Krazaak
Member
Part of the problem is that Tesla isn't really obligated to fix the issue. They've given a prescriptive solution, which is set the car to low for heavy acceleration. People don't like that answer and continue to accelerate hard in normal, but the truth is even in low a P100D with ludicrous will eventually make the shafts start shuddering. Under warranty they seem to be willing to replace them if they shudder on low suspension settings, but will typically rebuff the customer in they insist on keeping it at normal.
The real question is if it's simply an annoyance or if there's an actual safety issue with the CV joints failing eventually.
I've owned some pretty high end cars with known recurring problems that were never taken care of. BMWs were notorious for plastic radiator, expansion tank or water pump failures leading to breakdowns. Covered under warranty of course, but typically occurring right outside warranty. My X5M and X6M ended up getting a driveshaft recall because people were experiencing complete shaft failure at speed on the highway, destroying the engine at best or sending a spinning chunk of metal down the freeway at worst. BMW first started "inspecting" the driveshaft for problems, with people reporting failures days after an inspection came back clean. Eventually they extended the warranty to 10yr/100mi on the driveshaft, but that's pretty worthless if your driveshaft ended up through somebody's windshield. Finally, they issued a recall, but if I remember right the process took years and that was catastrophic failure, not noise.
They say it's not safety related because at this point there's really no evidence that it is. Even if the CV joint eventually broke it wouldn't really be a safety issue unless it could come loose.
I'd love for Tesla to fix it, assuming there's a fix to be had, but I don't have much faith that they will. I think the only real hope would be getting it escalated to engineering if it's something Elon would even respond to.
I'd settle for an extended warranty at this point, roll them into the battery/drive unit warranty.
The real question is if it's simply an annoyance or if there's an actual safety issue with the CV joints failing eventually.
I've owned some pretty high end cars with known recurring problems that were never taken care of. BMWs were notorious for plastic radiator, expansion tank or water pump failures leading to breakdowns. Covered under warranty of course, but typically occurring right outside warranty. My X5M and X6M ended up getting a driveshaft recall because people were experiencing complete shaft failure at speed on the highway, destroying the engine at best or sending a spinning chunk of metal down the freeway at worst. BMW first started "inspecting" the driveshaft for problems, with people reporting failures days after an inspection came back clean. Eventually they extended the warranty to 10yr/100mi on the driveshaft, but that's pretty worthless if your driveshaft ended up through somebody's windshield. Finally, they issued a recall, but if I remember right the process took years and that was catastrophic failure, not noise.
They say it's not safety related because at this point there's really no evidence that it is. Even if the CV joint eventually broke it wouldn't really be a safety issue unless it could come loose.
I'd love for Tesla to fix it, assuming there's a fix to be had, but I don't have much faith that they will. I think the only real hope would be getting it escalated to engineering if it's something Elon would even respond to.
I'd settle for an extended warranty at this point, roll them into the battery/drive unit warranty.