2023 Tesla Model Y Suspension Problems

The bolts attaching the front passenger wheel's lower lateral link to the body fell out. Luckily this occurred while pulling into a parking lot. Once both bolts had fallen out the vehicle was not steerable. There have been many instances of this reported online, but usually they occur with far fewer miles and I was not experiencing the symptoms. The day prior there was an alert stating that an alignment was needed but it was still okay to drive. I could tell there was a slight alignment issue while driving. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla Service Center and is currently being repaired.

While performing a low-speed reverse turn into a driveway, a loud clunk was heard and the driver side front wheel completely separated from alignment. The vehicle became immediately undrivable. Upon inspection, the ball joint retaining nut was found to be absent from the front driver side suspension assembly. No torque verification mark was present on the fastener. The vehicle is currently at an authorized Tesla service center for repair and is available for inspection. Safety risk: Complete loss of wheel alignment and directional control. Failure occurred at low speed in a private driveway. Had this occurred at highway speed the consequences could have been catastrophic. Confirmed by dealer: An authorized Tesla service advisor confirmed that a Technical Service Bulletin exists in Tesla’s system for this exact condition. No owner notification was issued prior to failure. The advisor confirmed the retaining nut is installed by an automated robot assembly process with no human torque verification step and no verification mark applied. Prior warning symptoms: NONE. No warning lamps, no messages, no audible symptoms prior to catastrophic failure. The absence of a retaining nut on a safety-critical suspension fastener with no quality verification process represents a systemic assembly defect potentially affecting all vehicles produced under the same assembly process.

I was driving on the freeway and suddenly my care start moving to the right and screen shows me the message steering alignment service recommended ok to drive. When i stopped the vehicle one of the bolts fell off from underneath of the car and I was no longer able to turn the wheels. I towed the car to Tesla Burlingame dealership, and they told me that I have to replace front lateral link assembly, nut and washer, half shaft assembly front. Even though tesla stuff confirmed my issue i the same as previous recall but because my vin number not in the list and this is wearable parts I have to pay 2000.00

While driving under normal conditions, without any prior impact, collision, or road hazard, the control arm on my vehicle suddenly detached. This occurred during active driving and caused an immediate loss of vehicle stability and control. The failure happened without warning and posed a serious safety risk. At the time of the incident, my children were in the vehicle, which significantly increased the danger. The vehicle had not been involved in any accident or misuse. This appears to be a potential manufacturing or assembly defect involving a critical suspension component. Tesla towed the vehicle and repaired it at no cost. However, a suspension/control arm failure during normal driving is a serious safety concern that could lead to loss of steering control and possible crash. I am reporting this incident for safety investigation purposes, as this type of failure may pose a broader risk to other drivers.

While driving, the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road, making a loud screeching sound. The sound persisted when the vehicle was made to drive. Checking underneath, I noticed a large bolt fell off. Along with the noise, the suspension also felt very stiff while driving forward. In any case, the car coming to a halt all of a sudden in the middle of the road is a life threatening experience and needs to be looked at.

Front Control Arms were replaced in January of 2025. I replaced all 4 tires and during the alignment on February 18, 2026 the technician reported to me that the front control arms were beginning to crack. He told me it is a known issue on Tesla model 3 and model Y. I have set up a service appt to address the issue again. Of note, Tesla service centers refer to control arms as "links" which is very deceptive on the service receipt.

When I backed the car out of our driveway and turned the steering wheel to go on the street in front of our house, there was a loud scraping sound and the car was stuck. Thinking that it could be ice or something, I tried to drive it forward but the same thing happened. Straightening the steering wheel helped but I stopped and checked. The control arm of the suspension had dropped and was scraping on the ground. I called Tesla who asked me to stop driving and had it towed to their repair facility in Sterling VA. Without even putting it on a lift, they told me there was too much damage and they would not fix it under warranty - despite me saying multiple times that the control arm of a car's suspension should never drop and it is a manufacturing defect/issue. Finally, I filed a claim with my insurance company and had the car towed to a Tesla authorized repair shop. They did an assessment and estimated over $24k for repairs. At this point the insurance company deemed it to be a total loss and asked me to take my personal belongings from the car so they could have it towed to their shop/location.

Worn or broken Bushings control arm is under warranty but Tesla service declined to cover it under warranty I have checked all reviews and feedback This issue is under warranty and free of charge by Tesla service

While driving my 2023 Model Y Long Range I heard a loud grinding noise. I was able to get home and park. When I further inspected the vehicle, I jacked up the car, removed the front driver side wheel, and immediately what I saw horrified me. The "FRONT LOWER LATERAL LINK ASSEMBLY" was completely disconnected from the vehicle, just hanging with a bolt missing, and another bolt barely hanging on. Upon searching the internet for issues I found several other people who had the same exact issue as me. As of now I have no vehicle to drive due to this mishap, but the bigger issue at hand is how many others are affected by this lack of workmanship, and how many accidents could be caused by the entire wheel disconnecting from the vehicle at high speed. In other vehicles I am used to seeing a Crown Nut, which has slots that allow a pin to cross and lock in place to prevent this from happening, yet here we are.

While driving my Tesla, the front suspension abruptly failed. Two bolts from a critical suspension/control arm component fell out while the car was in normal motion. There was no impact, no debris, no road hazard, and no prior service that would explain missing bolts. The vehicle suddenly dropped, and the chassis collapsed onto the wheel, causing grinding and severe loss of drivability. This failure occurred without warning. Tesla Service inspected the vehicle and confirmed the bolts were missing but could not explain how they came loose or fell out. The bolts showed no damage, and there was no undercarriage damage, indicating a structural or manufacturing defect. This was a life-threatening incident. This type of suspension/separation issue appears to be a known problem with Tesla vehicles. I request that NHTSA review this failure as it poses a significant risk to vehicle occupants and the public.

