2016 Tesla Model S suspension problems
209 of the 647 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Tesla Model S name the suspension (NHTSA’s “Suspension” heading — springs, dampers, control arms and their bushings and joints). Filed under the same heading: 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.
What owners filed about the suspension
Source: NHTSA complaint database35 of the 209 reports a crash · 8 a fire · 23 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 30 · 2017: 44 · 2018: 21 · 2019: 15 · 2020: 31 · 2021: 18 · 2022: 21 · 2023: 13 · 2024: 9 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 3
Half of the 146 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the suspension problem between 4,000 and 42,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
647 complaints in all about the 2016 Tesla Model S, 3 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 S suspension problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled 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.
Copart. Com/lot/19177347/photos the suspension has collapsed on all four wheels. The front lh wheel has been sliced completely in half which indicates it was gouged by a broken suspension part whilst still rotating. The hood of the car is almost undamaged which shows that all of the damage could not have been caused by a heavy impact.
Here is another Tesla in the salvage yard. Copart. Com/lot/18901597/photos it has not been in a crash. Air-bags have not been deployed. The only thing wrong with this car is that the back wheel has gone all whompy. It is only by good fortune that this did not result in a crash causing death and injury.
Here is a Tesla in the junkyard. It is in immaculate condition except for the fact that the back lh wheel has gone whompy. The wheel and tire are undamaged and it seems impossible that the car could have had an impact that would break the suspension without even breaking a spoke of the wheel.
This is another complaint about the Tesla suspension weakness. Here are 3 more examples of back wheels that have skewed over without having been in any collision. There is a discussion thread on the norwegian forum elbilforum. No google - skrevet av emne: brukket bakaksel quote: today broke the rear axle!
Left wheel fell off from what appears to be a broken bolt controlling lower control arm. The car was backing into a driveway at low speeds with a sudden thud. The left front was resting on the tire with the tire turned at 90 degrees. The lower control arm was no longer attached with the bolt broken. See pictures
What is on file about the suspension
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigation
- PE20020 Fore Link Failureopened Nov 22, 2020 · closed Aug 12, 2024
- The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on forty-three complaints alleging failure of the left or right front suspension fore links in Tesla model year (MY) 2015 through 2017 Model S and MY 2016 through 2017 Model X vehicles. The investigation has identified 426 instances of failure on part number 1041570-00-A or 1041575-00-A fore links. None of the insta…
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Tesla Model S
Source: the same files- electrical problems 150 complaints
- steering problems 86 complaints
- cruise control problems 81 complaints
- automatic emergency braking problems 50 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre suspension problems common on the 2016 Tesla Model S?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 209 owner complaints naming the suspension on this model year (32% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 NHTSA investigation is 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 2016 Tesla Model S?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 10 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do suspension problems show up on the 2016 Tesla Model S?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 10,000 miles; half of them between 4,000 and 42,000. 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.