Tesla Model 3 common Suspension Noise. How to repair it. DIY, Upper Control Arm replacement

[@sophiathemighty]

WD40 was my fix. I had this exact noise problem with my 4 year old Model 3. Drove it less than 35K miles, but it's past it's warranty. Tesla in Portland, OR wanted to charge me $497 upfront to fix this. Shocked that there's no such thing as a free estimate for them to look at it first and discuss with you after your warranty expires. I found this expense for my low-mileage car ridiculous, so I just sprayed WD40 in the areas described in this video. It's been months and the squeaking has completely stopped! I didn't expect my stop-gap to last this long, but I'm happy that I didn't have to spend anything.

[@RMTFamily]

Happy to hear you were able to fix it that easy and it even lasts. I tried WD40 too but it didn't work for me.

[@ma6netho]

@@RMTFamily making a tiny hole in the balljoint rubber and spray white litium grease inside might do the trick, wery durable stuff

[@RMTFamily]

@@ma6netho Some people had success with just injecting grease, others didn't. Or at least not lasting success. It would be fine initially but come back after a few thousand miles or so. One issue with injecting grease is that the boot actually gets damaged that can lead to failure of the boot or debris/water ingress and thus failure of the joint. It is something one can try for sure before replacing the A-arm.

[@rivernet62]

There is a very easy fix. My M3 started this sound at 150k miles. I tried disconnecting the ball joint and wiggling it around like people say. Did not work. Easiest, and has worked for me: Jack up car a bit, so you can reach in above the tire to the ball joint. Remove spring clip at top of boot. Pull boot down to give access. Fill boot with motor oil. Reseat boot and restore spring clip. This has done it for me.

[@wanikkismith4898]

Thank you. My Model 3 developed this noise a few months ago. Never heard such terrible noise coming from a car in my entire life. I was very disappointed. And it is embarrassing to boot! Sounds like an old horse wagon. But Tesla replaced it for $60 with a new control arm.

[@RMTFamily]

Hi Wanikki, that’s great, it’s a common problem and Tesla is usually willing to work on the price because of that. 😃👍

[@scotr1358]

$60?!?

[@MakeAmericaPlumpAgain]

$60? For me just to make an appointment they want $200🤣

[@tripolyfly]

It was 180€ in Germany to replace both front side.

[@BillHohensee]

Loved your "can-do" optimistic attitude throughout the repair! I always worry when I have so many leftover bolts after a repair like that! 😀

[@RMTFamily]

🤣🤣 Back when I repaired ICE cars I used to say: Just throw the leftover bolts into the air intake and they will find their place.🤣 With an EV you just have to throw the leftovers away.🤣 Thank You for watching👍

[@johnsiviour4929]

Noted that many M3 owners report similar. One suggested that water draining directly onto ball joint contributes to ongoing difficulties.

[@RMTFamily]

Yes it is somewhat common. And yes the cowl drain dumps water right on top of the ball joint. That certainly does not help.

[@RB-jv6un]

Wow! Our 2020 Model 3 has the same noise and just as loud. I see you work on the gravel too. I hope to get a pad poured this summer, at least in the carport. That was an excellent video. Great editing and just the right amount of time on each step. Mobile will get to do the driver's side on ours but I bet when the warranty runs out in December I will be doing the passenger side. Thanks for your work..

[@RMTFamily]

Hi R B, Thank You. Yes I have to work on gravel or grass😂. Unfortunately I don't have a pad, garage or shop to work in. Overall it's not to hard to do this control arm. But if under warranty, yes have mobile do that for you. Some even got it done as goodwill by Tesla after warranty. I never bothered to ask, I may have missed out on a free control arm. Thank You for watching!👍

[@RB-jv6un]

@@RMTFamily Yours sounded exactly like ours did before I greased it. Now it squeaks very loudly. I was just listening to yours again and it sure sounds like a squealing pig here and there! Thanks again.

[@GoatDirt]

great work! I had this BAD and squirt some grease in there and worked the joint around and the sound was completely gone. Worth a shot if you have a grease needle - done in 6 minutes

[@RMTFamily]

Cool, I hope this one will last a lifetime and the other side will never need it. But if I will try to grease it. Thank you👍😀

[@KoLecnac]

Where exactly did you squirt grease?

