Shreyansh Jain took delivery of his brand-new 2023 Tesla Model Y in March with great enthusiasm. However, his excitement quickly turned to horror when, with only 115 miles on the odometer, the front-right suspension of the car collapsed as he made a slow turn into his neighborhood, causing him to lose steering control. The repair estimate was for more than $14,000, and Tesla refused to cover the cost, blaming the incident on “prior” suspension damage.
Jain’s story is just one of many involving premature suspension and steering failures experienced by tens of thousands of Tesla owners worldwide. These issues have plagued relatively new vehicles across Tesla’s model lineup but have remained relatively undisclosed to the public. Documents dated from 2016 to 2022 show that Tesla has long been aware of the frequency and extent of these defects but has not disclosed the information to consumers and safety regulators.
But Tesla has stood by its position that the failures were not due to design flaws and has attempted to shift the repair costs to buyers. These issues have also resulted in potentially dangerous situations including, but not limited to, sudden loss of power-steering on the move. In some cases, Tesla owners reported that the suspension and steering problems nearly caused catastrophic accidents, but these claims have not been previously reported by the media.
Jain’s ordeal with the collapse of the suspension in his Tesla turned into a months-long journey that culminated in the sale of his repaired vehicle for a significant loss. In addition, his insurance rates increased sharply due to a claim made for the repairs.
This speaks to the wider problem of premature suspension and steering failures in Tesla vehicles. To compound the matter, the issue has also affected Tesla’s reputation in the market. Parts were recalled in China, but have not been called back in the United States or Europe, indicating a lack of consistency in rectifying these issues.
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