Serious Problem with my 2016 Model S

[FLMSOwner]

Wow, just picked my car back up, all work completed in one day. All work was done under warranty. They weren't sure why the part failed. The service center was great and got everything was done very quickly. Faith in Tesla restored. Here is what was fixed:

Corrections: Steering Rack and Lower Column General Diagnosis

Checked and found the drivers side fore lower control arm to be separating from the lower ball joint. Recommend replacement of the fore and aft drivers side lower control arms, outer knuckle, wheel and passenger side fore lower control arm.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Glad you're all fixed up. Regarding those "self appointed forum police" here who question every negative thread, suggest you hit ignore on those people. Their comments are not worth getting upset about.

 

[JenniferQ]

I have owned my 2016 Model S for just over one year (25k miles) and have been a huge fan of Tesla. I like reading the forums and have been a very happy owner. However, I was driving home with my wife from church this morning and the car had a potentially life threatening failure. I began noticing a "thud" type sound on normal road bumps on my drive home, and when I slowed turning into my development and pressed on the brakes to slow down the car, it began making a shrill sound and the car began jumping up and down. I pulled over and noticed that it looks like something completely fell off the front driver's side axel or turning apparatus (I'm not very knowledgeable about car parts!) Has anyone else experienced this? I am hoping this is an anomaly as I really love my Tesla, but if this would have happened on the highway or on autopilot I can't imagine things ending well for me and my family. I am very happy to be safe at home. I will reach out to service Monday am to get this fixed. I am attaching a picture of what I saw in the front passenger side wheel where something seems to have completely come off the cars suspension.

This exact thing happened to me on Friday. Driver side wheel. Here is the photo. I'm also very worried that this important part could just fail. The only thing my car did before this was slow down quickly during AP in stop and go traffic. Nothing too strenuous. The wheel well cover also peeled up and that's initially what I thought was causing the problem. I now think the whole wheel must have somehow come loose and pushed against the wheel well cover.

It was a quick fix. They called it the "forelink" and here is the quote from repair order under warranty.

It's sad that some on here have called you a FUD Troll. I have been on here many times over the past two years and I think everyone knows I am not a troll. I reported this to the NHTSA and sent photos. This is a serious failure. I have lost confidence in the car and am unnerved. This could have ended much more seriously than it did for us both.

Here is the link to report to the NHTSA.

Keeping You Safe | Safercar | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Here is my thread from yesterday.
Cracked forelink?

 

[JenniferQ]

Don't waste your time here.....get it picked up and sent to a service center. We can't help you.

Disagree. This is supposed to be where we can find answers and help others if they have similar problems. I had the same thing happen to me Friday and my kids were in tears and scared sick because the sound was so bad every time I had to brake to get us over 4 lanes of traffic to exit. We barely made it off the freeway before the car wouldn't move again. Trust me, if this happens to you it will scare the crap out of you. My service tech claims to have never seen this without "impact," but we had no impact and neither did @FLMSOwner.

Pictures show the exact same issue - wheel well cover and forelink (for me) or what they call "fore and aft drivers side lower control arms, outer knuckle, wheel and passenger side fore lower control arm" in @FLMSOwner repair. I just hope it doesn't happen on the other side.

 

[oktane]

This type of failure mode is unacceptable. This should be investigated further and recall issued for the effected lots. If there have been 3+ incidents like this, Tesla has enough info to issue recalls. This is not rocket science.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

This type of failure mode is unacceptable. This should be investigated further and recall issued for the effected lots. If there have been 3+ incidents like this, Tesla has enough info to issue recalls. This is not rocket science.

 

[SMAlset]

FLMSOwner nice looking car and sad to see it on the flatbed. Glad everyone was fine though and sorry for the reception here. Glad it's fixed and back to you.

I do think I've seen a few pictures like this. Not a car person either but wondering if the failed part that looked sheared off is aluminum.

 

[JenniferQ]

From what I've read, it is aluminum. And it looks like aluminum

<snip>

I do think I've seen a few pictures like this. Not a car person either but wondering if the failed part that looked sheared off is aluminum.

 

[u00mem9]

Unfortunately this is exactly the kind of thing that will raise red flags if nhtsa reports are filed. This is a loss of control at any reasonable speed.

What is going on here?

 

[u00mem9]

I just listened to the Q2 results Q&A... I believe this issue could be what was being discussed when they explained they tapped Space X for help evaluating a porosity issue...

