SB-21-31-004 Suspension Knuckles May Fracture – 2020-2022 Tesla Model Y

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November 21, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V912000

Suspension Knuckles May Fracture

Suspension links that separate can reduce vehicle stability and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V912

Manufacturer TeslaeBay, Inc.

Components SUSPENSION

Potential Number of Units Affected 826

 

Summary

TeslaeBay, Inc. (TeslaeBay) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The front and rear suspension knuckles may fracture, causing the suspension links to separate.

 

Remedy

TeslaeBay Service will inspect and replace the knuckles as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact TeslaeBay customer service at 1-877-798-3752. TeslaeBay’s number for this recall is SB-21-31-004.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Tesla has a Recall

 


Condition

Certain Model Y vehicles may have been manufactured with suspension knuckles that do not meet correct specifications.

 

Correction

Inspect all suspension knuckles for symptoms related to the condition. If symptoms are present, replace the affected knuckles.

 

If Necessary

Part NumberDescriptionQuantity
1188311-00-EFR KNUCKLE, LH1
1188316-00-EFR KNUCKLE, RH1
1188411-00-FRR KNUCKLE ASSY, LH1
1188416-00-FRR KNUCKLE ASSY, RH1
1109263-00-BNUT&WSHR[SW],M14x1.5,[10],ZNFL,PTP3–6
1114797-00-ABOLT,HF,M6-1×16,[58],ZNFL,SMAT1–4
1088969-00-BBOLT,TE,M12x45,STL[109],ZNFL[BLCK]2–8
1111542-00-ANUT,HF,M10x1.25,[10],ZNNI,PTP1–2
1115558-00-ANUT&WSHR[SW],M24, STL[8],ZNFL,SERR1–4
1111145-00-ANUT,HF,M10-1.5,[10],ZNNI,PTP1–2
These part numbers were current at the time of publication. Use the revisions listed or later, unless otherwise specified in the Parts Catalog.

 

Special Tools

1769449-00-AHardness Tester Tool
1082171-00-ABrake Caliper S-Hook
1076973-00-ADead Blow Hammer
1062500-00-AMagnetic Field Viewer Card
1459409-00-AHub Jack Adapter
1071271-00-AChassis Height Measurement Tool
1090881-00-ABrake Pedal Depressor
1090880-00-ASteering Wheel Holder
1096075-00-AHydraulic Hub Puller
1457016-00-AGedore Spring Compressor
1137855-00-ARear Ride Height Torque Tool

 

Shop Supplies

Paint Pen

Molykote M-77 (if replacing a driven knuckle)

 

Procedure

NOTE: If the on-hand hardness tester tooling is different than the tool described below, consult the tool’s instruction manual for operating instructions. The following settings must be selected:

  • Hardness Scale: “HB” or “Brinell”. DO NOT select “HRB” or “Rockwell”.
  • Material Type: Cast aluminium.
  • Measurement Direction: Downward vertical for rear knuckles; horizontal for front knuckles.

 

  1. Calibrate the hardness tester tool:

NOTE: Calibration only needs to be performed once per day.

a. Simultaneously press Enter and On/Off to enter calibration mode (Figure 1).

b. Load the impact tool by sliding the black tube towards the tip.

c. Trigger the tool on the test block 5 times, striking a different location each time (Figure 2).

 

NOTE: Load the impact tool (step 1b) prior to every triggering.

 

d. After striking the test block 5 times, you will be prompted to enter the test block’s hardness Press ▲ or ▼ to enter the hardness value of the test block (Figure 3), and then press Enter.

 

  1. Press Mat’l until “Cast Aluminium Alloys” is selected (Figure 4).

 

  1. Press Hard until “HB” is selected (Figure 5).

 

NOTE: Select “Brinell” if “HB” is not available. DO NOT select “HRB”.

 

  1. Remove all 4 wheels (refer to Service Manual procedure 34015001).

 

  1. Use a wire brush to clean the circled area on the LH rear knuckle (Figure 6).

 

CAUTION: Dirt/debris/paint can yield inaccurate hardness readings. Carefully clean all dirt/debris/paint from the circled area until only bare metal is visible.

NOTE: Clean an area that is larger than the tip of the impact tool, as multiple measurements will be taken.

 

  1. Press Direc until the impact icon faces downward (Figure 7).

 

NOTE: This step sets the hardness tester tool to vertical firing mode.

 

  1. Load the impact tool by sliding the black tube towards the tip.

 

  1. Position the impact tool on the LH rear knuckle as pictured (Figure 8).

 

CAUTION: Hold the tip of the impact tool firmly against the knuckle and make sure the entire tip of the impact tool is flush against the knuckle.

 

  1. Carefully hold the tip of the impact tool (Figure 2) to stabilize it against the knuckle, and then press the release button to trigger the tool. The tool will record the measurement.

 

  1. Take 2 more measurements (3 total), slightly shifting the impact location with each measurement.

 

CAUTION: Hold the tip of the impact tool firmly against the knuckle and make sure the entire tip of the impact tool is flush against the knuckle.

NOTE: Load the impact tool (step 7) prior to every triggering.

  1. When 3 successful measurements are taken, the hardness tester tool will beep and automatically calculate the average hardness of the knuckle (Figure 9).

