Another front suspension control arm failure

[David.85D]

I hadn’t noticed before, but my SC sold me 6006664-00-C for my P85D.

I also emailed Mevotech about their new line of control arms (they offer one for most Teslas) and the tech guy responded they are all the same so they just use one part number for all…

Leaving me quite torn.,,

 

[chel]

View attachment 326925
View attachment 326930
Today, 130.9K miles. 2012 Model S...
Feedback welcome!

Same thing just happened to me.
Fortunately at a relatively low speed, around 55 kmph (34 mph), close to collide with oncoming traffic as my car swerved to the left when the control arm broke, but luckily I was able to avoid it.

I have been working with cars for some 50 years now and I have never seen such an under-dimensioned joint on a lower control arm, considering the vehicle weight and performance and a very high torque hitting this control arm and specifically the joint, both at acceleration and braking, not to mention the side-ways forces, when cornering at high speed.

The broken joint is also showing severe corrosion and I can see from the broken part that there is one old crack (severly corroded) and one fresh crack (see attached photos). What is really strange here is the fact that the control arm itself is almost over-dimensioned (which is absolutely preferable!), it is the joint connecting the control arm to the hub that is severly under-dimensioned. So, somewhere in the design-calculations there must have been an error.

All-in-all I was very pleased with my Tesla and I think that Elon and all the people working for him have initiated a fantastic world-wide and long-awaited transition to electric powered transportation, I can only congratulate you as a nation having this amazing progress in this area, -really game-changing!

But of course; this incident have broken some of my trust for both the vehicle and also for how Tesla Motors have handled this topic as those vehicles should of course have been recalled, having the suspensions upgraded to a safe and reliable design. This design flaw is potentially life-threatening.

My car was manufactured in August 2016 and has now run a little over 140 000 km (87 000 miles).

Now, when searching, I have found a Service Bulletin (SB-19-31-001) regarding this topic but as I understand no recalls have been done, at least not here in Sweden.

I hope I was able to make myself understood here, as english is not my natural language


Best Regards
Crister Helin, Uddevalla, Sweden

 

[aerodyne]

Same thing just happened to me.
Fortunately at a relatively low speed, around 55 kmph (34 mph), close to collide with oncoming traffic as my car swerved to the left when the control arm broke, but luckily I was able to avoid it.

I have been working with cars for some 50 years now and I have never seen such an under-dimensioned joint on a lower control arm, considering the vehicle weight and performance and a very high torque hitting this control arm and specifically the joint, both at acceleration and braking, not to mention the side-ways forces, when cornering at high speed.

The broken joint is also showing severe corrosion and I can see from the broken part that there is one old crack (severly corroded) and one fresh crack (see attached photos). What is really strange here is the fact that the control arm itself is almost over-dimensioned (which is absolutely preferable!), it is the joint connecting the control arm to the hub that is severly under-dimensioned. So, somewhere in the design-calculations there must have been an error.

All-in-all I was very pleased with my Tesla and I think that Elon and all the people working for him have initiated a fantastic world-wide and long-awaited transition to electric powered transportation, I can only congratulate you as a nation having this amazing progress in this area, -really game-changing!

But of course; this incident have broken some of my trust for both the vehicle and also for how Tesla Motors have handled this topic as those vehicles should of course have been recalled, having the suspensions upgraded to a safe and reliable design. This design flaw is potentially life-threatening.

My car was manufactured in August 2016 and has now run a little over 140 000 km (87 000 miles).

Now, when searching, I have found a Service Bulletin (SB-19-31-001) regarding this topic but as I understand no recalls have been done, at least not here in Sweden.

I hope I was able to make myself understood here, as english is not my natural language


Best Regards
Crister Helin, Uddevalla, Sweden

100% understood. Stress corrosion cracking due to paper thin lug and forging plane in the wrong direction. In metals, this is called short transverse, and stress allowed is maybe 1/10 of what it is in the long direction.

As the song goes, "it never rains in California"

When you look and see the poor drainage and lack of corrosion protection and laughable joins of dissimilar metals ( ground studs ) is a wonder why there are not more problems. Perhaps because many cars stay in the SW USA.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Same thing just happened to me.
Fortunately at a relatively low speed, around 55 kmph (34 mph), close to collide with oncoming traffic as my car swerved to the left when the control arm broke, but luckily I was able to avoid it.

I have been working with cars for some 50 years now and I have never seen such an under-dimensioned joint on a lower control arm, considering the vehicle weight and performance and a very high torque hitting this control arm and specifically the joint, both at acceleration and braking, not to mention the side-ways forces, when cornering at high speed.