[@GoatDirt]

@@KoLecnac at the top you will see a black rubber boot. if you can get the compression ring off, squirt in some grease and get it back up, you may be able to save it.

[@BillHohensee]

Had the noise at 60k miles and Tesla replaced control arms on both sides. The noise came back at 125k miles. But this time I injected grease with a specialized grease injector needle into the ball joint, massaged the rubber ball joint boot to further distribute the grease inside, and viola! No noise now for another 3k miles!

[@MrVanDePol420]

I am hearing a sound like this, but it's not coming from the front, what can it be?

[@RMTFamily]

Could be from the rear suspension. The common issue is the front. But something could have failed on the rear. You have to locate the location of the noise. Have someone else drive and sit in different seats and walk along on the outside right next to each wheel. Drive at an angle over a speed bump, just one wheel over the bump at the time. Let me know if you can locate the noise.

[@MrVanDePol420]

I can't seem to locate the exact spot, it all over the place, also the sound hear seems a bit more screeching, scratching like. Mine is more muffeld. I got the sound on tape. Driving me nuts. It makes the sound when taking off and sometimes in corners, not on speedbumps

[@RMTFamily]

@@MrVanDePol420 🤔Screeching noises when taking off and in corners🤔 Go easy on the accelerator pedal when taking off and lower speed in corners, that will eliminate tire screeching tire noise😉😂🤣 Use link to facebook, twitter or instagram and send me your recording.

[@MrVanDePol420]

@@RMTFamily sorry meant *here, as in your video, mine is more muffeled, not a scratching sound, definitely not from accelerating, since I drive like a grandma

[@RMTFamily]

@@MrVanDePol420 I was just teasing with the tire thing. Is there a way you can record it?

[@tsladragon]

We had the exact same problem. Squeaking, rattling noises coming from the control arms and it got progressively worse. Fortunately our M3 was still under warranty and Tesla replaced both control arms. The Tesla rep we spoke to said that ball joint cover was cracking, and could allow moisture to seep through and cause rust. Just greasing it would not be a long term solution. Both arms had to be replaced.

[@RMTFamily]

Cool, it's always great to be under warranty. The guy was right, if the ball joint is not totally sealed water and dust will get in and just destroy it. Many ball joints need replaced on many different cars at some point. Most last between 60k and 120k miles. But once the seal is no longer perfect they wear out quickly. Many aftermarket ball joints for cars have a grease fitting so you can pump more grease in every time the oil change is due. We used to have a Honda Accord and when the ball joint went bad, at around 110k miles, the only one available had a grease fitting. I hated it, had to pump grease in every oil change. Unfortunately the factory one was not available right away. Tesla has a problem with those for some reason, I hope what we got in there will last longer. Thank You for watching and commenting👍😀

[@BrandonGodbout]

Same here. Replaced both arms at no cost.

[@RMTFamily]

@@BrandonGodbout Cool. Free is good. 😃👍

[@musclekingmedia]

Good job. The 3 and Y’s are common to ball joint squeaking.

[@RMTFamily]

I wasn’t aware of the Y doing it too. Thanks for sharing.😀

[@giuseppearbia]

I left the my 2020 Model 3 parked for 5 weeks and the noise started, 62,000Km less than 39,000 miles! warranty is out, will grease the ball joint

[@NordicProspecting]

For me, it was only the ball joint. Loosend the torx screw and got the ball joint free, moved it around to spread the grease around, then mounted it together again. That solved it. However, i did it pretty much as soon as I i noticed the noise. I think the balljoint wears out really fast if you dont address it soon after it starts.

[@RMTFamily]

Cool. That worked out great.

[@intothemultiverse1033]

Just had similar done upper and lower both sides a month before the warranty ran out.

[@RMTFamily]

Under warranty is always nice 👍. The new parts hopefully last way longer.

[@cameraramblings4107]

Nice. according to tesla you are supposed to replace both sides at one. I have the same issue. Booked in for repair.

