Here is another crashed tesla in the salvage yard. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=22938755&rowid=3&pagesource=vehicleresults# the back lh suspension is ripped away. the air suspension appears to have failed which might account for the damage around all the wheels. no sign of a major impact to the car. the number of wrecked teslas is extremely high in relation to the relatively small number of cars on the road particularly considering the owners are mostly mature and conservative drivers. i am only playing amateur crash investigator because i believe that most of these crashes would not attract the attention of official investigators but would be handled as routine traffic incidents by local police who might not notice the pattern of failures. i believe that the tesla situation is unique. there is a culture of denial and cover up by the company and by owners.there are no independent dealerships that could report problems. ex-employees report a dictatorial work environment that discourages reporting of problems. even on the tesla internet forums owners that speak about defects are abused and intimidated and accused of making false reports in order to drive down the share price. please inspect some of these crashed cars and also some random samples of the fleet for problems in the suspension and for seized brake calipers as previously reported. example being the cpo car delivered with seized calipers. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/4-bent-wheels.75765/ cubldr97, aug 18, 2016 i purchased a cpo 2013 model s85 in feb of this year. here is what i got in an email... the technician also noticed all 4 caliper pistons are seized and the sway bar link has excessive play."
Here is a tesla that has been in a major collision. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=22773780&rowid=7&pagesource=vehicleresults the rh tire is partially peeled off the rim. i would be unusual for a tire to be peeled off the rim as a result of a direct frontal impact, especially if the wheel itself is not damaged. given the fact that many photographs of crashed teslas show broken suspension parts and peeled off tires i think you should investigate this crash to determine whether the tire damage was the cause of the crash. i am filing these reports as a concerned citizen who shares the roads with these vehicles. the date of the incident is just an approximation. the number of injuries is just a guess based on the severity of the damage. if you do not wish me to submit any further reports you can contact me via email and ask me to desist.
Here is another tesla in the salvage yard. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/30997056?searchid=1887217407 there is little sign of collision damage but the front suspension has fallen apart and the wheel has been torn into pieces whilst it was still rotating. the steel bumper bar forward of the wheel is completely undamaged which makes it unlikely that the wheel was struck from the front. it is quite possible that all of the damage caused to the front end is simply the result of the suspension failure. there are far too many of these failures in proportion to the small number of teslas that have been sold. image searches on other brands of car do not show up any other instances of wheels getting sliced into pieces similar to what is happening repeatedly on the teslas. please investigate this problem. note: date of incident is an approximation.
Here is a tesla model s in the wrecking yard. the front tire is wrenched off the rim and this appears to have happened while the car was still rolling forward. even though there has been a major collision the air-bags have not deployed. i have put together a collection of photographs of steering and suspension components from tesla cars. http://teslabears.club/t/no-wonder-the-wheels-snap-off/68 the standard of construction is in my opinion absolutely appalling. tesla has gained the reputation of being the safest car in the world. i am convinced that reputation is merely the result of tesla pr hype and the myth is perpetuated by tesla enthusiasts and investors. the number of crashed teslas showing up in the salvage yards is out of all proportion to the number of vehicles on the roads. please start an investigation into the causes of all these crashes.
Here is one of many threads in which tesla owners complain of rapid and uneven tire wear. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/ok-tire-wear-is-past-ridiculous-photo-attached.71844/ there is a photo (attached) showing tires worn down to the cords on the hidden inside edge after only 5000 miles. it is very likely that owners would be unaware of this problem until the tire finally blows out which could easily cause a crash. this problem is very common and owners are resorting to extremely dangerous diy modifications to reduce tire wear. these modifications are probably illegal and could cause instability. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/installed-adjustable-rear-camber-links-to-reduce-rear-tire-wear.38524/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/upper-rear-link-build-reduces-rear-camber-to-improve-tire-wear.20378/ please note that i am a concerned citizen from outside usa and have enetered a fictitious addres to comply with your website requirements. my correct name and contact details have been supplied to you. i understand that it is legal for a concerned citizen that is not a tesla owner and not a us resident to file a complaint and that i am not acting fraudulently in any way.
