hours later, after my wife driving my kids down the freeway, when parking on the street in front go my house the car made a giant pop and the front left sank. We looked under the car and the front drivers side control arm had completely disconnected, popping straight down towards the road. More concerning, two bolts popped out, not broken, but just clearly loose and had finally unscrewed. You will see them on the ground in the pictures. If this had happened 5 minutes earlier while on the freeway I don't want to even think about what might have happened. These cars should be recalled, this is super dangerous. Not to mention the fact that Tesla explicitly canceled my appointment for this and told me not to bring the car in.

I initially brought my car in for a weird clicking noise. This noise went away after the car was towed to the service center. During service at Tesla service center in la on August 04, 2025, technicians identified structural deformation of the left-hand rear subframe toe link mounting side wall. This deformation prevents proper alignment of the suspension bolt and makes a 4-wheel alignment impossible. Tesla refused warranty coverage, claiming “impact damage,” citing only cosmetic wheel rim scrape as evidence. However: 1. Torque paint marks remain intact, proving the bolt has not shifted since factory assembly. 2. No collateral suspension damage (control arms, bushings, underbody) was found, which would normally occur if an impact strong enough to bend a subframe ear had happened. 3. This failure mode is nearly identical to Tesla’s prior recall (21v-835 / 23v-235) on the front suspension lateral link bolts, which involved subframe mounting holes deforming and preventing proper alignment. Safety concern: the subframe is a critical structural component of the suspension system. Deformation at the toe link mounting point risks the following issues: improper suspension geometry, loss of wheel alignment, reduced vehicle stability and tire wear, and potential sudden loss of control in emergency maneuvers. Tesla has declined to repair this under warranty, leaving the defect unresolved. I believe this represents a potential systemic defect in the rear subframe design, similar to the previously acknowledged front subframe defect.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

While driving on the freeway, I heard an unusual noise coming from beneath the battery of my car. Concerned, I drove to a nearby friend's house and parked there, carefully checking my dashboard for any warning signals but finding none. I decided to resume my journey, but as I backed out of the driveway, I heard a sudden noise indicating something had come loose, followed by a crackling sound. Upon inspecting the car, I discovered that the control arm had become detached, the axle had popped out, and two bolts had come off. During the towing process, I noticed that the steering had become extremely tight. To my surprise, I had never received any recall notice from Tesla addressing this issue. Considering that my car is less than two years old, I was deeply disturbed by the situation. This incident has significantly undermined my confidence in the safety of the vehicle, as it highlights a potential manufacturing defect involving defective parts. I regularly use this car to drive my children to their activities, and knowing that this could have led to a catastrophic failure such as tire separation, loss of steering control, or compromised braking capabilities especially on the freeway, is worrying. The car was towed to a dealer and currently in the queue for evaluation by Tesla technicians. I requested detailed service report from irvine service center. There were no warning indicators in the dashboard while I was driving or after the bolts came loose.

According to Tesla service, my two "lateral links" for the front wheels need to be replaced. They sent us photos of the issue and it looks like one of the fasteners for one of the lateral links was missing (1 of two fasteners) if the other fastener failed/fell out the car could easily steer out of control. The problem of the lateral links was confirmed by Tesla servicing. They are repairing it under warranty. It was only been inspected by the manufacturer, Tesla. There were no warning lamps. The only indication was the thumping sound during turns.

Issue: a consistent rattling noise, noticeable while driving at speeds of 10-40 mph over bumpy roads or pot holes.

The vehicle lost steering at 10 mph as a bolt from the front suspension's upper control arm and lateral link fasteners became loose and detached rom the vehicle. The wheel was completely misaligned, and the vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle could not be moved to the side of the road, putting my safety and the safety of other drivers at risk. I fear that this could have been a fatal accident had I been on the highway. This issue has been confirmed by Tesla service center, and they acknowledged that this is a known issue. There were no warning indicators or recall notices sent to warn of this known issue. My vehicle should have been recalled. Tesla is making me pay $3,000 for repairs despite knowing this is a manufacturer defect, and they are continuing to put lives at risk by not issuing a wider recall.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

Tesla lateral link bolts fell out and/or sheared off. The happened on the front driver side of the vehicle. It happened while driving.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to complete a left turn, the contact briefly heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle, after which the steering wheel jerked abnormally. The vehicle quickly returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front-end suspension bushings. The contact was also informed that a bolt on the driver’s side control arm had loosened. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 2 mph, in a parking lot, the message for an alignment was displayed for several seconds before the front driver’s side wheel separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The tow truck driver had difficulties placing the vehicle on the tow truck. Upon inspection, the contact found two loosened bolts had detached and fallen to the ground. The front suspension was also loose. The dealer confirmed that the bolts had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v835000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 36,000.

The bolt that connects the control arm to the vehicle chassis fell out of the care (and was recovered) and the mechanic noted the other bolt was also very loose.

The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving and exceeding 70 mph, the vehicle drifted to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10.

The bolts connecting the front upper control arm and steering knuckle may not have been tightened properly, potentially leading to detachment.   this causes the car to have squeaky, leaking noises when going over bumps and making turns.

