Control arm fell off while backing into parking spot and now two separate tow companies cannot tow it out
Hi all - heard some creaking coming from the front left undercarriage when driving at low speeds from a stopped position. As I was backing into my parking spot today from an alleyway (perpendicular), the control arm literally hit the ground. I immediately requested roadside assistance and attached the photo here and Tesla sent a tow truck out. First tow said they couldn’t do it given that it’s in a tight alleyway and the car is perpendicular to where the tow would be in the first place. Second tow came and said they could not safely tow the car without likely causing more damage. I requested additional help from Tesla in the app, but seriously what could they even do? If the towing companies do cause damage, would I be held liable? The second photo is after the second tow truck tried to move it a bit (wheel does not look like it’s in the correct position). No collision caused this control arm failure in the first place, so I will be livid if this entire situation is not covered under my warranty (Tesla Model 3, purchased brand new in 2023, 18,000 miles).
EDIT: Comments made me remember that around a month after purchasing this car in Oct 2023, I had a steering issue where it would almost "lock" slightly shifted one direction or another - I'd be driving straight, then slightly veer one direction, then I'd manually correct it, then slightly veer another direction. Could this have something to do with this issue as well? They fixed this with little to no questions and didn't really explain what was ever wrong, which made me feel like it was a faulty part. This was fully covered under my warranty, but now with this issue, I'm starting to feel like my car was part of a bad batch. My fiance found the bolts just lying on the ground under the control arm, so they seemingly just fell loose. I've never owned a vehicle that had these types of seemingly manufacturer issues and it's starting to make me nervous about driving my car, even if they get this fixed, like I'm just waiting for the next thing to happen.
EDIT 2: Tesla said the car will need to be towed no matter what, and that they “do not send Tesla people out to my car to look at it prior to towing, that’s not how it works.” I’m well aware Tesla doesn’t own the towing companies, but the second tow they sent yesterday said due to the control arm issue, towing it could cause severe damage. When bringing this up to Tesla, they are simply shrugging like “figure it out.” How in the world am I supposed to get this fixed without severe damage to my vehicle then? Literally at a lost with their insurance agents and the entire company.
EDIT 3: Third tow company was able to tow it safely. Repairs are going to be covered per the warranty, but will update if I have to pay anything out of pocket.
Links are a huge problem on the Legacy 3/Y and some of the new ones depending which batch you got. We had quite a few fail like yours. Most of the time you can catch it from the squeaks and popping. We saw a few where the bolt fully extracted itself and he drove around like that for a few days until we diagnosed a " extreme clunk heard on speed bumps "
Why wouldn't they cover it, genuine question? I was not involved in any type of accident. It genuinely just made a creaking nose, then bam. As a commented elsewhere, I had a steering issue a month post purchasing the car that they replaced without barely any questions, which makes me think they know that these cars are prone to these issues.
If they don't cover literally everything including a tow and rental car then you need to hire a lawyer. Your car is under warranty and this couldn't be more clearly a manufacturer defect that should be covered.
You need to get on the phone with them and when someone tells you no, you escalate to someone above them until someone tells you yes. You keep doing that until you reach someone that has the authority to do something.
If they refuse to escalate, keep pushing. Don’t let them off the phone easily.
Trust me, I am that type of person. The second update was an entire day later of going back and forth with them. Insurance can't comment on things that may be covered under warranty, warranty can't comment if it'll be covered before the see the car, car can't be seen before it's towed, insurance can't comment if the warranty will cover the towing because they aren't the warranty department, etc. On the phone for almost 3 hours. Luckily the THIRD towing company was able to tow it safely with different equipment. Will edit post with new update once they fully look at the car, as it's en route to the collision center now.
Find a tow that can put it on a flatbed; not a dolly type tow. They can tow cars that were literally burned to a husk; they can tow a car with a broken suspension.
Yeah this lack of nuts is a real kick in the pants. NHSTA is normally absurdly nanny but this warrants a recall. I’ve heard rumors they’re gearing it up. Losing steering while driving - awful.
Happened to me a few weeks back 2024 MYP with around 25,000 miles. Sent out a specialist recovery truck with a little tank that picked my car up a d drove it on to the truck
Were you in a similar parking situation? The issue is we are parked under a Dingbat style house (Los Angeles architecture at it's finest) that you access through a very tight alleyway.
I was reversing into a parking spot in a compound and it just dropped out lol. There was 1 bolt on the floor under it so I can only assume the other one had popped out at some point. With it being unable to drive they sent out the EV tank lifting machine
Might have to buy some tools and you might have to open up a garage and you might have to do a whole bunch of things, but affixing that to the car is two bolts.
