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Owner complaints · Suspension

2019 Tesla Model 3 suspension problems

83 of the 615 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 name the suspension (NHTSA’s “Suspension” heading — springs, dampers, control arms and their bushings and joints). Filed under the same heading: 2 recalls, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

83 complaints 13% of this model year’s 6 reports a crash 1 a fire typically at 10k miles

What owners filed about the suspension

Source: NHTSA complaint database

83complaints name the suspension

6 of the 83 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2019: 4 · 2020: 16 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 12

10kmiles, typically

Half of the 29 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the suspension problem between 5,000 and 25,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

13%of this model year’s complaints

615 complaints in all about the 2019 Tesla Model 3, 12 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Suspension” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Tesla Model 3 suspension problems, every year on file →

In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the suspension. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

Here is a Tesla in the junkyard. Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/36045205?rownumber=2 not in a crash, no air-bags deployed. Only damage is to the rh front area. The tire is badly worn away.

Suspension at 16,000 miles Sep 5, 2020 NHTSA owner report

Here is a 2019 Model 3 in the junkyard. Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/37267527?rownumber=6 not in a crash, no air-bags deployed, no bodywork damage. The front suspension has competely fallen to bits! What the fudge?? Are you afraid of elon or what? Have a great day. Keef

Suspension at 20,000 miles Aug 29, 2020 NHTSA owner report

Here is a 2019 Tesla Model 3 in the junkyard. Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/37119993?rownumber=13 not in a crash, no air-bags deployed, no impact damage. The front rh suspension has fallen to bits. The stem of the lower ball joint has snapped.

Suspension at 5,000 miles Aug 15, 2020 NHTSA owner report

Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/37069661?rownumber=1 it has been in a major crash. The tread on the front rh tire has been rubbed completely away. The top ball-joint has popped apart. It is unusual for good quality ball-joints to pop apart even after an impact.

Suspension at 5,000 miles Aug 11, 2020 NHTSA owner report

This is a complaint about fragile suspension components in teslas. Please not that I have used the VIN of another Tesla Model 3 to file this complaint since the VIN of the affected car is unavailable. Here is a Tesla suspension assembly listed for sale on ebay. Ebay.

Suspension at 10,000 miles Jul 20, 2020 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the suspension

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recalls filed under this heading

23V235000 High
Mar 31, 2023 · 422 vehicles
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Model 3 vehicles. The front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame.
21V835000 High
Oct 25, 2021 · 2,791 vehicles
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model Y and 2019-2021 Model 3 vehicles. The front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame.

NHTSA investigation

PE26006 Lower Lateral Link detachment
opened Jul 29, 2026 · open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 156 complaints alleging a suspension failure in model year (MY) 2018-2020 Model 3 and MY 2021-2023 Model Y vehicles. The suspension failure involves the detachment of the front lower lateral link, which potentially causes a loss of vehicle directional control. In most cases, there was no advance warning or indication that the suspension failur…

Other systems with a record on the 2019 Tesla Model 3

Source: the same files

automatic emergency braking problems 231 complaints
electrical problems 91 complaints
airbag problems 86 complaints
cruise control problems 71 complaints
brake problems 63 complaints

From here

Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are suspension problems common on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 83 owner complaints naming the suspension on this model year (13% of everything owners filed about it), and 2 recalls, 1 NHTSA investigation are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the suspension on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?

Yes — 2 campaigns are filed under this heading: 23V235000, 21V835000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do suspension problems show up on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 10,000 miles; half of them between 5,000 and 25,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Suspension" heading cover?

Springs, dampers, control arms and their bushings and joints. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.