[@RMTFamily]

Tesla will replace both sides at one time because they don’t want you to come back after a couple month with the same issue on the other side. You only need to replace springs, shock absorbers and brakes on both sides at the same time. As these things will affect drive ability of the car. As long as the control arm on the other side has good bushings and the ball joint is ok it will not affect drive ability of the car.

[@lavieenrose7925]

Is it feasible to just replace the upper control arm bushing assembly instead of the entire upper control arm? I'm sure I could rent the proper tool somewhere

[@RMTFamily]

@@lavieenrose7925 NO. Good question though. First, you can’t just buy bushings. 2nd, the proper tool doesn’t exist. I have done bushing replacements on A-arms about 3 decades ago. It is almost impossible to do and certainly not worth it at the cost of about $100 for a complete new arm. Most important is also that most of the noise comes from the ball joint which is attached with special rivets. No, just buy a new a-arm.

[@raymondwong2521]

My Model X is giving me this sound too. Boy, it is an expensive electric toy that constantly breaks down .... Just had the gull-wing door sensors replaced, and interior rattle noise fixed as several screws were found to be very loose and how the car passed quality control before exiting the factory is beyond me. Paint job is also not that great with some uneven paint spots that I and my wife have both discovered. So many problems with Tesla cars.

[@RMTFamily]

Sorry to hear that you have so many issues with your Model X. I have been in the automotive industry all my life and found that Tesla does not have more issues than other OEMs. Worked for Mercedes and they had issues. It does not matter how much money you spend, cars are never perfect. And for some reason one car has issues and the next one doesn’t. Overall I saved a bunch of money having two Teslas, and the driving experience is way above any ICE car. In general driving an EV is just better. But I do agree that it sucks when things go wrong. But my truck needed a $1500 fuel injection pump at 70k and a $6000 new transmission at 90k. And I spent lots of money and time to keep our Honda Accord going for years. It just sucks when things break. Is your Model X still under warranty?

[@thomasmueller1606]

I love the part where he shows the installation

[@Materoosi]

I hear the same Noise but sounds like it’s coming from rear , what would that be?

[@RMTFamily]

Good question. Sounds like a similar issue on the rear suspension. Start with a visual inspection. Access to a lift helps or put it up on jack stands to check for play in bushings etc. I’m not aware of a specific problem on the rear.

[@andrey9276]

hey @RMTFamily, thank you for the great video. Could you please share the part number? Also do you know if it fits only right side or both sides?

[@RMTFamily]

Hi, There is a left and right control arm. Best is to look up the current part numbers in the Tesla parts catalog, as these numbers may change and have changed in the past. You can get free access to the Tesla Parts Catalog and Service Manual, the following video shows how. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpWUhoyHlN6CaJo I did look up the numbers, left is 1044321-00-J and right is 1044326-00-J Thank You for watching👍

[@reynaldmoreau1286]

Hi I am from Québec city and I Had the same problem about 5 months ego on thé passager side. Tesla replace the upper control arm for free on warranty. I have only 5 mounts steel on warranty what will append if the same problem arrived on the other side . Does it append only on the passager side ? Sorry for my english I am a french speaking Guy. Thanks Reynald MOREAU

[@RMTFamily]

Bonjour, ( that’s about all of my French left from high school ) It can happen on both sides. If it happens just a few month after warranty expires, ask Tesla if they still would replace it for free. They have done these as “goodwill” repairs after warranty expired. Merci beaucoup pour regarder la vidéo😀👍

[@tyroneveron]

What is the new arm called so I can ask for the exact part when going to my tesla centre?

[@RMTFamily]

It depends on where you’re located. In some places it’s the upper a-arm in others the upper control arm. Either way people usually know what you’re talking about. The official name in the US Tesla parts catalog is: FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY- ( right hand) or ( left hand).

[@duaneulman9915]

Thank you

[@RMTFamily]

Thank You for watching. 👍

[@88107]

awesome thank you for sharing. what was the range at which the issue started. another option would be just lubricating the joint? with me it looks it happens every 2 years at approximately 35k miles of range of Model X. thank you

[@RMTFamily]

It started around 60k miles. They were lubricated and sealed previously, but this side did not last. The other side is still ok.

