2016 TESLA MODEL X Suspension Problems

In March of 2025, my steering of the model X became really stiff. As time went on, the problem became worse and no longer able to turn left or right without major force. I made an appointment with Tesla and took it in for servicing. At this time they changed the steering bolts and steering shaft April 23, 2025. This cost $489.70 (I will attach invoice). As soon as I picked up the vehicle my steering wheel was about 30% stuck to the right. I immediately sent a picture to tesla for them to conduct an alignment and fix the issue. They fixed the issue but around May 15th, I had a nail in my tire so I took my car in to fix it. At that time I find out that the tires on my car were exposed to the wire (I will add the picture of the tires)....

Sudden and catastrophic shearing of the driver side rear suspension arm (control arm). My understanding is all these cars from Tesla have aluminum suspension arms which causes identical and catastrophic failure of the vehicle during driving due to choice of Aluminum instead of stainless steel(SS). Aluminum has an ultimate tensile strength of only 90 MPa while SS can exceed 500 MPa. Since my car got disabled completely (motor gets disconnected from the wheel) I almost lost my life with vehicles coming at high speed from behind. I saw the same control arm failures with Tesla cars including S and 3 and X (like mine) all over the world. Here is an example of a very similar failure to mine on a model 3 in Norway : [XXX] The failure is so similar that even the wheel tilted inwards to the wheel bay just in my case due to the clean...

I was parking my car at home when all of a sudden there was a violent/sudden drop in the front of my car. I initially thought I got a flat tire, but when I took a look the entire front suspension was shot and dropped as low as possible. The Model X feels and is very unsafe to drive and has a grainding sound like the car is about to fall a part.

Wheel tilted in when backing out of driveway turning due to control arm failure

Steering Stuck: It happened several times that the steering wheel completely locked up while driving on the road. Today it happened again. It does not move, cannot turn left or right. I was in the middle of the road, the only thing I could do was to back up. I had to stop in the middle of the road and reboot the car. Luckily the cars behind me were able to stop before crashing into me. In May 2024, I addressed the same issues, but it happened again. I think it is their defect which I have serious concerns for my safety. I heard other people also experienced the same as mine. I believe this is the defect which will cause the danger of drivers. Suspension and tires: I went to several tires shops every year and they all told me that my tires have been worn quickly because alignment...

subframe bolt was broken off without external impact, caused loud noise when driving, and potential safety concern. I suspect the bolt has proper quality control. One year ago, the front suspension(fucas) has to be replaced due to strange noise at low speed.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Rear driver's side control arm failure during slow left-hand turn (~20 mph) from one road to another. A "clunk" noise was heard from underneath the car, like that of a rock striking the vehicle, and then the vehicle reported several errors regarding drive unit failure, brake failure, and stability failure. The vehicle automatically shifted to "P" and would not move. Upon exiting the vehicle, the rear tire was tilted in at a 45 degree angle and the control arm was broken open and a 1.25 inch piece of the control arm was on the road. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The suspension failed at low speed (~20 mph) and in little to no traffic, with no option to move the vehicle to a safer area. Had the failure...

Squeaking noise on the passenger rear side was noticeable when I am hitting the breaks then a thump sound as if I landed on some big pothole occurred. So I drove as slow as I can until we reach home. I inspected the vehicle and to my surprise the control arm had torn and the tires were hanging loose.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal squeaky and clunking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center, where the front driver's side and the passenger's side front upper control arms links and bushings were replaced, and the four-wheel alignment was performed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was significantly resistant. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center, where the intermediate lower steering column shaft was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became significantly loose, causing the contact to lose steering control. Additionally, the wheels failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was perpendicular to oncoming traffic at the time of the failure. The...

Car tends to brake in autopilot without having any car in front causing jolt feeling and dangerous scenario for vehicles behind. Suspension work like upper control, half shafts, ball joints, toe and struts been replaced 5 times. One time entire wheel came off.

