What 592 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Bev

Summary of the Problem Rear subframe assembly and multiple rear suspension links required full replacement due to failure/wear at approximately 51,890 miles, on a vehicle with no history of collision or accident damage. Tesla diagnosed the issue as an interior rattle/squeak reproducible over bumpy roads and speed bumps, which led to replacement of the rear subframe and nearly the entire rear suspension link set. Total repair cost was approximately $7,667.65, entirely out of pocket, as Tesla stated no recall applies to this VIN. Full Description (detailed narrative field) In December 2025, I began noticing a rattling/squeaking noise from the rear of my 2019 Tesla Model 3, reproducible on bumpy roads, speed bumps, and rail tracks. The vehicle has never been in an accident and has no history of collision damage. I brought the vehicle to Tesla Service (Fremont, CA) on 07-Jan-2026 at 51,890 miles. Tesla's diagnosis found it necessary to replace: The rear subframe assembly Rear toe link assemblies (left and right) Rear upper fore link assemblies (left and right) Rear lower fore link assemblies (left and right) Rear upper aft link assemblies (left and right) Front lower compliance links (left and right) Front lower lateral links (pair) A four-wheel alignment This amounted to nearly a full rear (and partial front) suspension rebuild, at a cost of $6,843.34 for this job alone, and $7,667.65 total, entirely at my expense. Tesla confirmed there is no open recall covering this VIN or this failure. I am concerned this represents a premature structural/suspension component failure unrelated to accident damage or normal wear, at a mileage (51,890) that suggests a potential defect in the subframe or suspension hardware/corrosion resistance for this model year, rather than an isolated wear item. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA can evaluate whether this is part of a broader pattern for 2019 Model 3 vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11748392

these cars have a defective control arm system and they are prone to messing up over and over, they have replacement revisions but try to charge you for labor and parts if youre out of warranty even though they know the parts were a problem and revised them. Tesla does nothing to help you and will even try to charge you $200 just to diagnose the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11738879

Suspensions. I know there’s been known defects with the suspensions and they’ve only recall 422 vehicles so far (2018-2019 Tesla model 3, I feel more vehicles in those years are affected.

NHTSA ODI 11724362

While driving, the front driver-side suspension collapsed due to a complete detachment of the front lower lateral link. The fastener (bolt) backed out entirely and fell onto the road/under-shield. This matches the failure mode described in NHTSA Recall 21V-835, although Tesla has previously claimed my specific VIN was not included. The failure caused an immediate loss of steering control and structural instability. I am reporting this as a potential 'recall bypass' where the defect exists outside the currently identified recall population

NHTSA ODI 11718650

At approximately 30,000 miles, the front left suspension lateral link/control arm separated while driving due to a missing mounting fastener (bolt), resulting in sudden steering instability and abnormal front wheel movement. Vehicle handling became unpredictable and felt unsafe to control, creating risk of loss of steering control. I stopped driving immediately. There was no collision, curb strike, pothole, or road hazard at the time of the incident. No warning lights or messages appeared prior to the failure; it occurred suddenly without advance notice. Tesla Service inspected and confirmed the separation and missing fastener. Suspension components and the front subframe assembly were replaced —4,400 out of pocket. Tesla documented they could not make a formal cause determination. The recovered bolt is intact and available for inspection upon request. Insurance also reviewed the incident and classified it as mechanical rather than collision-related. Because this involves a safety-critical steering/suspension fastener failure without warning, I am submitting this report for safety tracking. I am aware of similar owner reports describing suspension fastener or lateral link separation on this vehicle generation in case this reflects a broader pattern.

NHTSA ODI 11715496

I am reporting a safety defect involving a welded rear subframe component. The welded section snapped under normal driving conditions, and this is a safety-critical structural suspension component. There was no collision, misuse, or accident prior to this failure. The vehicle is currently not safe to drive due to the compromised rear suspension structure. I have included photos showing the snapped weld and overall rear subframe area. This appears to be a premature structural defect, not normal wear. I am requesting that this failure be documented and reviewed as a potential safety defect. Additional Notes: This component is part of the rear suspension and is expected to last the life of the vehicle. The failure created a serious safety hazard, and I am not driving the vehicle. I have scheduled a service appointment, but I am filing this complaint to ensure the defect is officially reported.