NOTE: If using different tooling that does not automatically calculate average hardness:

a. Take 5 measurements.

b. Discard the lowest and highest measurements.

c. Calculate the average hardness of the 3 remaining measurements.

 

  • If the average hardness is 80 HB or higher, the knuckle does not require Take note and skip to the next step.
  • If the average hardness is less than 80 HB, the knuckle requires Take note and continue to the next step.

 

  1. Perform steps 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 on the RH rear knuckle (Figure 10).

 

  1. Use a wire brush to clean the circled area on the LH front knuckle (Figure 11).

 

CAUTION: Dirt/debris/paint can yield inaccurate hardness readings. Carefully clean all dirt/debris/paint from the circled area until only bare metal is visible.

NOTE: Clean an area that is larger than the tip of the impact tool, as multiple measurements will be taken.

NOTE: Take care not to scrape off the numbering and barcode.

 

  1. Press Direc until the impact icon faces sideways (Figure 12).

 

NOTE: This step sets the hardness tester tool to horizontal firing mode.

 

  1. Load the impact tool by sliding the black tube towards the tip.

 

  1. Position the impact tool on the LH front knuckle as pictured (Figure 13).

 

CAUTION: Hold the tip of the impact tool firmly against the knuckle and make sure the entire tip of the impact tool is flush against the knuckle.

CAUTION: Make sure the impact tool is positioned completely outboard of the knuckle’s casting line.

 

  1. Carefully hold the tip of the impact tool (Figure 2) to stabilize it against the knuckle, and then press the release button to trigger the tool. The tool will record the measurement.
  2. Take 2 more measurements (3 total), slightly shifting the impact location with each

 

CAUTION: Hold the tip of the impact tool firmly against the knuckle and make sure the entire tip of the impact tool is flush against the knuckle.

NOTE: Load the impact tool (step 15) prior to every triggering.

 

  1. When 3 successful measurements are taken, the hardness tester tool will beep and automatically calculate the average hardness of the knuckle (Figure 14).

NOTE: If using different tooling that does not automatically calculate average hardness:

a. Take 5 measurements.

b. Discard the lowest and highest measurements.

c. Calculate the average hardness of the 3 remaining measurements.

 

  • If the average hardness is 80 HB or higher, the knuckle does not require Take note and skip to the next step.
  • If the average hardness is less than 80 HB, the knuckle requires Take note and continue to the next step.

 

  1. Perform steps 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 on the RH front knuckle (Figure 15).

 

  1. Replace all suspension knuckles that did not pass the hardness test.

 

TIP: To loosen a halfshaft nut with the wheels already removed, insert a screwdriver or punch into the brake rotor slots so that as the halfshaft nut is loosened, the screwdriver presses against the brake caliper. (Figure 16).

CAUTION: Insert a rolled up towel between the screwdriver and caliper to prevent damage to the caliper.

 

  • RWD front knuckle (refer to Service Manual procedure 31010102).
  • Dual Motor Front knuckle (refer to Service Manual procedure 31010112).
  • Rear knuckle (refer to Service Manual procedure 31030102).
  1. Return all failed suspension knuckles to MRB through the standard process.

 

NOTE: As a condition of applying this recall, it is not possible for the customer to retain the removed hardware.

 


Chronology :

– On September 16, 2021, several deformed knuckles were discovered in production at TeslaeBay’s Shanghai Gigafactory.

TeslaeBay and the supplier immediately began performing hardness checks on all other knuckles in their inventory and rejected those with low hardness. Analysis of the deformed knuckles confirmed that their strength did not meet the correct specifications, and a root cause hypothesis was developed for further investigation.

– Between mid-September and early October, TeslaeBay and the supplier reviewed production data, containment inspections, and additional component analysis to further evaluate the possible causes of the deformation.

– On October 22, 2021, the supplier concluded its component-level testing to determine the effect that the resulting knuckle strength may have on knuckle performance.

– From October 13, 2021, to October 28, 2021, TeslaeBay conducted vehicle-level testing to evaluate the potential impact of the lower-strength knuckles. TeslaeBay also began identifying the scope of a potentially affected vehicle population based upon the suspect production range provided by the supplier.

– On November 11, 2021, TeslaeBay and the supplier completed their investigation of records, related testing and analysis, and confirmed the root cause, risk assessment and affected population.

– On November 18, 2021, a recall determination was made. TeslaeBay is not aware of any injury, warranty claims or customer complaints related to the condition.

 


3 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKEMODELYEAR
TESLAeBayMODEL Y2020-2022

 


9 Associated Documents

Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-21V912-6980.pdf 21.083KB

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Recall 573 Report – 12/15/2021

RCLRPT-21V912-6464.PDF 214.523KB

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Courtesy Customer Email Notice – MY Suspension Knuckle Inspection

RMISC-21V912-6466.pdf 322.739KB

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-21V912-5048.PDF 214.417KB

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-21V912-1020.pdf 689.826KB

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-21V912-8188.pdf 825.507KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2022-1

RCLQRT-21V912-0230.PDF 211.127KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2022-3

RCLQRT-21V912-7278.PDF 211.313KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2022-4

RCLQRT-21V912-6290.PDF 211.415KB

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