Front suspension creaking and groaning with zero reason. Upperand lower links bad Rear tires blew out because of severe wear on inner edge while the rest of the tire had 80% tread left bad camber caused uneven wear

My Tesla Model X had the "famous" suspension problem that Tesla refused to acknowledge but cost me thousands to repair the defect.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving down the driveway, the front suspension system failed rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local service center who diagnosed that the front suspension was faulty and needed to be replaced. The suspension system was replaced, and the vehicle was fixed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Aluminum lower control arms break under normal driving conditions

Left front lower control arm broke when parking.

Hello! The front fore links have failed in my vehicle which are a known issue in Tesla Model X's manufactured in 2016. I want to report this to add to the number of complaints

The suspension (the front half shaft) has repeatedly failed and has been replaced multiple times by Tesla. First it was replaced under warranty and now we are paying for it as it is no longer covered under the warranty. The part failure is a safety concern as it has lead to unstable handling, nearly resulting in a crash several times. The parts have always been discarded by Tesla but a full explanation of the problem is here: https://n2itive.me/ No warning lamps or messages appear as it happens every time you accelerate, and sometimes the vibrations are so severe that it affects the handling of the vehicle severely.

The control arm joints of the Model X started to squeak under warranty. Under warranty, they "Reseal Area Around Both Front Upper Control Arm Ball Joints With Urethane (Model X)" which they knew didn't fix the problem from looking Tesla forum. It just masks the problem for another 1-2 years and when the car is out of warranty, they now offer a fix which is to replace the entire control arm joint which is around $1k per side. There is a known issue with Model X suspension. It looks like other models have had a recall for similar issues.

In Sept of 2022 I took my car to a Tesla Svc Ctr due to the ceiling panel had dislodged. Although there was a recall for this of which I was not notified of but found on my own, I had to argue with the young woman who checked me in. She denied that a recall existed. I had to show her the notice from Teslas own website before she conceded. I later received a note letting me know I needed front tires which wasn’t unexpected but the next day, I received a new invoice with a note stating I also needed fed & aft links adding $1k to the bill. I didn't find a recall but DID find an applicable Service Bulletin but got no response when I asked about it. Flash fwd: 2-3 weeks ago I started got a, “air compression suspension disabled”. I saw no other alerts...

I had a failure of the front right suspension fore link assembly on Feb 22, 2023. This occurred while driving at highway speeds. There was no pothole or traumatic impact to the vehicle that could have caused this failure. This resulted in misalignment of the front passenger tire, as it was off-center and made impact against the wheel arch liner. It was difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, which is a significant safety hazard. I was stranded on the roadside for several hours since the vehicle was not drivable. A tow truck had to bring my vehicle to the nearest Tesla Service Center, which confirmed the failure of the front suspension fore link assembly. This is already a well known problem that NHTSA is aware of, with over 40 complaints of the same issue filed with increasing frequency over the past year. There is an active investigation by NHTSA...

I am making this complaint in the public interest The car I am complaining about is mangled and burned and the VIN is unavailable so I have used a dummy VIN to file this complaint. This car has just shown up in the wreckers yard. https://www.copart.com/lot/68650122/2016-tesla-model-x-ca-van-nuys It is almost certain that the occupants have been severely injured or killed. 2016 model Teslas are notorious for suspension breakages. The front RH tire has a deep gouge over the entire circumference. This is proof that the suspension failed and gouged the tire BEFORE the crash and therefore actually caused the crash. Image of the gouged tire is attached. You have hundreds of valid complaints filed for these Teslas. How many more have to die before you take action? Please note that details of the crash such as date and number of injuries are not precisely known but it will be easy for...

While pulling forward to straighten out car into parking/charging spot at less than 1mph at EVGo charger in front of Meijer store the front passenger wheel made loud clunk and would not move. Another motorist charging said he heard it and offered to help. I called Tesla roadside from car’s service screen and waited over half hour before being disconnected. The Tesla App provides NO applicable options for this scenario to report. I then called my extended warranty (X-care) roadside and after almost 4 hours obtained a tow to Tesla Service in Clarkston. Tesla now diagnosed that the FORE LINK ASSY, 1.00 RH(1041575-00-B) WASHER, NORDLOCK, 1.00 15.2X30.7X3.4(1033093- 00-A) NUT HF M14X1.50 [10] 1.00 ZNNI NL INSERT(1004358-00-C) need to be replaced. $400 parts and labor. Invoice attached. This luckily occurred with only me in the car, on 40 degree day and at the charger…I was nearly out of charge. I would...