Here is a report of a fatal crash in hawaii. http://www.staradvertiser.com/breaking-news/maui-woman-dies-in-head-on-crash-in-paia/ here is the wrecked tesla for sale as a salvage wreck. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/26810486?searchid=935758582 the front rh side is badly damaged and the wheel is missing. this may be have been caused by the collision with the nissan. the rear lh wheel is bent over at an extreme angle which is typical of rear suspension breakage on the tesla. there is no impact damage to the lh rear of the car that would account for the wheel being slanted over. can you please investigate the possibility that the problem with the rear wheel was a contributing cause to the crash.
Another tesla in the junkyard. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/22864206?searchid=1540816254 there is no collision damage to the car bur the entire front suspension has snapped off. this is an awd model and should be expected to have a stronger suspension to cope with the added weight and power. this is clearly not the case because the suspension components have snapped off please look at this car as part of your investigation into potential defects in the tesla suspension
Here is a photograph of the tesla that recently crashed in germany. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/tesla-s-accident-survivors-germany/ tesla claims that this crash demonstrates the remarkable safety of the car because the teenage occupants escaped with their lives. close examination of the photograph shows that the tread of the rh tire has been worn away whilst the wheel was still rotating and that this can only have occurred whilst the car was still driving on a bitumen highway and not after going off road. i believe this is another example of suspension failures causing crashes.
Another model s with the back wheel skewed at a crazy angle. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=22250192&rowid=11&pagesource=vehicleresults# it appears that the air suspension has collapsed causing all of the wheels to be jammed up in the wheel wells. please continue with your investigations into this matter. whilst the letter of the tesla ndas do not specifically prohibit owners reporting faults to nhtsa the spirit of the agreement would probably dissuade owners from reporting problems.
I was driving the 2015 tesla model s , west bound on i-80 approaching the bay bridge in san francisco from oakland , i heard s trance squeaky noise coming from the rear of my car & i pulled over that saw the left rear tire & wheel looked tilted , it appeared the wheels & suspension of the car had failed suspension failed . i called tesla roadside assistance at 2:30 pm asking for help , the answering service instead of trying to help the tesla was arguing with me over the phone that this issue may not be covered by the warranty and i may need to pay for the towing cost & repair cost. they refused to help me in anyway to bring the car to their service . i called a towing service & had the car towed at my own expense after the long never ending waiting & terrible traffic of friday afternoon . i got the car towed to the tesla service in dublin california . they took my car in friday evening. the next monday they called and said the left rear axle & wheel are broken . the cost to repair $13,000. they denied that this is warranty issue . my insurance paid for this outrageous repair cost . it took 3 weeks for them to fix the axle & the wheel . i am not confident that this car is safe to drive . the tesla costumer service is terrible , they are unhelpful , cheap & leave the costumer high & dry in a crisis . they do not take responsibility for the car parts failure & warranty issues . i had never experienced broken wheels or axles in my 20 years of driving .
Another model s in the junkyard. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/23726316?searchid=1302071014 front suspension twisted and bent. no collision damage forward of the wheel that could have cause the suspension to be damaged like that. please add this to the list of suspension failures
Here is a tesla in the wrecking yard https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=22383879&rowid=5&pagesource=vehicleresults# the front tire has been wrenched off the rim and has the tread gouged away. this looks like another case of collapsed suspension with broken suspension arm peeling off the tire before the collision.
Another model s with a broken front suspension steering knuckle. http://www.copart.com/us/en/lot/23161406 there is no damage to the wheel and no impact damage to the car that would explain the components snapping off. by magnifying the photograph of the front rh wheel it is possible to see that there is a deep groove worn into the tire which is well below the level of the tread on the undamaged portion of the tire. it is almost certain that this damage was caused whilst the car was still rolling forward and was most likely to have been the cause of the accident. there is a pattern of failure in the tesla which seems to be caused by weak alloy suspension components. please investigate this matter.
