Unstable steering at speeds around 80 mph

[castor000]

Has any owners with Sep 2016 delivery noticed the steering feel unstable and swaying or drifting right and left? I just had my MS 75 with coil suspension in for service but they couldn't figure it out. I also ran into another owner who overheard me explaining my issues and he had the same steering issue. Please post how they fixed your issue or any recommendation would help.

I have a SEP 2016 MS 75. I have the same issue.

The steering is really lose/free even in sport mode. At speeds of 65mph+ Car feels really shaky and difficult to control. While taking Freeway turns I have to fight the Steering to keep the car planted. Its difficult to control the steering and keep the car straight because of loose Steering.

I have owned an Audi S4 and BMW 528 before and those cars had really Steady steerings at Freeway speeds.

 

[JOEV1]

I have a SEP 2016 MS 75. I have the same issue.

The steering is really lose/free even in sport mode. At speeds of 65mph+ Car feels really shaky and difficult to control. While taking Freeway turns I have to fight the Steering to keep the car planted. Its difficult to control the steering and keep the car straight because of loose Steering.

I have owned an Audi S4 and BMW 528 before and those cars had really Steady steerings at Freeway speeds.

Check Your tires! Maybe they are worn, specially if Yours is RWD car. Those tires wear much faster than the front ...which You can see almost every time You walk past them and dont realize the situation that the rear´s are a different story.
It happend to me with my Roadster and realized that the rear tires were totaly worn. The car was jumping all over the place. it had "only" about 10 000 Km on the clock. (This is another reason why I got a AWD MS... the wear is almost the same on all 4 wheels)

 

[SmartElectric]

The steering is really lose/free even in sport mode. At speeds of 65mph+ Car feels really shaky and difficult to control. While taking Freeway turns I have to fight the Steering to keep the car planted. Its difficult to control the steering and keep the car straight because of loose Steering

Why even mention the other cars you've owned?!?!?

Get your car serviced immediately! It's not an issue on Tesla cars, it's your specific car that is not properly balanced or something else.

Tesla's are stable to >>100 mph. All of the ones I've ever driven.

 

[MS16]

.

I have a SEP 2016 MS 75. I have the same issue.

The steering is really lose/free even in sport mode. At speeds of 65mph+ Car feels really shaky and difficult to control. While taking Freeway turns I have to fight the Steering to keep the car planted. Its difficult to control the steering and keep the car straight because of loose Steering.

I have owned an Audi S4 and BMW 528 before and those cars had really Steady steerings at Freeway speeds.

The problem your car has sounds just like mine, and I got mine in Sept 2016 too.

The steering is very loose at highway speeds, it doesn't track well at all and it's been that way since new.

I've had it in three times for this problem but the problem still exists.

Have you taken it in yet?

 

[Socaltiger]

Smart Electric- we are here to try and help owners that are experiencing similar issues. No one has said anything about it being a Tesla issue so not sure why you responded that way. I started this topic to see if anyone had similar issues and was able to get to find a solution.

 

[SmartElectric]

my point: if your car is unstable to the point of being "shaky" and it takes a "fight" to keep it on the road...get service!

mentioning that other cars don't do that is an obvious and superfluous statement

 

[MS16]

my point: if your car is unstable to the point of being "shaky" and it takes a "fight" to keep it on the road...get service!

mentioning that other cars don't do that is an obvious and superfluous statement

We have been.

I've been back to Tesla three times for this issue and it's still not resolved.

 

[Johnl97]

I just picked up my s90d yesterday and noticed the same issue where there is some play in the steering at highway speed. I also experienced some vibration at both lower and higher speeds, not sure if it's from the tires or the steering. Will have to drive more this weekend to see. I'll also try putting it in Sport mode to see if that helps any.

 

[MS16]

I just picked up my s90d yesterday and noticed the same issue where there is some play in the steering at highway speed. I also experienced some vibration at both lower and higher speeds, not sure if it's from the tires or the steering. Will have to drive more this weekend to see. I'll also try putting it in Sport mode to see if that helps any.

I tried Sport mode for a while and the steering felt very artificially assisted so I went back to normal. For me, Sport didn't make much of a difference with the loose steering feel at highway speeds.

