Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Tesla Model S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Please note that this complaint is about a fatal crash involving a 2014 Tesla Model S but because I do not know the VIN I have used the VIN of a wrecked car in a junkyard. Please also note that I have supplied my full name and contact details in this submission but I have used a dummy USA address to satisfy your website requirements. I have been informed that is OK for a non-Tesla owner and a non-US resident to file a complaint particularly when it is regarding a defect that is a danger to the public. There has been a quadruple fatality crash today in which a Tesla veered into the front of an oncoming semi. …
This is a follow up report on the issue of sudden swerves by Teslas that have often proved fatal. Please note that I have used a random VIN since the VIN of the car in the crash is unknown. Also please not that as a non US resident I have had to use a dummy US address to enable the report. My true contact details are supplied. Here is a video taken by dashcam showing a Tesla ( actual year and model unknown) making a sudden violent swerve to the left and then back to the right and colliding with other vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTk_T4olbws Sudden suspension breakages are happening to all years and models of Telsas. The quality of parts is not good and Tesla does not follow up on the causes of these failures. I beg of you to take action before more tragic crashes occur. They are crashes, not accidents. …
This is a follow up to my last two complaints of sudden swerves that are probably causd by suspension failure. It is in my opinion highly probable that the suspension is likely to snap when brakes are suddenly slammed on hard at speed. This is known as Tesla "Phantom Braking" and you have hundreds of complaints about this on file. This situation is extremely dangerous. Not only might a Tesla that Phantom Brakes be run over by a following truck but if the suspension snaps it can cause the Tesla to veer into the oncoming lane with fatal results. As a precautionary measure I believe you should immediately ban Tesla adaptive cruise control and autopilot because these are the reason that phantom braking occurs. People are getting killed almost daily. Please stop this deadly experiment. Here is a near miss event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTk_T4olbws&lc=UgyIL5XI31XvUg7cg_F4AaABAg
On February 15, 2021, I was driving my Tesla Model S and turned onto a neighborhood road at a speed of approximately 10-15 mph. I just started to accelerate when an extremely loud noise came from the front end of the car, much like an explosion. The vehicle continued to drive, but was noticeably lower in the front. I pulled over and stopped. I was shaken by the noise and could have lost control. Fortunately, I was not driving fast and there were no cars near my vehicle. There was no warning in terms of lights or altered performance prior to the noise just described. After inspecting the bottom of the car and seeing nothing dragging or impeding driving, I returned to my house about a block away. The car was taken to a Tesla dealer and repaired. The "left front strut spring" had broken, according to the Tesla mechanic. …
Our right rear lower control arm broke off at the outer end. The wheel and hub dropped and cambered out away from the vehicle and the vehicle could not be driven. Fortunately this occurred entering our driveway at low speed. The car was taken to Tesla and we believe should have been repaired under service bulletin [redacted] detailing this exact issue. However, they are presenting a bill for about $7000. claiming our VIN is not within this bulletin. We note that our car was purchased in January 2014 but also the bulletin says approximate. We also believe NTSHA has been made aware of this issue but has failed to issue a recall. This is a serious safety issue! At freeway speeds this could have caused a total loss of control and a serious crash in our opinion.
The rear sub-frame mounting point for the rear toe arm failed. Likes like shire metal fatigue. It broke while going 70 MPH on the high way and the car fishtailed almost causing me to crash into the cars next to me. I was able to slow down and pull over. But an in experienced driver would have lost control and crashed. Basically rear drive tire just fell off. Tesla service center has inspected it and found the broke metal mount point. Noting a new sub-frame is needed. No warning lights, and I could probably drive it around all day with no lights or warning, as this was a suspension issue and nothing related to a computer. Even AutoPilot1 continued to work just fine.
While driving, my back wheel fell off. I had the car in for suspension work twice in Q4 2023, and then on March 7, 2024 my back wheel fell off. When speaking with Tesla, they said that this sometimes happens and they have seen this issue before. The also told me that they think it only happens at low speeds, but I have found articles where people were on the highway and their wheel fell off. China has made Tesla do a recall for suspension and wheel issues, why haven't we? I now have had my vehicles suspension worked on at least 4 times, this is dangerous and scary.
This is for 2017 model s, with vin: [VIN], but your form didn't allow it. Front lower right forward control arm, hairline crack in the portion that holds the ball joint to the hub. Can only be visible when taken off car. When discovered early you only hear a small clicking sound in the car when steering in certain angle over a pothole or similar. When allowed to be continued used, crack is expanding in the aluminum control arm and the ball joint is coming loose, further driving fatigues the aluminum arm and breaks it.
Our vehicle has just over 100k miles, and we have had the front control arms replaced twice. Tesla says that we have to keep replacing because it's a safety issue, but refuses to take ownership of the fact that the control arms should not fail this frequently. In China, Tesla is doing recalls for this part and there is a class action lawsuit in the US. However, Tesla has told me that I need to keep replacing this parts because if they fail then the car could crash.
Left rear control arm (Tesla referred to it as Upper Rear suspension link and integral link) broke from the joint causing the wheel to fall off and damage the halfshaft, air spring and bushings. Fortunately I was barely moving at the time of the accident. Had this happened on the freeway I could have been killed. Looking online and at other comments on here this does not appear to be an isolated incident.
NHTSA investigations
Fore Link Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on forty-three complaints alleging failure of the left or right front suspension fore links in Tesla model year (MY) 2015 through 2017 Model S and MY 2016 through 2017 Model X vehicles.
Suspension complaints in other Model S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2014 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA has 90 complaints about the suspension of the 2014 Tesla Model S, 25% of the model year's 366 complaints. The component named most often is rear (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Tesla Model S suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2014 Tesla Model S, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Tesla Model S suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 54% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 29 crashes, 1 fire and 6 injuries and 5 deaths to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.