Still Not Fixed [small vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 25 MPH.]

[Mrcarcrazy]

First off thanks so much for your response, so to answer the questions:

My questions so far.
1. Does it happen with the Ac off? Heck. Turn everything you can off in the settings.
It happens with the AC on or off and even with everything off.
2. Does steering setting in center screen change it?
I've tried comfort, standard, sport (usually drive in sport) and they all have the issue
3. Does it come and go at different speeds? Or starts at 25 and never stops?
It's present most of the time at all speeds, I have a round about by my house and at about 10MPH, I feel it, its slight but it's there.
4. Do you feel it in other Teslas?
I haven't had a chance to drive another model 3. I talked to the rep of a local Tesla group and I'm going to their next meet up in a few weeks and he offered to help me, offer any advice.
5. Any noise? (This can be hard to hear)
No noise at all, I'm actually pleasantly surprised of the overall integrity of the car (other than the vibration)
6. Does it change in frequency or severity at different speeds?
It seems more dependent on the road conditions as opposed to speed, not sure if this means anything, but it's more pronounced on the lower half of the steering wheel, it's like holding my Sonicare toothbrush.

Questions continued as I also have a sonicare so your description makes me scratch my head.

Does it feel like the buzzing with the lane keep alert?

What did you drive before the Tesla?

Does it occur at different angles of steering? (Like on a steady 40+ degree turn) vs straight ahead.

Im glad it’s road dependent as this makes me think a bearing is not the cause. I still say definitely not a wheel/tire issue.

 

[trusaleen1]

Questions continued as I also have a sonicare so your description makes me scratch my head.

Does it feel like the buzzing with the lane keep alert?

What did you drive before the Tesla?

Does it occur at different angles of steering? (Like on a steady 40+ degree turn) vs straight ahead.

Im glad it’s road dependent as this makes me think a bearing is not the cause. I still say definitely not a wheel/tire issue.

Does it feel like the buzzing with the lane keep alert?
It's similar to that feeling, but less intense. But it's constant. It's more of an annoyance, when I've been on rides with techs, they say they notice it. They say they fixed it and I immediately get in the car to drive home and it's still there. Last time it went to an SC, they had it for 3 days put 40 miles on the car. They said they an "engineer" drove it and couldn't replicate the problem. I picked up the car on a Saturday, service was closed and it was still there. While waiting serveral times at the SC's I've noticed their common phrase to customers are "it's within spec" and couldn't replicate".

What did you drive before the Tesla?
I've had many cars, currently still have a 2014 V6 6-Speed Accord Coupe and sold a heavily modded 2016 Mustang GT CA Special that had a lot of suspension mods, engine mods, etc. I replaced the Mustang (due to the crazy used car market) with the Tesla. I've had BMW 3 and 4 series, Infiniti Coupe, other Accords and Civics. I had a great friend who was a mechanic who modded my mustang, but he's since moved out of state and not sure he'd be too familiar with Teslas.

Does it occur at different angles of steering? (Like on a steady 40+ degree turn) vs straight ahead.
Seems to occur straight and angles, I would say that its a little bit more noticeable if doing spririted driving with hard cornering, almost like a little resistance, but nothing crazy.


Im glad it’s road dependent as this makes me think a bearing is not the cause. I still say definitely not a wheel/tire issue.
What's crazy is for the first 2000 miles no issues at all, I noticed one day "wow, I'm getting a lot of road feel, something seems different" and it's never been the same. Btw, I think you asked before, it's a LR, so yes dual motor and I have the acceleration boost as well. Also, the steering wheel does shake, it's not like having warped rotors when the wheels shakes during braking. It's almost like something in the steering wheel.

I appreciate the questions, it's helps me try to think too, lol.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Does it feel like the buzzing with the lane keep alert?
It's similar to that feeling, but less intense. But it's constant. It's more of an annoyance, when I've been on rides with techs, they say they notice it. They say they fixed it and I immediately get in the car to drive home and it's still there. Last time it went to an SC, they had it for 3 days put 40 miles on the car. They said they an "engineer" drove it and couldn't replicate the problem. I picked up the car on a Saturday, service was closed and it was still there. While waiting serveral times at the SC's I've noticed their common phrase to customers are "it's within spec" and couldn't replicate".

