About 1.2 million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cars are the subject of an open federal investigation into a front suspension part that can come loose with no warning to the driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, opened the preliminary evaluation on July 29, and its file counts 156 complaints about the part, called the front lower lateral link.
When the link fails, the car can lose directional control, become undriveable and need to be towed. So far the agency has recorded no crashes, no fires and no injuries tied to it, which is the main reason the case sits at the earliest stage of NHTSA’s process.
A link that ties the wheel to the subframe
The lower lateral link is one of the arms that hold a front wheel in its place under the car. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation says in its opening resume for PE26006 that the link “detaches, potentially causing a loss of vehicle directional control.” The estimated population is 1,198,300 vehicles: 2018 through 2020 Model 3 sedans and 2021 through 2023 Model Y crossovers.
The failure usually gives no visual warning, according to the resume, though some owners heard a noise beforehand. That leaves a driver with nothing on the dashboard to act on, which is the feature that separates this file from a slow leak or a worn tire. Electrek’s account of the filing says most owners reported no advance warning before the link failed.
Why two earlier recalls did not settle it
Tesla has recalled this part family before, and the earlier campaigns frame the new file. In October 2021 the company reported that front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen on 2,791 Model 3 and Model Y cars, allowing the link to separate from the subframe. A second campaign in March 2023 covered 422 2018 and 2019 Model 3 vehicles for the same fastener problem, with Tesla service inspecting and correcting the fasteners at no cost.
The new inquiry is a different animal, and the agency says so. Its resume states that the reported failures “exceed the scope of these recalls and do not appear to be related to the production issue” that triggered them, according to the file’s summary. The earlier recalls involved a few thousand cars with under-tightened fasteners. The current population is more than four hundred times the size of the 2021 recall.
What towing and no crashes mean at this stage
NHTSA told reporters the failures could leave a vehicle undriveable and in need of a tow. As Insurance Journal reported, “the agency said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities related to the reported defect.” Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment when the story broke, and no company statement on the investigation appears in the resume or in the coverage reviewed for this article. Owners of the affected cars can look up their VIN on NHTSA’s recall search, though no campaign covers the full 2018 through 2023 population.
A tow bill is a small consequence next to what the resume’s wording implies. A control arm that separates leaves the wheel free to move, and the investigation exists to establish how the failures have played out on the road. Zero crashes among 156 complaints is a reassuring figure, but it is a count from the first weeks of a file, before the agency has finished asking Tesla for its own data. Electrek added a piece of history: NHTSA’s earlier scrutiny of Model S and Model X suspension parts, which began in 2020, closed in 2024 without a forced recall, and if this case escalates a recall becomes more likely.
The investigator listed on the resume is Stefanie Oldenburg, with Sharon Yukevich as reviewer and Tanya Topka as approver. NHTSA’s investigations page gives a preliminary evaluation a target of eight months, so a decision on whether to escalate to an engineering analysis is due around the end of March 2027 unless the agency moves faster.
A separate Model Y recall, and what it does not cover
A newer Tesla recall touches the same part family but not the same cars. Campaign 26V558 covers 19 model year 2026 Model Y vehicles whose front lateral link fasteners may not have been properly tightened, and Tesla will tighten or replace them, check alignment and replace damaged parts free, with owner letters expected October 30. Drive Tesla Canada’s report on the recall says a controller that verifies fastener torque was inadvertently disabled during a recovery procedure beginning July 26, which places the problem in a narrow build window and outside the 2018 through 2023 population under investigation.
For owners of the older cars, the practical position is unchanged. No recall covers the 1.2 million vehicles, no repair procedure has been published for them, and the outcome depends on whether ODI’s evaluation finds the failures follow a pattern of a defect rather than a scatter of worn parts. The open number is 156, and it is the one to watch.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
More from Morning Overview
- A handful of car engines are so tough mechanics say they almost never wear out
- The NSA is again telling phone owners to switch off one location setting
- Supplements now rank as the fifth-leading cause of death from liver disease.
- Herbal supplements are landing Americans in the hospital with liver damage, doctors warn
