News for Model X owners with the dreaded shudder

[DarkMatter]

I had my last “fix” done 2 1/2 years ago and the shudder has pretty much been fixed. I got it only twice in that time. Mine is a Founder’s (first off the line numbers) so they have made changes to the vehicle between mine and yours. As you can see by above parts, it is not a cheap service. Do the test now. If it shudders, get it fixed; if it doesn’t you will have peace of mind.

In July it will be two years for me, and the shudder is still gone. My build date is April 2017 so also a relatively early build.

 

[Yperformance]

Can I please pick your collective brains about Tesla shudder. New model y performance 5000 miles. NO steering wheel shake from zero to as fast as you can go!!!!! . Wheels balanced on Hunter Machine, alignment all within spec. Now the problem accelerating hard from 60 on up the car shakes like mad , ease if the power and everything goes as it should. Sometimes even gently accelerating from 60 to say 65 the same can be slightly felt. Not sure but it seems to felt from just to right is accelerator and outward to wheels. Repeat NO steering vibration. Even rotated tyres still the same......ant thoughts please from those who have suffered this condition, thank , know this is the X forum but normally Y di not suffer from this.

 

[Richbot]

Sounds like front axles to me. There wasn't much vibration through the wheel on the older cars either

 

[MobileClimate]

Can I please pick your collective brains about Tesla shudder. New model y performance 5000 miles. NO steering wheel shake from zero to as fast as you can go!!!!! . Wheels balanced on Hunter Machine, alignment all within spec. Now the problem accelerating hard from 60 on up the car shakes like mad , ease if the power and everything goes as it should. Sometimes even gently accelerating from 60 to say 65 the same can be slightly felt. Not sure but it seems to felt from just to right is accelerator and outward to wheels. Repeat NO steering vibration. Even rotated tyres still the same......ant thoughts please from those who have suffered this condition, thank , know this is the X forum but normally Y di not suffer from this.

Find some one with toolbox 3 and use the front only motor mode to see if vibration goes away then use rear motor only mode to check vibration ..the front motor is only used in acceleration on the y it’s different for x the rear motor is used only on acceleration..tell tesla thru app ask to check also

 

[Yperformance]

Thanks for coming back so fast, is that just the cv part or does the problem usually go to the motor and the clevis.

 

[DarkMatter]

Motor is not likely to be the issue. This is usually going to be about the rotating joints and the motor mounts (i.e. clevis).

 

[MrShakeHands]

2018 Model X. Held out until my warranty was close to expiring and had the halfshafts replaced. 14 months later (parts warranty is only 12 months BTW for anyone else getting close), the shudder is back and worse than before I had them replaced. Current estimate is $1,335 (Canadian). hoping for soem goodwill from service, as I don't want to do this every year or so. Thanks to others for sharing their stories.

 

[MobileClimate]

The point is that the shafts can be replaced and the vibrations will go away but to prevent damage to them on the 2018 the mount needs to be replaced and if it’s April 2019 or newer(raven) the mount needs to be adjusted ..I’m sure the service center is avoiding replacing the mount on the 2018 because it’s a big job

 

[DarkMatter]

Still no shudder here since the mount replacement. It's not as glass-smooth as it was when new, but it's the tiniest of shakes that could easily be tires.

 

[Dash21]

On a side note, I was given the option of installing a new set of the current design axles and when the shudder comes back they would hook me up with the new fix then...or just wait until the part is released and Tesla would contact me to be an early adopter. Sounded like I was being offered to beta test the new axles. At any rate, I agreed just to wait until the new part is available. I did tell them that if this new part isn't out by October, I was gonna be knocking on their door for some of the new old stock. I'll be patient but also realistic. We all know Tesla...that could be a few weeks, or that could be 6 months. Not gonna drive with this for too long.



After squeezing him for a little more info, he said that he was only told that they're in the final steps of production and that's why he can't say how long it will be. It sounds to me like it's definitely a different part.

I was told that early Model X VIN's actually DID have a different axle part number than the ones they are currently putting on vehicles. Perhaps that's the "new" part that you were originally told about. That be the case, indeed it was a fix...just not the right one for this problem.




Since most people are under warranty still, I don't think too many will have to worry about it. HOWEVER, I would think that with this being a known issue with the X for years, Tesla will very likely do the permanent fix as a "goodwill" repair for those out of warranty. If you make a big enough stink and escalate it up through Tesla service, i'd all but bet on them covering this since it's a known defect,

That said, I would wait until you hear from other people that they are actually installing these revised axles before you contact your SC to try to get them to GoodWill the repair.