What did you drive before the Tesla?
I've had many cars, currently still have a 2014 V6 6-Speed Accord Coupe and sold a heavily modded 2016 Mustang GT CA Special that had a lot of suspension mods, engine mods, etc. I replaced the Mustang (due to the crazy used car market) with the Tesla. I've had BMW 3 and 4 series, Infiniti Coupe, other Accords and Civics. I had a great friend who was a mechanic who modded my mustang, but he's since moved out of state and not sure he'd be too familiar with Teslas.

Does it occur at different angles of steering? (Like on a steady 40+ degree turn) vs straight ahead.
Seems to occur straight and angles, I would say that its a little bit more noticeable if doing spririted driving with hard cornering, almost like a little resistance, but nothing crazy.


Im glad it’s road dependent as this makes me think a bearing is not the cause. I still say definitely not a wheel/tire issue.
What's crazy is for the first 2000 miles no issues at all, I noticed one day "wow, I'm getting a lot of road feel, something seems different" and it's never been the same. Btw, I think you asked before, it's a LR, so yes dual motor and I have the acceleration boost as well. Also, the steering wheel does shake, it's not like having warped rotors when the wheels shakes during braking. It's almost like something in the steering wheel.

I appreciate the questions, it's helps me try to think too, lol.

Seeing your car history makes me trust it’s a car issue and not a driver issue a bit more (no offense intended). The steering on Teslas is closer the a late model 3 series. Electric assist feels different than hydraulic so I’m just wanting to leave that possibility out there. The Tesla attempts to give you the feel of a sporty hydraulic in my opinion. I don’t think it’s that great…but that’s not the point of this thread.

My current theory is steering rack related issue. (Subject to change as I want to believe the in car diagnostics would pick up on a faulty part in the steering rack)

Oh, do you have the alignment numbers? I’ve seen cars with too much caster cause a vibration in steering that’s sort of similar. (OEM “normal” is a wide range, maybe if you’re at the top of normal that might be the issue). I don’t think this is a likely cause of your issue, just brainstorming. If you are in the top of the range(I think max in spec is 6.7degrees) then that would be an easy thing to fix and rule out as the cause.

How does the steering feel at highway speeds? (Twitchy/jerky vs. no it turns fine vs. hard to turn )

I’d be inclined to power the car down and unplug the HV connection and 12V and R&R the rack electric connections. Then reboot. Kinda like a computer. But it’s under warranty so I understand normal people not wanting to do stuff like that when that’s what the service center is for.


On the steering wheel shake, when does it shake? How violently? Like the sonicare rapid vibration you’re talking about? Or like a wiggle when you go over uneven surfaces? (Full alignment numbers would be good).

 

[trusaleen1]

Seeing your car history makes me trust it’s a car issue and not a driver issue a bit more (no offense intended). The steering on Teslas is closer the a late model 3 series. Electric assist feels different than hydraulic so I’m just wanting to leave that possibility out there. The Tesla attempts to give you the feel of a sporty hydraulic in my opinion. I don’t think it’s that great…but that’s not the point of this thread.

My current theory is steering rack related issue. (Subject to change as I want to believe the in car diagnostics would pick up on a faulty part in the steering rack)

Oh, do you have the alignment numbers? I’ve seen cars with too much caster cause a vibration in steering that’s sort of similar. (OEM “normal” is a wide range, maybe if you’re at the top of normal that might be the issue). I don’t think this is a likely cause of your issue, just brainstorming. If you are in the top of the range(I think max in spec is 6.7degrees) then that would be an easy thing to fix and rule out as the cause.

How does the steering feel at highway speeds? (Twitchy/jerky vs. no it turns fine vs. hard to turn )

I’d be inclined to power the car down and unplug the HV connection and 12V and R&R the rack electric connections. Then reboot. Kinda like a computer. But it’s under warranty so I understand normal people not wanting to do stuff like that when that’s what the service center is for.


On the steering wheel shake, when does it shake? How violently? Like the sonicare rapid vibration you’re talking about? Or like a wiggle when you go over uneven surfaces? (Full alignment numbers would be good).

