Three out of four 21" turbine rims cracked within a couple of months

[ZeeDoktor]

2 year old, first and only owner, 60'000 km 2020 Raven with 21" turbine wheels. Within a few weeks of each other, front right and rear left rims had slow leaks caused by cracks. This happened in March 2022. Tesla laughed me out of the shop when I suggested that smells of manufacturing defect. $4500 and two new rims later, since yesterday, rear right has the same issue. That'll make 3 of the original 4 rims cracked in 2 years / 60'000km. There has not been any traumatic injury to any of those wheels, just regular road use.

Is that normal?

 

[amiral_sub]

same for me on my 2013 TMS P85+ (21"). The original owner changed the rims for theses custom rims, but same thing occured on one rim... This car is too heavy for 21" with 35 tires

 

[klufkee]

I've also been through a few 21" turbines. At least one of them I can blame myself for breaking, but I did make that light so it's ok.

$1250 per wheel is against my religion but I can shill all day for wheelership.com. They've been my go to for replacements and not a problem thus far. I'll find a photo of the reproductions they do and post.

 

[klufkee]

 

[dannycamps]

The 21" tires are pretty thin and don't provide a lot of protection for the rims. There have been many cases posted here of cracked 21" rims. They sure do look sweet though...

 

[ZeeDoktor]

I'm appalled to read about this. I've owned many cars in my lifetime, never have rims been considered consumables. How this can be considered roadworthy is beyond me. They at the very least should come with a disclaimer stating they're for showroom use only.

I've replaced 3 rims out of the 4 original ones, all within a few weeks of each other. None have hit potholes. Front left is the only survivor thus far.

 

[amiral_sub]

I went several times to a rim repair shop, it is full of BMW and mercedes >20" cracked rims

 

[2101Guy]

The turbines arent forged. Neither are the new arachnids. (Old ones were). Forged arent indestructible, but are a LOT stronger (and lighter) than cast. If your roads are not great, and you have 21" wheels? Id strongly consider going with forged aftermarket. Otherwise, you WILL continue to crack/bend/replace cast wheels

 

[ZeeDoktor]

That's all excellent advice. I just wish Tesla had told me that their 21" rims are for showroom use only when I ordered the car 3 years ago... these are evidently not fit for purpose, and I've replaced 3 of them (third one yesterday). The very least they could do is offer a full set of 19" at cost. Or better yet, offer a free swap (including tires).

 

[IslandHydro]

I specifically got 19's instead of 21's (even though the 21's look better) because of this issue

 

[ZeeDoktor]

As of last Friday I now have 4 rims cracked in as many months. The latest one to break was one of the new rims I bought a month ago. I did not hit any potholes, just regular use in Australia. I've driven about 4000km on that rim before it cracked.

I have now ordered a set of 4 19" turbine rims to replace the 21". Aftermarket doesn't seem to have any 19" that fit the Brembo brakes, and I fear 20" or 21" aftermarket rims may not give better results.

Alas, it is now definitely clear to me that the factory 21" turbine rims are not fit for purpose.

 

[czamanian]

This happened to me and was told that it's common without any major curb or pothole. The service manager called it ware and tear. This is a factory defect and should be covered by the warranty but me was declined.

 

[gerbs]

I have also encountered this, suddenly 1 wheel was consistently losing air (tires all double checked, no holes or leaks) so I took the car in under warranty, turns out the front two rims both have microfractures from manufacturing defects.. they are barely visible hairline cracks in the inner edge of the rim. No damage or dents, dings, etc.

Tesla wants thousands for the "repair" -- The car is a garage queen and has never seen a pothole in its life. The rims are flawless. A little over 10K miles.

There is no way there are hundreds of threads about this and it's just a normal wear and tear item. Something doesn't add up here. If you google it, there are hundreds of the same complaints.

 

[Gadget-X]

I specifically got 19's instead of 21's (even though the 21's look better) because of this issue

I did this also back in 2020. This forum might of saved me a bunch of anger. Considered 20" from TSportline. Anyone try these?

M