Suspension rattling sound turned out to be a loose bolt!

[buyehara]

A month earlier we had our Model 3 serviced because of hearing some creaking sound on the front passenger side. However as luck would have it, it didn't show when taking it to Tesla Service, however they stated that they re-torqued the front and rear stabilizing arms. Fast forward to today, extra loud rattle over hard bumps like road reflectors. See attached photo. Will update post after they tow my car this evening to the service center.

 

[bcpm3p]

gezz

 

[buyehara]

Start lookin under your cars!

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Well, that’s par for the course. Crappy factory workers and SC’s full of liars that say they did something when they didn’t.

 

[Tessaract]

Well, that’s par for the course. Crappy factory workers and SC’s full of liars that say they did something when they didn’t.

Unlike GM, for example, that has never had such a problem.

 

[Black306]

/goes to check car

All good. :whew:

 

[buyehara]

Update, despite this mishap, Telsa Honolulu Service redeemed themselves with excellent service. Last Friday (Valentines day) I used the Tesla app to open a roadside service ticket, originally they said towing would not be covered. Uggh... I managed to find my recent service rep mobile number and took a chance and texted him directly as it was already after hours. He promptly responded and made sure everything would be taken care of. On Saturday the all the work was done, they first re-torqued the bolt however on the road test the car was pulling towards the right after the wheel alignment. They decided to just change out the entire lower control arm. All is good now! How did this happen, apparently this bolt did have the loc tight and overtime it got loose. The manager made sure the other control arm bolts were also secured. All in all excellent service and special shout out to Brian from Tesla Service of Honolulu who went out of his way to help me via text after hours and follow through the next day

by personally handing the repair work.

 

[Wennfred]

What’s your build date and current miles?

Will go check mine later, thanks.

Fred

 

[bpobill]

Unlike GM, for example, that has never had such a problem.

Cant say I have ever seen that on the other 18+ cars ive owned from various brands. Includes cheap econo cars to luxury vehicles. Tesla needs better qc. Please dont be one of those people that will defend tesla over every single issue.

 

[buyehara]

What’s your build date and current miles?

Will go check mine later, thanks.

Fred

August 2018, Current miles 19,650.

 

[fajitamondays]

MPP had the same thing happen to them at Laguna Seca - MPP Model 3 Solid Front Lower Control Arm Bushings | Mountain Pass Performance

 

[Dave EV]

MPP had the same thing happen to them at Laguna Seca - MPP Model 3 Solid Front Lower Control Arm Bushings | Mountain Pass Performance

Interesting, so they can back out even if torqued properly, that's not good...

 

[buyehara]

Thanks Dave for that very interesting article from Mountain Pass Performance. This is identical to what happened as the article posted. What's more concerning is this occurred on regular street driving, Regardless of the road conditions, all suspension systems should be able to handle the rough terrain on a typical street. We're not talkin off roading here or taking it down Lagua Seca to stress test the suspension. And to bpobill's point, agree that this should not have happened at all independent of any service level. Tesla needs to re inspect their assembly process and quality control after each section of the line or they will be hit with a huge recall once the masses start to report situations like this. I will be sharing this article with the local service manger. Thanks again for sharing this Dave!

 

[Magnets!]

What does that bolt thread into? Can I just put a wrench on it and check the torque or is there a nut on the other side I need to hold as well?

 

[buyehara]

Not sure what's on the other side if it's fixed or tied to a nut. You'll also need to remove the bottom cover to access the bolt. It's a good thing we didn't reconnect the bolt because we had to also replace the control arm as the car kept pulling to the right after they tightened the bolt and finished the wheel alignment. My guess is the control arm twisted when it was held by the remaining bolt.

 

[buyehara]

here's a screen grab from a YouTube video. Looks like the nuts are fixed.

 

[WilliamG]

This thread fuels my paranoia. Nightmare fuel, as it were...

 

[buyehara]

Talked with the local service center to get more information about what happened. Apparently for my Model 3 the nut, that's normally welded to the frame, broke loose thus causing a chain of events eventually led to the bolt ultimately coming loose. They also opened a ticket with the Tesla engineering team regarding this incident and any updates to enhance the mechanical integrity of this design will be noted and communicated to me for further corrective action. I'll leave it at that to the facts that were described. Will keep you all posted as I find out more....

 

[ahmadr]

I started having occasional clicks/clunks/creaking noises two months or so ago when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. By the time I got an appointment and took it to a service center (Nov 4), they couldn't reproduce and didn't care to check anything beyond a test drive.

The noise gets worse, and I schedule another appointment for Dec 16. During this time, the noise gets even worse, and occasional suspension vibration adds to it. Additionally, the symptoms start to manifest at higher and higher speeds.

Yesterday (Dec 13), the whole front suspension started to shake at around 35 mph for ~10 seconds, until I slowed down. This was just as I left home. I pull over and see this:

I crawl back home in shock at single-digit speeds.

No response from messaging the service center until today, after I called roadside assistance and had the car towed. Googling brought up this thread and an InsideEVs article on loose suspension bolts on the Tesla Model 3.

Surprised there hasn't been a recall on this. Also surprised the SC didn't care to check for loose bolts considering this seems to be a known issue. My passengers and I could have died...

April 2018 LR RWD

 

[Wennfred]

I got a planned trip from San Diego to Tennessee and from there to Key West then back home to San Diego, first week in January with my 2019 SR+, will take a good look at these bolts before heading out. Thanks