lower control arm bolts fell off

Dang. So F you and have a nice day I guess? I just made it home from work and am reading this in my M/Y. Makes me want to get out and look underneath…

22 Model Y with 60K miles out of warranty. No external forces to cause bolts to fall off, Tesla service stated that they discovered the front lower link bolt was either not properly seated or missing. $4K repair bill, but they offered me a free alignment! thanks!

To me that looks like an admission of guilt maybe talk to a lawyer. I honestly don’t know how they haven’t had a class action against them yet

I've never sued anyone before, Is 4K worth pursuing? I also filed a claim with my insurance to see what my options are.

Even if you had warranty they will not fix this under the warranty, this is consider, to them, a wear and tear item. I wrote many many, times this should be TSB or recall or brought this up to Highway safety, but no one pursued. Thus they can get away with this.

Yeah that could have killed you.

I found this NHTSA safety recall online which is the exact same problem but it is between 10/2021 to 12/2021, I took delivery of this car 03/2022. its PART 573 RECALL REPORT 21V-835 if u are interested [https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCLRPT-21V835-8925.PDF](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCLRPT-21V835-8925.PDF)

You should ask them to use their 'goodwill' matrix to lower the cost for you. I just had a similar issue with my Audi front control arms/bushings. I had raised an issue when the vehicle was in warranty. It was not addressed per TSB while in warranty. The issue was still there a year later when the vehicle was out of warranty at which point the repair cost was atrocious. In the end the manufacturer covered 75% of the cost and I payed the balance 25%. Be polite but firm.

How is this not an actual recall yet. Countless number of incidents

F*ck, might need to sell my 22 MYLR before dealing with this sh*tshow. R2 or Highlander EV looking good.

it is a shame that you still have to pay 25% when you had called out the issue during the in warranty period.

If I was in the market for a new vehicle, I'd be giving serious consideration to both of those over a new Tesla.

I took my car in for a full inspection before the warranty ended and they found "worn components in the suspension system". They replaced most of my front suspension parts for free. They know this is a problem and should be fixing it for free, even out of warranty.

Wasn't worth the fight or the time. Initially they insisted that I pay the entire cost.

Yah. Was forced into small flames court and actually won. It was with Jeep. They said we violated their warranty for taking the Jeep off road.

Exactly what I did, they replaced both front control arm bolts and wear bushings for free, would have been $4k+ out of warranty. Highly recommend folks spend the $129 on a warranty inspection in the last few weeks of your warranty coverage.

Hate to say it but sounds like this a case for small claims. I would not pay a penny.

I had mine fixed/replaced under warranty. See my previous post about it.

Your insurance is likely to deny a claim for this kind of thing. It’s not their fault there was a manufacturing defect.

I recommend anyone with a 3/Y to get those bolts checked. I took mine out and applied blue locktite and retorqued them back on. The new bolts supposedly now come with thread locker applied.

What the actual...??! Last week, I almost hit 50k miles and did the Full Health Inspection at a Tesla Service Center ($350-400). They found the SAME thing on my 2024 Model Y, Berlin Factory. They will replace it in 7 weeks (everything is fully booked). Under warranty. The same thing. Front and back. How about that....

You used the Tesla app to schedule a warranty inspection?

Thought these are torque once bolts

I would use a third party but that’s just me.

A new Tesla is a really hard sell at the current price point IMO.

What year?

Yo Solorydr, does that $4K repair include new rear knuckles? I ask because when I tried for a wheel alignment with my Indy shop, the former Tesla tech who works there said the rear bushings wear out prematurely (vehicle weight, design issue). So the tech can’t do the wheel alignment since the rear wheels have too much “play” movement. The tech says he’s had to order new rear knuckles with bushings and replace them (labor + parts =$3,500). Tesla was supposed to release a new tool that can remove the old bushings from the rear knuckles to let you install new bushings into the knuckles (to save couple hundred bucks).

No surprise there. Yesterday I replaced the plastic skid pans with metal ones in both my MYs. On one of them, the two 15mm nuts were finger tight. They are supposed to torqued to 45. or so ft/lbs. Both cars less than 6 months old.

2022.

Good to know. We have a 2023 purchased Dec 2022

I had my upper control arms start to squeak. Was quoted $172.50 and two days later, get an estimate for $1933. I am way out of warranty (96,000 miles) but, they know this things are terrible and my parts were replaced with the same parts and not the updated ones so, a few years and I will be having the same exact issue.

