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Rattle noise coming from front Air Suspension (2017-18)

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Update for mine. About 5,000 miles since I’ve had the front suspension replaced and the sound hasn’t come back. I thought I had it on the rear also, but they found that it was coming from the cup holder and a loose trim on the hatch. Very happy when I got my car back from service and it was silent.
How did you convince the service center/Tesla to listen to you and fix the problem?
 
They replaced the part with 77-C again this week due to some remnant rattle. Sad that it wasn't an updated part. I have a lot of smaller random creaks/noises from the interior and service said it was under specifications and said nothing can be done about it. I'm pretty much out of warranty already (75K km) so I think I am pretty much stuck with this state for the next few years until I replace the car.
 
I had my front air struts replaced with the 77-C update in April of this year but the rattle returned about 1,000 miles later. Subsequent trips to the SC for the issue didn't produce any result as the technician riding along always claimed not to be able to hear the rattle. (I guess they think I'm lying about it? Are they all deaf? Not sure.) Growing tired of the issue, I scheduled a mobile appointment to get a different set of ears. The mobile tech heard the rattle and had the SC order parts based on his evaluation of the noise. A month passes and appointment is delayed because parts did not arrive. On the morning of the repair appointment, the SC made me take a technician on YET ANOTHER ride along to confirm the noise. Noise was confirmed. They keep the car overnight to do the work and the next afternoon I am set to pick up.

Upon pick up, I am informed that they didn't do anything to the vehicle and that the rattle is "normal". The SC advisor said that the rattle is simply - and I quote - a "design characteristic" of the Model S. They did not deny that the rattle existed, the position now is that it's normal. The service invoice indicates that they drove another Model S with a similar VIN range, confirmed the rattle in that car, and so, the rattle is normal in my car. I told them that makes no sense whatsoever and that means the rattle is clearly the result of a design flaw in the vehicle.

I asked then what parts were ordered. No answer. Why were parts ordered if the rattle is normal? No answer. Why did the front suspension not rattle when the car was new? No answer. What about when the 77-Cs were first installed? Why no rattle then? No answer.

I don't think that they actually know how to fix the rattle and this will be the new answer we receive when the issue is not resolved by replacement of the air struts with the 77-Cs. This experience has really shaken my faith in Tesla and their commitment to customer satisfaction. I'll probably move back to Audi/Porsche at this point. I've had so many issues with this vehicle in the past 1.5 years (including all the common ones - yellow borders, failed DRLs, etc.) and this, I think, is the final straw for me.
 
Just closing the loop here - found the old invoice and turns out they only replaced a couple of bolts and one or two other small parts like them.

However, I recently asked them for the 77-C and after a week and a half or so of driving I can say that the issue is mostly fixed. It still rattles faintly but if you don't know you wouldn't notice except at really low speeds (5-10 mph) on really rough roads. Hasn't been getting worse over time either (granted it hasn't been that long). Still, it's way better than it was before, so I'm happy with the new part.

Several months in, and it’s still better than it was before but it’s definitely more noticeable now. There really is no permanent fix for this problem, sorry folks
 
They have worked on my car twice for this rattle and I am just convinced they can't fix it. It is better than it was when I first got it fixed but there is still a rattle and a weird noise if I hit a sharper bump. I also feel like my car is being affected by bumps more than it used to like if I'm at a slight grade to left of right it will swerve heavily that direction or if it hits even a small bump the steering feels loose and won't track straight. Steering overall feels loose and not tight and I have on Sport mode.
 
I had my front air struts replaced with the 77-C update in April of this year but the rattle returned about 1,000 miles later. Subsequent trips to the SC for the issue didn't produce any result as the technician riding along always claimed not to be able to hear the rattle. (I guess they think I'm lying about it? Are they all deaf? Not sure.) Growing tired of the issue, I scheduled a mobile appointment to get a different set of ears. The mobile tech heard the rattle and had the SC order parts based on his evaluation of the noise. A month passes and appointment is delayed because parts did not arrive. On the morning of the repair appointment, the SC made me take a technician on YET ANOTHER ride along to confirm the noise. Noise was confirmed. They keep the car overnight to do the work and the next afternoon I am set to pick up.

Upon pick up, I am informed that they didn't do anything to the vehicle and that the rattle is "normal". The SC advisor said that the rattle is simply - and I quote - a "design characteristic" of the Model S. They did not deny that the rattle existed, the position now is that it's normal. The service invoice indicates that they drove another Model S with a similar VIN range, confirmed the rattle in that car, and so, the rattle is normal in my car. I told them that makes no sense whatsoever and that means the rattle is clearly the result of a design flaw in the vehicle.

I asked then what parts were ordered. No answer. Why were parts ordered if the rattle is normal? No answer. Why did the front suspension not rattle when the car was new? No answer. What about when the 77-Cs were first installed? Why no rattle then? No answer.

