Service Bulletin out on Hard Acceleration "Shudder"

[RavenKARR]

I just had the front half shafts replaced on my 2019 Raven Performance Model S in late December after waiting for almost a full year for them to have "engineering design a long term fix". They had apparently used my car to document some of the issues back in 2019 since it started on the car with around only 1200 miles on it and could be made to showcase the shudder in almost any condition (hot, cold, left turn, right turn, full acceleration, partial acceleration, etc).

So far the new parts are working well. It took about 9 days to get them in stock after I opened the service ticket.

Parts Received:
FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, LH, PM
Part #: 1138040-00-B

FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, RH, PM
Part #: 1138042-00-B

 

[TSLA Pilot]

I just had the front half shafts replaced on my 2019 Raven Performance Model S in late December after waiting for almost a full year for them to have "engineering design a long term fix". They had apparently used my car to document some of the issues back in 2019 since it started on the car with around only 1200 miles on it and could be made to showcase the shudder in almost any condition (hot, cold, left turn, right turn, full acceleration, partial acceleration, etc).

So far the new parts are working well. It took about 9 days to get them in stock after I opened the service ticket.

Parts Received:
FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, LH, PM
Part #: 1138040-00-B

FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, RH, PM
Part #: 1138042-00-B

Thank you for this excellent info as I hope it'll solve our problem too.

I will again send these part numbers to our local Service Center to see if they'll order the parts--so we won't have to make two trips to fix the problem.

Having the parts in stock would be nice; it's been about two months of this non-fix. Last appointment was cancelled, but they didn't bother to tell me (after waiting two weeks).

Service has taken such a massive nose dive over the past few years and I seriously hope Elon will get his act together on this part of the Tesla Experience; it's not becoming of the brand's image.

 

[vapor trail]

Thank you for this excellent info as I hope it'll solve our problem too.

I will again send these part numbers to our local Service Center to see if they'll order the parts--so we won't have to make two trips to fix the problem.

Having the parts in stock would be nice; it's been about two months of this non-fix. Last appointment was cancelled, but they didn't bother to tell me (after waiting two weeks).

Service has taken such a massive nose dive over the past few years and I seriously hope Elon will get his act together on this part of the Tesla Experience; it's not becoming of the brand's image.

"not becoming of the brand's image" -- that's a very polite understatement! Well said.

My car is scheduled (via app) in two days to have IC screen yellow border addressed and for the front shuddering issue. I expected to hear something from SC by now, hoping they would clarify things BEFORE my appointment. No such luck. I suspect I'm in for a long game play on this where the appointment this week may only be used to try to justify the need for repair. Will see. Seems to me service has become Tesla's lowest priority, with their bottom line starting and ending with sales volume. It's a shame, an insult to the customer and, I think, very short sighted.

 

[jebs2k]

Has anyone with the latest parts have the rattling come back? I've been accelerating hard and think I am starting to hear some faint noises, but can't be sure.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

I just had the front half shafts replaced on my 2019 Raven Performance Model S in late December after waiting for almost a full year for them to have "engineering design a long term fix". They had apparently used my car to document some of the issues back in 2019 since it started on the car with around only 1200 miles on it and could be made to showcase the shudder in almost any condition (hot, cold, left turn, right turn, full acceleration, partial acceleration, etc).

So far the new parts are working well. It took about 9 days to get them in stock after I opened the service ticket.

Parts Received:
FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, LH, PM
Part #: 1138040-00-B

FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, RH, PM
Part #: 1138042-00-B

RavenKarr,

One more question, only because our local SC may not have the time or inclination to do any research on our intermittent issue:

Do you know if Tesla used your car to also generate a bulletin of any sort?

I'd just as soon give them that SB so as to help them fix our shudder/knocking problem in an expeditious manner.

Thanks!

 

[FatherTo1]

Has anyone with the latest parts have the rattling come back? I've been accelerating hard and think I am starting to hear some faint noises, but can't be sure.

I had both front half-shafts replaced (for the second time) in October 2020, with the same part numbers as @RavenKARR. Earlier in this thread I reported no issues in November 2020, but now I'm hearing faint shudder on moderate acceleration. I am going to live with it and report it once again before the warranty runs out in 2023 or 50K miles.

 

[serendipitous]

Has anyone with the latest parts have the rattling come back? I've been accelerating hard and think I am starting to hear some faint noises, but can't be sure.

I hear a new "groaning" sound now - it's not the shudder, but it clearly sounds like some mechanical strain under load when cold. I also think (but am not 100% positive because I've also switched back to winter tires) that there is a steadily audible drivetrain noise when not under load (e.g. at any speed or power/regen level).

 

[TSLA Pilot]

I had both front half-shafts replaced (for the second time) in October 2020, with the same part numbers as @RavenKARR. Earlier in this thread I reported no issues in November 2020, but now I'm hearing faint shudder on moderate acceleration. I am going to live with it and report it once again before the warranty runs out in 2023 or 50K miles.