The broken joint is also showing severe corrosion and I can see from the broken part that there is one old crack (severly corroded) and one fresh crack (see attached photos). What is really strange here is the fact that the control arm itself is almost over-dimensioned (which is absolutely preferable!), it is the joint connecting the control arm to the hub that is severly under-dimensioned. So, somewhere in the design-calculations there must have been an error.

All-in-all I was very pleased with my Tesla and I think that Elon and all the people working for him have initiated a fantastic world-wide and long-awaited transition to electric powered transportation, I can only congratulate you as a nation having this amazing progress in this area, -really game-changing!

But of course; this incident have broken some of my trust for both the vehicle and also for how Tesla Motors have handled this topic as those vehicles should of course have been recalled, having the suspensions upgraded to a safe and reliable design. This design flaw is potentially life-threatening.

My car was manufactured in August 2016 and has now run a little over 140 000 km (87 000 miles).

Now, when searching, I have found a Service Bulletin (SB-19-31-001) regarding this topic but as I understand no recalls have been done, at least not here in Sweden.

I hope I was able to make myself understood here, as english is not my natural language


Best Regards
Crister Helin, Uddevalla, Sweden

What's the part number on your piece? They're on revision D now.....I think the design is mostly the same, but curious if there are subtle changes in the casting or whatever.

 

[Skotty]

Can someone knowledgeable give me (or PM me) a quick summary of this issue? I haven't been following it too closely, but have stumbled across this thread recently, I'd kind of like to inspect (or have inspected) my 2014 P85 (assuming it's susceptible) and determine if I should have some control arms replaced. It looks like there have been separate issues with both front and rear?

I have done a lot of car maintenance in my life. I might could do the work myself, if it needs it. I'm not terribly keen on the idea of paying some import company (or Tesla) 50 billion dollars to do the work. I've done work over the years like replacing water pumps, radiators, fuel lines, alternators, even replaced a clutch once. Seems like something I should be able to handle? Does it require any specialized tools? I've got all the basic tools, even have torque wrenches, but sometimes you need one-off specialized stuff. How much of a PITA is it to try to get the parts?

Thanks.

 

[aerodyne]

Start with the Tesla Service manual, all free now, just register.
Then look at the SB for the arms.

 

[David.85D]

Can someone knowledgeable give me (or PM me) a quick summary of this issue? I haven't been following it too closely, but have stumbled across this thread recently, I'd kind of like to inspect (or have inspected) my 2014 P85 (assuming it's susceptible) and determine if I should have some control arms replaced. It looks like there have been separate issues with both front and rear?

I have done a lot of car maintenance in my life. I might could do the work myself, if it needs it. I'm not terribly keen on the idea of paying some import company (or Tesla) 50 billion dollars to do the work. I've done work over the years like replacing water pumps, radiators, fuel lines, alternators, even replaced a clutch once. Seems like something I should be able to handle? Does it require any specialized tools? I've got all the basic tools, even have torque wrenches, but sometimes you need one-off specialized stuff. How much of a PITA is it to try to get the parts?

Thanks.

You replace the arms with the bushings. It’s the only choice…

Specialized suspension tools usually are needed when you are trying to remove and replace the bushing press fit into the arm.

This is not a trivial job, but definitely not as hard as replacing a clutch…

 

[Aggmeister2010]

I have done a lot of car maintenance in my life. I might could do the work myself, if it needs it. I'm not terribly keen on the idea of paying some import company (or Tesla) 50 billion dollars to do the work. I've done work over the years like replacing water pumps, radiators, fuel lines, alternators, even replaced a clutch once. Seems like something I should be able to handle? Does it require any specialized tools? I've got all the basic tools, even have torque wrenches, but sometimes you need one-off specialized stuff. How much of a PITA is it to try to get the parts?

I wouldn't replace just the bushings, buy the whole part and replace them. There have been significant changes to the parts since the "A" Version on your car. It's about $1k for the 2 aft arms, 2 fore arms, and the mounting hardware.

For that scope, it's easy to do yourself. Just put witness marks on the old eccentric washers so you know where to align the new pieces as a reference point.

Other than that, it's an inner bolt and an outer nut, that's it. No specialized tools, just have a set of Torx bits to hold the outer mount rod in place while you twist the nut. You may need to cut the inner bolt for the aft control arm to take it out because the HV battery gets in the way - but you can put the new bolt in backwards to never have that issue again.

Parts were readily available at my service center. Make sure you ask them for all the nuts bolts and washers as well - good practice to replace those as well.

 

[Wratran]

Have anyone used these Truhart adjustable upper control arm? This version ....the ball joint slide in and out to give more camber adjustment. This is all steel and meant to be stock replacement and not performance upgrade

My camber on the front is maxed out...and still read -2 .

