Suspension Problem on Model S

[Lucille]

I'm sure that if Tesla was doing that then they would be crowing about it.
Here is a Model S in the wrecking yard in England.
2015 Tesla Model-S 2014 On 85 5 Door Hatchback (Electric / Automatic) breaking for used and spare parts from Car Transplants in Nantwich, Cheshire

You can see rust on many of the components.
Even the bolt heads that have been damaged by some untrained mechanic using a shifting spanner have got rust on them.
The rusted steering column is a huge concern. Won't take long before the splines are gone.

 

[cwerdna]

I am sure that the TMC forum has the best interests of all Tesla owners and the safety of the public as a top priority.
To assist this end I have archived this entire thread and will pass it on to the relevant authorities.

Except that a vocal few here don't and would dismiss certain clear safety defects as non-issues, random, and not be reported to the appropriate agency (e.g. NHTSA) at all or until some random arbitrary threshold or criteria (of their own) is met.

I am certain that this is far from an isolated incident."

We don't know for certain but folks getting repairs done, which should show up on Teslas side and reporting to the appropriate agency would help build a case for whether your statement is true or not.

I have taken the liberty of sending your photographs to NHTSA and I do hope they will be taking this matter seriously
....
I have archived this entire thread.
I did the same thing with the the other thread the-rear-axle-shaft-broken-without-reason which has now been deleted from the forum.

Good.

I have reported all of this to NHTSA and to the FBI.

Good on the NHTSA part, but really the OP and/or those affected should do it. The FBI??? That seems overboard.

The forum owners should be mindful that conspiring to suppress information concerning a serious safety problem carries heavy penalties.

Yes on the 1st part. Heavy penalties for who?

 

[Lucille]

"Good on the NHTSA part, but really the OP and/or those affected should do it. The FBI??? That seems overboard.
Yes on the 1st part. Heavy penalties for who?"

I haven't had much luck with the NHTSA.
It seems that owners are much less likely to report faults than owners of GM Ford or Toyota.
That might be due to Tesla religious fundamentalism or financial self interest.
Until the number of complaints rises above a certain threshold the software will not trigger an alarm.
There have been dozens if not hundreds of incidents of wheels breaking loose but few have been reported.
An accident investigator would have no difficulty in showing that a critical bolt had come unscrewed.
Surely the insurance company would not pay out in such cases?
Compared to the billions of dollars already lost by Tesla the cost of paying for the wrecked cars would be a drop in the bucket.

The thread " My axle shaft broke for no good reason" has been deleted.
It contained images and complaints from an actual owner that certainly seemed to be genuine.
I consider that deleting that thread was tantamount to partaking in a conspiracy to conceal evidence.
That might well fall within the jurisdiction of the FBI so I reported it.
If an investigation finds out that employees of Tesla have been aware of these problems and the company has failed to act the consequences will be enormous.
Over the top?
I think the way these suspension parts fall to bits is a lot more over the top!

 

[cwerdna]

I haven't had much luck with the NHTSA.
It seems that owners are much less likely to report faults than owners of GM Ford or Toyota.
That might be due to Tesla religious fundamentalism or financial self interest.

Yep. And, attempts to educate others here that safety defects are actual safety defects and should be reported often are met w/ridicule and attack by a vocal few.

Until the number of complaints rises above a certain threshold the software will not trigger an alarm.
There have been dozens if not hundreds of incidents of wheels breaking loose but few have been reported.

I see. That is a problem... and if suddenly, some people here come to their senses that they should report, then the number will spike and might hit a threshold, but this huge delay could mean a delay of further action (e.g. investigation, recall (assuming this is necessary), engineering work for a remedy, etc.) and possible injury, death and property damage in the meantime.

The thread " My axle shaft broke for no good reason" has been deleted.
It contained images and complaints from an actual owner that certainly seemed to be genuine.

I see. If you archived it at Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine, I'd be curious to know the URL.

Probably best to submit pages to Internet Archive: Wayback Machine and revisions in the box on the right side to avoid "revisionist" history.

If an investigation finds out that employees of Tesla have been aware of these problems and the company has failed to act the consequences will be enormous.

True.

 

[Lucille]

Thank you.
It's a nice change from the threats and abuse I usually get for daring to suggest there is anything wrong with the Tesla.

 

[David_Cary]

Thank you.
It's a nice change from the threats and abuse I usually get for daring to suggest there is anything wrong with the Tesla.

Interesting. Considering your only post history is on this thread. Being upfront is the best way to EARN credibility.

Obviously NHTSA probably ignores complaints from Australia.

I feel bad for the moderators here. A challenging environment for sure.

 

[Lucille]

My post history is a good deal longer than you suppose.
I had to wear a frock to get access here (Lucille...loose wheel..... gettit?)
If you promise not to tell then I'll let you into a secret.
I'm a very close friend of that Keef Wivaneff who has posted all over the place for many years.

Teslas are sold in Australia.
Do you think Toyota and Honda are exempt from criticism any any country outside of Japan?

Now, back to the topic under discussion.
Keef has posted photographs on Flickr which were gleaned from the listings on Copart and IAAI of wrecked Teslas.
The pictures chosen for the album are the ones which show clear evidence of snapped suspension components which are not likely to have been caused by the actual collision.
There are so many of them that (coupled with forum discussions of loose bolts and other problems) provide sufficient grounds for an investigation to be instigated.
What I find to be strange is that it has fallen to an amateur sleuth to collate this evidence and submit it to NHTSA for consideration.
Why have the actual owners not reported the incidents themselves.
Here is just one example.

