Rejecting my brand new model 3 Highland

[EVFan786]

Hello All,

Purchased my new car on 1st march and I noticed a strange vibration coming from the steering wheel when I was doing 70mph. Booked into service and found out ALL the wheels were out of balance. I thought that at least the vibrations will now be sorted but to my horror the my were still there. Booked in again to Tesla service and had them check the inside of the tyres in case the foam had come loose and also I felt the steering was slightly to the left when on a straight road so maybe the cause is that the alignment is out. I was told it’s all checked out ok apart from one of the front wheels that needed to be rebalanced again. Once again the vibrations appeared at 70mph.

I decided to go and test drive a new highland with the same spec as mine Model 3 LR with the 19” alloys and that car felt much better than mine at 70mph so I spoke to the manager and started the process of rejecting the car as it’s within 14 days. Have to wait till April-May for the next slot (ultra red long range with 19” alloys)

For context I have owned a brand new model 3 LR with 19” alloys which I purchased brand new in march 2022 and sold that to buy tye new one and lost a lot of money but the new car was definitely worth it or so I thought. I mainly drive on the motorway and always use autopilot and I rest my right hand on the bottom of the steering wheel waiting to nudge it when I get the alert. In my previous car I NEVER felt the steering vibrate no matter what speed I was going so driving the new highland I knew straight away that something was not right.

Are there any members out there who have come across something similar or are there members out there with the same LR with the 19” alloys who could tell me if they have noticed anything unusual when driving in terms of vibrations through the steering or alignment issues or even if your car is running perfectly fine at 70 mph then pls let me know.

Many thanks !!!

 

[molibden]

I have the same issue with my M3H RWD with 18" tires Michelin E-Primacy. There is a bunch of us throughout Europe. Look up German TFF forum (Ruckeln/Vibrieren Highland).
Besides my steering wheel also pedal area vibrates, basically you can feel it everywhere.
Now I regret not giving it back right away. This 14 day period is based on Tesla or UK thing?

 

[Proflig8tor]

Just depends on who is doing the balancing. We have a Costco store that seems capable of sorting any bad balance.

Awfully sorry to hear your car is getting rejected for such a simple fix. I understand wanting a smooth dive. Your demand is reasonable and if Tesla can't get it right they should coordinate with a shop who will get your car delivered correctly.

 

[molibden]

There are a lot of cases where they changed tires and rims outside Tesla. They did balancing, wheel alignment etc. Issue still there.

 

[EVFan786]

I have the same issue with my M3H RWD with 18" tires Michelin E-Primacy. There is a bunch of us throughout Europe. Look up German TFF forum (Ruckeln/Vibrieren Highland).
Besides my steering wheel also pedal area vibrates, basically you can feel it everywhere.
Now I regret not giving it back right away. This 14 day period is based on Tesla or UK thing?

Thanks for replying I will check out that thread

 

[EVFan786]

I have the same issue with my M3H RWD with 18" tires Michelin E-Primacy. There is a bunch of us throughout Europe. Look up German TFF forum (Ruckeln/Vibrieren Highland).
Besides my steering wheel also pedal area vibrates, basically you can feel it everywhere.
Now I regret not giving it back right away. This 14 day period is based on Tesla or UK thing?

The thing is I have my 2 year old and 3 year old in the back and we do a lot of motorway driving and it’s scary to think that those small vibrations may slowly loosen the wheel bolts over time and that’s why I have lost confidence driving my car. I have to say I loved the car but just no confidence in the car.

Also consumer law in the UK states that if I purchase the car for personal use over the phone or on the internet then I have 14 days to return the car. To be fair I had no idea about this rule but it has really helped me out as what’s concerning is that I would have been told that it’s a “characteristic” of the car and normal and that would have infuriated me as there is no way I should feel vibrations at 70mph and nothing nothing when driving any slower.

 

[EVFan786]

Just depends on who is doing the balancing. We have a Costco store that seems capable of sorting any bad balance.

Awfully sorry to hear your car is getting rejected for such a simple fix. I understand wanting a smooth dive. Your demand is reasonable and if Tesla can't get it right they should coordinate with a shop who will get your car delivered correctly.

A smooth/quiet ride is one of the main reasons I chose to go electric and I had 2 years of perfect smooth driving in my 2022 M3LR 19” alloys for 2 years until my new highland (exact same spec as previous) but I travel mainly with my 2 young kids in the back and it just does not feel safe.

 

[EVFan786]

My 2022 was purchased brand new in march 2022 and after driving that for 2 I immediately noticed on the 1st day of driving the new highland that there are issue with vibrations. Whats worrying is that my new car will be the same and I will have to reject that and then my only option is the i4 which is the only next best option for me but means having to pay way more for the same similar spec

 

[EVFan786]

I have the same issue with my M3H RWD with 18" tires Michelin E-Primacy. There is a bunch of us throughout Europe. Look up German TFF forum (Ruckeln/Vibrieren Highland).
Besides my steering wheel also pedal area vibrates, basically you can feel it everywhere.
Now I regret not giving it back right away. This 14 day period is based on Tesla or UK thing?