 

[SoFlaS]

Don't sweat it buddy. The real trolls are the ones that hide behind the internet and feel free to say what they want whether it's relevant on not. Get you car fixed and hopefully get an explanation as to what caused it.

Good Luck Buddy!

 

[MP3Mike]

I just listened to the Q2 results Q&A... I believe this issue could be what was being discussed when they explained they tapped Space X for help evaluating a porosity issue...

I was thinking the same thing. And didn't they say it was saving them ~8 hours/car?

 

[u00mem9]

I was thinking the same thing. And didn't they say it was saving them ~8 hours/car?

Yep, so that definitely points towards a sudden quality issue that is requiring 100% inspection until resolved. No way the Model 3 had some item with an 8hr inspection in the plan!

 

[Az_Rael]

I just listened to the Q2 results Q&A... I believe this issue could be what was being discussed when they explained they tapped Space X for help evaluating a porosity issue...

Interesting. Here is the transcript:

Adam Michael Jonas - Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

No. It's actually – it's really relevant. I was just curious if – is there anything that SpaceX is doing that we're enabling that could be advantageous to Tesla's mission to accelerate sustainable transport?

Elon Reeve Musk - Tesla, Inc.

There's a recent anecdote, actually, that Jon just shared with me. And, Jon, maybe you...

Jonathan McNeill - Tesla, Inc.

Yes. There's some really great collaboration continuously between the SpaceX teams on materials and other challenges. And we had a challenge in service over the past – just over the past week.

Elon Reeve Musk - Tesla, Inc.

Just this is X-factor (50:15).

Jonathan McNeill - Tesla, Inc.

Yes.

Elon Reeve Musk - Tesla, Inc.

Just told about this today.

Jonathan McNeill - Tesla, Inc.

Yes. Where we needed to determine the porosity of an object deep within our structure and that's something that SpaceX...

Elon Reeve Musk - Tesla, Inc.

Aluminum casting?

Jonathan McNeill - Tesla, Inc.

Is an aluminum casting. That's something that SpaceX knows how to do. Our team reached out to the SpaceX team. The SpaceX team helped us to solve that with some ultrasound sensors that we could quickly isolate where the issue was and take corrective action in it.

Elon Reeve Musk - Tesla, Inc.

It saved us eight hours of work per car.

Jonathan McNeill - Tesla, Inc.

Per car. That was kind of – that could potentially experience this issue. And that's just one example of a lot of examples of how the SpaceX team and the Tesla team collaborate, and we get help from them continually on material issues and other issues like that.




The way this reads, it could be a potential TSB or recall on the lot in question and they are going to use ultrasonic inspection to determine what parts are bad. They do reference that this was a service issue, not production.

 

[JenniferQ]

When I got my car back today, I was told it was a "service update" (TSB) and not a "recall." Hm. I wonder why? If I had been told about a recall of this importance, I would have had it done immediately. I didn't even worry about "immediately" for the Takata pass airbag in another car we own. But steering and wheels? That's very important

 

[Az_Rael]

When I got my car back today, I was told it was a "service update" (TSB) and not a "recall." Hm. I wonder why? If I had been told about a recall of this importance, I would have had it done immediately. I didn't even worry about "immediately" for the Takata pass airbag in another car we own. But steering and wheels? That's very important

Did they reference a bulletin number on your service paperwork?

 

[achilles992000]

last week, i was backing out and i heard a snap the other day on the driver's side. when i went over a bump. i heard a rattle. turns out the forelink had broken. Tesla service was great and fixed it under warranty. in about 2 hours.

i'm at 30k miles. does anyone know how much the part would cost out of warranty? seems like a defect.

 

[oktane]

This type of failure mode is unacceptable. This should be investigated further and recall issued for the effected lots. If there have been 3+ incidents like this, Tesla has enough info to issue recalls. This is not rocket science.

I can't believe someone would disagree with my post here, hopefully this doesn't happen to you with your family in the car.

 

[u00mem9]

does anyone know how much the part would cost out of warranty? seems like a defect.

I wouldn't worry about cost. This is probably a recall in the making. They are likely trying to determine the scope of the problem.

 

[Max*]

It's all FUD the photographs are just photo-shopped.
There is nothing to worry about.
Nothing can go wron

lol, he crashed while typing, couldn't finish his thought