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Model 3 front suspension clunking
- Thread starter SiEV75
- Start date
With 127,000km on the car, hubby and I took a road trip to Julian, California the other day, and noticed a squeak - very loud and noticeable - coming from the right front of the car. A quick check on the 'net, and we found this discussion. I submitted a repair request via the app, and - I swear it's true - within 1 hour I received emails changing the dates from (1) March 23 to (2) Feb 16 to (3) February 7 (yesterday; two days after the problem started). We took the car in yesterday morning; they waived the $210 diagnostic fee and replaced the upper control arm at essentially for nothing more than the cost of labor. Very impressed with Tesla! I had to have the RDU replaced at 75,000km 20 months ago under warranty. Must admit I've nothing but great things to say about their service or responsiveness. The car is driving perfectly and that horrid squeak is now gone.
Great update, thanks for keeping us all in the loop!
I've got the same sound on mine - 2021 LR AWD with 19's. Only hear it from the drivers side (might be passenger too but i'm never in that seat), whilst going over speed bumps at a pace quicker than a snails. I've driven a lot of Model 3's and have heard it on a few, but definitely not the majority of them. Have torque checked a few components and ensured nothing is hanging off, so far the consensus is the same as yours, a characteristic of the front suspension. I do hope a fix comes out, whether it be a revised component, but for now i'm content that the car is safe to drive and it doesn't affect it past increased NVH.
I'll be following this thread incase there is any update!
When I had my noises, I needed both lubrication and a new strut.
If not suggested, this is a maintence item that is not frequently discussed today, but common in the past (even used to be grease fittings for the job):
Lubricate your suspension joints by way of injecting lithium grease with a grease gun and a grease injecting needle. Easy and cheap. Priming the gun properly was the hardest part.
You should also lubricate hard suspension components that touch metals with spray lithium lube; the sway bar bushings, for example.
After applying lubrication, I would do the following:
Clean up the excess lubrication.
Apply AT-205 re-seal to rubber suspension components; pour, brush, or spray.
If the noise is present on one side, but not able to be duplucated on another corner, my first guess would be a strut needing replacement.
Best of luck!
During this process you can visually inspect for worn and cracked suspenion rubber. With assistance and proper mechanical technique, you can lift and lower suspensiin corners while the rest of the vehicle remains static; this activity will put you closer to the noise source, and you may be able to more effectively diagnose what the issue is.
If not suggested, this is a maintence item that is not frequently discussed today, but common in the past (even used to be grease fittings for the job):
Lubricate your suspension joints by way of injecting lithium grease with a grease gun and a grease injecting needle. Easy and cheap. Priming the gun properly was the hardest part.
You should also lubricate hard suspension components that touch metals with spray lithium lube; the sway bar bushings, for example.
After applying lubrication, I would do the following:
Clean up the excess lubrication.
Apply AT-205 re-seal to rubber suspension components; pour, brush, or spray.
If the noise is present on one side, but not able to be duplucated on another corner, my first guess would be a strut needing replacement.
Best of luck!
During this process you can visually inspect for worn and cracked suspenion rubber. With assistance and proper mechanical technique, you can lift and lower suspensiin corners while the rest of the vehicle remains static; this activity will put you closer to the noise source, and you may be able to more effectively diagnose what the issue is.
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I'm having my car put up on the ramps at my local independent next week just so I can see for myself there's nothing glaringly wrong. Not that I think Tesla is incompetent - I just prefer to see these things for myself!
Might even take it for a drive with the drop links removed as that's an easy way to isolate one suspension component without having to mess around with alignment.
Might even take it for a drive with the drop links removed as that's an easy way to isolate one suspension component without having to mess around with alignment.
Hi,
I have had some progress with tesla, i will update after next week, i do not want to say too much until they have carried out what has been promised but i will update you all next week if they sort it for me.
Thanks for keeping in touch! Please do, it's nice to see they're still engaging - or have you needed to pester them constantly?
I had my car up on the ramps yesterday at my friendly independant and to be fair - everything looks rock solid. I can see why Tesla are scratching their heads somewhat. Genuinly couldn't find anything that looked even slightly loose or had any play and I neither me or the garage were keen to start stripping down the suspension when it looked in perfect condition.
I've had my car since September and it feels a lot worse in the past month then it did in the initial 5. At the start I thought it was just an issue with the cold or snow. Maybe the road was getting more bumps and pits due to the cold weather. Maybe my tires being low was an issue (they dropped to about 34 PSI when it got near 0F). But even with the tires properly inflated I'm feeling every single bump and I'm getting thrown around a lot on my way to work. I'm probably going to set an appointment today and have them look at it. Hopefully they can figure it out. Otherwise I might just buy some comfort coilovers
My Car goes back to Tesla tomorrow, I will share the (hopefully) positive outcome soon.
Tesla SC had my car for a week , they claim they swapped every front suspension component and its no different. losing the will to live. No sign of a resolution as yet.
Tesla had my car from a Tuesday to Friday the week after, thats 8 working days, They also said they swapped and tried alot of front suspension components and ended up saying its from the shock absorber (so accordig to them, its normal that one shock absorber has this noise, but not the other, makes no sense). Did not want to argue with them, and frankly at that time its not more they could do, but i hope this get sorted out one day - gonna drive straight to the service center if anyone figure this out.
If that’s the case (strut), Mountain Pass Performance will be getting a phone call from me.
My brand new M3LR, delivered last week (I'm in The Netherlands), also has this clunky sound from the front left suspension when I hit a speed bump or pothole. Mobile service told me it was a characteristic of the car, after spending about an hour on making sure nothing was loose and all nuts and bolts were in place. I'm pretty confident the car is safe to drive, it just doesn't feel right that my (privately owned and paid) brand new car makes the same noise as one of the old 300k+ km's Volvo's I owned in the past. Hope Tesla finds a fix somehow soon.
