Tesla Model S suspension problems, 2016–2026
387 of the 1,842 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S 2016–2026 name the suspension (NHTSA’s “Suspension” heading — springs, dampers, control arms and their bushings and joints). The loudest years: 2016 (209), 2017 (107), 2018 (20). Filed under the same heading across these years: 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.
Tesla Model S suspension problems by model year
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsOne row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.
| Model year | Complaints naming the suspension | Share of the year’s | Typically at | On file under the heading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2025 | 2 | 33% | — | — | the year → |
| 2024 | 2 | 5% | — | — | the year → |
| 2023 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2022 | 9 | 7% | — | — | the year → |
| 2021 | 16 | 9% | — | 2 TSBs | the year → |
| 2020 | 14 | 18% | — | — | the year → |
| 2019 | 8 | 18% | — | — | the year → |
| 2018 | 20 | 12% | 15k | — | the year → |
| 2017 in depth | 107 | 25% | 14k | 1 investigation | the record → |
| 2016 in depth | 209 | 32% | 10k | 1 investigation | the record → |
Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the suspension. Nothing here is a rate.
When the suspension complaints were filed, and at what mileage
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled per calendar year, every model year together: 2016: 30 · 2017: 50 · 2018: 43 · 2019: 34 · 2020: 67 · 2021: 42 · 2022: 47 · 2023: 30 · 2024: 21 · 2025: 16 · 2026: 7
Across the model years, half of the 239 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the suspension problem between 5,000 and 34,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the suspension, from the model years with the most to say. 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.
Please note that I AM not the owner of this vehicle. I have searched your database and it seems the actual owner has not filed a complaint. This car is in a salvage auction yard. It has a snapped suspension ball joint. Iaai.
Here is another complaint about the Tesla suspensions falling apart. The owner of this car is a Tesla enthusiast who owns three teslas. I AM doubtful that he will make a complaint to NHTSA himself so I AM passing on this information in the public interest. Here is a link to the video he has just uploaded.
Iaai. Com/vehicledetails/36845198?rownumber=5 the only damage is to the front lh side. The steel bumper attachment bar is undamaged which suggests that the damage was not the result of a frontal impact. Regardless of the cause of the damage the fact is that once again the cast monkey-metal steering knuckle has fractured in half.
What is on file about the suspension, across the years
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 Tesla Model S
Source: the same filesEvery system, every model year: Tesla Model S problems by year →
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Tesla Model S years have the most suspension complaints?
2016, 209; 2017, 107; 2018, 20. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2025 (33%).
Is there a recall for the suspension on the Tesla Model S?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading on any of these model years. A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do suspension problems show up on the Tesla Model S?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 11,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 5,000 and 34,000. 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.