Upper and lower control arms failed, and front suspensions bushings became torn. The car did not present any warning lamps or warning messages. The issue became apparent when a loud creaking/squeaking sound started coming from the front of the vehicle, and could be reproduced by turning the steering wheel, or by accelerating or braking. Control arm and suspension failures have been a frequent issue amongst Tesla owners, and the NHTSA should consider a recall for the design flaw.

A suspension rod/bolt fell off my car. When I was making a right hand turn my car began screeching and shaking, I lost control for a second and almost hit another vehicle, luckily I was able to stop my car. I had my car towed to a Tesla service station for repair.

The lower control arm of the passenger front wheel separated from the vehicle entirely while the vehicle was in motion. There are two bolts which attach the bushing to the front sub-frame assembly. These bolts pass through the frame and are secured into nuts which are affixed to the frame. The bolts are not captured; there is no retention device (pins, wiring) which prevent these bolts from backing out of position, other than torque. Blue thread-lock compound was visible on both bolts, which remained present in the bushing after the control arm separated from the frame. When the arm detached from the frame, it dropped to the asphalt and made a loud grinding noise. The passenger side front wheel became directionally unstable and rotated inward and left, out of alignment with the intact driver-side wheel. This misalignment, while the vehicle was in motion, disrupted steering control and forced the passenger front wheel into the fender, causing friction and significant further damage to the frame and the suspension. This damage, combined with the driver's actions, stopped the car immediately. Fortunately, this occurred at low speed. Unfortunately, the cumulative damage left the vehicle immobilized in the middle of public road. Due to the great weight of the vehicle and the unstable front wheel, the vehicle could not be removed from the roadway and thus blocked traffic for several hours. The bolts, frame, and control arm were not visibly damaged. The bolts lost torque and backed out of the frame without noticeable indication that they were doing so. Tesla's characterization of the fault was that the vehicle "ejected" the bolts. Tesla repaired the damage under warranty. Multiple reports of similar (visually identical) events are available: [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving less than 5 mph, upper and lower control arms break off, throwing front driver side body onto front driver side tire. It could’ve been extremely bad if we were driving on the freeway and even caused death.

Steering became difficult to turn to the right with the wheel sticking to the right when trying to turn or drive the vehicle. Tesla claims we had some kind of a large impact. Maybe a pothole. Tesla claims well this is a heavy vehicle. Out of no where we had to replace the entire steering rack. I've never had to replace an entire steering rack for a pothole. Seems ridiculous.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

During va state safety inspection, inspector found “rear upper rear control arm knuckle joints have play. ” and rejected inspection stating serious safety issue. I checked online that Tesla Model Y 2022 has recall for this suspension issue but my VIN is not in it. 21v-912 / sb-21-31-004 recall why is my vehicle excluded from recall? it has the same issue as other Tesla.

After doing multiple search online came across multiple user complaints about new Tesla Model Y juniper 2026 lr awd you can feel vibration from steering wheel at highway speeds it is really specific at 80mph this is not a normal behavior especially vibrations took it to the service center and was told it was the wheels are not balanced properly so they fixed it apparently but is still doing it. I truly believe there is something Tesla knows but is not acknowledging it.

Knocking noise coming from front left tire when turning, accelerating, and reversing. Investigated noise and found a bolt hanging (unscrewed) from control arm/tie rod and another bolt loose and working it's way loose. If this bolt unscrew, I'm positive steering would be lost. See pictures.

Front lower control arm bushings are torn. This was discovered at 32000 miles. Premature failure of suspension parts can create a unsafe driving condition. Currently available for inspection. But will be replaced under warranty as soon as possible.

Took my car into Tesla service center for alignment and they said that I need to change my front lateral link. I asked if it was damaged by anything I did and they said no. At 31k miles this is not normal. They won't cover it under warranty. It's a critical component and can cause a major accident resulting in injury or death.

Two weeks I had my Model Y serviced for shaking of the car and steering wheel. They deemed the cause of the shaking due to unalignment of the wheels and they claimed to have fixed the issue. After receiving the car for the week after it began to make a sound of something hitting every time I made a u turn or any time I turned the wheel. While driving 3/8 with my family in the car I made a u turn in a parking lot and heard the same loud sound of hitting. When I went to check two large approximately 3 inch bolts were on the ground but no nuts in sight and my control arm broke the bottom plate and was completely unattached from the car. Thankfully the bolts came off while in a parking lot and not 20 minutes prior when I was driving on a windy road. Within 24hours Tesla contacted me saying my car was ready for pickup without any explanation of why the bolts came off, no full inspection completed for other issues and no alignment of the tires. Under the Tesla mechanic notes they only reinstalled the bolts and tightened the front wheels and not the back. Upon further research online I have found numerous other people complaining of the same issue of the bolts for the control arm falling off on Model Y and 3 Teslas due to forgetting to weld the bolt nuts to the sub frame.

The two bolts securing the lower lateral link of the front passenger side loosened and dropped out in 14 months of the car ownership, causing the lateral link detached from the subframe of the car. The car makes loud noise when turning, poses danger of suspension failure and possibly loss of control on freeway driving. I have scheduled a service appointment with Tesla service center and see if they can fix it.

