Anyone else seeing 21" Arachnid wheels cracking?

[mrprometheus]

We are ~7,000k on our 2021 Plaid S and had a slow leak develop on drivers side rear 21" Arachnid wheel. We took it to a trusted local non Tesla service shop to see if they could find something in the tire and plug it. They say the tire is fine but the rim is actually cracked and causing the leak. They think that based on where the crack is that it was unlikely a result of driver inflicted damage ie hitting something. Neither myself or the other driver recall any harsh impacts to the wheels. Makes us wonder if anyone else is seeing cracked Arachnid Wheels? I will try to get pictures and specifics on location on rim to share. What would be suggested next step? Would requesting a service appointment in app allow for them to bring a full rim and tire to swap? Anyone know rough costs on that if they decline warranty?

 

[krsgio]

All the 21" cast Tesla wheels have been prone to bending/cracking for some time now which is why lots of us have opted for either fully forged wheels or downsized wheels to have more sidewall.

 

[WilliamG]

All the 21" cast Tesla wheels have been prone to bending/cracking for some time now which is why lots of us have opted for either fully forged wheels or downsized wheels to have more sidewall.

This is the first case I've read of a cracked 21" refresh wheel... Not common (at least, not yet!).

 

[2101Guy]

the new arachnids as mentioned, are cast alloy. The "old" Arachnids were forged. The latter is MUCH stronger and resistant to cracking, then the former.

 

[mrprometheus]

Forgot to come back and update. I took the car in for service mentioning how the crack is an area hard to justify hitting something alone as the cause. Asked if they can warranty it and if not I would take the rim back and have it x-rayed by a friend in welding industry. They said sure np and when they looked at it said definitely a warranty case. "No obvious reason why that rim should have cracked. Manufacturing defect". I got a new rim 100% in warranty ie no out of pocket costs. Appreciate the warranty but I assume that can only happen so many times. Going to switch these to track day rims and get a stronger forged set for daily driving.

 

[Hot sauce]

Mine broke today, keep the car in great condition and I don’t remember hitting any potholes.

 

[WilliamG]

Mine broke today, keep the car in great condition and I don’t remember hitting any potholes.

Pics?

 

[jebinc]

All the 21" cast Tesla wheels have been prone to bending/cracking for some time now which is why lots of us have opted for either fully forged wheels or downsized wheels to have more sidewall.

Yep, cast wheels really shouldn’t be on this car. Replaced mine with monoblock forged.

 

[Leafnut73]

I'm sitting at the Tesla service center in South Austin with a cracked wheel on my refreshed S. Took over 2 weeks just to get the appointment. Everyday I have to spend 10 minutes pumping air into my tire to drive it. Royal PIA
Service just informed me that they will not cover the cracked wheel under warranty before they even examined the car. I'm going to speak to the service lead in a few minutes. Any advice?

 

[jebinc]

Yep, cast wheels really shouldn’t be on this car. Replaced mine with monoblock forged.

Same

 

[TSLA Pilot]

I'm sitting at the Tesla service center in South Austin with a cracked wheel on my refreshed S. Took over 2 weeks just to get the appointment. Everyday I have to spend 10 minutes pumping air into my tire to drive it. Royal PIA
Service just informed me that they will not cover the cracked wheel under warranty before they even examined the car. I'm going to speak to the service lead in a few minutes. Any advice?

So when you showed this thread to the Serv Mgr at South Austin, I presume they provided a new wheel at no cost? Do please advise!

Thx.

 

[WilliamG]

Same

Did you seriously quote yourself 6 months later, and agree with yourself? Comedy gold!

 

[czamanian]

We are ~7,000k on our 2021 Plaid S and had a slow leak develop on drivers side rear 21" Arachnid wheel. We took it to a trusted local non Tesla service shop to see if they could find something in the tire and plug it. They say the tire is fine but the rim is actually cracked and causing the leak. They think that based on where the crack is that it was unlikely a result of driver inflicted damage ie hitting something. Neither myself or the other driver recall any harsh impacts to the wheels. Makes us wonder if anyone else is seeing cracked Arachnid Wheels? I will try to get pictures and specifics on location on rim to share. What would be suggested next step? Would requesting a service appointment in app allow for them to bring a full rim and tire to swap? Anyone know rough costs on that if they decline warranty?

 

[gerbs]

Wanted to chime in here, I just encountered this out of the blue on my Sonic Turbine Model S OEM rims, 1 wheel was consistently losing air (tires all double checked, no holes or leaks) over the past few weeks. I had a tire shop triple check and the tires are all fine..

So I took the car in under warranty, turns out the front two rims both have microfractures from manufacturing defects.. they are barely visible hairline cracks in the inner edge of the rim. No damage or dents, dings, etc.

Tesla wants thousands for the "repair" -- The car is a garage queen and has never seen a pothole in its life. The rims are flawless. A little over 10K miles. I am the only driver and did not have any events where I hit a pothole or any road damage.

There is no way there are hundreds of threads about this and it's just a normal wear and tear item. Something doesn't add up here. If you google it, there are hundreds of the same complaints.