Here is a model s in the junkyard. the air suspension has collapsed and the body has slumped so low that the wheels are jammed up in the wheel wells. the front rh tire and rim have been damaged. owners have reported that the model s does not have bump stops on the suspension so that loss of air pressure can have disastrous consequences. "the right front air strut failed due to a leak which caused the whole front of the car to drop so much that the wheels were rubbing against the inside of the wheel well, and the front of the car was rubbing on the ground. the car became absolutely not drivable. luckily i was parked when this happened. the tow truck driver could only do inch-by-inch turns to orient the car to face the tow truck, and then had to move it up again inch-by-inch using wooden blocks just so the wheel well and the bottom would not get damaged. why doesn't tesla air-suspension design incorporate some sort of a stopper to stop the car from going lower than the lowest functional air-suspension setting? the service center tech had the same idea!!!! at least it would be drivable when the system failed. i am very concerned how the car would handle if this air suspension failure occurred while driving 70 mph" https://forums.teslamotors.com/en_au/forum/forums/air-suspension-failure-very-unpleasant-results this is not good!
This 2015 tesla model s with just 7000 miles on the odometer has just arrived in the salvage yard. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=21562496&rowid=1&pagesource=vehicleresults it appears that the air suspension has collapsed. there is no collision damage but the driver airbag has deployed suggesting that the car had a sudden extreme deceleration. owners have been complaining on the forums that their air suspensions have collapsed and that the tesla does not have bump stops to prevent the suspension bottoming out and the wheels jamming in the wheel wells. example: air suspension failure with very unpleasant results | tesla motors https://forums.teslamotors.com/en_au/.../air-suspension-failure-very-unpleasant-resul... jul 30, 2015 - first the good part: tesla 1-800 roadside folks were very good, the tow-truck driver was very good, and the service center was very good. tesla claims in a blog post that they have been given the ok by tesla and there has been no problem found with the suspension. https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/grain-of-salt i am disinclined to believe that is the case. please investigate.
This a fresh example of the suspension breaking completely loose. car was involved in a minor collision with a honda but the rear suspension of the tesla has completely torn away. this may well have been the cause of the crash. note that when the entire suspension is torn loose like this the hydraulic hoses will be broken and lead to total brake failure. the report is on a forum in china. this is an american made car sold all over the world. owners in china have been complaining of many cases of suspension failures. http://club.autohome.com.cn/bbs/thread-c-2357-51626688-1.html the wheel and tire are undamaged. there is no collision damage that could account for the wheel falling off. the translation of the thread shows that the owner is complaining of a weak suspension that should not have fallen off. please look at the overall picture. there are so many cases of similar failures that prove a dangerous defect that an investigation by nhtsa needs to be opened..
Here is a website from china which shows a tesla in the middle of a city where it would be impossible to travel at high speed. http://chuansong.me/n/301825551833 the back suspension has completely torn away. this is a high resolution photograph and you can see that the tread has been totally worn off the tire and it has partially melted from the heat. a chinese speaker would be able to get more information from the website than i can get by using google translate. please investigate this as a matter of urgency.
Yet another tesla model s with the suspension broken and the wheel completely fallen off. car has only travelled 500 miles and has not been in a crash. no impact damage that could account for the suspension breaking loose. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/35327875 not only are there multiple failures like this but there appears to be a determined effort to suppress reporting of the issue. here are links to the cached version of a forum thread with owners report and photographs of broken suspension parts. page 1 https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:woghkxvbyx0j:https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/the-rear-axle-shaft-broken-without-reason.67935/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au page 2 https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ds6c8vtd4lcj:https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/the-rear-axle-shaft-broken-without-reason.67935/page-2+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au page 3 https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rhdchcnzhbyj:https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/the-rear-axle-shaft-broken-without-reason.67935/page-3+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au the thread has been deleted despite it being of vital importance to warn of the dangers. i intend to report this situation to the fbi because i believe it falls within their jurisdiction please take action before there is a fatal accident. . please note: fictitious usa address and phone number used to suit your website requirements. my genuine email and contact details have been provided on this submission
This vehicle is up for sale as a salvage wreck. the tip of the steering knuckle has snapped off again in the same way as many other incidents. this broken part appears to be the cause of the crash and not the result of it. this part is weak and is failing repeatedly putting the public at risk. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=21255219&rowid=8&pagesource=vehicleresults
This car is for sale as a salvage wreck. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=21706777&rowid=8&pagesource=vehicleresults# the rear suspension has completely torn away and all the suspension components are sheared off. there is no impact damage that could account for this. there appears to be a pattern of failure in the tesla suspension components both front and rear. the suspension components are made of hollow aluminum extrusions and seem to have insufficient margin of safety to cope with the high power and heavy weight of the vehicle. please investigate this urgently. note: fictitious address used to comply with your website requirements. my correct contact details are included in this form submission.
