News for Model X owners with the dreaded shudder

[Daisame]

Glad to see there is a more permanent fix (time will tell right?). I will see about scheduling my service. I am having someone come by today to repair some door trim that is falling off. I will ask them if they know about this fix and have any insights as well.

 

[Bigriver]

There's also a break-in period that seems to be new.

I just got my Model X back today from the updated fix. While most of my acceleration shudder is gone it is not at smooth as it should be.

I have a 2020 Raven and they fixed the shudder while accelerating 2 weeks ago but it introduced a new shudder/vibration when driving at a constant speed.

I got the half-shafts replaced on my pre-Raven model X with the parts listed in the May 2021 service bulletin. It was done on July 7, and I have driven 1200 miles since then. While “the shudder” is gone on hard acceleration, there is a vibration in the steering wheel. It is much more subtle than the shudder, but perhaps more annoying because it is always there. I believe this is similar to what it would feel like if the wheels were out of balance. I am near needing new tires on the rear, and haven’t decided whether to replace them first, or return to Tesla for further evaluation.

 

[SemiS3XYR]

Sorry if I missed this but it his is the only issue I have hesitation about with buying a used X with short warranty left or out of warranty. Do you have to have this issue present for them to fix it? Is it covered under a special recall warranty? Will it only be covered in warranty period?
TIA

 

[mxnym]

Sorry if I missed this but it his is the only issue I have hesitation about with buying a used X with short warranty left or out of warranty. Do you have to have this issue present for them to fix it? Is it covered under a special recall warranty? Will it only be covered in warranty period?
TIA

The repair is described in a TSB (technical service bulletin). This is NOT a recall, so it isn't automatic. I'm not sure if there is any legal requirement that it be covered under warranty in any given jurisdiction. It may not have been in this thread, but I asked a similar question and some people confirmed they were getting this fixed under warranty. In my case, the service center insists it's not a permanent fix and therefore not covered by warranty. They say they did it once as goodwill and I can pay if I want the newer fix.

 

[Harvey Danger]

Yeah it still varies from one SC to another. Some acted like they would cheerfully replace half shafts monthly for life no questions asked, some would refuse to touch it saying "within spec: just don't set the suspension higher than 'low' ". Reports seem to indicate they are generally more likely to take this on now there is a better fix. (And if I'm reading correctly this fix is supposed to be fairly permanent for pre-Raven X's.)

In a perfect world: If you can demonstrate the issue during a test drive with a tech present, they will *usually* agree to do the repair. If your car is still under warranty, this repair is *usually* considered to be covered.

But yeah, as mxnym said above, there is no recall. A TSB is just a specific procedure the shop is supposed to follow in a certain situation, with specific replacement parts (and helpful pictures!) The existence of a TSB is not any kind of promise to the customer. At most it could *maybe * be construed as identifying a "known issue", but there are TSBs for all kinds of procedures a shop might encounter, routine or otherwise. They are just a set of instructions. Sadly it's still the SC's call as to whether they will *do* it.

 

[SemiS3XYR]

Thanks guys. Guess I’ll lean towards a X with more warranty.

crazy. Doesn’t all Xs have this problem in its DNA. Should be a recall .

 

[dmurphy]

The repair is described in a TSB (technical service bulletin). This is NOT a recall, so it isn't automatic. I'm not sure if there is any legal requirement that it be covered under warranty in any given jurisdiction. It may not have been in this thread, but I asked a similar question and some people confirmed they were getting this fixed under warranty. In my case, the service center insists it's not a permanent fix and therefore not covered by warranty. They say they did it once as goodwill and I can pay if I want the newer fix.

That's disappointing. As @Harvey Danger pointed out, it's up to the SC. I'm glad mine (Paramus) is so customer-focused. They even noted that the recent replacement was a "** REPEAT **" on the invoice ($0, of course.)

Thankfully the new parts feel so so much better than even the prior replacement did when new. It finally feels like the $100k vehicle I bought.

 

[Tryptic]

Hello-I am new to the forum, and just purchased a 2020 MX. It definitely had the judder, and took it to my SC where they replaced the half shafts same day with the updated parts. I did notice for a short bit a different vibration around 40mph yesterday, but so far today I have not noticed it at all. Will keep alert for it.

And thank you to everyone for the information here. It was invaluable to me in getting this fixed!

 

[MrShakeHands]

Had mine replaced based on the good intel in this thread. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences.

My SC has always been pretty good. I mentioned to the tech the shudder has been around for a long time, but I never asked about it because the fixes in the past seemed temporary. I mentioned the message boards I follow seem to indicate this fix is more permanent this time.

