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). I replaced these tires on March 1st 2025 which is only 2 1/2 months since I replaced it. It was an indication that something is wrong so I make another appointment with Tesla to check it and get another alignment I dropped off car on June 3rd. Tesla tried to perform another alignment to find that they are not able to because the steering gear assembly needs to be replaced. I asked for clarification because I just fixed the steering components in April and they are now wanting $4900 for the steering gear assembly. As I was researching, I find that my model x was produced on May 2016 and there is a recall for Model x produced before Oct 2016 for the steering bolt and steering components if they are damaged. When I tell tesla that there is a recall they say that my vin is not associated with the recall. I am filing a complaint because my car is with in the period of vehicles produces in the recall. There is a huge safety issue if the steering bolt and steering gear assembly is malfunctioning. There were no warning lamps or messages to indicate this. This has put my family and other vehicles at risk and Tesla is aware of this problem but won't honor the recall or admit that the steering issue are all related.

NHTSA ID

11667556

Incident

Mar 15, 2025

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 shearing of the aluminum bushing on the control arm. I would like to make sure these failures do not continue with Tesla and people's lives are not at risk and thus this report. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11661421

Incident

May 11, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11651182

Incident

Mar 27, 2025

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

NHTSA ID

11645648

Incident

Feb 21, 2025

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 was not properly installed. I went to Tesla, but they said there were no issues. The fact is that my tires have been worn quickly than normal and we can hear the squeaky noise from the suspensions when turning. My friend has the same issues with his tesla. This is also a defect that Tesla needs to repair it. WiFi: My Tesla cannot connect to WiFi for all of those years for updates. I have asked Tesla to help but they cannot connect to it either. This is a defect that they cannot fix which cause my car not being able to update it automatically.

NHTSA ID

11623222

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11608596

Incident

Aug 14, 2024

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 occurred at any other time (higher speeds, heavier traffic), the danger to life would have been catastrophic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem is evident in the broken component dangling from the under side of the vehicle. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The Tesla Service Center - Salem has inspected the issue and stated that they do not have the capability of fixing the issue and that the issue is due to a collision. My Insurance has assessed the issue and determined they will not cover the issue as there was no collision involved in the damage. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms prior to the suspension failure.

NHTSA ID

11605987

Incident

Jul 12, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11588949

Incident

May 6, 2024

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 contact parked the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the Tesla Service Center, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ID

11583309

Incident

Feb 28, 2024

Mileage

66,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11579425

Incident

Nov 28, 2022

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

NHTSA ID

11577325

Incident

Mar 14, 2024

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

NHTSA ID

11565500

Incident

Oct 12, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11562357

Incident

Jul 16, 2023

Mileage

93,000 mi

Left front lower control arm broke when parking.

NHTSA ID

11551108

Incident

Oct 20, 2023

Aluminum lower control arms break under normal driving conditions

NHTSA ID

11551107

Incident

Oct 20, 2023

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

NHTSA ID

11522444

Incident

May 11, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11517670

Incident

Nov 30, 2016

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.

NHTSA ID

11517259

Incident

Dec 20, 2021

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 & checked for service notes of which there were none. The car drove fine, so I thought the note would clear it itself but it didn’t. I found some info on a blog & followed a tip on doing a reset which initially worked, but the alert popped up again. The car started bobbing violently. The car is at the service center now. When I checked in the gentleman helping me reviewed the cars notes & got an odd, concerning look on his face but only said he hoped the car would be done later today. When I got home I did a google search on 2016 Tesla Model X suspension issues, & found articles indicating Tesla had issued a recall in China but refused to do so in the US, & that the NHTSA was investigating the issue at the time the article was written, which has prompted me to file this complaint.

NHTSA ID

11512222

Incident

Feb 20, 2023

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 (opened on Nov 22, 2020) and a Tesla service repair bulletin (Feb 10, 2017) that was issued regarding this problem. Please make this a safety recall as it poses a significant safety hazard that can easily cause car accidents, harming people. Lives are at risk if this problem is allowed to continue without a safety recall.

NHTSA ID

11509211

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

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 you to find out.

NHTSA ID

11502496

Incident

Dec 31, 2022

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 have been stranded. And begged a lot of what if’s… The car had just been serviced by Tesla on 11/14/22-11/18/22. Invoice attached. Tesla replaced bolts in steering rack housing when I brought it in for a windshield replacement? Bottom line though this is too critical a failure during such a basic, low speed operation to be safe. I cannot trust that the fore link assembly won’t fail in future in same or different wheel. It felt like the car broke its own leg by merely taking a slow step forward. This should not be permissible. Thank you for your work.

NHTSA ID

11500041

Incident

Jan 3, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11497904

Incident

Dec 8, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11494287

Incident

Jun 3, 2019

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.

NHTSA ID

11493706

Incident

Jul 12, 2022

Mileage

42,000 mi