Mechanics found that the front passenger side control arm is missing and completely disconnected. Video evidence from inspection is available. How was this found and safety risk- Car lost steering control The component was inspected by my mechanic. No vehicle indicator / warnings.

The front suspension lower 'lateral link' bolts that go into the subframe side of the lateral link fell out. One completely fell out of and was only held loosely in place by the undercarriage plastic. The other bolt (there are two holding the lateral link into the subframe) had backed out about two revolutions. This resulted in a very loud banging noise and the us having to stop the vehicle to inspect. We had to slowly drive the car back to a safe area to diagnose and temporarily rebolt this prior to getting Tesla to inspect. I have photo and video documentation that I can provide showing the incident and how I had to repair this to make the car safe to drive again. There were no warning lamps or messages on the vehicle, just a very loud banding we heard when starting from a stop and or turning the vehicle. Prior to this we heard a faint thump that we could not diagnose. Fortunately the second bolt did not come out and we did not have a catastrophic failure while driving the vehicle. Bolts were not properly torqued and do not appear to have any sort of paint pen marking to document the torqued location.

while driving in light city traffic at low speed the right front wheel developed a terrible grinding noise and would not steer properly, pulled off of the road and called a tow truck car is now at a Tesla service center waiting on repair service

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the driver's side upper control arm had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

I am reporting a catastrophic suspension failure on my 2023 Tesla Model Y that matches the description of Recall 22V-895 (Manufacturer No. SB-22-31-002), despite my vehicle being excluded from the official recall population. On [XXX], the front driver-side lateral link separated from the subframe while driving. Tesla Service /confirmed the separation in their repair notes, stating the cause was a "separation in the lateral link and subframe" which resulted in damage to the wheel and halfshaft. Recall 22V-895 was limited to only 26 vehicles due to a "manual torque validation" error on November 2, 2022. My vehicle's failure suggests that this manufacturing defect is not limited to the identified 26 units. I am urging the NHTSA to investigate whether the scope of Recall 22V-895 was insufficient and if a larger population of 2023 Model Y vehicles is at risk of sudden suspension collapse. This is a major safety concern. Luckily I was not on a highway and was driving around 35mph when the bolt fell off. Tesla is not responding to me with the details. They just fixed the issue under warranty and are saying, we do not know what caused the issue. Please investigate. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

A critical front suspension component failed on my 2023 Tesla Model Y without any accident, misuse, or external damage. While backing out of my garage at low speed, a loud “BAM” occurred — the front lateral link bolt fell off, detaching the lateral link and causing the front body to drop onto the tire. My child was inside the vehicle. Tesla-certified technicians inspected the vehicle and service records confirm the lateral link bolt was loose and missing, directly causing the failure. Multiple suspension components were replaced under warranty, confirming a manufacturing defect, not customer-caused damage. This is a serious safety-critical failure. At driving or highway speed, it could have caused loss of steering, severe injury, or death. The day before, my spouse drove the vehicle on the highway with our younger child — by luck, a catastrophic event did not occur. Before and after the wheel detached, the Tesla monitor did not display any warnings. Even after the lateral link and wheel partially detached, the vehicle remained in driving mode and ready to operate, despite a wheel being unsecured — a basic condition that should trigger an immediate alert. This demonstrates a critical failure in Tesla’s safety systems. There were no recalls listed under my VIN. However, NHTSA records show similar failures, with recall notifications issued under NHTSA Recall 21V-835 in 2021 for 2021 and earlier Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles. The same failure in my 2023 Model Y at 23,641 miles shows the defect was not fully corrected and continues to pose a public safety risk. I am reporting this to NHTSA due to the extreme safety risk and request a full investigation.

Two of the bolts fastening the front left control arm has fallen off an my car was not moveable. The front left wheel was static and not moving. This happened during while I was driving in active traffic. Had to get the car towed to Tesla for servicing.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a right turn, the driver’s side control arm detached from the vehicle, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The control arm was dragged for several minutes before the vehicle came to a stop. The contact pulled over to the side of the road while on a hill. The contact called the Police to assist with traffic control. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the Tesla Service Center, where it was confirmed that the driver’s side front lower lateral link assembly had detached. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. Several days later, the contact was informed that the half-shaft assembly had also failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,350.

While backing out of a parking stall, the bolts securing the front right lower control arm fell off. One of the bolts rolled under the car and the other bolt was still in the control arm. This vehicle has never been off road, or in an accident. It was towed to the dealership for repairs. It terrifies me to consider what would have happened to me or my family had the bolts fallen off driving at freeway speeds. "Tesla Technician Notes: The customer reported that the lower front control arm fell off, which was verified by inspection showing extensive damage to the suspension, subframe, and front drive unit. The issue was caused by both bolts falling out of the right front lower lateral link. To address this, technicians replaced the front lower lateral and compliance links, steering rack, RF spring and damper assembly, subframe, drive unit, RF halfshaft, RF wheel arch liner, stabilizer bar links, and aero shield, and performed a four-wheel alignment check and adjust. The repair was validated by ensuring all components were securely reattached and functioning properly."

Concern: Passenger Side Front Wheel Trim - Fitment issue upon making right turns somewhere from passenger side front suspension area making loud noise started today around 5:30 to 6pm and wheel alignment is error started is showing on screen. Repair Notes: Technician inspected and road tested the vehicle, verifying a loud noise from the passenger side front suspension area during right turns, as reported by the customer. The issue was caused by loose bolts on the lower lateral link on the left side. The technician replaced the front lower lateral link assembly, along with the necessary bolts and nuts, and performed a four-wheel alignment check and adjustment. After the repair, the technician confirmed the noise was resolved and the vehicle's alignment error was no longer displayed.