If you search out "Model X shudder", you'll have enough threads to make your eyes bleed. Short of it...most X's seem to experience it at one point or another, but some don't. Seems to show up in the first 10K miles but ive head people upward of 20K to even 25K miles have it show up. It feels like a vibration or a shudder when you accelerate anywhere from medium to heavy acceleration. Its most obvious when suspension is on standard or higher, but when the axles get bad enough, even low or very low will cause it. Tesla's previous solution was to simply set your suspension to low, but it increases inner tire wear which isn't covered under warranty. They've said they've been working on a permanent fix for years now, and this is the first time i've ever heard Tesla themselves show any signs that something is actually on it's way to happening.




Far as I can tell, this isn't being considered a recall as of now. IMO it SHOULD be a recall, but since it doesn't create any inherent danger or "supposedly" decrease safety or drivability, it's not considered so.

As I mentioned above tho, I'm i'd wager that if you're outside of warranty and have a severe shudder, they will likely GoodWill this repairs since it's a dime a dozen for all service centers.

From our experience they will not goodwill the repair. We had an $1100 bill Friday due to this problem. We were told that we could either pay to fix the problem or have a tow truck come and get our car as once they took it apart it was not drivable.

 

[Darmie]

On a side note, I was given the option of installing a new set of the current design axles and when the shudder comes back they would hook me up with the new fix then...or just wait until the part is released and Tesla would contact me to be an early adopter. Sounded like I was being offered to beta test the new axles. At any rate, I agreed just to wait until the new part is available. I did tell them that if this new part isn't out by October, I was gonna be knocking on their door for some of the new old stock. I'll be patient but also realistic. We all know Tesla...that could be a few weeks, or that could be 6 months. Not gonna drive with this for too long.

The shudder has been gone for a long while but I feel it coming back. Let me know what they do for you. I'm on extended warranty and hope to do something before it expires.

 

[Fairchild]

What a shame! I am so sorry to hear that the shudder is still present. I had it on my MXs as far back as 2016 and again on my 2019.
Tesla needs to devote some energy and engineering to a car of that price to resolve the issue once and for all.

I understand there is nothing much worse than paying that much for a vehicle and having to experience such poor-quality performance.

Keep pushing them. After all this time, perhaps consideration should be given to class action. The vehicle does not perform as designed.

 

[ckwong]

Has anyone used the N2itive’s Alignment Kit 1? I've read a few members installed these and it fixed everything. I also just purchased it but haven't installed it yet.

 

[Seattle Tom]

@ckwong did you actually receive it? I thought they were back ordered for the new design and haven’t arrived to anyone yet.

 

[ckwong]

@ckwong did you actually receive it? I thought they were back ordered for the new design and haven’t arrived to anyone yet.

I haven't received it yet but according to an update on their website it will be shipped sometime this month. I also spoke to an installer that has worked with Don and confirmed it will be shipped soon.

 

[radsj]

Long time lurker, but first post. Quick question. With all the posts talking about the shudder, is it inevitable? I have two legacy model xs (2016) in the family with 40-60k miles each without shudder. Granted, they are not pushed hard (probably half throttle most of the time) and always on low height suspension.

The warranty is expiring in the next ~2 years (bought extended on both), so wanted to get a sense of whether I need to push it in standard height to test it, or would that do more harm than good.

Appreciate the collective wisdom!

 

[DarkMatter]

If it's kept smooth, don't sweat it. It's common but not inevitable.

 

[ckwong]

Long time lurker, but first post. Quick question. With all the posts talking about the shudder, is it inevitable? I have two legacy model xs (2016) in the family with 40-60k miles each without shudder. Granted, they are not pushed hard (probably half throttle most of the time) and always on low height suspension.

The warranty is expiring in the next ~2 years (bought extended on both), so wanted to get a sense of whether I need to push it in standard height to test it, or would that do more harm than good.

Appreciate the collective wisdom!

Have you checked your tire wear on the inside since you always drive on low height suspension? I have summer and winter tires and had installed brand new summer tires in March 2021 and last month removed it to put on the winter tires and I noticed the crazy wear it had on the inside. I have mine set on always low during summer. I was very lucky it didn't blow out on me. In total I had the summer tires on for about 16 months. First time changing it out I didn't see any wear at all.

 

[X Fan]

Q: are the new versions of S&X still seeing shudder as bad as previous versions?

 

[radsj]

Sorry for the terrible quality. Didn't catch where the tire meets the rim. Can get better pictures later. It's only been about 10k, so relatively fresh tires, but doesn't seem bad. Definitely not my area of expertise, so appreciate any enlightenment.

Wow, no kidding. That wear is pretty serious. How many miles?