Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Tesla Model X owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The rear suspension has design problem that even within the alignment spec and normal driving conditions, the inner side of the rear tires are wearing off in an astonishing speed. This is s a known issue to all customers. Just in my personal case, the inner side of the rear tire wear off to thread within about 5000 miles driving and began leaking. This has extremely serious potential danger in local and highway driving situations. Since the normal car maintenance work hardly could take it nner side tire data. Very high percentage of drivers are driving the car with danger now on the road without any knowledge and preparness for the danger. This put not only the Tesla MX driver in danger, but also everyone around the vehicle, which leads this to a imminent public safety issue. …
When the car turns or goes over bumps, there is a creaking and squeaking sound. TONS of Tesla owners have reported this and it has to do with faulty control arms and boots/ball joints. A good amount of people are experiencing this AFTER their warranties have expired causing us all to have to pay for something that should be covered by a warranty. Engineers have apparently determined that "After numerous evaluations, the development team determined that the Tesla control arm had been designed with insufficient moisture protection. Rain drains directly from the windscreen onto the control arm and penetrates the ball joint, which ultimately leads to the unwelcome, irritating squeaking sound and, in rare cases, can compromise steering precision." …
Tesla has a repair bulletin out for the half shafts of the Model X/S. There is significant stuttering/shuddering when accelerating moderately when the vehicle is in normal ride height or higher. Some folks experience it on the lower settings as well. This is a known issue that owners should not be responsible for payment/fix wise even if our of warranty as it's a manufacturer defect that causes excessive wear on the tires in low, and on the CV boots and half shafts in normal ride height mode and higher when moderately accelerating. Out of warranty Tesla is still forcing owners to pay $97.50 for the assessment and $350 for the half shafts repair. This is NOT fair to the customers. Paying for a manufacturer defect is unacceptable for consumers and I entreat NHTSA to begin an investigation. Plenty of Tesla forums have this complain noted at length. …
In 2021, we replaced the suspension air compressor for our 2018 Tesla Model X 75D. Again, only about 8 months later in March 2022, we replaced the suspension air compressor for our Model X. And again in December 2022, we received an alert that the suspension air compressor was disabled. This alert did turn off. However, we started hearing the same noise we had heard back in early 2022. At this point, the suspension air compressor has again failed. Tesla has told us that they consider the suspension air compressor a safety component. However, they do not seem to have resolved their design flaw that is causing it to fail in an unreasonably short period of time. After some research, it appears to be a common understanding that suspension air compressors should last at least 6 to 10 years. And in communicating with people I know, that time frame is their experience on vehicles.
Initially I noticed an issue with notchy steering, which is typically caused by faulty u-joints in the steering column. I took the vehicle in for service on 2/14/23, and the service center confirmed the issue and replaced the lower steering column. Almost immediately after picking up the vehicle from service, I noticed a loud creaking sound coming from the suspension when the steering wheel was turned. I brought the vehicle back to the service center on 3/29/23, where it was found that both upper control arms were "frozen" and required replacement, the lower aft links had play in them, and the lower fore links had cracked bushings. All front control arms were replaced. Luckily all work was covered for me under warranty, but the vehicle is less than 5 years old and has been driven less than 60,000 miles.
Tesla Model X has a camber issue that is a design flaw base on its weight and torque, The camber on Model X is fixed and non adjustable. Its setting cause most of the Model x to wear excessively on the inner wall of the tires. Consumer can not visually see the wear section unless the tires are dismounted. This hidden flaw may cause drive to have a blown tire if not check regularly, it also cause owner to get brand new tires when its 1/3 of tire warranty life. This can be easy fix by recall all Model x and switch out a camber that's adjusted to the right weight and Torque or switch it out with a adjustable camber for service center to be able to adjust the camber to make the tire wear out evenly
The suspension is very loud, and sounds like it is going to break. A Tesla technician who was fixing another issue indicated that it is the Upper Control Arm, which seems to be a constant issue with this car. While we did schedule this to be fixed (for next week - they have estimated the cost of repair is over $1000), I fear that it could be a significant safety issue if there were a failure of the upper control arms. No warning light or any other type of warning occurred, which could lead others to not know they need to get this fixed. Tesla has issued a recall in China for this issue.
I was driving down the road and my car started shaking, I was about 5 or 6 miles from an exit so continued and within 1 mile a rod broke and fell on top of my tire causing me to catastrophically have to stop n swerve off the road in 5 o'clock traffic. I just purchased this car 3 months ago, no issues just happend all of sudden. There are reports of weak suspension parts for tesla specifically the model x and y. The suspension parts need to be recalled. I was VERY lucky to not have collided with another car and potentially causing a fatality.
When driving in the high setting in there is an abrupt, shaking and vibrating coming from the half shaft connected to front drive unit. Caused by the forces put from the drive unit. There has been 100s of report to Tesla so much so if they have created a dedicated service bulletin. There is a potential risk of catastrophic malfunction to occur if enough wear is put on the front half shaft. Tesla is reluctant to fix it due to its high complexity and cost but several service advisors have admitted it can become a safety concern.
During a recent inspection, the Tesla service center (at Los Gatos) informed me that my Model X is missing a suspension bolt, and they stated they do not now why and how it's missing. It is a serious safety hazard, as it may affect handling, stability, and safety. They asked me to get it fixed before driving it. They told me that it's not covered by warranty or insurance, but couldn't explain why this happened.
Suspension complaints in other Model X years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2018 Tesla Model X?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the suspension of the 2018 Tesla Model X, 19% of the model year's 193 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Tesla Model X suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2018 Tesla Model X, 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 2018 Tesla Model X suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 18,000 miles, and 88% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries 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.