Here is a tesla model s in the wrecking yard. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/14952156?searchid=1571797569 the front suspension has broken and the wheel has been sliced in half while it was still rotating. this effect can be seen in many wrecked teslas. normally it would be expected that the brakes would be applied hard prior to a collision and therefore the wheel would not have revolved sufficiently to pare the wheel in half. the suspension components in this car are made from hollow extruded aluminum and it seems probable that there is not sufficient margin of safety for such a heavy high performance car. please look at all the example of similar faults on flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@n05/sets/72157661343139261/ please investigate this to prevent further accidents. *tr
Here is a tesla model s in the wreckers yard with heavy front end damage. http://www.copart.com/us/lot/17976436?searchid=1110743839 the rear of the car appears to be completely undamaged except that both rear wheels are splayed outwards at an extreme angle. the alloy components are too weak for the loads imposed by this high powered electric vehicle. it is far more likely that the skewed rear wheels caused the crash rather than being damaged during the crash. the rear wheels and tires are undamaged and have not suffered any impact. please note: fictitious address used to comply with your website requirements. i am unsure if actual injury resulted but from the severity of the damage it almost certainly did.
This is yet another example of a tesla model s with the suspension fallen apart. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=21706777&rowid=11&pagesource=vehicleresults this car has only travelled 2000 miles from new. you can clearly see the broken parts of the suspension. the wheel and tire are undamaged. this failure can not possibly be the result of impact damage and was almost certainly the cause of the accident. tesla offers owners of cars that have had suspension failures a "goodwill payment" in return for signing a non disclosure agreement. there have been hundreds of similar suspension failures on teslas but very few owners have filed complaints. here is an owner whose front suspension fell apart and he was concerned that the fault might affect many other cars in the worldwide fleet of teslas. gpcordaro, apr 28, 2016 while driving on a back road at a very low rate of speed, about 5 mph. the road was rough so my air ride was at it max lift. as i was proceeding down a steep hill i heard a snap and felt my steering wheel pull to the left. i stopped the car for further inspection only to discover that my left front hub assembly separated from the upper control arm. this could have been a tragic accident causing injury or even death. tesla just informed that this is not covered under warranty, stating that the cause was due to normal wear and tear. i have owned many cars in my life and have never experienced such a failure. ******* and then he accepted the offer and signed the nda. ******* gpcordaro, saturday at 4:52 am this is the last post i will make on this subject. tesla and i have come to terms. i am not at liberty to discuss the terms, i can only say that i am satisfied. i believe that tesla is covering up the suspension failures. please investigate.
I am raising this as a major safety concern in the public interest. this car is for sale at a salvage auction. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=21255219&rowid=10&pagesource=vehicleresults the tip of the steering knuckle has snapped off at the same point of weakness as has happened in many other incidents. the fact that this is a 2015 car shows that the design/manufacturing defect has not been rectified. the wheel and tire are relatively undamaged. the pattern of failure points to this weakness being the cause of crashes and not damage that occurred as a result of the crash. failure of this part under braking load would cause the castor angle to go badly wrong and cause the wheel to violently swing to one side. the steering rod is fractured in many cases and it is likely that the sharp end of the broken rod spearing into the wheel rim is the cause of so many sliced wheels as shown in flickr albums. https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@n05/albums/with/72157664301101256 once again, i am reporting this to protect the public. these cars are on the roads all over the world and present a serious danger to the public. i have used a fictitious usa address to comply with your website requirements
Please note, i am not making frivolous complaints. i am trying to alert you to a pattern of failure with the tesla suspension components. this car has had the entire back wheel and rear suspension components torn out backwards through the bodywork. there is no collision damage forward of the wheel that could have caused this.