I have the 19" alloys with the Hankook tyres. Maybe its the wheels/tyres themselves or I am really hoping its just this particular car

 

[MikeRTX]

I have the 19" alloys with the Hankook tyres. Maybe its the wheels/tyres themselves or I am really hoping its just this particular car

Yes, don't overlook the wheels themselves. Not only can one or more be out of balance, but there are occasionally runout issues with alloys, where the wheel is actually out of round or warped. There are simple runout tests where a gauge is placed against the side of the wheel (the rim) and when it is spun the horizontal runout can be measured. When placed against the inner lip of the wheel and spun it will show the amount of vertical runout. If bad enough, no amount of balancing will cure it, and abnormal tire wear will follow.

The same tests should be done with the tire itself, as tires are sometimes horizontally or vertically out of round. In fact, I'd check the tires first!

 

[EVFan786]

I have the same issue with my M3H RWD with 18" tires Michelin E-Primacy. There is a bunch of us throughout Europe. Look up German TFF forum (Ruckeln/Vibrieren Highland).
Besides my steering wheel also pedal area vibrates, basically you can feel it everywhere.
Now I regret not giving it back right away. This 14 day period is based on Tesla or UK thing?

Thanks for pointing out that forum thread. I have read through it all and it's good to know that there are others out there with the same issue.

 

[EVFan786]

Yes, don't overlook the wheels themselves. Not only can one or more be out of balance, but there are occasionally runout issues with alloys, where the wheel is actually out of round or warped. There are simple runout tests where a gauge is placed against the side of the wheel (the rim) and when it is spun the horizontal runout can be measured. When placed against the inner lip of the wheel and spun it will show the amount of vertical runout. If bad enough, no amount of balancing will cure it, and abnormal tire wear will follow.

The same tests should be done with the tire itself, as tires are sometimes horizontally or vertically out of round. In fact, I'd check the tires first!

Hello Mike

I was told by a forum member to visit the German site and there are quite a few people in Germany who are experiencing the exact same issue as me and people have tried all types of different alloys/tyres and its looks like definately not a wheel/tyre issue.

 

[molibden]

Thanks for pointing out that forum thread. I have read through it all and it's good to know that there are others out there with the same issue.

You're welcome. Rather great car, but with these issue I kind of regret buying it. It's a company car on a lease so giving it back creates all sort of problems. Tesla SC will try and change tires even though I have no hope for a solution.

 

[EVFan786]

Hello All,

After driving a brand new M3LR in 2022, which I sold and then purchased a brand new 2024 Highland. As soon as I drove it at 70 mph I noticed vibrations, which at first I thought was wheel balancing. Tesla service checked and reported back all 4tyres were out of balance and put right but that did not fix the problem.

Luckily I was within the 14 days so Tesla have agreed that I can return my car for a full refund but I am ordering another car and hope that I do not get the same problems with the new car.

A forum member directed me towards a German Tesla forum and there are quite a few people around Europe who have the exact same problems as me. I was also told about an article that has been published about the vibrating issues, which is in German, but my browser allows me to translate (safari) and its worth a read.

I am just checking if there are any other members who have had this problem as it is not limited to just the LR Highland but any variant of the model 3

Cientos de Tesla Model 3 Highland con un misterioso problema de vibraciones: propietarios devolviéndolos

La compra de un coche siempre es un momento importante y la recepción del mismo…

www.autonocion.com

 

[jmaddr]

Man, Europe still has a 14 day return policy? Jealous. Guess we abused it over here.

 

[Leafdriver333]

My sister's M3 from 2020 has vibrations at 70 mph. got wheel balanced twice at different locations. problem never went away. Tesla could not find any issues with the car.

 

[AS9.9.]

I am very jealous you could return it! Trying to get things fixed now with Tesla is starting to become a hassle for me. I have some vibrations at high speeds in my 2020 M3, but I won't waste my time trying to get Tesla to do something just for them to say "within spec", and piss me off.

I remember when I swapped 2 cars at my local Toyota dealer, minimal questions asked. They cared about their customers A LOT. Can't say the same for Tesla.

 

[Birdsfan]

Man, Europe still has a 14 day return policy? Jealous. Guess we abused it over here.

Just goes to show you who actually runs the Country, NOT the people...

 

[fredjan]

It sounds like it's either a deeper problem that Tesla doesn't really want to solve (like something relating to the steering rack?), or.... that's just the way the car is.

If car #2 has the same issue, I'd recommend returning it and then shopping for non-Tesla. I'm already concerned that you're buying a second Tesla based on your experiences with your first Tesla.

 

[EVFan786]

It sounds like it's either a deeper problem that Tesla doesn't really want to solve (like something relating to the steering rack?), or.... that's just the way the car is.

If car #2 has the same issue, I'd recommend returning it and then shopping for non-Tesla. I'm already concerned that you're buying a second Tesla based on your experiences with your first Tesla.

Goes without saying that if the issue is on the other car then I will definitely be returning that too but have to say I loved the 2022 M3LR and the new one was much better and loved driving it but hopefully it will be ok and if not then I think it will have to be the BMW i4. Also on the German forum it looks like that it could have something to do with the drive unit or drive shafts but at the moment the investigation is in the early stages. The thing is the problems are with any variant of the 2024 and because not everyone is reporting a problem it could be a small batch that has these issues.