If Tesla’s own messages confirm the lower control arm bolt was not properly seated or was missing, that is not normal wear and not something an owner causes. That is a safety critical fastener tied to steering and wheel control. It is not like brakes or tyres that wear out. It is either installed correctly or it is not. Think of it simply. If a chair leg was never screwed on properly and it falls off, that is not the fault of the person sitting on the chair. A suspension bolt is the same idea, just with much bigger consequences at speed. This is not a small noise or an ageing part. This is a core suspension bolt that was not secured as it should have been. That points closer to assembly or manufacturing than owner responsibility. On that basis alone it is reasonable to question why you should be paying for any of this. Even if the basic warranty has ended, some failures are just not acceptable. In places like Australia, consumer law expects cars to be durable and fit for purpose. A critical suspension fastener coming loose would be taken very seriously. The common sense principle is that some parts should not fail in normal use. It is reasonable to push Tesla to handle this as a safety matter. Calmly and factually. You are not chasing a freebie. You are pointing out that owners have zero control over how a factory bolt was originally seated and that a car should not shed suspension hardware in normal driving. This is also bigger than one car. A lower control arm fastener coming loose is directly tied to steering and control. If that happens at highway speed it could be life threatening. That is not drama, that is physics. Anyone who cares about road safety should want that looked at properly. If one car left with an improperly secured fastener it is fair to ask whether others built around the same time might have too. If you are in the US, filing a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration takes a few minutes and creates a safety record. It signals this is a safety concern rather than just a billing dispute. At the end of the day the position is simple and reasonable. A safety critical bolt was not properly secured, the owner cannot influence that, and it is fair to expect the manufacturer to stand behind it. A car should not drop suspension bolts in normal driving. That is a basic expectation, not a luxury.

The bolts falling off from the lateral link is a common issue for Model Y. There was a recall on this and it called for new bolts with thread locker. Unfortunately Tesla only recalled on some model years and not all model years affected by this issue, so if your model year is not in the recall and it is out of warranty, then Tesla will not fix it for free. This happened to my 2023 Model Y, and it was fixed under warranty.

I would decline the offer and buy the new version of bolts and torque them myself. Then you can take your car for an alignment at an independent alignment shop. I can give you the Tesla part number of the bolts if you want to go this route.

If NHTSA gets enough complaints they may expand the scope of the recall. This won’t help you in the short term, but could result in you being reimbursed in the future. Make sure to save all records and receipts.

Do you have the Tesla part numbers for the bolts?

Out of curiosity, what symptoms did you have? Sometimes suspension problems can feel surprisingly subtle.

Taking ride it til the wheels fall off literally

What did you schedule in the Tesla app to get this inspection before the warranty ended?

Yes there wasn’t a specific option I just said “other” and typed in “warranty inspection”. Highly recommend

For a warranty inspection? Nah go through Tesla that way they just take care of everything they find.

"Take the number of vehicles in the field, (A), and multiply it by the probable rate of failure, (B), then multiply the result by the average out-of- court settlement, (C). A times B times C equals X... If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one." -Fight Club

I just went into the app and selected the option for a vehicle inspection then filled out the comments with my concerns. I asked them specifically to check the suspension links because the ride was always shit and I had recently learned about the reported 25% failure rate.

1109912-00-B

This needs to be a recall. I’ve seen this so many times affecting 2020-2023 model Ys from this sub

Everyone who experienced this issue should report it to NTSHA: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

what’s the last 6 digits of your vin?

They are. You should not remove these bolts and put blue loctite on. They’re not expensive to get new ones from the SC

Because people won't bother opting out of the arbitration clause. Everyone should opt out of arbitration within 30 days of order/purchase.

Literally replaced my lateral links. practically the whole front suspension on my 21 Model Y with 58K miles after also being quoted 4k for work. It wasn’t bad and glad to do it myself as I was able to do a good cleaning underneath everything. I also replaced the rear left knuckle. My issue was because of the clunking noise. They also told me I needed a new front fascia because my low light wasn’t properly seated and stated the mold clips were broken. When I got under the car to do the link work, I checked out the light and learned that my clips were fine and the headlight units back modeling was damaged and couldn’t hold the torque screw in. So moving forward I will rely on them for the pre diagnostic work and then do it myself. The service advisor was shocked that I was ordering parts and asked if I was working on my car. That yes felt good in so many ways

Still happening on new builds? You’d think they had this sorted by now. I just got the metal pans delivered and will inspect the bolts when I’m underneath the car.

Tesla suspension is a standard design similar to many other cars on the road. Any good independent shop should be able to replace them at possibly much lower cost than Tesla service.

100%. Was quoted over 5k for control arm/inner/outer tie/link assembly etc on my MS. Took it to my mechanic as its all just mechanical parts. Parts and labour out the door at 1600.

Welp, damn.

Omg! Jeep said that you can’t take it offf road? Isn’t that their main selling point?

Sorry to hear about this. Exactly same thing happened on my 2023 model y while driving, no accident luckily. I was fortunate enough they replaced everything under warranty for $0. Did you get a notification / warning saying steering alignment needed or some error before this happened?

How much was the inspection?

Wife’s the main driver, nothing obvious

Yup. That is what I said. Showed them their own ads and website.

Someone didnt torque a bolt down properly

How much did you pay for parts?

Happened to my 2023 MYLR, around 30k miles. Thankfully at low speeds.. Fixed under warranty

Your number one mistake was filing a claim with your insurance over this. They’re not going to pay for it and now your rates are going to go up.