[@PhiTrader808]

Thank you!

[@RMTFamily]

You’re welcome.

[@davidj7607]

Why not try greasing first? Seen some videos of using a syringe, seems a lot easier to start with?

[@RMTFamily]

It was greased and sealed previously but noise came back anyway🙁

[@davidj7607]

@@RMTFamily I was going to do the syringe thing but decided to do it properly instead. I removed the rubber boot on the ball joint and greased it, and worked the ball joint around so that the grease will get all around it. There was very little grease in there when I opened it up. One tire had water coming out of the ball joint. I think you have to work the ball joint around so that the grease gets into it, if you just stick a syringe into it with the wheel on, it would be hard for the grease to get around the ball joint fully to stop the squeaking? With the wheel on, the ball joint barely moves, with the wheel off, you can really work that ball joint around allowing grease to get everywhere. It took me about 30 minutes per tire today. The noise is gone now. Let's see how it holds up. Than you, your video was useful.

[@RMTFamily]

@@davidj7607 I would say your solution will hold up as long as no more water gets in there. It looks like the drain from the cowl dumps all the water right on top it. I think that is the root cause of it. Tesla usually seals the joint only by pasting sealant over the top and around the edge of the rubber boot. I guess in many cases they sealed the water in the boot 😂.

[@davidj7607]

@@RMTFamily I did see sealant, which I think they added during one of my visits in the past. I think you are right, they probably sealed in some water.

[@dus10dnd]

Oh, I was just noticing your Montana plates. How has Supercharging been for you? Do you take road trips across the state?

[@RMTFamily]

Supercharging is no problem. Yes, we drive all over the place not just Montana. I90 and I15 are covered with Supercharger. Off the beaten path it has to be CCS or level 2 chargers. But it has not been a problem. We have many road trip videos. You should check them out. We also have a 2013 Model S with over 200k miles that we took on a Road Trip to Oregon coast 2 years ago. kzbin.info/aero/PLXFh8hHm3-BdFrpR1lY-D2zZXXgOH_m8l

[@eddylauterback1312]

Bolt looking better but the 23 model is the last!

[@RMTFamily]

The 23 is going to be cheap too. Wondering what GMs plans are.

[@ma6netho]

thanks for the tutorial, will come handy.. How may miles/km had youre car been driven when this common issue occured.? It should been a recall from tesla on fabrication fault in this matter. Atleast they sell the part cheap since they have a bad conscience for the shitty construction.

[@RMTFamily]

The car had around 60k miles at that time. Since we have put on almost another 30k miles without any problem. The other side is still the original A-arm. Thank You for watching👍

[@ShawnRahman-l4b]

Did you have to break the two bolts loose before removing or did they loosen easily? I’m really stressing about getting those two bolts out because there’s very little wiggle room. Any advice?

[@RMTFamily]

The came loose relatively easy. It's best to loose them sooner rather than later in case they are hard to break loose. Best advice: Stay calm and take your time. Sometimes it's a good idea to take walk away for a few minutes and then go back to it and all the sudden things work like magic. Overall this is not to hard to do, this video shows all the steps it took me, so you should be able to follow it.

[@TheTReed78]

you can also just lube the ball joints mating surface and cure most squeaks and creaks

[@RMTFamily]

I did spray some lube in there but it did not last more than a couple days.

[@Beneremps]

with a grease needle solves the problem without disassembling

[@angelitogalicia3428]

MY MODEL 3 Has d same Problem but I did. not replace the parts what I did is I inject some grease to the ball joints and fixed the problem

[@RMTFamily]

Some people had good luck with injecting grease. For others the noise came back. Hope it works for you.👍

[@robinfarley6898]

Had the exact same problem and brought it to TESLA and they fixed it in a few hours for free (it was still under warranty). I am wondering is the new control arms will last longer than the originals?

[@RMTFamily]

I hope the new part will last much longer. The control arm has been revised about 9 times already. Thank You for watching👍

[@integra8502]

With all these revisions why are they still having this problem today ?

