Been considering a Model X recently, one thing I'm worried about is the air suspension. Used to own a Mercedes GLS, and after 62,000 miles and 4.5 years, 3 of the 4 air shocks blew (literally). How is the reliability of the Model X (and S) air suspension, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Model S and X air suspension reliability
- Thread starter Cars 97
- Start date
1speed
Member
No problems here in 5.5 years / 70k miles. Changing height was used daily for the first 3 years due to a very high driveway hump.
Air suspension in general is not long term reliable on any make. General longevity is just past 50k miles before needing replacement. Your GLS making is 62k is pretty good actually. Lexus is the only smart one who uses Hydraulic suspension which is much more reliable. The question I would have, is the expected cost to replace the air suspension in the MX so somebody is prepared for it. BMW was charging $2500 for rears on the X5 but mine was under warranty. They also replaced the fronts since it’s required. That bill would have been close to $6k five years ago. Today; probably more
I just traded in a 2016 Tesla Model S with air suspension for a new Model X. The Model S had 114,000 miles on it and was 7 years old. Never ONCE had a problem with the air suspension and it was adjusting multiple times a day. We had location based settings for numerous places around town that had steep driveways, including at home. The Model S had very low ground clearance so it was having to constantly adjust. My new Model X has much higher ground clearance so won't need to adjust as often.
cstromme
Member
henderrj
Active Member
Over 260k miles on our December 2014 model s. No problems with the suspension at all. Although Tesla did replace the pump proactively on their dime, something after 200,000 miles. They said it should have been done earlier. So, I've had zero cost into the air suspension.
I've also had Mercedes with air suspension with well over 150,000 mi, and haven't had to spend a dime on those either. I think that barely over 50k estimate is probably not accurate.
I've also had Mercedes with air suspension with well over 150,000 mi, and haven't had to spend a dime on those either. I think that barely over 50k estimate is probably not accurate.
That’s very impressive actually and honestly pretty unrealistic for most air suspensions. But 50k is pretty accurate based on auto repair research. Also, yours probably needed replacement but worked well enough to work. Airbags just hold up over time. My good buddy who was the service manager of Mercedes in Colorado would absolutely disagree with you. They see lots of replacements. Same with BMW. You’re a lucky “rare”case but just google “how long do air
Suspensions last”. Even hydraulic systems max out around 175k and those are much much more durable. I would mention Land Rover but they aren’t a great example as my long ago LR4 needed 2 air suspension replacements under 100k miles and an air compressor replacement. It’s good to hear that your Tesla is holding up. I am hoping to place my order around October.
MobileClimate
Member
Its just like the air conditioning system if you dont repair a leak quickly it will cause damage to the entire system
2016 Model S 203,000 miles today. Zero issues with the air suspension. Height adjusted multiple times every day. Winter/summer it doesn’t matter. It’s not the tender flower it’s been made out to be.
Air suspension has gotten pretty ubiquitous in high-end cars. I'm hard-pressed to think of a manufacturer that doesn't offer it on at least one axle of one of its relatively high-volume vehicles, even outside of the luxury car realm in heavier mainstream things from RAM,/Jeep, Toyota and GM products. I wouldn't worry about it, there are much scarier parts of Model X to worry about. But if you're looking for a less-complicated car than the GLS, you're looking in the wrong place. Our 2021 Model X has been to the dealer service center for repairs as many times in its life as our 2015 E63 AMG, but neither has had an air suspension issue
Last edited:
mspohr
Well-Known Member
brainhouston
Active Member
leaks don't cause damage to entire AC
on topic, 87k mi on X (not the 1st owner) n all good so far
if u have to replace one, eBay has em for $300-400 n DIY is easy
Model S 85D with "Smart Air Suspension" (as the feature was called at the time), 8 years and 106K miles, no air suspension issues. For awhile, I was second guessing the decision to get the air suspension, but it's been working great.
Bruce.
Bruce.
2013 Model S nov 2013 build with about 291,000 km and just starting to have some issues but not all the time which intrigues me. A few days ago the left rear wheel was very low in the morning and that day the compressor was working "overtime" but since then everything is normal. The only issue we have had after a few years was in -20 Celsius and below the air suspension would not ajust. I read a post recently about this and it could mean I have humidity in the system that freezes at those temperatures. If I had known, I would have had Tesla look at it back then when it was under warranty. I was also very hesitant to order it back then but a relative who's a auto mechanic by profession told me to go with air and I am glad I did as it is very useful, for us anyways.
I've heard of stories of people's compressor breaking as it was working overtime (Probably a good idea to replace the suspension?)
I've just completed reading this very informative thread :
Air Compressor Replacement + Air Line & Air Shocks inspection DIY
Thought I'd post this as it may be helpful for others. Especially if you can DIY and don't want to pay Tesla many £1000's to fix these air compressor/suspension-related issues. I started to hear my air compressor turning on a lot more than it used to and it was getting a lot noisier than it...
teslamotorsclub.com
Very informative. Many individual items can cause the issue. In my case, a valve in the "valve block" might be the issue as mentioned in item 4 of this document from Tesla (4. Replace the air suspension compressor according toService Manual Procedure: Note: It may be recommended to also replace thevalve block.) :
Air Compressor Replacement + Air Line & Air Shocks inspection DIY
Thought I'd post this as it may be helpful for others. Especially if you can DIY and don't want to pay Tesla many £1000's to fix these air compressor/suspension-related issues. I started to hear my air compressor turning on a lot more than it used to and it was getting a lot noisier than it...
teslamotorsclub.com
I'm presently looking at the issue and will try to let you know what I find out.
MobileClimate
Member
Leaks dont cause damage to the system..? that is on topic because 99% of suspension problems are due to leaks and they do cause damage by causing excessive compressor run time and moisture intake
Last edited:
brainhouston
Active Member
You're taking my words out of context...
You brought up AC system (totally different from air system), which was my response about.
AC system has both Low and High pressure safety switches that will prevent damage to "entire" system if you have a leak.