Significant creaking/squeaking of front suspension when driven st lower speeds, turning, and going over speed bumps. There are hundreds of other drivers complaining of the same for 2016-2018 model years on the Tesla forums. I have no idea if my suspension will fail, and am waiting on an appointment with Tesla. My vehicle is available for inspection should you deem it necessary. There were no warning signs at all, it just started happening on December 8, 2022 and has stayed consistent since then.

In a parking lot when going over a speed bump air suspension failed causing the car to become lower in the front and frequently rubbing against uneven ground. In Tesla model S and X vehicles sent to China, there has been a recall of approximately 30,000 vehicle recalls of these models of Tesla vehicles for faulty air suspension.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model-X. The contact stated while reversing, the contact noticed that the front driver’s side of the vehicle inadvertently lowered, and an abnormal sound was heard coming from the vehicle. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front driver’s side wheel was resting on the inner wheel well liner. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the front driver’s and passenger’s side suspension fore-link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and authorized the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 42,000.

Drivers Front fore link cracked. Suspension failure at speed Tesla TSB over this issue that says to replace parts. Tesla TSB SB-17-31-001 Tesla stated this doesn’t apply to my vehicle even though it clearly does.

The passenger front tire suspension makes a cracking sound on low speed. We brought our car to the local service center for repair twice over the past year (spent $5000), and the noise is still there. Tesla had a recall on this issue: https://cdn.motor1.com/pdf-files/sb-21-39-001-replace-front-drive-unit-halfshafts.pdf but they told me that my vehicle was not included, even though my vehicle was made during the time period that should be covered by the recall.

It appears that the front air spring module fails pretty easily and causes increased stopping distance. On my vehicle, this failed at less than 38k miles (left), and at less than 50k miles (right). Both times it required full replacement of the "Air Spring Module". While I expect this to happen eventually, both of them occurred on a fairly low mileage vehicle.

When I went to back out of parking place, I head something rubbing and car shuddered. Discovered when turning right the behavior would manifest. Drove across parking lot to tire shop. Discovered that the control arm fork had broken. Needed to have towed to Tesla service, at my expense as I was "out of the service area." Discovered there is a service bulletin, but no recall on this part? I am forced to cover repair expense, when their bulletin acknowledges the part is not up to "Tesla standards." Service claimed it was a "wear part," which could be true for bushings and connectors, not a physical piece of metal that started to rub the inside of my tire. I am told that they cover this in China, not in the US? Also, they apparently have internal memos on how to deal with customers over the issue. Currently I have been...

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal creaking sound coming from the front suspension of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The contact indicated that the sound was caused by insufficient lubrication of the suspension ball joint and socket during manufacturing of the vehicle and the manufacturer was aware of the issue. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The air suspension system has failed multiple times and Tesla has been unable to correct with a permanent solution. I have read that this is a known issue with this make and model and wanted to report as it could be a large safety concern.

Lower forelink cracked cleanly at the balljoint luckily I was going slow or could have lost control of the car. The break was clean and looks like it was just undersized for the weight. When I had it repaired at Tesla they replaced all 4 lower Fore arms 2 on each side even though nothing was wrong with the passenger front, which leads me to believe they also realize this is a saftey issue due to a substandard part.

Vehicle has a rattling noise in front suspension when on uneven surfaces, causing concern for my and passenger safety.

Reversing my car into a parking spot at low speed, I heard a loud pop noise from front driver side and the steering became hard to turn. Attempting to turn the wheel and backing up so I am not in the way of other cars resulted in a grinding noise and popping noises. Drove the car forward so I am in an empty part of the parking lot. This lead to more loud popping noises and grinding sounds. Once I was in a safe area, noticed that the entire front driver side wheel was shifted backward and was not centered in the wheel well. While parked, I could move the driver side wheel back and forth with my hand without too much pressure. The same was not the case for the passenger side front wheel. Pictures added showing two extreme positions of the wheel in the wheel well.