12+ Tesla Model S Truhart Front Adjustable Camber Arms

TruHart adjustable front camber arms replace your factory front upper control arms allowing for necessary adjustment after lowering your vehicle. Our camber kits utilize hardened rubber bushings which allow less deflection and provide a more direct feel road feel than OE bushings. Low profile...

coiloverdepot.com

 

[Aggmeister2010]

If your front camber is -2 degrees and your lower control arm adjustment is maxed out, your ride height is either VERY low, or something's wrong.

My car is lowered 1.5 inches and my camber, with OEM parts, is -1.2 degrees.

That said, they look fine. Hardrace also has them (Q0600) if you can find them.

 

[Dannietjoh]

If your front camber is -2 degrees and your lower control arm adjustment is maxed out, your ride height is either VERY low, or something's wrong.

My car is lowered 1.5 inches and my camber, with OEM parts, is -1.2 degrees.

That said, they look fine. Hardrace also has them (Q0600) if you can find them.

Indeed, I am also lowered about 1.25 inches and camber is about -1.25. I don’t think there is any real benefit to adjust it for my case, but agree that these numbers are off unless you are slammed. Also note that if you already have spacers or lower ET rims adjusting the upper arms outward will increase chance of fender rubbing and may require rolling them.

 

[Wratran]

I'm on non-air suspension w standard height and 19" slipstream wheel...so all factory.

I did change out the upper control arm 2 Yr ago...probably will switch to the truhart A-arm...looks a beefier and more solid than factory...and adjustability

 

[Aggmeister2010]

That makes it even weirder that you're at -2 degrees of camber. You won't have issues with rubbing if you're using slipstreams.

 

[KaeL]

Today my 2016 S75D 19" 55000km, had a broken forelink arm LH. It just happens without warning or noises. Coming from the motorway to the supercharger, slowly backing up to the stall, while turning the wheel and suddenly, strange noises!
Sad to see that Tesla knew about the problem (SB-17-31-001) but doesn't take action!
Now the vacation is ruined for 4 people, extra cost for the flatbed and recovery, lost hotel reservations!

 

[dark cloud]

Today my 2016 S75D 19" 55000km, had a broken forelink arm LH. It just happens without warning or noises. Coming from the motorway to the supercharger, slowly backing up to the stall, while turning the wheel and suddenly, strange noises!
Sad to see that Tesla knew about the problem (SB-17-31-001) but doesn't take action!
Now the vacation is ruined for 4 people, extra cost for the flatbed and recovery, lost hotel reservations!

Aw man, that sucks. Sympathies for the terrible timing. Not that any time is a good time for this issue.

 

[dark cloud]

Nothing wrong with aftermarket parts.

This is the brand that Beck Arnley white labels, might as well go to the source and save $100.

Sidem Belgium Front Passenger Right Lower Forward Control Arm Ball Joint For S X | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sidem Belgium Front Passenger Right Lower Forward Control Arm Ball Joint For S X at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Read down in the link for Sidem's take on the design of the OEM ball joint. Makes sense to me!

Enclosed ball joint for Tesla Model S and X | SIDEM

I'm sure the updated Tesla links are fine now, but it looks like the updated 1420341-00-B 1420341-00-B links still have the pressed in ball joint into a thicker aluminum ring.

Out of curiousity, anyone have any insight into the manufacturer of the original A versions and the alleged RWD C versions David.99 has in his car, which still say made in Canada; would that be Magna?

 

[KaeL]

Read down in the link for Sidem's take on the design of the OEM ball joint. Makes sense to me!

Enclosed ball joint for Tesla Model S and X | SIDEM

Thanks for the info. Sidem is a company in my country, but I'm not sure how is stocking these parts around here? I found this one on stock : TeknoRot TS-1092K for les than €100.

​

 

[Aggmeister2010]

@KaeL - Interestingly, I can't see a local vendor in belgium either. You could always try giving them a call directly. As a last resort, you could buy them from Ebay in the US and have them shipped, although that's a bit more costly I'm sure.

Sidem Pair Set of 2 Front Lower Forward Control Arms & Ball Joints For Tesla S X | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sidem Pair Set of 2 Front Lower Forward Control Arms & Ball Joints For Tesla S X at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Hey folks,

I bought the newest version of the rear lower control arms today (Revision "D") to finish off my suspension bushing refresh.

Maybe someone else can tell better than me, but I don't see a significant redesign of the offending joint. I'll do a side-by-side on Thursday when I take the off the "A" version that is currently on the car.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Actually, it looks like there IS a difference in the failure joint between the "A" version and "D" version.

It looks like the weld on the seam is much 'thicker', and there are several points where they've done hardness tests on it, not present on the A version.

I also found that the main bushing on BOTH of my original control arms was torn big time. Glad I got around to fixing this, it's not a hard job at all!