2019 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT BALL-JOINT FAILURE IN TESLA MODEL 3 CARS. PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE USED THE VIN OF ANOTHER TESLA TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT SINCE THE VIN OF THE CAR IN QUESTION IS UNAVAILABLE. MANY OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING ON THE FORUMS THAT THEIR STEERING IS CREAKING AND THEY ARE RESORTING TO DIY REMEDIES SUCH AS PEELING BACK THE RUBBER BOOT ON THE TOP BALL JOINT AND SQUIRTING IN LUBRICANT. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CASES WHERE THE BALL HAS EVENTUALLY WORN DOWN AND POPPED OUT OF THE SOCKET. HERE IS A THREAD DISCUSSING THIS AND THE OWNER HAS INCLUDED A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING THE SEPARATED BALL JOINT. THIS PHOTO IS ATTACHED TO THIS COMPLAINT THREAD: HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/WHOMPY-WHEEL-SYNDROME.221394/#POST-5355853 SNIP ***I WAS DRIVING THIS MORNING AND THE CAR STARTED TO PULL TO THE LEFT, AS IF MY TIRE HAD GONE FLAT. I PULLED OVER AND FOUND THAT SIDE OF THE CAR TO BE RESTING ON THE TIRE. I THOUGHT THE AIR SUSPENSION HAD GONE OUT IN THAT AREA, BUT AFTER HAVING IT TOWED, WE FOUND THE BALL JOINT TO HAVE FAILED. AFTER LOOKING ONLINE, I AM THANKFUL IT WASN'T MUCH WORSE. IF YOU GOOGLE WHOMPY WHEEL SYNDROME, YOU'LL SEE PLENTY OF STORIES WHERE AN ACCIDENT ENSUED AND LOTS OF DAMAGE FOLLOWED. NOW I'M JUST INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT THIS WILL COST TO FIX. GUESSING I SHOULD HAVE THE PASSENGER SIDE REPLACED, AS A PRECAUTION, AS WELL. "WHOMPY WHEELS" IS A TERM COINED AND PERPETUATED BY A LUNATIC LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.THE PICTURES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PHRASE WERE TAKEN FROM RANDOM PICTURES THE GUY FOUND WHILE TRAWLING THE INTERNET, THAT IS NOT TO SAY PEOPLE HAVEN'T HAD SUSPENSION ISSUES, BUT "WHOMPY WHEELS" IS FUD AND THEREFORE NOT A LEGITIMATE SOURCE OF INFORMATION.**** THERE ARE MANY TESLAS SHOWING UP IN THE JUNKYARDS WITH THIS EXACT SAME FAILURE. PLEASE ACT NOW. THANK YOU. KEEF

THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING. AFTER A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH I FOUND THAT THIS SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER MODEL 3 OWNERS. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE NEAREST TESLA SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TREATED AS IF THE PROBLEM WAS MY FAULT AND AT FIRST THEY WERE NOT GOING TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. I PROVIDED THEM WITH THE DASH CAM FOOTAGE OF THE WINDOW FALLING OUT OF THE VEHICLE INTO THE FREEWAY AND PROOF THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THEY THEN AGREED TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. BUT WHEN MY VEHICLE WAS DONE THEY THEN TRIED TO BLAME THE ISSUE ON THE FACT THAT MY WINDOWS WERE TINTED. IT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING TO BE TREATED DISMISSIVELY AND FOR THEM TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AT ALL THAT THIS ISSUE MAY BE BIGGER THAN MY VEHICLE. HAD THAT WINDOW NOT BEEN TINTED THE SHATTERED WINDOW WOULD NOT HAVE STAYED IN TACT LIKE IT DID AND I WOULD HAVE HAD SHATTERED GLASS FLYING IN THE CABIN OF MY VEHICLE MAKING FOR A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

THE HEAT IN THE FOOT WELL IS TOO HOT WHEN HVAC SYSTEM IS ON AUTO. FOOT WELL CAN GET AS HIGH AS 50 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH IS NOT SAFE. THIS OCCURS DURING ALL DRIVING AND STATIONARY PARKING.

WHEN WARMING THE CABIN, REAR VENTS WILL OFTEN BLOW VERY HOT AIR, SOMETIMES IN EXCESS OF 100F, COMPARED TO THE FRONT VENTS. EVEN DURING THE SUMMER WHEN THE FRONT IS BLOWING COLD AIR, THE REAR WILL STILL BLOW HOT AIR.

MY SON WAS DRIVING ON THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE WHEN THE AUTO PILOT APPLIED THE BRAKES. HE SAID A TRAFFIC CONE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN. THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC CONE OR ANY OTHER OBJECT IN THE ROAD. THIS ISSUE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BEHIND HIM BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN BRAKE APPLICATION. THIS ALSO HAPPENED TO ME WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I HAD THE CAR ON CRUISE CONTROL. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BRAKES WERE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED WITHOUT ANYTHING IN THE ROAD.