Please note: i have supplied the vin of a different car in order to be able to file this report. i have also supplied a made up address but only because i needed to so as to comply with the website requirements. i have reported previously that the suspensions of the tesla model s have a design weakness. here is further proof. this report was posted on the tesla motor forum today and shows a photograph of a car whose suspension has collapsed after running over a pothole. this pothole was not bad enough to damage the car, the wheel or the tire but the suspension has collapsed and canted over at a severe angle. i'll quote from the post in case it gets deleted from the forum. (i've saved a copy) pothole in vidor texas took the p85 down this was going to be an awesome road trip note, but unfortunately instead it's a tale of caution. on mile ~800 of the trip, we followed the gps directions to get off the highway to skip some traffic. unfortunately the expected on ramp was closed, so we ended up on a poorly maintained stretch of feeder road just outside vidor. right after the forced u-turn so we didn't end up in the neches river, i avoided a pothole only to hit another... and this one was bad. so bad, in fact, that we became one of three cars with our hazards on right after it due to damage to the cars. i thought i had popped a tire, but when i got out, it was much worse. my rear passenger tire is now at such a strong camber that it is rubbing the wheel well. we have now been stranded for 2 hours while a tow truck drives in from houston to pick us up and take us to the tesla authorized repair shop. wish us luck. photo texas registration number is p05283
Here is a newspaper report from germany. http://www.echo-online.de/lokales/bergstrasse/kreis-bergstrasse/zwei-maenner-nach-verkehrsunfall-in-auto-eingeklemmt_16183699.htm two men seriously injured when model s swerved off road. the snapped off front suspension with half the wheel attached is lying on the ground 10 metres in front of the car. the wheel has been sliced in half whilst still rotating. the report states that the car was travelling on a straight section of the freeway, braked for roadworks and suddenly veered off road. please add this to the list of crashes that seem to have been caused by collapsing suspensions
Please don't think i am making frivolous complaints. there is a pattern of suspension failures. this one has resulted in a very serious crash. 2015 tesla 70d is for sale at salvage company iaai. https://www.iaai.com/vehicles/vehicledetails.aspx?itemid=20460578&rownumber=2&loadrecent=true it has been involved in a major nose-tail crash. the back wheel is skewed over in the same manner as the other damaged cars that i have reported to you. there is zero damage in that area of the car and no reason for the wheel to be skewed like that. an investigator that was unaware of the string of similar events may have overlooked the skewed wheel and assumed it was just another tail-ender accident. a possible scenario is that the wheel skewed sideway and caused a sudden stop without brake lights coming on. please investigate this because there are far too many cases of suspension failure which points to a design weakness.
Please note i have used a fictitious address to satisfy the requirements of the website. i am not a us resident, just a concerned citizen i have already reported that there is a problem with the tesla rear suspension and i am finding several case where the front suspension has failed and caused a crash. this vehicle has crashed and burned and is for sale as salvage. https://www.iaai.com/vehicles/vehicledetails.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=19224036&rownumber=0&loadrecent=true i have enlarged the images and you can see that the lh suspension has come apart and the suspension arm is lying on the ground. the front steel safety girder is undamaged so the suspension could not have been damaged by hitting an object. the rim and spokes of the wheel are intact also. the crash(?) caused a fire in the battery pack. i believe these cars pose a serious risk to the driver and other road users.
This car is up for sale as a salvage wreck. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=20015788&rowid=2&pagesource=vehicleresults the front suspension has collapsed and the front wheel hs been sliced in half by a suspension component whilst the car was still in motion. the other wheels on the car are skewed or missing. same, wheel sliced in half effect can be seen on this other car which subsequently caught fire. https://m.iaai.com/vehicledetenc.aspx?auctionid=0&itemid=19224036&rowid=1&pagesource=vehicleresults there are many other cases of model s wheels becoming skewed or detached. example http://www.inautonews.com/crashed-tesla-model-s-spotted-in-california this forum post may perhaps explain the problem http://my.teslamotors.com/forum/forums/air-suspension-failure-very-unpleasant-results "the right front air strut failed due to a leak which caused the whole front of the car to drop so much that the wheels were rubbing against the inside of the wheel well, and the front of the car was rubbing on the ground." please note that i have supplied a dummy usa address in order to be able to file this complaint. i am not a us resident but teslas are sold in my country and i am very concerned about the danger posed by this vehicle.