[@RMTFamily]

That’s a good question. They probably don’t have an answer either.

[@wsu8568]

I thought the model 3 would be easier than model s to replace but tesla seems to have made it harder.

[@RMTFamily]

I would say it is different, but not really harder. If done in a shop on a lift this is a quick job. I have done other cars that were much more labor intensive. Thank You for watching👍😀

[@dus10dnd]

What about just adding grease inside the boot? It is sealed, but you can use a needle with a grease gun.

[@RMTFamily]

Some people have done that successfully, others had the noise come back. If you can do the work yourself it's worth as shot.

[@dus10dnd]

@@RMTFamily I really appreciate your find and advice on buying the control arm directly from Tesla and calling out the revisions. I am going to have to go through the rest of your video to understand how you got past the forward bolt. Maybe it is just better to get the updated control arm.

[@dus10dnd]

@@RMTFamily I just had both upper control arms and steering linkages replaced under warranty! I would have been fine doing this but even better I was able to work while I was at the service center. I only have 43k miles on my 2019, so all good. Thank you for the video!

[@RMTFamily]

@@dus10dnd Cool, great deal, making money while getting free parts and labor!👍😃

[@zkilion]

The bad news is that the arm J version is constructed like previous versions, so the problem will happen again. Tesla have now a new version, that is just one piece.

[@RMTFamily]

Would be nice if they found a permanent fix for it. If it lasts as long as it did it will be about 4 years out until I have to do it again, could be worse.😀 Thank You for watching👍

[@bokoro5624]

“No maintenance” they said, eh 😅 Mine is only 18 mths old!

[@RMTFamily]

Some cars just like a little TLC😂.

[@kay-c7486]

Had this problem 3 times in 4.5 years.

[@RMTFamily]

Wow. We only had it this problem this one time 4 years in. I hope Tesla covered your repairs under warranty.

[@jasonfournier]

I fixed it by just injecting some grease into the ball joint. Went away almost instantly and has been good ever since.

[@RMTFamily]

Tesla did that on this car about 10k miles earlier. It came back unfortunately.

[@jasonfournier]

@@RMTFamily I thought Tesla was sealing the joint with urethane.

[@RMTFamily]

@@jasonfournier They usually do. Luckily I have a good relationship with the service tech, and he was injecting some grease before sealing.

[@jasonfournier]

@@RMTFamily BTW they did seal my upper control arm about 35k miles ago and it still developed the squeak.

[@RMTFamily]

@@jasonfournier Makes me wonder if there was ever any lube in there or what they put in there.

[@redgeciccone8218]

Why not spray some GS1000 on this particular joint, which doesn't seem to have much grease... Probably the joint is still in good condition and it's only the rubber that's so dry that's causing all that noise. Tesla's are never greased. You'll fix the problem for $14

[@RMTFamily]

Some had luck with lubricant to get rid of the noise, but many also had the noise come back and ended up replacing the arm anyway. If under warranty just have Tesla replace it. If out of warranty certainly you can try to lube and it may work for a long time.

[@canadapros]

I have exact same noise, started right after 160K Km, but it's actually not from upper control arms, they've replaced, but exactly same noise that was before, still there. Not sure why my tesla is unique. TESLA GUYS SAID THAT NOISE COMING FROM LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND SOMETHING ELSE. They couldn't identify it properly and change the parts that didn't make any noise, so, i left so disappointed...

[@RMTFamily]

Wow, that is interesting. The problem is they didn’t take the time to locate the source and just started changing parts. And then they don’t even test drive after parts replacement. Any suspension part can make this noise. It is transferred to the frame which makes it so loud and hard to locate. Many Tesla service centers are working similar to car dealerships, just pushing cars thru instead of getting the job done right. Did they make you pay for it?

[@canadapros]

@@RMTFamily Yes, they said that upper control arms were needed to be change too, yeah it might, but there were other parts that need to be replaced sooner, because noise still there, they change parts that didn't make any issue (because it was time to change them) serious...) i left a feedback of course about my bad experience, that's all i could do...

