Tesla bulletin SB-25-31-004
What it saysA firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Tesla filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 24, 2025, received Jul 4, 2025, about the suspension. It names 15 model years (2017–2025). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationA firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. This feature detects changes in wheel alignment that may be related to incorrect tire pressures, degraded ball joints, bushings or damaged suspension links. If the feature determines that an inspection at a Tesla Service Center is required, a customer-facing alert will appear on the touchscreen.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB-25-31-004 | Service bulletin | Jun 24, 2025 | 11020192 |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 15 model years this bulletin names have filed 8,255 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 492 of them name Suspension — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2018 Tesla Model 3, the 57 owners who gave an odometer reading for Suspension reported it at a median of 20,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
My 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long Range (RWD) makes a knocking/thumping noise from the front driver-side suspension when turning the steering wheel at very low speed (under 5 mph) while the vehicle is pitched on an incline or decline — for example, entering or exiting a parking lot via its ramp. It does not occur when turning on flat ground.
2017 Tesla Model 3 · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Oct 17, 2026 · ODI 11771830
Here is a 2020 Model Y terdsla in the junkyard. Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/38946687?rownumber=12 the back wheel has gone walkabout. The hub carrier has cracked off from the brake rotor. This is a manufacturing supply chain failure. This could easily have caused a fatal crash. Please investigate this alarming incident.
2020 Tesla Model Y · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Feb 6, 2021 · ODI 11394980
In depth: 2019 Tesla Model 3 suspension problems → · 2018 Tesla Model 3 suspension problems → · 2023 Tesla Model Y suspension problems → · 2021 Tesla Model Y suspension problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the suspension
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Tesla models under the same component group (suspension), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB-26-31-003 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2026 | Certain Model Y vehicles may emit rattling or knocking noises when driving over bumps or rough road. The condition can be improved by replac… |
| SB-25-31-005 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2026 | Some Model Y vehicles may emit rattling or knocking noises when driving over bumps or rough road. The condition can be improved by replacing… |
| SB2016003R1 | Service bulletin | Dec 28, 2023 | Certain Model 3 high voltage batteries may not have a sufficient quantity of bolts for the contactor DC link busbars, which may prevent the… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Tesla, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Tesla SB-25-31-004 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the SB-25-31-004 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does SB-25-31-004 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 15 model years: 2025 Tesla Model 3, 2024 Tesla Model 3, 2023 Tesla Model 3, 2022 Tesla Model 3, 2021 Tesla Model 3, 2020 Tesla Model 3 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.