Teslarians have offered some pretty wild explanations.
What do you think?

Oh...and how about this one?
Just 500 Miles on the clock.

 

[AndY1]

Interesting. Considering your only post history is on this thread. Being upfront is the best way to EARN credibility.

Obviously NHTSA probably ignores complaints from Australia.

I feel bad for the moderators here. A challenging environment for sure.

Next thing you will probably say is, that Lucille is shorting TSLA, right?

 

[Lucille]

Next thing you will probably say is, that Lucille is shorting TSLA, right?

Lucille hasn't got any money and does not play the stock market.

 

[Lucille]

This one is interesting.
Note the extra washers underneath the nut.
My take on this is that the technicians could not get the part to bolt up sufficiently tight.
And so, they added the extra washer, tightened it REALLY hard.
And then........ KAPOW!!

 

[Lucille]

BIOHAZARD.....somebody got hurt.

 

[doctorwho]

Lucille are you an Australian Tesla owner?

 

[Lucille]

Lucille are you an Australian Tesla owner?

Do I need to be?

 

[doctorwho]

No i don't have a problem with you not being an owner and I do appreciate hearing about problems but I'm just interested in your motivations. That doesn't in itself validate or invalidate what you post, just interested.

 

[Lucille]

No i don't have a problem with you not being an owner and I do appreciate hearing about problems but I'm just interested in your motivations. That doesn't in itself validate or invalidate what you post, just interested.

I'm a scam buster.
In particular I am a green scam buster.
I'll never rid the world of con-artists and crooked businessmen but I do try to bring attention to the fact that simply CLAIMING to be green makes the promoters of such schemes almost immune to criticism.
I don't believe the Model S is anywhere near as green as it is claimed to be.
I have also uncovered evidence to show that it is extremely dangerous.
And don't even get me started on the Beta Autopilot which has been unleashed on the roads of the world.
Latest thing is a free trial over the air upgrade to Autopilot without even a visit to the service centre to ensure that all parts of the system are operating correctly.
When Elon and his sometime partner Talulah appear on youtube and demonstrate hands free driving can you be surprised that people think it's safe to follow their example.
Hands free on the outside lane of Sydney Harbour bridge.
Are you sure this is safe?

 

[MassModel3]

No i don't have a problem with you not being an owner and I do appreciate hearing about problems but I'm just interested in your motivations. That doesn't in itself validate or invalidate what you post, just interested.

I was wondering, too, your motivations, Lucille. I'm not saying that you're not correct about the possible state of safety regarding the Tesla suspension, but it really seems as if you're making it a personal vendetta against Tesla. So why are you so adamant about all this -- archiving the thread, reporting to NHTSA and the FBI, accusing Tesla owners of negligence for getting their problems fixed by Tesla and not escalating every single issue to whoever.

In my case, I took the car in, they fixed it, and I said thank you very much and I left. What would you expect, that I start a forum thread about a rattle that got fixed? That I report it to NHTSA ? Calling us negligent for failure to report this is a bit (okay, a LOT) extreme.

So please enlighten us -- what are your motivations behind the anti-Tesla tirade in this thread?

 

[Lucille]

I don't need to be anti-Tesla to be concerned about the huge number of Teslas that have had the suspensions fall apart.
You can check for yourself by doing a Google Image search for "Copart Tesla" and also "IAAI Tesla'.
If I could speak Norwegian or Danish I might be able to find even more.
Having found an interesting photograph of a Tesla with a wheel missing for no apparent reason I try to find the auction listing and view the set of photographs to see if there is an innocent explanation.
The photographs of snapped parts and loose bolts are a very strong indicator of a serious problem.
Are you being negligent for failing to report it to NHTSA.
I think that is both negligent and amoral and might even make you an accessory after the fact.
What was the problem that you had fixed?
Was it a one off occurrence or could it be an example of a defect that places lives in danger?

 

[doctorwho]

I don't live in Sydney, I live in Melbourne but i'd be happy to have AutoSteer activated in the outside lane over the Harbour Bridge. I'd pay attention as I always do, it's far from perfect but it is pretty good. Of course we don't salt our roads here but one of my regular garaging locations is close to the coast so I'll be keeping a visual eye on the suspension components.

 

[Lucille]

I don't live in Sydney, I live in Melbourne but i'd be happy to have AutoSteer activated in the outside lane over the Harbour Bridge. I'd pay attention as I always do, it's far from perfect but it is pretty good. Of course we don't salt our roads here but one of my regular garaging locations is close to the coast so I'll be keeping a visual eye on the suspension components.

If you had your hands clasped together in your lap like the driver in the video do you believe you could take control quickly enough if the Autopilot glitched or a mechanical failure caused the car to veer into oncoming traffic.
If my family was in a much smaller vehicle travelling in the opposite direction do you believe you have the right to gamble with our lives?

 

[doctorwho]

This one is interesting.
Note the extra washers underneath the nut.
My take on this is that the technicians could not get the part to bolt up sufficiently tight.
And so, they added the extra washer, tightened it REALLY hard.
And then........ KAPOW!!
View attachment 175071

Again, not disbelieving you and with no disrespect but you've posted the underside of a car photograph that you haven't taken yourself, it's alleged to be a Model S, it has what looks like Chinese watermark in the corner, who knows the history behind that car and who else has worked on it and for what reason?

I could post a photo of the aircon cable in my car that was chewed through by a rat and claim that it was eaten by a zombie, that photo and story could be passed around the internet as fact that Teslas aren't zombie-proof.

I appreciate your facts but not the hyperbole.