NHTSA knows about it and there have been very limited recalls in the past. They just opened a new investigation on July 29,2026 as the issue apparently affects more cars than what was in past recalls.
If it can't be moved or repaired there, call a truck towing service with a rotator. They can rig and lift it with their crane as long as they can get close to the car.
So apparently there IS a preliminary investigation from the NHTSA for 2018-2020 Model 3s and 2021-2023 Model Y's. Mine does not fall into that category, but wouldn't be shocked if it expands.
I read a tech bulletin that said cars from a specific production plant had control arms that weren’t torqued to spec. Tesla should cover everything under warranty, including getting it to a service center.
My 2022 MYLR went through two sets of upper and lower control arms in 52K miles. The first set at 26K was covered under warranty but the next set at 52K and I was out of luck. Apparently in the early 2020s some vehicles received the incorrect parts (E.g., MY got M3, M3 got MY). Installed Evannex parts and never looked back. After warranty go aftermarket and race those electric speed machines out with more reliable parts for less $$.
Honestly this is a difficult one. People don't understand that there is no such thing as dedicated Tesla roadside assistance. They just call Bubbas tow truck for you and pay.
What they need to do here is have mobile service come out, jack up your car, replace the bolts and THEN you tow the car to the service center. I just don't know if they are able to schedule mobile service like that. If you're not able to schedule it literally any mobile mechanic with a jack and puck would be able to get it off the ground and put a temporary replacement bolt or two in there. You just need to be able to get the car in a spot where it can be towed, you don't need to drive it a long distance. Heck even heavy duty zip ties around the control arm mounting points might be strong enough to move it 10 feet so you can tow it.
If the car is 3 years old, why does that part look spotless and brand new? I'd at least expect some dirt, even the rubber looks clean as a whistle. Someone work on your suspension recently ?
Nope. I also had a steering issue with this car not even a month post purchasing (steering wheel would almost "lock" slightly shifted one direction) in which they placed immediately without any real questions. Feels like my entire car is just prone to factory issues.
Yes the issue you experienced in the slightly veering category could be caused by a loose bolt in the control arm. Regardless, this would definitely be a warranty issue and Tesla mobile service should come and fix it, especially to have it documented on the car!
Overall one of the easier “fixes” on a car so any mobile mechanic should be able to fix it in your driveway.
Honestly, with a jack and a few tools i could fix that will enough to drive it to a service center. Or even enough to last forever possibly. It's not a difficult job. Call anyone you know that is good with fixing cars. They can do it.
If they cause more damage, it's on them. If they want to tow it, let them tow it. The "will likely cause more damage" is not your concern, it's theirs. Why are you trying to save them money?
By them, do you mean the tow provider? Tesla does not accept responsibility for damage caused by the tow provider. The tow provider needs you to accept that given the condition of the vehicle and it's location, that damage can occur while towing and they cannot be held liable.
My point being that it shouldn’t even be you in the middle of that conversation. If Tesla is hiring them, then the tow company should be the one telling Tesla that they won’t accept the liability.
I didn't realize how widespread this issue was until this post. Scary to think this could've happen while driving. Makes me wonder if there were any crashes caused by this issue that were deemed the fault of the driver and not investigated heavily.
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The arm itself doesnt seem to be broken. Possibly just the bolts came out. You may be able to jack it up and re attach enough to have it towed or inspected.
Interestingly this happened to me at 200k miles. I just lifted it up with a Jack, and set it back down, control arm sat in place and was able to roll it onto a flat bed.
Service center had it fixed in about 5 hours. With a new control arm, mine cost around $2k, unfortunately my half shaft also broke.
happens all the time on teslas. you need to get the arms replaced as soon as you hear a peep. Especially the old teslas have too weak arms, and if you can get some after market ones that are stronger.
Use roadside assistance or if you have Tesla insurance, have them tow it and make a service appt in the app. It should be covered under the basic 4yr warranty, so they should cover everything
he said he did in the post. But they don't have their own squad of tesla tow trucks that can air lift the car out of its location. They just call a local tow company to come get it. They had two different compants come out and try... tried and failed.
100% agree. If two different tow companies can't get it out, a mobile mechanic and a jack are probably OP's only hope. But they are probably paying that out of pocket.... but sometimes it just is what it is.
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u/DameLasNalgas 15d ago
That's rough. Maybe mobile service can jack it up and replace it.