NHTSA Complaint #11560491 — 2018 TESLA MODEL 3

During the middle of a low speed turn i heard a loud thump and a metallic sound like a coin hitting the pavement. After completing the turn another strange noise followed by a dramatic change to steering of the vehicle - i would steel center but the car wanted to go left into oncoming traffic. I was able to steer hard right into the shoulder before any cars caused a collision and stop the vehicle. Upon inspection it was clear there was a major failure - the lower control arm for the left front wheel was on the asphalt and one of the bolts was missing, the other completely detached from the vehicle but still in the arm. The wheel had shifted considerably from its normal spot. If this had been at any higher speed or on a freeway this could have been a critical issue causing a life threatening accident and at this time my 5 year old daughter was in the car with me. I took photos and had the vehicle towed to the Tesla (maker) service center in Austin for evaluation. I noted later that there was a recall for this exact issue and this model year however they did not apply it to this vin, only a few hundred cars. I suspect there are many other vehicles with the same issue as the tow truck driver stated that he sees this problem all the time, several in the past few weeks which was troubling. I strongly urge a deeper look into this issue that causes the unexpected and sudden failure of the steering system and loss of control of the vehicle.