The lower A pillar on the driver side front wheel just shattered. I was driving 1 mph and hit nothing. Had this of happened anywhere else the car would have flipped. Tesla is also “forcing” me to replace the other side since these old parts are dangerous. This was the recall done in China. Part is the Fore Link Assembly

Driving the vehicle in a parking lot and at low speed turning the wheel, heard a loud pop and the front drivers side wheel starting hitting the wheel well. No warning signs or lights came on. After looking under the car a control arm snapped, I am very surprised this could happen at normal use at low speeds. If I was at high speed it could have been extremely dangerous. The car was towed to the Tesla service center on Raleigh, NC where it is currently awaiting repair.

I was experiencing very loud noises from the suspension and/or steering while driving and turning. The tires were also wearing excessive and very unevenly. Within 500 miles, the tires went from 2/32nds to completely bald with no signs of tread at all and very chopped. I took the vehicle to Tesla for inspection. They came back with a repair order for $6,171 for suspension parts such as fore link assy for L and R, front suspension aft link, right rear upper link, air spring module L and R, sway bar link L and R and other misc repairs. I found that there were many complaints online for some of these components. Tesla offered no explanation why a garage kept vehicle with only 54k miles would have so many severe suspension issues and did not offer to cover any of the repairs even though the vehicle is just out of full...

MCU computer has failed multiple times, including one time, middle of a very hot summer day, turning on high heat and rolling up windows, until computer rebooted (seemed like forever), while on the freeway. Tesla later notified us of a recall of the MCU, but repeatedly denied our claim, even though they admitted the MCU was the culprit, "just 'cause". The steering is greatly affected by front motor and its half-shafts. Had repaired right before warranty expired, but the problem remained. Tesla techs all warned us that it would happen again, which it did shortly after, and Tesla refused to repair it again, except to replace the failed components with identical components, all at our cost (thousands of dollars). Tesla techs said that the problem was a notoriously bad design of the half-shafts. They said it was fixed in newer front drive units, but that our only option was to...

Driving in a residential area I was unable to complete a left hand turn (less than 10mph). I bumped the curb and ended up with the right tire knocked off of its suspension. Upon inspection one of the links was broken. The car came to an immediate stop and I could not steer it. In the drive leading up to the turn which I could not complete all left hand turns were difficult. Tesla offered no assistance since it was out of warranty and I was forced to have it towed to the nearest tesla certified body shop. The tires are completely inflated still- so even bumping the curb was not hard enough to damage the tires

My car failed state inspection: "Ball Joint on Right Front Lower Control Arm has excessive play. Part# 1048951-00-B" This is the THIRD such part that need replacement since I have owned the vehicle (four+ years). The replacement solution was a different part, which was not compatible with the second existing Ball Joint (replaced in 2018, approximate) for the passenger side of the vehicle. Therefore, the second ball joint (which was functional) was replaced to facilitate alignment of the wheel. Therefore, I paid DOUBLE the cost to mitigate the issue. While waiting for repair service, at least two or possibly three other Tesla owners appeared for repair of the same type of issue. The concern is that the parts used in assembly were defective.

Front lower fore links. Catastrophic failure while navigating a parking lot. Was told this just happens and that they just break... This vehicle only has 14000 miles. It was not available for inspection, despite receiving recent service. There were no indications of any kind that this kind of failure could occur or might occur. The car would come to an abrupt stop and halt. I have a major concern that it could have caused serious injury at any kind of speed. Video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L9kSAakQmkkFVts8TIaKvAedru3I7wgf/view?usp=drivesdk

I was leaving my gym parking lot, backing out of my parking space. I tried to turn my car and I heard a scraping noise, and the car was difficult to turn. I was able to make it the half a block to Tesla. (In the past I had this scraping noise/issue before and the car was serviced in Jan 2019 when a Tech rode with me to hear the scraping noise I was complaining about, and again in March 2021. At that time Tesla stated the issue was tire related and the tires were checked with no issues observed.) On July 30, 2021 my car was entered into service at Tesla Service Center- 6701 Amador Plaza Rd., Dublin, Ca. 94568 at 8:30am. I let Tesla know I was moving out of state August 8th, 2021. From 7/30- 8/16 Tesla would set a pickup date and then call me to...