 

[mal_tsla]

Does your car sway left/right in response to rolling through and off the accelerator, or is the steering feel "loose" even if you shift it into N and coast down?

 

[Kdmn]

Does your car sway left/right in response to rolling through and off the accelerator, or is the steering feel "loose" even if you shift it into N and coast down?

I have had 2 MS 16 70d loaners (I gues same period of production) with exactly the same problem! So bad I went back to get another loaner, an ICE but I preferred a safe ICE rather than a wobbly Tesla. One car was so bad that AP could not keep it between the lines at 150 km/h.

Definitely an issue you need to get fixed, certainly with highway speeds in the EU, let alone Germany.

 

[supratachophobia]

My 2013 P85 has always felt "floaty" and follows even the lightest grooves in the road - including cracks that have been patched. Combine the tramlining with a windy day and sometimes I feel like I'm fighting to keep the car under control. I've been asking my service center about this for three years now, they always say it's normal and drives like all the other cars. I even had the service manager drive the car on the freeway for 50 miles and he also said that it drives just fine. Loaners w/ 19" wheels feel like my car, those with 21" don't. The only differences would be the wheel size and tire brand (Michelin).

My Micheline Ice3's felt a lot more sway-ee vs. the Primacys, so I would concur that in that case, I noticed the same symptoms as you.

 

[mal_tsla]

I had this issue with a loaner and had it fixed in just a few minutes. Easy fix -- was just a loose rear suspension adjustment (toe link). Car was fine after it was set back to spec and properly torqued.

 

[Doug_G]

Could be toe out on the alignment. Makes the car unstable. Front or rear - especially rear.

 

[mal_tsla]

Yep. Or toe constantly changing as you drive, like in the case I described above. This feels like you're driving in a gusty crosswind ... But when there isn't wind.

 

[MS16]

I have had 2 MS 16 70d loaners (I gues same period of production) with exactly the same problem! So bad I went back to get another loaner, an ICE but I preferred a safe ICE rather than a wobbly Tesla. One car was so bad that AP could not keep it between the lines at 150 km/h.

Definitely an issue you need to get fixed, certainly with highway speeds in the EU, let alone Germany.

Sounds like mine.

The SC has performed two 4-wheel alignments, now they just say they test drove and "verified proper tracking". Tesla doesn't seem to have any interest in troubleshooting anymore.

I'm curious what changes were made with the refresh that made this problem so prevalent.

 

[George S]

This is the thread that made me sign up. I just test drove a 2017 60D with 19 inch rims and whatever the stock tires are. It had air suspension. The car felt floaty at a fairly low speed on the freeway. (60 mph, maybe less) It was enough to make me mention it to the sales guy. At the time, I thought it was due to wind, because it was a windy day, but after reading this thread, it sounds more like a design problem somewhere. It felt like the toe-in was wrong. It's kind of hard to believe that Tesla has that crappy of QC; the car was very low mileage.

 

[davidc18]

Same issues with our P90. After 3 trips to the Dania SC without any resolution, I purchased a set of 21s to replace the stock 19s in an effort to keep the car, but there was no improvement.The Dania SC has no idea what the issue is and has given up trying, so we reluctantly started the lemon law paperwork.

 

[MS16]

This is the thread that made me sign up. I just test drove a 2017 60D with 19 inch rims and whatever the stock tires are. It had air suspension. The car felt floaty at a fairly low speed on the freeway. (60 mph, maybe less) It was enough to make me mention it to the sales guy. At the time, I thought it was due to wind, because it was a windy day, but after reading this thread, it sounds more like a design problem somewhere. It felt like the toe-in was wrong. It's kind of hard to believe that Tesla has that crappy of QC; the car was very low mileage.

Yes, that's the exact same feeling, it's like the car being pushed around by the wind instead of tracking properly.

I've had two alignments at the Service Center, but the problem is still there.

As for crappy Tesla QC, this problem is just the start of my long laundry list.

 

[mrElbe]

Knock on Aluminum but my car runs straight as an arrow at any speed. The 70D rental I had in Europe was steady as she goes even at 210 km/h