I don't think that they actually know how to fix the rattle and this will be the new answer we receive when the issue is not resolved by replacement of the air struts with the 77-Cs. This experience has really shaken my faith in Tesla and their commitment to customer satisfaction. I'll probably move back to Audi/Porsche at this point. I've had so many issues with this vehicle in the past 1.5 years (including all the common ones - yellow borders, failed DRLs, etc.) and this, I think, is the final straw for me.

The fix is very easy: They get your old S, and they give you a new Raven.
Very very interesting that they admit that it's a design flaw. A bonus would be to get that in writing. Then lemon the car.
 
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One data point that could be completely unrelated, but thought I’d share anyway. My P85D always had a rattle when going over cobblestone type roads, i.e. no rattle when going over speed bumps, etc.
Was never a huge concern for me so I just waited until the next time I needed to bring the car into the service center (mostly have utilized Rangers), which happened to be a couple weeks ago.
Tech that went on ride along clearly heard it. It took them a couple days to diagnose, but it ended up being the hubs, which really surprised me as I swear the rattles were higher up in the suspension not down low at the hubs. So kudos as always to the Portland crew. That was the correct fix as the front end is dead silent now.
For those that already had the 77-C swap that temporarily alleviated the rattle, the hubs clearly won’t help, but for others, this could be another avenue to pursue.
 
less range and the acceleration / ludicrous is just wel ... ludicrous :) I got convinced because as a current owner I got the ludicrous option for free. But had I know that this acceleration sound is there, I wouldn't have done it...
What "acceleration sound" are you referring to?

I assume you're joking about the ludicrous acceleration. I don't understand how anyone can complain about that. Its not as if someone is forcing you to floor the throttle all the time. :) But that's just my opinion. Each to his own.
 
One data point that could be completely unrelated, but thought I’d share anyway. My P85D always had a rattle when going over cobblestone type roads, i.e. no rattle when going over speed bumps, etc.
Was never a huge concern for me so I just waited until the next time I needed to bring the car into the service center (mostly have utilized Rangers), which happened to be a couple weeks ago.
Tech that went on ride along clearly heard it. It took them a couple days to diagnose, but it ended up being the hubs, which really surprised me as I swear the rattles were higher up in the suspension not down low at the hubs. So kudos as always to the Portland crew. That was the correct fix as the front end is dead silent now.
For those that already had the 77-C swap that temporarily alleviated the rattle, the hubs clearly won’t help, but for others, this could be another avenue to pursue.
The wheel hub?? I started suspecting that too...I wonder what exactly rattles..can't be tightened up?
 
I also have the clunking/rattling problem from the suspension when my 2019 MS had 1000 miles. Last month, the SC replaced the left and right struts (replacement part 1067361-77-C) which diminished the sound somewhat. After the replacement, the noise got progressively worse over a thousand miles and now it is just as noticeable as before. I guess I'll be making another appointment with the SC to try to further diagnose the suspension issue.
 
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Anyone who wants to try this? I feel the rattle became less but it could be also placebo effect. I don't know exactly which brand/type I got, it looks like alubutyl or something like "fat mat rattle trap"
 

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I get that kind of noise almost annually on my RWD S85. Its' broken stabilizer links. My car eats them for some reason.
I’m pretty sure stabilizer link is what I just had fail around 49k miles. Heading into Tesla Tuesday to see how much they charge to fix. Out of warranty now. IMHO this part is under-designed and we need a new beefier part to handle the stress. (If that’s it).
 
If one layer appear to dampen your noise, why not wrap around the entire strut or even a double layer to see if the noise is dampened further?
Sure, but there is not too much left where the mats can be attached. It is also not easy to apply in mounted position even when you lift the car to the highest position. Of course you must clean the parts fat-free and depending by the product you will apply it in warm status (the mats).

When tapping the upper aluminium part of the strut which in my "theory" acts like a resonance body with your finger nail, before and after applying a layer you will hear the difference.

I thought that since this mod can be done within 5-10min without costs (the mats I got in a bodyshop) , it would be worth to be checked by others to confirm (or not) my result
 
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One data point that could be completely unrelated, but thought I’d share anyway. My P85D always had a rattle when going over cobblestone type roads, i.e. no rattle when going over speed bumps, etc.
Was never a huge concern for me so I just waited until the next time I needed to bring the car into the service center (mostly have utilized Rangers), which happened to be a couple weeks ago.
Tech that went on ride along clearly heard it. It took them a couple days to diagnose, but it ended up being the hubs, which really surprised me as I swear the rattles were higher up in the suspension not down low at the hubs. So kudos as always to the Portland crew. That was the correct fix as the front end is dead silent now.
For those that already had the 77-C swap that temporarily alleviated the rattle, the hubs clearly won’t help, but for others, this could be another avenue to pursue.

Really interesting!
I complained about suspension noises and ratlles in February this year and they have already replaced the upper and lower front suspension arms on my S85 and it's now due to replace the lower rear suspension arms and the rear parking brake calipers, because although the replacement of the front suspension arms certainly improved some of the noises and ratlles i was complaining about, it did not eliminate them all.
I think it makes sense to replace the lower rear arms suspension now, but i'm not so sure about the parking calipers... i will let the guys at my service center know this about the hubs.