Tesla Model X suspension problems, 2016–2026
319 of the 1,546 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model X 2016–2026 name the suspension (NHTSA’s “Suspension” heading — springs, dampers, control arms and their bushings and joints). The loudest years: 2016 (150), 2017 (59), 2020 (37). 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 X 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 | 1 | 14% | — | — | the year → |
| 2025 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2024 | 3 | 12% | — | — | the year → |
| 2023 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2022 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2021 | 6 | 15% | — | — | the year → |
| 2020 | 37 | 29% | 4k | 3 TSBs | the year → |
| 2019 | 26 | 26% | 10k | 4 TSBs | the year → |
| 2018 | 37 | 19% | 18k | — | the year → |
| 2017 in depth | 59 | 22% | 20k | 1 investigation | the record → |
| 2016 in depth | 150 | 33% | 20k | 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: 11 · 2017: 42 · 2018: 7 · 2019: 29 · 2020: 61 · 2021: 45 · 2022: 32 · 2023: 33 · 2024: 29 · 2025: 23 · 2026: 7
Across the model years, half of the 177 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the suspension problem between 5,000 and 40,000 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.
This is a complaint about the Tesla Model X suspension which appears to be failing repeatedly. I believe that these failures are being under-reported. Here is a thread in which owners report snapped bolts and suspension links leading to collapse of the suspension. Posters are being abused for daring to mention the problem.
Here is another Tesla Model s in the junkyard. Copart. Com/lot/24527147/photos it has only done 4500 miles. It has a ca salvage certificate. There is no damage to the bodywork to suggest that it has been in a collision but the suspension has collapsed and the front rh wheel has jammed up into the wheel well causing some minor damage to…
I believe Tesla has designed and installed defective upper control arm, joints, and bushings that do not support the weight of the vehicle. I have experienced a slight gliding of vehicle in addition to creaky and clangy sounds emitting from the front suspension. The gliding occurs during 30-45 MPH, and the noises occur at slow speeds.
When turning the wheel and backing up into a parking spot at my work, there was a loud thud/pop near the front left tire. I was traveling 1-5 MPH since I was being careful with my new car. This car was purchased not more than 48 hours before from a Tesla dealership.
There is an abnormally loud squeaking noise when driving, turning, and going over any surface at all speeds. The noise sounds like metal is being stretched and is about to break. After carefully listening to the vehicle, it is found that the noise is coming from the control arms.
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 X
Source: the same filesEvery system, every model year: Tesla Model X problems by year →
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Tesla Model X years have the most suspension complaints?
2016, 150; 2017, 59; 2020, 37. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2016 (33%).
Is there a recall for the suspension on the Tesla Model X?
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 X?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 15,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 5,000 and 40,000. 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.