I actually disliked the steering on my last BMW 2014 435 Coupe, it felt more like a Camry, it's supposedly improved since then. My favorite BMW was my 2011 BMW 335iS Coupe. I liked the sport steering on the Tesla before my issues. Also I had a typo, I have NO visable shaking of the steering wheel, its NOT like a car with warped rotors. The issue with the steering is fairly similar on the street v. the highway, no visible shaking. It's like a much more muted lane departure warning, but it's constant. I think because I know its there, I constantly feel it. I drove my wife's civic and the steering feels like butter compared to the Tesla now, lol.

I attached the alignment numbers from the alignment done by Tesla in March.

I don't know if I'd feel comfortable messing with the powering the car down etc., but I can make a note of it when I go to the Tesla meet next week. I curious to know what you think of the alignment numbers.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Well heck I don’t THINK the alignment is causing it based on those numbers. The cross caster (difference left to right) is interesting to me. It shouldn’t cause the issue you’re having. Back when I was doing this we typically wanted the caster to be ~0.5-1.0 higher on the right than on the left for tracking straight on crowned roads (most roads aren’t flat side to side). Again I don’t see this causing your issue and if the car tracks fine it’s not worth messing with. I was hoping a couple other guys would jump in here as well as there’s more than a few that know these cars way better than I.


I want to see if you feel it on other Teslas, as maybe it’s something that only certain people are more sensitive to. If other Teslas don’t have this feeling to you I’m guessing steering rack issue still. But it’s really just a guess and it would be an expensive gamble. Sorry I’m not of more use.

 

[trusaleen1]

I'm hoping by going to the Tesla meet next week that I can drive and talk to other Tesla owners. I'm thinking if it was like this from day one, I'd totally think, well its just the car. But since I had about 1500 miles before I noticed, it's so strange. I've seen a lot of posts on this issue with no solution, was kind of hoping someone else would chime in too, lol. I appreciate all your efforts. I'll keep you updated after I go to the event next weekend.

 

[Motion122]

Got my Hankooks installed, the good news, I really like the tires, smoother much better handling than the continentals. The bad news, the VIBRATION IS STILL THERE. American's tire said they checked the rim, they didnt see any issues and everything was balanced. I'm at a total loss, I found this post in another Tesla forum and this describes it exactly, the guy below even swapped wheels and tires and still the same situation, but never found fix and they traded in the car

"Issue:
Too much road imperfection transmitting to steering wheel. Issue started happening about 400 miles ago.

Background:
I got my model 3 in June and loved it, but 4 weeks in out of no where I was feeling strange amplified road feel coming off of steering wheel. I could feel every thread of tire and road imperfection. It persist regardless of speed, weather and temperature, road surface. This road feel / vibration amplifies when road is not smooth. This happened after driving it for about 1600 miles (currently have 2k miles). Before, steering wheel was dampened with slight feedback and nicely muted, but now it's transmitting every road imperfection. I lowered tire pressure to 40PSI, but nothing helped.

SC performed following:
They re-torqued suspension components for all wheels and performed wheel alignment.

Issue still persist and I can't seem to figure out what it is that is causing this. Has anyone experienced this or any clue? I don't think it's the suspension since they re-torqued all suspension parts. Could it be the steering shaft or rack not filtering out this kind of vibration? Could it be the Lane Departure Warning sensor causing loosening the joint? I am just clueless... I had to set up an another appointment, but I am afraid they will just brush off"

Some vehicles with a tension/compression rod suspension can exhibit wheel/tire vibrations at highway speeds if the bushing or joint is on its way out. You are way too low of mileage for that to happen though. However, it is still worth double checking the condition of the compression rod bushings.

 

[trusaleen1]

Adding it to the list of potential things too look at

Some vehicles with a tension/compression rod suspension can exhibit wheel/tire vibrations at highway speeds if the bushing or joint is on its way out. You are way too low of mileage for that to happen though. However, it is still worth double checking the condition of the compression rod bushings.

 

[Gtm1977]

Did you find a fix. I am having the same issues 6 times to the Tesla service center they claim cupped tires on my aftermarket wheels. They won’t diagnose with aftermarket wheels. I’ve had the tire store road force balance twice and it’s still there

 

[Motion122]

Did you find a fix. I am having the same issues 6 times to the Tesla service center they claim cupped tires on my aftermarket wheels. They won’t diagnose with aftermarket wheels. I’ve had the tire store road force balance twice and it’s still there

Does the tire run true when spun on the machine?

