SB-10057891-5587
SB-13-31-003

R1

Tesla Motors, Inc.

March 16, 2015

Service Bulletin

Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation
Classification

Campaign Bulletin

Section/Group

31 Suspension

Country/Region

North America,
Europe

Year

2012-2013

Model

Model S

Version

All

Bulletin Classification: This campaign bulletin addresses a known non-safety-related condition and provides
recommended technical diagnosis and repair procedures. Apply this procedure to all vehicles in the affected VIN range
listed. These instructions assume knowledge of motor vehicle and high voltage electrical component repairs, and should
only be executed by trained professionals. Tesla Motors assumes no liability for injury or property damage due to a failure
to properly follow these instructions or repairs attempted by unqualified individuals.
This Service Bulletin supersedes SB-13-31-003, dated 10-Dec-13. Each content change is marked by a vertical line in the
left margin. Discard the previous version and replace it with this one.

Condition
The front lower control arm ball joints might develop greater free play than is expected. This can result in a clicking or
clunking sound from the front suspension when driving over large bumps. If left uncorrected, the ball joints could be
subject to accelerated wear. Over time, the clicking or clunking noises will become louder as the ball joint wear increases,
leading to required premature replacement of components.

Correction
Install 4 wedge-lock washers on the lower control arm ball joints. Check the front lower control arm ball joints and front
knuckles for abnormal wear, and replace if necessary.

Required Part(s): Part Number
1004358-00-B
1033093-00-A
If necessary:
1013184-00-A
1013182-00-A
6007998-00-B
6006664-00-B
6007997-00-B

Description
NUT HFPT M14x1.50 [10] ZnAl-W
WASHER, NORDLOCK, 15.2x30.7x3.4

Quantity
4
4

FR SUSP KNUCKLE ASSY LH
FR SUSP KNUCKLE ASSY RH
FR SUSP FORE LINK ASSY LH - S3, S2
FR SUSP FORE LINK ASSY RH - S3, S2
FR SUSP AFT LINK ASSY

1
1
1
1
2

These part numbers were current at the time of publication. Use the revisions listed or later,
unless otherwise specified in the Parts Manual.

SB-13-31-003

Page 1 of 4

Correction Description

Correction

Time

Vehicle Inspection Only; Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation Not Required

S011331003

0.2

Inspect Knuckle/Ball Joint Surfaces, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S021331003

0.9

Replace 2 Front Knuckles, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S031331003

2.0

Replace 4 Lower Control Arms, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S041331003

3.4

Replace 2 Front Knuckles and 4 Lower Control Arms, Install 4 Front Lower Control
Arm Washers

S051331003

4.9

SB-13-31-003 Not Applicable

S061331003

0.0

Inspection
1. Remove the front wheels (refer to Service Manual procedure 34012401).
2. Check the front fore and aft lower control arms for visible play at the connections to the knuckle (Figure 1).
x
x

If there is no visible free play, skip directly to the “Wedge-Lock Washer Installation” section of this document.
If visible free play is found, continue to the next step in this procedure.

Front of
Vehicle

Lower Fore
Ball Joint

Lower Aft
Ball Joint

Figure 1 (RH side shown)
3. If the vehicle has air suspension, connect a laptop with Toolbox to the vehicle, and select Views > Suspension > Air
Suspension Fill/Deflate to deflate both front air springs.
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
4. Hold the lower fore ball joint with a hex tool. Remove and discard the nut that holds the ball joint to the knuckle (torque
195 Nm).
5. Disconnect the lower fore control arm from the knuckle.

SB-13-31-003

Page 2 of 4

6. Remove the bolt and nut that hold the spring module to the lower aft arm (torque 140 Nm) (Figure 2).

Figure 2
7. Release the spring module from the lower aft arm.
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
8. Hold the lower aft ball joint with a hex tool. Remove and discard the nut that holds the ball joint to the knuckle (torque
195 Nm).
9. Disconnect the lower aft control arm from the knuckle.
10. Inspect the ball joints and seating surfaces on the knuckles for shiny, oval-shaped wear marks. Examples of damage
to the knuckle seating surfaces are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3
11. Replace the knuckles if they have visible wear marks (refer to Service Manual procedure 31010102).
12. Replace the lower control arms if the ball joints have visible wear marks (refer to Service Manual procedure 31013402
or 31013602).
13. Continue to the “Wedge-Lock Washer Installation” section of this document.
SB-13-31-003

Page 3 of 4

Wedge-Lock Washer Installation
1. Remove and discard the 4 nuts that hold the lower control arm ball joints to the knuckle.
2. Install a wedge-lock washer on each ball joint stud, then loosely install a new nut (Figure 4).