This isn't something you should put up with, especially at a six-figure price point.

I'd schedule a repair, again, if only to get Tesla HQ informed and involved. If the new parts aren't solving the problem I'd expect them to throw some resources on repairing this problem once and for all.

 

[dark cloud]

I noticed n2itive, a third party suspension part manufacturer is advertising their "acceleration shudder elimination kit" which is simply a set of lowering links, along with the adjustable camber links for the rear to help with another Tesla issue, inner rear tire wear.

That is the solution though: the lower the axle shaft at the motor, the straighter the run from the motor to the hub, and the less likely the grip- and-let-go "shudder" behaviour happens, right? But Tesla does not want the car to ride as low as it was originally designed, as there are other safety considerations with such a low ride height on less desirable public roads.

But like other manufacturers if you put on some third party part and have other issues, maybe even unrelated, they attempt to void warranty as non-oem parts were installed on the vehicle.

 

[vapor trail]

I noticed n2itive, a third party suspension part manufacturer is advertising their "acceleration shudder elimination kit" which is simply a set of lowering links, along with the adjustable camber links for the rear to help with another Tesla issue, inner rear tire wear.

That is the solution though: the lower the axle shaft at the motor, the straighter the run from the motor to the hub, and the less likely the grip- and-let-go "shudder" behaviour happens, right? But Tesla does not want the car to ride as low as it was originally designed, as there are other safety considerations with such a low ride height on less desirable public roads.

But like other manufacturers if you put on some third party part and have other issues, maybe even unrelated, they attempt to void warranty as non-oem parts were installed on the vehicle.

Wow, that's encouraging that someone stepped up with a solution. Hopefully, it really works.

I just had my car in for service. They fixed my yellowing IC screen and had preordered half shafts to fix my acceleration shudder. Unfortunately, they decided after they did a test drive that my car's performance was "normal" and related to weight shifting during acceleration. I call BS. I admit my shudder problem isn't as severe as I've seen from others online. But my car has it, especially in cold weather. So, I was left with having to come back another day. I guess I'll keep driving and let it get bad enough to where they have to acknowledge the problem. Discouraging. Car cost a fortune.

I was also a bit annoyed when after I dare ask about a buzzing/rattling sound from dash that they would only look at it if I payed a $185 diagnosis fee. Build a shoddy product, then nickel and dime the customer to make it right. Sheesh...

 

[Payrovi2]

2021 #Teslemon Model X, <2000 miles.

I have 3 major raven shudder issues:

1. On heavy acceleration, when not in very/low suspension, I get a massive rattling (not a shudder) in front drivetrain, similar to ABS breaking lockup. It feels like the car is going to fall apart on the street.
2. I get a shudder on almost every regen breaking when coming to a stop. It "vibrates" to a stop.
3. The steering wheel and car shudder even in regular driving around soft turns.

For a brand new $90k+ vehicle, this is a disaster. Going on for the axle repair next week, but pretty sure it will come back as soon as I accelerate again.

Anyone else getting it on new 2021 MX?

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Just an update on our July 2019 MS Perf (Raven). Under 5k miles. (And my wife's 2020 MS Perf, also a Raven, has the same problem at under 3k miles.)

Last week our local SC concurred there was a shudder but did NOT replace the front half-shafts as the "new" -B units (noted a few posts up) are supposedly the same as what's already on the car from the factory, at least according to the big parts list in the sky that they have access to.

(I'd check under the car myself to be 100% sure, but it's below freezing here and that's just not very high on my priorities list until it gets warmer, perhaps next week.)

So they didn't order any parts or do anything, other than to advise that perhaps Tesla is working on some new half-shafts that might work better.

Frustrating, and really surprising that this problem is still going on.

Here's a question: if they can't get half-shafts to last with the "underpowered" Ravens, how the heck do they plan on selling the new MS Plaid and Plaid+ that won't be back in the shop getting new front half-shafts every other month? Or do they just plan for those buyers to live with it, like we've somehow ended up doing (and very much not our desired outcome)?

Elon: Please get on this problem before it becomes a PR disaster. (How about doing some aggressive durability modeling/testing before you launch new products?)

 

[Evan_M]

I'm facing the same issues on our June 2020 Model X Performance.
I've got the car set up for "Low" to be the default ride height.
I had the SC replace the front half shafts a couple of months ago and it fixed the problem.
Sadly, the shudder is back already. I've already scheduled to take the vehicle back in to have them replaced again.

Has anyone lemoned a tesla because of this issue?
Kind of sad to have the same semi-major issue have to be fixed twice in 13k miles.

 

[SO16]

I was also a bit annoyed when after I dare ask about a buzzing/rattling sound from dash that they would only look at it if I payed a $185 diagnosis fee. Build a shoddy product, then nickel and dime the customer to make it right. Sheesh...