**Parts & Service (\~$731 total):** * **EVANNEX:** Front Control Arm Hardware Kit ($69.95) * **eBay:** Rear Left Knuckle ($151.36), New-style Front Control Arms ($150), Hub Lock Nut ($14), Retainer Clips ($12) * **Tesla Service:** OEM M10/M12 Nuts & Bolts ($3.59) * **Amazon:** Honda Moly Paste M77 ($22.14) * **Advance Auto:** Rear Brakes & Rotors ($148) * **Monro Auto:** Alignment ($160) — *Check Groupon first for deals!* **Tools Used (\~$290 total):** * **Harbor Freight:** Daytona Padded Jack Stands ($89), Hub Extractor ($25) * **Amazon:** Impact Gun ($63.59), Click Torque Wrench ($43.23), Torx/E-Torx set ($21.19), 32mm Impact Socket ($9) * **Walmart/Misc:** Jack Pads ($12), Sockets/Extenders (\~$15), Rust Spray/Brush ($15) **The "Ride Height" Pro-Tip:** To avoid blowing out the new bushings, don't torque everything while the car is in the air. I used a hub jack adapter and pads to lift the hub to the proper ride height first. I measured from the **center of the hub to the black fender trim** to get the exact factory height before tightening it all down. Total DIY spend was about **$1,020** (including tools), saving me over **$1,200** vs. the service center! If you have any more questions let me know! \*Gemini/AI helped me make this comment condensable and readable from my working notes

These parts have been defective for years. NHTSA needs to force Tesla to replace these parts on all affected models asap.

Is there a manual online with all these specs such as the factory ride height?

Yup, exactly on Tesla website it lays out the specific how to. it made everything so simple here is the link to suspension part [https://service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-2F46414E-1A6E-41F6-91B3-DD5095101D9A.html](https://service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-2F46414E-1A6E-41F6-91B3-DD5095101D9A.html)

Been a while since I looked at their service content and pretty nice and thanks

No worries, it was very helpful. If you have seized parts, you may want to skip some steps, like the rear LH hub bolts were completely seized, I skipped some steps to remove the whole knuckle and then had a better view / angle to remove the seized hub bolts. You'll see what I mean when you get started, but this is the same thing the service technician uses. If you got time to kill it's not a horrible job, just the seized bolts and again I had 3 ton scissor jack why I recommend a decent floor jack 3ton or more

Wow, that’s crazy. Sometimes I worry that these cars are just like modified and glorified go karts.

I would fight this. Control arm issues are widely known with earlier Model Ys — including mine. Mine started making an awful squeaking noise shortly after my warranty lapsed, but thankfully Tesla did replace them as a courtesy.

Man, year 22 Teslas were just built like crap huh

Buy new bolts they come with thread lock. Install one by one and good to go. Torque to yield bolts.

That tech should be ignored. The vehicles are not heavy to size. An rx350 is the same weight and those suspension components last 100k+ it’s just the dog shit rubber used on these.

Yes, this is the Tesla part number for the nylon patched bolts. Two on each side, so you need 4 pieces to change both sides. Torque to 135NM.

But is it safe to drive away from Tesla without resolving anything?

Did you ever get offered the extended warranty for $89 per month? I just passed my basic warranty on my 24 MY and was offered the extended warranty and took it for piece of mind. But if you guys are saying its easy to fix a control arm on my own I might ditch the extended warranty. In my mind I thought it would cost thousands to fix!

Literally just picked up mine from the upper control arms and linkages. Tech reached out after I had approved the repair and waived like $500 because of the service bulletin. This is on a 2021 MY with 81k miles.

The safest way is to avoid driving until the lateral link is put back, so you should tow it back. The risk is the same if you unknowingly drive the car after the lateral links come loose.

This one is easy. Just go to Small Claims Court and sue them for the $4000. Show the judge the text. And you will win.

Yup, They denied it

If I were to do it again, I would pick that up for peace of mind.

Does this mean we should all get this checked!?

Usually nothing you would use is insurance company’s fault.

How do you do that?

This is my post. https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModelY/s/1RLHOBkhbw

well, this just happened to me like 4 hrs ago.. towed to tesla service center and we'll see what happens on monday. MYP23.

An insurance policy is a contract whereby in exchange for your money they agree to cover the liability that arises out of the operation of your vehicle. A manufacturing defect isn’t that.

Correct, that doesn’t negate what I said about it being the insurance company’s fault. I agree they would not be responsible for this and would deny the claim.

Or just go make sure your bolts are tight

They wouldn't have access to the "same" parts - your new control arms likely have a later revision letter at the end of the part #. 96K is pretty good for upper control arms. The bad ones usually fail around 30K.

I just got a quote from tesla for both control arms and it was only $1500.

There were a few other things like loose door latches, rear hatch pistons, etc so the total was closer to $4k of work. Very satisfied with the warranty problems