NHTSA ODI 11708550

After 3 prior repairs 2 of which were recalls of the front suspension, control arms. I was driving when me and my 3 children’s life’s were almost taken. While driving on the expressway immediate loss of control of the car shaking while driving to work, I stopped immediately thank God no cars around next to me to crash into. We called for a ride and walked off the expressway. Immediately car was taken to Tesla where they told me they couldn’t help and come back in a few days. The car was later inspected by Tesla where instantly knew the issue and later the report came back where the lateral links on both sides of the front where completely out of socket, the compliance links bushing completely torn. This is critical failure and breakdown of critical safety components that almost took our life. We had moments before this happened and thank God we made it out before imminent life changing things happened. No warning no alerts in the car at any time.

NHTSA ODI 11707311

The two bolts that hold the front lower control arm on fell out (driver side). Luckily this happened when we were backing out of the driveway and not at speed. There were no warnings lights, just a loud noise from the wheel when it failed. There is already a recall about this problem for the same year and model of my car, but the dealer is saying my car is not part of the recall. Here is a link to the recall. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11703828

Lower lateral link , and front lower compliance link and upper control arm assembly all broken and needed repair. Tesla service shop confirmed lower links were broken on both side, causing major safety concerns. They said it needed to be fixed or car could not be driven. This is a WELL DOCUMENTED issue all over the internet. The shop confirmed and said this repair is made all the time, and typically needs to be performed every 30,000-50,000 miles. The car has not been abused, only normal driving. The problem started as a squeak coming from the upper control arms and turned into a clunk when accelerating. How has a recall not been issued? People have been talking about this issue for years. Tesla acts like the front suspension is a consumable part like a spark plug in a ICE car. really? the front suspension should be rebuilt as often as every 30k miles?

NHTSA ODI 11700045

My car has same symptoms as previous recall and Tesla is denying repair

NHTSA ODI 11694505

Front suspension has lost lower lateral link and bolt. There was a recall on this back in 2023 for our year and model but our car was no selected. Clearly it should have been as the suspension has failed. Please see invoice from Tesla attached. This should be taken care of by Tesla as it is a known issue.

NHTSA ODI 11681962

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the passenger's side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger's side seat sensor had failed. The seat was replaced with a new seat; however, the air bag warning illuminated after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the service center, where the contact was informed that the technician had failed to install the module connected to the air bag during the previous repair. The seat replacement was performed a second time; however, the failure persisted, and the contact noticed that the seat was not installed correctly. The contact requested for another service through the Tesla App, but the request was denied. The contact was informed that the vehicle was repaired, and the notification of the failure was due to a glitch in the system. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal creaking sound coming from the front suspension. The contact stated that the sound became louder while turning. An appointment was scheduled with the Tesla Service Center. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11678202

The vehicle’s front suspension began making loud squeaking noises and felt unstable while driving, especially when turning or going over uneven surfaces. At times, the vehicle does not make a proper turn and almost feels like it loses grip, which is extremely unsafe. I brought the vehicle to a Tesla service center. After inspection, Tesla provided a service estimate and documentation confirming the failure of the front lower lateral links — the exact part and condition described in NHTSA Safety Recalls 21V835000 and 23V235000, which cover defective front suspension lateral link fasteners on this vehicle make, model, and year. Despite the clear match, Tesla did not recognize the repair as recall-related and categorized it as a customer-pay service. This raises concern that some affected vehicles are being excluded from proper recall coverage, despite experiencing the same safety defects. There were no warning lights or alerts prior to the failure. The issue was confirmed by Tesla and the part is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ODI 11677252

Some 2019 Tesla model 3’s recalled due to lateral and control link issues. Problem seems to be more wide spread. Exactly same problem is apparently happening with my car - also a 2019 Tesla model 3, but not covered for some reason.