 

[AutoSolutions]

I seen several post with this situation but no specific answers. I have LR M3 with a steering wheel vibration. When the car hit about 2200 miles (I now have 4000 miles) I get a small vibration in the steering wheel at speeds above 25 MPH. The car drives straight, but it feels like a small buzzing sensation. (IT'S NOT LANE DEPARTURE WARNING), it's like holding an electric toothbrush.

I've been to Tesla 4 times and America's Tire twice. Tesla has gone back and forth depending on the service advisor in regards to whether its "within spec", but two lead tech's acknowledged the problem. But each time I receive the car back, it's the exact same. So far the car has been balanced (like 5 times), aligned, tires rotated, tire dismounted to check the acoustic foam and remounted, but yet the problem persists. Any possible ideas? American's tire suggested new tires, I hate the Continentals on the car now (loud, don't handle well, etc.), but I'd like to put more than 4000 miles on them and there is no guarantee that it will fix the problem. As a side note, i haven't hit a pothole or curbed the wheel to cause any damage to the wheel itself. I have 19's.

It is definitely not a wheel/tire issue. I have this same issue on my model s. I bought a brand new set of tires since mine were worn anyway and I road force balanced the wheel and tire. Your electric toothbrush description is spot on. I was describing it as a rumble strip type sensation but with the rumble strips being much closer together than normal. Mine comes and goes. Under a slight turning I will get that vibration in the wheel for a few seconds then it goes away. I am doing some of my own r&d. Hopefully I will find a resolve.

 

[trusaleen1]

Does the tire run true when spun on the machine?

It is definitely not a wheel/tire issue. I have this same issue on my model s. I bought a brand new set of tires since mine were worn anyway and I road force balanced the wheel and tire. Your electric toothbrush description is spot on. I was describing it as a rumble strip type sensation but with the rumble strips being much closer together than normal. Mine comes and goes. Under a slight turning I will get that vibration in the wheel for a few seconds then it goes away. I am doing some of my own r&d. Hopefully I will find a resolve.

It ran true on the machine, according to them, I'm not 100% they actually just did the wheels though, I requested it. I found a shop up in the Bay Area that seems to get good reviews for installing aftermarket Tesla suspension parts and they have a road force balance. My plan is to bring it to them this weekend, they said they'd check everything out.

So I drove my friends newer Y yesterday, he told me he had no vibration. I drove his car and noticed a very similar feel, but it was just more muted. But it had vibration. I also drove a 2018 3 that belonged to a local Tesla Club member and he drove mine. We both agreed they both had a vibration, however mine seemed to happen at lower speeds like through his neighborhood and was a little bit more pronounced at high speeds.

So, so far the my conclusion is most do it, so it's probably not a safety issues, just more annoying.

 

[GuyDude]

I also had this issue after I took my model 3 in for new tires at the SC. Got the car back with this slight vibration over 30 mph.

Took it back and they ‘fixed’ it but vibration is still there although less. Mind you there was Zero vibration when I brought it in for new tires.

one of the reasons I’m trading in my car this week for a new M3P.

 

[trusaleen1]

I also had this issue after I took my model 3 in for new tires at the SC. Got the car back with this slight vibration over 30 mph.

Took it back and they ‘fixed’ it but vibration is still there although less. Mind you there was Zero vibration when I brought it in for new tires.

one of the reasons I’m trading in my car this week for a new M3P.

What tires did you end up getting, let us know how the new M3P is in regards to the vibration.

 

[Gtm1977]

What tires did you end up getting, let us know how the new M3P is in regards to the vibration.

 

[Gtm1977]

spent over 3k for new wheels and tires per Tesla recommendation and now they claim the car runs as should. I still got the wicked vibration in the foot pedal

 

[GuyDude]

Got my new M3P... Vibration is gone haha...

 

[trusaleen1]

Got my new M3P... Vibration is gone haha...

Congrats. Any photos?

 

[Kare101]

Well I guess I will just trade my car in, instead of going down this rabbit hole of trying to get my car vibration issue fixed after reading this thread there is no fix as the issue occurred after I hit a pot hole and got two new tires. Hopefully my model S doesn’t have this issue when it comes or it will be sold asap.

 

[GuyDude]

Traded mine in. See ya vibration! New M3P is flawless but trading it in for my Model X since my date range just got bumped up!