If they find an issue, they take that fee away. (At least has been the case). This way they are not doing troubleshooting for all sorts of things for free. My local mechanic does the same thing.

 

[thebishop]

Just an update on our July 2019 MS Perf (Raven). Under 5k miles. (And my wife's 2020 MS Perf, also a Raven, has the same problem at under 3k miles.)

Last week our local SC concurred there was a shudder but did NOT replace the front half-shafts as the "new" -B units (noted a few posts up) are supposedly the same as what's already on the car from the factory, at least according to the big parts list in the sky that they have access to.

(I'd check under the car myself to be 100% sure, but it's below freezing here and that's just not very high on my priorities list until it gets warmer, perhaps next week.)

So they didn't order any parts or do anything, other than to advise that perhaps Tesla is working on some new half-shafts that might work better.

Frustrating, and really surprising that this problem is still going on.

Here's a question: if they can't get half-shafts to last with the "underpowered" Ravens, how the heck do they plan on selling the new MS Plaid and Plaid+ that won't be back in the shop getting new front half-shafts every other month? Or do they just plan for those buyers to live with it, like we've somehow ended up doing (and very much not our desired outcome)?

Elon: Please get on this problem before it becomes a PR disaster. (How about doing some aggressive durability modeling/testing before you launch new products?)

Fully agree 100%. This is one reason why I don't upgrade to the Plaid until I've seen how it survives the first few months. Unless they've really learnt something and done their homework, I doubt a Plaid powertrain allows the half-shafts to survive more than a couple of months. Much less the Plaid+. I've driven my car much less aggressive since I got the new B part replaced, don't want to end up replacing them now out of warranty...

 

[glusc2002]

Hopefully, the D revision will fix this for good... That's the part they used when I had this issue resolved under warranty.

Many of us paid extra for the Performance version to enjoy the occasional launch.

I mean otherwise what on earth is the purpose of that extra $20K+ expense.

I really hope going forward they figure this out (if they haven't alreayd) and don't try to drag their feet claiming the shudder is normal, "wear and tear," or some other nonsense. Basically you should be able to enjoy the performance of your car, including occasional launches, for the duration of the warranty plus ESA without additional expense or hassle for warranty claims.

To their credit, when I brought my car in for this issue and showed them the Service Bulletin, it was fixed without any issue. God forbid this issue returns, I expect them to fix it without any attempt to pretend like this is not a warranty issue.

It's good that this part has now been revised 4 times with the D Revision and I have faith that Tesla Engineering has now solved this issue.

if i produce the service bulletin at the time of visit, are they still going to test drive it to reproduce the vibration/noise before fixing or is SC legally bound to the repair based on the bulletin?

 

[glusc2002]

Were these the same half-shaft part numbers you had installed?

Parts Received

1. FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, RH, PM
   Part #: 1138042-00-B
   Delivered: September 15, 2020
2. FRONT HALFSHAFT, MODEL S, LH, PM
   Part #: 1138040-00-B
   Delivered: September 15, 2020

why not the D parts?

 

[MP3Mike]

if i produce the service bulletin at the time of visit, are they still going to test drive it to reproduce the vibration/noise before fixing or is SC legally bound to the repair based on the bulletin?

TSBs are not recalls, so there is no legal requirement. They should follow the details, which normally include something about verifying the vehicle meets the criteria for the TSB. From the document:

Correction
An updated LH front drive unit clevis mount with an improved bushing is available which mitigates the condition. Upon customer complaint, inspect the vehicle for excessive vibrations coming from the front drive unit during hard acceleration. If the condition is present, update the LH front drive unit clevis mount and replace both front drive unit halfshafts.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

TSBs are not recalls, so there is no legal requirement. They should follow the details, which normally include something about verifying the vehicle meets the criteria for the TSB. From the document:

Do you have a link to the updated SB available?

I ask as our '19 and '20 MS Perfs have the "correct" parts from the factory at build, but they both shudder on acceleration. Thus, the Fort Worth SC won't bother to replace anything or do anything . . . which, frankly, is a bit of shock. On the one hand, I "get" not wishing to replace the same parts with others with the same part number, BUT it would at least provide us a window of "non-shudder" driving.

Perhaps this new part number will solve the problem, or at least get them to do something?

 

[dark cloud]

Do you have a link to the updated SB available?

I ask as our '19 and '20 MS Perfs have the "correct" parts from the factory at build, but they both shudder on acceleration. Thus, the Fort Worth SC won't bother to replace anything or do anything . . . which, frankly, is a bit of shock. On the one hand, I "get" not wishing to replace the same parts with others with the same part number, BUT it would at least provide us a window of "non-shudder" driving.

Perhaps this new part number will solve the problem, or at least get them to do something?

There was one from June 2019 and then it was updated Dec 2019. The halfshaft part numbers are the same in both.
Looks like the only update is the addition of one locating shim tool.