Alerts regarding vehicle steering, stability, emergency braking, lane control traction, received all at once and the Tesla ai advisor indicated others were reporting the same. No other vehicles in lanes around us showed up on the vehicle lcd screen as normally they do too. Car did not brake normally (foot off accelerator and no braking) and handling seemed different although we were very cautious. Tried to resolve with screen reboot and multiple drives as ai advisor suggested and it did not self resolve. Contacted Tesla service and they suggested hcu was faulty (hydronic control unit) and abs modulator. Also wanted to look at vehicle low voltage circuit. They scheduled me for a first available $1600 service on Feb 26th (in 9 days). See attached. Seems like a significant safety issue and defect and should be recalled before some gets hurt, especially if others are seeing this too.

My steering is making loud noises and so is the suspension. It’s so loud it’s embarrassing to drive. The steering wheel also came apart because it wasn’t glued down properly and had air bubbles. I see recalls for cars but not my specific VIN. Tesla says no wheel replacement for me and cost of replacing link assembly parts and bolts would cost me 2000$.

My wife was driving her 2023 Model Y with our [xxx] son in it, suddenly she heard a loud sound back to back twice and the car stopped, she couldn’t drive or move the car, she stepped out and saw 2 large bolts on the ground near the front passenger tire and the tired turned inwards and the tire would not turn upon steering and would not move at all. We called Tesla roadside assistance. The tow technician reviewed the situation and said this should not have happened and it is a major issue. If this happened on a freeway it could have been a disaster. He also told us that he has to try to get the bolts back in after removing and breaking some of the adjacent plastic cover on the bottom of the car in order to safely tow the vehicle without additional damage. The car was towed after 2 hrs of breaking adjacent plastic next to where the bolts were supposed to be and trying to get bolts back on to straighten the wheel. Truly shaken, if this happened on a a freeway or when car was fast, it could have been a devastating accident involving life of my child and wife. We are still trying to fathom what happened and why. We will talk to the Tesla service center tomorrow. We found at least one other post on forums similar issue with Tesla. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Upper control arms wear out and start making sounds.

The bolt under the control arms come lose when driving! super scary safety issue has been impacting a lot of Model Y and 3s. This needs to be a recall now.

Front suspension axel system failed two bolts fell off left wheel arm causing me to lose control of vehicle. I was in the vehicle with my children I was driving out my mothers driveway less than 5mph when the incident occurred I do not even want to imagine what could have happened if I was driving the vehicle on a high way or at a high speed. Tesla representatives I have spoke to over the phone have said them selves this is common and I have read multiple articles online this is a safety issue if this happens on a highway this would and could cause fatalities. The vehicle did not prompt any warnings or messages. Prior to this incident occurring I reached out to Tesla because vehicle had been making a clicking noise and the soonest appointment they had available was not until January. The vehicle has been towed to Tesla van nuys CA and two different tow truck companies did not want to be involved so Tesla road side had to do the tow all 3 tow truck drivers agreed this is definitely a safety issue and common issue with Tesla this needs to be recalled.

On [xxx], our 2021 Tesla Model Y had a catastrophic suspension failure while driving in live traffic. The car came to a sudden stop, the front suspension was loose and the vehicle was not drivable. We had the vehicle towed to the nearest testa service center in burlingame, CA. Tesla service center inspected the car and found that the lower lateral links in the front suspension had failed due to two critical suspension bolts falling out. One bolt had completely fallen out and the other had became dangerously loose and was about to fall out. The bolt failures led to a catastrophic failure of the front suspension and the vehicle became undrivable in live traffic. This is a low mileage vehicle with ~29,500 miles and there was no operator error or use that would cause a catastrophic bolt failure in the lower lateral links. Images of the issue from Tesla service center show that the bolts simply fell out after not being sufficiently fastened from the manufacturer. After Tesla service center identified the problem, we researched this issue and found an extremely relevant NHTSA recall for 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles that matches the exact suspension issue that occurred to us (21v-835 / sb-21-31-003 recall). Our Model Y was built in November 2020, which is within the affected date range of this recall, and our issue exactly matches this recall. Tesla service center employees agreed this recall seemed relevant and investigated. After a couple of days, Tesla service center contacted us and claimed that while the our catastrophic suspension issue looked very similar to the recall issue mentioned above, our specific VIN was not listed in the recall. Therefore, Tesla service center refused to repair the failure under warranty or recall and we were stuck with massive repair bill to fix a clear manufacturer defect that is already known and has been recalled. We are not sure why our VIN was not captured in recall, but have been affected by the same dangerous issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (.

Driver side control arm while driving separated. I heard a loud thump and then the front driver side portion of the vehicle drop down. After further investigation, I have seen numerous vehicles have this exact same issue on multiple forums. I’m glad that I was going slow when this happened because it could’ve been catastrophic if I would’ve been going faster. How is this not a recall?.

The lower lateral link got disconnected from front suspension. Bolt wasn’t tightened to spec originally.