Tesla China Recall over Suspension Issues Covers 30,000 Vehicles

Chinese authorities recently ordered a Tesla China recall of around 30,000 units for issues with a potential suspension defect in the vehicles.

Tesla China Recall: Overview

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued the recall order on Oct. 27, calling for the recall of around 30,000 Model S and Model X vehicles which were manufactured between 2013 and 2017. According to the recall order, these vehicles may be equipped with defective suspension systems which have dangerous consequences.

The Tesla China recall orders the car manufacturers to replace the rear linkages found in their front suspension system and the upper linkages found in the rear suspension systems in the affected cars.

Affected vehicles were reportedly manufactured at Tesla’s assembly plant in Fremont, California. This includes 29,193 imported Model S and Model X vehicles manufactured between Sept. 17, 2013 and Aug. 16, 2017 along with over 19,000 imported Model S vehicles manufactured between Sept. 17, 2013 and Oct. 15, 2018.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, is aware of the recall but has not received “significant complaints” related to these issues from U.S. drivers.

“The agency is in contact with Tesla and monitoring the situation closely, and will not hesitate to take action to protect the public against unreasonable risks to safety,” the NHTSA said in a statement. The agency encourages consumers to file complaints with the agency or contact the regulator if they have concerns or experienced their own suspension problems.

Tesla’s media relations department was dissolved by the company in 2019. Since then, the company has not responded to inquiries from the media. However, in a letter to the NHTSA, a Tesla attorney attributed the suspension issue to “driver abuse […] that is uniquely severe in the China market.” The letter also references “abuse load” such as curb impacts, severe pothole strikes, and other abuse which could damage parts.

However, despite disagreeing with the Tesla China recall order, the company will reportedly voluntarily recall their vehicles to avoid “carrying a heavy burden through the Chinese administrative process.”

Tesla Suspension Issues

Although the company has pinned the blame for this recall on consumers, this is not the first time Tesla has faced scrutiny for its vehicles’ suspension systems.

In 2016, the NHTSA revealed that it was investigating a suspension issue associated with the Tesla Model S. Reports of this issue purportedly revealed that a defect in the Model S suspension systems could cause the suspension control arms to break. This defect could lead a driver to lose control of their vehicle.

To make matters worse, the NHTSA noted that Tesla may have used “troublesome nondisclosure agreement[s]” with Model S owners who experienced the suspension problems.

Due to these concerns, the NHTSA aimed to review the issue and collect more information from both Tesla and drivers.

“Part of what we have to figure out is whether or not (non disclosure agreements) might have impeded people making (complaints),” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind told Reuters. “Our folks were on this right away.”

In February 2017, Tesla issued a service bulletin for their front suspension components, noting that  “some Model S and Model X vehicles may have been manufactured with front suspension fore links that may not meet Tesla strength specifications.” The bulletin noted that failure of these links wouldn’t result in drivers losing control of their vehicle, but could cause the tire to contact the wheel arch liner.

Since the NHTSA announced it was collecting information on the suspension issues, no formal investigation was launched and no other news has been heard. However, several consumers have detailed their own concerns on online forums or through news providers such as Inside EVs.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.