HERE IS ANOTHER TESLA MODEL 3 IN THE JUNKYARD. THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS FALLEN TO BITS. ALL 3 BALL-JOINTS HAVE SIMPLY POPPED APART. EVEN IN CARS THAT HAVE BEEN IN MAJOR CRASHES IT IS UNUSUAL TO SEE A BALL JOINT THAT HAS SEPARATED. THERE ARE MANY REPORTS ON THE FORUMS THAT THE BALL JOINTS ON MODEL 3 CARS ARE SQUEAKING BADLY WHEN THE STEERING IS TURNED SIDE TO SIDE. EXAMPLE: HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/TIME-TO-REPLACE-UPPER-CONTROL-ARM-BALL-JOINTS.202921/PAGE-3 TIME TO REPLACE UPPER-CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS | PAGE 3 | TESLA ...TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM ' TESLA: VEHICLES ' MODEL 3 I AM EXCEPTIONALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT TESLA WILL NOT HONOR WHAT'S CLEARLY A FLEETWIDE PART FAILURE ISSUE FOR THE BALL JOINTS ** OWNERS ARE RESORTING TO DIY REPAIRS BY INJECTING GREASE OR WD40 THROUGH THE RUBBER BOOT. THE SQUEAKING SOUND MEANS THAT METAL IS RUBBING ON METAL. EVENTUALLY THE BALL WEARS DOWN SUFFICIENTLY FOR IT TO POP OUT OF ITS SOCKET. I HAVE MADE REPORTS TO YOU ALREADY ON THIS SUBJECT AND HAVE SUPPLIED MANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF TESLA POPPED BALL JOINTS. I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION BY ISSUING A RECALL. THANK YOU. KEEF

HERE IS A TESLA MODEL 3 IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/38603577?ROWNUMBER=11 IT HAS NOT BEEN IN A COLLISION. THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO THE BODYWORK AND NO AIRBAGS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED. THE FRONT SUSPENSION APPEARS TO HAVE COMMITTED SEPPUKU. ALL ITS GIBLETS HAVE FALLEN OUT. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE SUSPENSION HAS BEEN UNABLE TO WITHSTAND THE INSANE AND LUDICROUS POWER OF THE MOTOR AND HAS HAD ITS NUTS WRENCHED OFF. I THINK THE SAME THING SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE NHTSA OFFICIALS THAT ALLOW THESE LETHAL CONTRAPTIONS TO BE ON THE ROADS. HAVE A GREAT DAY. REGARDS KEEF

WHITE BLOCK APPEARED ON SCREEN, WOULD NOT CLEAR. BLOCKED VISIBILITY OF ANY DISPLAYS UNDER THE BLOCK, INCLUDING GEAR SELECTOR, SPEED, ENERGY STATUS, TURN SIGNALS, MOST OF ANY OTHER DISPLAY, SUCH AS MAPS, CAMERA DISPLAY. BLOCK REMAINED WHEN WE LEFT THE CAR, AND RETURNED. ONLY COULD CLEAR W/ DISPLAY RESET, WHICH I UNCOVERED ONCE I RETURNED HOME AND LOOKED ONLINE. WHITE BLOCK DID NOT APPEAR TO IMPACT DRIVING, BUT OBSCURED BASICALLY EVERY DRIVING FEEDBACK YOU'D EXPECT FROM A DASHBOARD.

STARTED TO HEAR NOISE FROM STEERING. FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM FAILURE. MANY OWNERS HAVE SAME ISSUE EVIDENCED BY FORUM.

TONIGHT MY TESLA 3 WITH 9500 MILES WAS NOTED BY THE DRIVER IN THE CAR NEXT TO MINE TO BE RIDING ON A TIRE THAT WAS SPARKING. STOPPING THE CAR I FOUND THE RADIAL MICHELIN TIRE WAS RIDING ON THE INNER MEDIAL RADIAL AS THE RUBBER WAS TOTALLY GONE. FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND BOTH REAR TIRES TO BE SIMILARLY MARKED BY HAVING NO TREAD. THIS IS A 4 SHELL DRIVE CAR IN WHICH THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION OR MOTORS FOR THE REAR WHEELS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR WITH THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THEY CUT CORNERS T SOME MAJOR STEP OR THIS IS A MOTHER TYPE OF DESIGN FLAW. THE FRONT TIRES APPEAR TO HAVE MINIMAL WEAR. WHICH IS WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT FOR A CAR THAT IS ONE YEAR OLD. LUCKY WE DID NOT HAVE A BLOW OUT