Tesla is recalling certain Model 3 vehicles made between January 2018 and March 2019 because the fasteners of the front suspension lateral link might become loose over time, which can cause the suspension link to separate from the sub-frame.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the voluntary recall issued by Tesla potentially affects 422 Model 3s, with the problem first reported by customers who complained about lateral link separation or unusual noises coming from the lateral links.
The defect description is as follows:
“The front suspension lateral link on Model 3 vehicles is attached to the sub-frame using two fasteners. Manufacturing records and customer complaints suggest that there may be a correlation between certain manufacturing record characteristics and the fastener loosening over time. A loose fastener could cause the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame.”
Tesla’s investigation into the production records showed that all torque and angle values fall within production control limits, but a correlation was found between vehicles with customer complaints and certain torque and angle records.
As per the NHTSA’s recall report, “if the fasteners that secure the lateral link to the sub-fame become loose, abnormal noise may occur and be detectable by the customer from the front suspension.”
With this being said, Tesla identified 25 warranty claims and two field reports that are related or may be related to this problem, and has issued the voluntary recall “out of an abundance of caution.” The American EV manufacturer says it’s not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this potential issue.
To fix the problem, Tesla will inspect and repair all the affected cars free of charge.
This particular recall is an extension of a similar action from 2021 that saw almost 2,800 vehicles built between 2019 and 2021 suffer from the same potential loosening of the suspension link fasteners.
According to Teslarati, Tesla vehicles were recalled 19 times in 2022, affecting over 3.7 million electric cars, but 12 of these have been fixed through over-the-air software updates.
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