Clunk/ thump from driver front over bumps

[Jones0812]

When I go over bumps at low speeds like 30 or less I hear a clunk / thump from the drivers front wheel. It almost sounds like a bad or loose strut.

I did take it to Tesla and they just said they checked and tightened everything in front and it didn't help at all.

I did call them and they just said bring it back in.....and I will....but I want to know if others have had a similar issue so I can know what to tell them to look at.

My faith in dropping this off again and then coming to pick it up fixed is not high.

 

[ishulai]

Upper control arms are a common failure point for the Model 3 front suspension, but it usually makes more of a squeaking sound than a clunk. Another common issue is sway bar end links not being tight enough, and that’ll definitely clunk over bumps.

 

[ryguy]

I have the same issue (mine is 18). I asked them to look at it last year and the replaced the wheel bearing - I said ok well do both then because that odd to go at 15k. They did but still the same on the divers side. It's annoying and sounds like something loose - I've always wondered if it was something in the body banging like the headlight. I'm eager to hear how you make out.

 

[dsc888]

I have the exact same noise in my 2021 M3 LR. I have the optional 19 inch sport wheels. I also hear it somewhat on the driver’s side. It doesn’t occur at high speeds or if the bump is deeper. It‘s only in city speeds on certain shallow bumps. My feeling is that it’s a combination of bumpstops being engaged lightly causing the noise as the wheel strut travels back up into compression after hitting the bumps.

Many carmakers, like BMW, allow the car’s bumpstops to be almost always engaged allowing them to fine tune the ride as the rubber material progressively compresses with load and bumps. But I have had cases where an ill fitted bumpstop would case a “whopping” clunk noise if is were to slide down the shaft of the strut instead of sitting at the top. This happened in the case of my 2014 Honda Odyssey where Honda had replaced them with tighter ones that didn‘t slide down and make noise on shallow bumps.

If it were the upper control arms, you’d hear a squeak and most owners seem to get that issue with high mileage. A loose end link was another suspicion but that would be worse with larger bumps and the clunk noise doesn’t occur for deeper bumps. It is annoying and I don’t want the tech to tear the suspension apart as it may lead to other noises. The fact that my passenger side also makes a similar sound but to a lesser degree tells me that it might be inherent to the design of the suspension.

 

[todd2fst4u]

My front driver side was making a clunking noise at low speeds on rough roads. The service center replaced both front struts.

 

[dsc888]

My front driver side was making a clunking noise at low speeds on rough roads. The service center replaced both front struts.

Thank you for chiming in! Did it get rid of the noise? And at what mileage did you start getting the clunking sound? Mine has been making the sound from delivery. I have only 3k miles on my 2021 LR now and it still occurs. It's neither worsened or gotten better.

 

[todd2fst4u]

Thank you for chiming in! Did it get rid of the noise? And at what mileage did you start getting the clunking sound? Mine has been making the sound from delivery. I have only 3k miles on my 2021 LR now and it still occurs. It's neither worsened or gotten better.

~32k on my 2019. No more noise and the ride is smoother than I remember when the car was new.

 

[kraftg35]

I had a clunking at low speeds from my front passenger side on my '18 LR. I thought it was a bad upper control arm (albeit, not a squeak but the same sound you are hearing). They said they retorqued some bolts to "spec". I haven't heard the sound since so I'm not sure if it really was just due to loose bolts but it's fine now.

 

[dsc888]

I had a clunking at low speeds from my front passenger side on my '18 LR. I thought it was a bad upper control arm (albeit, not a squeak but the same sound you are hearing). They said they retorqued some bolts to "spec". I haven't heard the sound since so I'm not sure if it really was just due to loose bolts but it's fine now.

Good to hear. But a little disconcerting that the bolts have loosened up enough to make noise. How many miles do you have on your ‘18 LR? And did the noise come up recently?

 

[dsc888]

~32k on my 2019. No more noise and the ride is smoother than I remember when the car was new.

That is good new indeed. I am happy they fixed it for you.

 

[dsc888]

When I go over bumps at low speeds like 30 or less I hear a clunk / thump from the drivers front wheel. It almost sounds like a bad or loose strut.

I did take it to Tesla and they just said they checked and tightened everything in front and it didn't help at all.

I did call them and they just said bring it back in.....and I will....but I want to know if others have had a similar issue so I can know what to tell them to look at.

My faith in dropping this off again and then coming to pick it up fixed is not high.

Did you get your car fixed by Tesla on the 2nd go? It looks like suspension noises are common in Model 3s based on the replies here.

 

[kraftg35]

Have 24,xxx. Yes, the sound came up about 800 miles ago. Haven't heard it since.

Good to hear. But a little disconcerting that the bolts have loosened up enough to make noise. How many miles do you have on your ‘18 LR? And did the noise come up recently?

 

[HostileHarry]

I had the passengaer side control arm replaced at 28k miles and now the driver side front control arm is squeaking over bumps. Current mileage is 47k. Booked a service appointment. I've had a number of issues resolved by the service center, including a rear drive unit replacement, but I'm sure nervous about owning the Model 3 out of warranty....

 

[SiEV75]

Thank you for chiming in! Did it get rid of the noise? And at what mileage did you start getting the clunking sound? Mine has been making the sound from delivery. I have only 3k miles on my 2021 LR now and it still occurs. It's neither worsened or gotten better.

Hi, did you ever get a result on this, i have the clunking noise, which has been there from new, so far Tesla just say its a characteristic of the car !

 

[Cobbleswl]

When I go over bumps at low speeds like 30 or less I hear a clunk / thump from the drivers front wheel. It almost sounds like a bad or loose strut.

I did take it to Tesla and they just said they checked and tightened everything in front and it didn't help at all.

I did call them and they just said bring it back in.....and I will....but I want to know if others have had a similar issue so I can know what to tell them to look at.

My faith in dropping this off again and then coming to pick it up fixed is not high.

Did you ever get it sorted? Had mine a week and been doing it from the start. Sounds like something is gonna fall off.

 

[ryguy]

Fast forward since they replaced the wheel bearing - actual issue was a loose driver side headlight. Tightened and fixed, no noise over past year.

 

[dsc888]

Hi, did you ever get a result on this, i have the clunking noise, which has been there from new, so far Tesla just say its a characteristic of the car !

No. I have not had my car taken in to address this issue yet. I have a noisy door check as well so I am hoping to have them look at both issues at the same time. I will keep you posted.

 

[dsc888]

Fast forward since they replaced the wheel bearing - actual issue was a loose driver side headlight. Tightened and fixed, no noise over past year.

Glad to hear it was a completely different cause. How did they discover that it was the headlights instead of a suspension part?

 

[David Harrison]

My front driver side was making a clunking noise at low speeds on rough roads. The service center replaced both front struts.

Did hat fix it as mine has done it since new 18 months

 

[ryguy]

I diagnosed for them - the noise was driving me nuts so I started to use my hand to tap different parts on the front end to see if I can get any sound. Sure enough when I hit a certain spot to the left of head light I got a noise. Then noticed I could move the headlight ever so slightly. Honestly didn't sound like it really was it but I guess when hitting a bump the hit was a lot noisier than me tapping. The noise had trailed what a suspension part would do perfectly so I get that it was hard to diagnose.