He said I must be following the good message boards

 

[RealDeal]

I still have the constant, new vibration especially around 40 mph. I have a 2020 Raven and in the last repair attempt they replaced the front left halfshaft, both front hubs, right rear toe link and right rear integral link. They also replaced 1 front wheel (they said it was taking 80 grams to balance so wanted to replace it), 2 front tires and did an alignment. Unfortunately that made no difference at all. I never had this constant vibration issue until they tried to fix the 'acceleration vibration issue'. The 'acceleration vibration issue' remains fixed but the new constant vibration is very annoying. It sort of feels like a drive shaft vibration on a traditional vehicle or an out of balance tire. But it doesn't seem to change much with speed...it's there going 30 mph and basically the same when going 90 mph.

 

[Makuna]

I still have the constant, new vibration especially around 40 mph. I have a 2020 Raven and in the last repair attempt they replaced the front left halfshaft, both front hubs, right rear toe link and right rear integral link. They also replaced 1 front wheel (they said it was taking 80 grams to balance so wanted to replace it), 2 front tires and did an alignment. Unfortunately that made no difference at all. I never had this constant vibration issue until they tried to fix the 'acceleration vibration issue'. The 'acceleration vibration issue' remains fixed but the new constant vibration is very annoying. It sort of feels like a drive shaft vibration on a traditional vehicle or an out of balance tire. But it doesn't seem to change much with speed...it's there going 30 mph and basically the same when going 90 mph.

He RealDeal, do you feel it when turning or taking curves, or only when going straight?

 

[Richbot]

3000 miles since the repair, and it's not back.

 

[RealDeal]

He RealDeal, do you feel it when turning or taking curves, or only when going straight?

It seems like it's there all the time although when I'm making tight turns it changes and could be slightly worse. But it's most noticeable on a smooth road around 30-40 mph.

 

[HyperionMark]

It seems like it's there all the time although when I'm making tight turns it changes and could be slightly worse. But it's most noticeable on a smooth road around 30-40 mph.

That is the speed where I feel it the most too.

 

[Bigriver]

The 'acceleration vibration issue' remains fixed but the new constant vibration is very annoying. It sort of feels like a drive shaft vibration on a traditional vehicle or an out of balance tire. But it doesn't seem to change much with speed...it's there going 30 mph and basically the same when going 90 mph.

This is pretty much my experience too, what I wrote in post #842.

I ended up getting new tires, taking it back to Tesla for assessment, taking it back to Discount Tire for rebalancing…. Nothing is really different. The Tesla tech did admit he felt the vibration, but said it wasn’t associated with the half shaft issue. He recommended checking the balance on the tires. I had that redone (although it had only been 150 miles)….. So through old tires, new tires, rebalanced again new tires, I have this new vibration that appeared when they did “the fix.” I have tried to convince myself that it’s not that bad, but some days it bothers me a lot. It now becomes a mind game, as I’m sure I’ve lost true memory of exactly what it was like before. It’s been about 2000 miles since the half shaft repair was done.

 

[akacaj]

I had my front half shafts replaced in June 2021 a second time. I've driven about 12k miles since then with the suspension set to low. Mostly highway miles. The noise is now worse than the first two times, where it was only a problem under heavy acceleration. I now hear it at low speeds under 25mph when mildly accelerating and regen breaking. The noise varies based on the suspension height, the higher the suspension the louder the noise. The only way to avoid it is to drive on the very low setting.

 

[akacaj]

Here is a video showing what the current issue sounds like.

I have scheduled a service visit to fix it one last time before my warranty expires. I only have a few miles left on my warranty and I am worried that this is going to be a future reoccurring out of pocket expense.

 

[ABC2D]

Here is a video showing what the current issue sounds like.

I have scheduled a service visit to fix it one last time before my warranty expires. I only have a few miles left on my warranty and I am worried that this is going to be a future reoccurring out of pocket expense.

Are you sure it's not tires this time? Sounds like a worn out/separated tread tire

 

[akacaj]

Are you sure it's not tires this time? Sounds like a worn out/separated tread tire

The tires look fine, I removed any rocks that were stuck in the treads. The noise seems to only happen when there is a change in speed. If it were an issue with the tires or bearings I would expect to hear it all the time. That said, I just came back from a drive and I could barely hear it. Comes and goes.

 

[SemiS3XYR]

finally an X owner. 2017 with 3,500 miles.

YEP acceleration shudder. So should I request the TSB or not?