NHTSA ODI 11639948

Sep 2022 Tesla Model 3 brought in for noise when steering wheel is turned. Was told it was the control arm. Left and right arms both replaced. Mileage - 53247 Jan 2025 Tesla Model 3 brought in for heating issue and for similar noise when steering wheel is turned. Service rep said lateral links needed replacing. Mileage - 85321 Control arms and lateral link replacement at 53K and 85K, respectively, seems highly irregular. I have checked several online forums and found many other Tesla Model 3 owners having similar complaints. I have now replaced a significant portion of this vehicle's front suspension. We have owned 7 other vehicles, all purchased new, over the last 20 years. We have kept those cars between 150k - 200k miles and only 1 of those cars required this type of work, which was performed on a 2011 Jaguar XF at 160k+ miles

NHTSA ODI 11635897

Two major safety issues need to be reported: 1) The left front lower control arm falling off in the middle of driving, caused car wheel stuck on a traffic street (luckily it was off the freeway 5 minutes ago). The long bolts connected the lower control arms were loss due to the defective design (the bolts are screwed upward vertically, falling off is definitely just a matter of time). I found there was a class action against Tesla due to this problem (it is referred to Model X and S) 2) The other major safety issue I encountered as I turned on the “advanced autopilot “ feature, the car could break suddenly without warning on the freeway. There were no cars or obstacles in the front. I researched online and found many Tesla owners have experienced this so called “phantom breaking” problem as I had (I had experienced this unsafe auto breaking randomly since I have driven this car)

NHTSA ODI 11634733

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the front suspension. The sound was heard while making a turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed upper control arm. The contact was informed that the upper control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that five days later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a scheduled service appointment in May 2024, the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed suspension lateral link needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the suspension lateral link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of two recalls, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V235000 (Suspension) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V835000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,775.

NHTSA ODI 11626269

Upper control arm unit is defective on most model 3's. This has been reported by thousands of Tesla owners. After 50,000 miles the upper control arm will fail due to being assembled incorrectly, which causes a hard time driving the car and causing a strange sound in the suspension which can cause a risk in driving and increase the likelihood of an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11620828

Lateral links failed. It was exactly what was described in this recall. However my car was not part of the recall because it was manufactured outside the date range. Recall affected until Mar 2019. My car was produced maybe a month or two afterwards. [XXX] The fastener became loose and the entire lateral link popped off. This happened in the parking lot and the entire car dropped 3 inches. Had this happened on the freeway it would have been much more dangerous. Problem was inspected by Tesla and Tesla said they were not at fault. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11617628

The suspension front control arm and lower links were all bad and had to be replaced. One day, our car started making this terrible clunking sound, so we brought it in. They charged us $1,800 to replace the whole control arm/link system. I have seen that this is a common problem. I have heard that the issue is known by Tesla as a defect because they put in bad control arms in the early models of Tesla that are known to go bad. We were told that if we did not get them replaced, they could go out while driving and cause us to lose control of our vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11614346

Front control arms have zero to very little grease, this causing components to friction and cause loud squeaking sound. Tesla is charing nearly $300 to change out the control arms which are the same as what's currently in my vehicle. This incident will occur again and Tesla will benefit from it.

NHTSA ODI 11613862

The front wheels suspension are squeezing. For a relatively new and low mileage car I don’t think this should be happening. I understand there’s been a lot of complaints about this issue. We believe it should be recalled. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11600224

Customer concern confirmed there is a creaking noise coming from the front of the car while turning, I performed a visual inspection and found that both RF lower control arm bushings are torn and the LF frontward lower control arm bushing are torn but this is not the cause of the noise the cause of the noise is the upper control arms I took the load off of the upper control arms and the noise went away I also had someone turn the wheels while I looked for the cause of the noise and found that the noise is coming from the upper control arms, recommend replacing upper and lower control arms to fix all safety concerns.

NHTSA ODI 11595503

The upper control arm on the driver's side of my Tesla Model 3 has started making a loud squeaking noise. After researching, I discovered that many owners have experienced this issue. Tesla Service Centers acknowledge it as a known defect but refuse to issue a recall, only addressing it upon customer request. Since my vehicle is out of warranty, they have quoted me over $500 for the repair. This defect poses a significant safety risk if the upper control arm fails. Please look into this matter. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11592145

The car is just out of warranty and has been driven about 62,000KM. The suspension and both frond and back control arms started to squeak badly during low speed driven, turning, back-in etc.

NHTSA ODI 11589928