[@DangerousBunny]

@@canadaproshello! Did your case got solved? Just got the same problem as xou described, my Upper control arms got changed, but its still making the horrible sound. Plese help!

[@canadapros]

@@DangerousBunny lower control arms worn , I’m pretty sure you have similar issue

[@DangerousBunny]

@@canadapros can it be the lower control arm’s ball joint?

[@TheTReed78]

lol why didn't you just drop the strut by removing the bottom bolt? would have saved you a lot of time and bs.

[@RMTFamily]

I don't remember why I didn't do it but there was something. For some reason it would not have been a time saver. I have to look at it again to see why. But hopefully I don't have to look at it again😂😂

[@tuhanpham]

Pretty new car but parts failed already. Very disappointed

[@RMTFamily]

Four year old car. And a part failed, that is disappointing? What do you drive?

[@MWS1960]

I thought k a grease gun with a grease needle and squirted some marine grease inside the boot using the grease needle. Problem solved.

[@RMTFamily]

Some that did it inject grease reported later that it didn't last long and the noise came back. I guess its worth a try.

[@Disciplemedic]

It’s bullshit that we can’t grease these ourselves

[@RMTFamily]

Cars haven’t had grease zerks for decades. You can use a grease needle and puncture the boot to inject grease. Some had success doing it that way, others didn’t.

[@sergiomeza7046]

The grace and the peace be with you all from the lord your God our father, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, thank you but how many of you know about the good news repent and believe in the gospel because the kingdom of heaven is at hand and crack your word the Bible and continue blessing you! Luke6:20-28-35-40 -42-44-46-47-48-49 10:5-8-13-16-19-21-25-27-37-41 Matthew 5:17-21-26-37-44-48 6:9-15-17-21-24-27-33-34 8:14-17 9:12-13 10:6-12-22-28 11:6 13:36-40-43-45-47-48-51 Mark 1:14-15 7:10-20-23 8:2-3 9:1-40-50 10:18-19-45-47-49-52 11:3-5-10-12-14-16-22-26-27-31-33 14:36-40-43-45-47-49-51-55-58-60-62 16:4-5-9-14-15-19 John 1:1-14 3:3-5-7-9-13-15-18-21-27 4:21-24-34-37-43-48-53 5:28-29-37-39-42-47 6:50-58-63 7:37-39 8:12-31-32-36 9:35-41 Acts 2:38-39 7:53-55-60 16:31 Romans 10:9-10 1Corinthians 15:48-58 Ephesians 6:11-12

[@Resist4]

Because this is such a common issue, Tesla should replace them for free even outside the warranty. We shouldn't have to pay for the part. But this was way too much work, sometimes it's worth it to pay Tesla to replace things.

[@RMTFamily]

Hi Dan, If we would make every car company pay for the common issues they have, we would not have any car companies anymore. This is actually a relatively cheap and easy fix compare to what some other cars have had and still have. There were many know common major issues on ICE cars that would cost $500 and more, some even over $1000. Tesla did repair some of those as goodwill repair on vehicles out of warranty. It was actually an easy repair, what made it difficult is recording the whole thing😂 If one has a car lift this goes even quicker.😉 Thank You for watching.👍

[@Resist4]

@@RMTFamily It might be an easy repair for you but many people just don't have the tools or the time. How could Tesla not know this would have been an issue? And if car companies were to go out of business for common issues then that would be good for consumers because then the companies left would make darn sure their products didn't have issues.

[@RMTFamily]

I agree that not everybody can repair their own car. We all are good at something. So one person can fix your car while you can do something else for somebody else. I guess thats why there is money😂. As I said in the previous reply "there would not be any car companies left"! There is not a single product in the world that is perfect. And in the automotive industry that is certainly impossible as so many different products come together in one car. The option is cars with some issues or no cars 😉.

[@Resist4]

@@RMTFamily Minor issues yes, but not a part that makes a squeaking noise. That's just poor product testing. And yes they probably...well hopefully fixe it with the revision part. But that shouldn't cost us anything outside of the warranty to get replaced. I doubt it would cost them that much considering not all the cars are having the issue.