While driving straight at about 30mph on the parkway, the connecting rods for the front left wheel suddenly failed. This caused a dangerous grinding of the front left wheel against the wheel well, damaging the tire and wheel well, while pulling dangerously to the left. The car was not drivable after the failure. The car had about 60,000 miles.

A suspension arm (Tesla called it a 'front left fore link') broke on February 2nd, 2021. I was drive about 5 MPH in a straight line to stop at a lighted intersection. There was not any undue strain. The car had less than 34K miles at the time. Towed the vehicle to Tesla and paid $2269 for the repair plus $100 to tow. Now the car wobbles (some call it 'whompy wheel') at low speeds (under 30 MPH). Have an appointment to diagnose on August 6, 2021. Tesla wants $210 to diagnose.

While driving slowly, making parking maneuvers, I heard a clunk sound from the right front wheel. Afterwards, sometimes when I turned right, I can hear screeching sounds. After bringing the vehicle to the Dublin, CA Tesla Service Center, the initial inspection revealed a broken control arm. Repairs call for the replacement of both right and left FORE control arms. The repair estimate is attached below.

While backing into driveway at low speed (<5mph), I turned the wheel sharply and heard loud clunk from front end followed by large noise of dragging. Exited car to see that front drivers side suspension was broken and dragging on top of wheel rendering car undrivable. Could have resulted in serious loss of control had it occurred at higher speed. Called Tesla service who dispatched tow truck. Paid $450 to tow to nearest Tesla Service Center where they diagnosed failed lower fore link control arm. Per Tesla service bulletin SB-17-31-001 this is a known defect where the installed part did not meet Tesla specs. Vehicle has under 28K miles, but was charged >$1100 for out of warranty repair. Seems bizarre that they acknowledged a defective part since 2017 but never replaced during any service visits and now will not replace because vehicle is out of warranty. Seems to be a...

The front left suspension fore link failed, making the car undrivable. We were leaving our driveway at low speed, and the wheel collapsed, dragging against the skirt and creating loud noises and lurching. The steering wheel could not be turned. No collision or other unusual force applied. Car at 36k miles. Tesla repaired, confirmed there was no collision. They said they replaced with an updated part indicating to us the original post is inadequate for safe driving. Since out of warranty we paid the $900+ to replace the inadequate part out of pocket.

CAR LOST CONTROL AT LOW SPEED ON CITY STREET GOING STRAIGHT AFTER HEARING CREAKING (UNDER 35MPH) THEREFORE MAKING ME RUN INTO CURB. THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO TIRE AS I SAW IT DAMAGED, BUT TESLA SERVICE CENTER SAID THE CONTROL ARM IS BROKEN ALSO LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THE CONTROL ARM BROKE LEADING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR AND CAUSING DAMAGE TO OTHER VEHICLE PARTS.

FAULTY FRONT SUSPENSION. FRONT SUSPENSION FORE LINK FAILURE. VEHICLE CREATES FRONT SUSPENSION SQUEAKING NOISE WHILE DRIVING OR SMALL MOVEMENTS IN THE VEHICLE.

ENTERING THE INTERSECTION FROM A FOUR WAY STOP, THE DRIVER SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE WHEN BRAKE APPLIED FIRMLY AT ABOUT 10 MPH WHILE TURNING LEFT. THE VEHICLE MADE A FEW CREAKING SOUNDS WHEN PARKING FOR TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE TOTAL FAILURE. AFTER FAILURE DRIVER SIDE FRONT WHEEL MOVED FORWARD AND AFT WHEN VEHICLE WAS MOVED AND THE TIRE IMPACTED THE FENDER LINER AND RIPPED THE REAR HALF OUT.