Figure 4 (RH side shown)
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
3. Hold each lower control arm ball joint with a hex tool while torquing the nut to 195 Nm.
4. Check that there is no visible free play at the lower fore and aft control arms’ connections to the knuckle.
5. Reinstall the wheels.
6. If the air springs were deflated, use Toolbox to inflate both front air springs.

Affected VIN(s)

Affected Model S vehicles built before approximately November 10, 2013.
NOTE: This is a simplified summary of the affected VIN list. Refer to the VIN/Bulletin Tracker or
Customer/Vehicle profile to determine applicability of this bulletin for a particular vehicle.

For feedback on the accuracy of this document, email [email protected].

SB-13-31-003

Page 4 of 4

SB-13-31-003

R2

Tesla Motors, Inc.

March 24, 2015

Service Bulletin

Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation
Classification

Campaign Bulletin

Section/Group

31 Suspension

Country/Region

North America,
Europe

Year

2012-2013

Model

Model S

Version

All

Bulletin Classification: This campaign bulletin addresses a known non-safety-related condition and provides
recommended technical diagnosis and repair procedures. Apply this procedure to all vehicles in the affected VIN range
listed. These instructions assume knowledge of motor vehicle and high voltage electrical component repairs, and should
only be executed by trained professionals. Tesla Motors assumes no liability for injury or property damage due to a failure
to properly follow these instructions or repairs attempted by unqualified individuals.
This Service Bulletin supersedes SB-13-31-003 R1, dated 16-Mar-15. Each content change is marked by a vertical line in
the left margin. Discard the previous version and replace it with this one.

Condition
The front lower control arm ball joints might develop greater free play than is expected. This can result in a clicking or
clunking sound from the front suspension when driving over large bumps. If left uncorrected, the ball joints could be
subject to accelerated wear. Over time, the clicking or clunking noises will become louder as the ball joint wear increases,
leading to required premature replacement of components.

Correction
Install 4 wedge-lock washers on the lower control arm ball joints. Check the front lower control arm ball joints and front
knuckles for abnormal wear, and replace if necessary.

Required Part(s): Part Number
1004358-00-B
1033093-00-A
If necessary:
1013184-00-A
1013182-00-A
6007998-00-B
6006664-00-B
6007997-00-B

Description
NUT HFPT M14x1.50 [10] ZnAl-W
WASHER, NORDLOCK, 15.2x30.7x3.4

Quantity
4
4

FR SUSP KNUCKLE ASSY LH
FR SUSP KNUCKLE ASSY RH
FR SUSP FORE LINK ASSY LH - S3, S2
FR SUSP FORE LINK ASSY RH - S3, S2
FR SUSP AFT LINK ASSY

1
1
1
1
2

These part numbers were current at the time of publication. Use the revisions listed or later,
unless otherwise specified in the Parts Manual.

SB-13-31-003

Page 1 of 4

Correction Description

Correction

Time

Vehicle Inspection Only; Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation Not Required

S011331003

0.20

Inspect Knuckle/Ball Joint Surfaces, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S021331003

0.25

Replace 2 Front Knuckles, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S031331003

2.00

Replace 4 Lower Control Arms, Install 4 Front Lower Control Arm Washers

S041331003

3.40

Replace 2 Front Knuckles and 4 Lower Control Arms, Install 4 Front Lower Control
Arm Washers

S051331003

4.90

SB-13-31-003 Not Applicable

S061331003

0.00

Inspection
1. Remove the front wheels (refer to Service Manual procedure 34012401).
2. Check the front fore and aft lower control arms for visible play at the connections to the knuckle (Figure 1).
x
x

If there is no visible free play, skip directly to the “Wedge-Lock Washer Installation” section of this document.
If visible free play is found, continue to the next step in this procedure.

Front of
Vehicle

Lower Fore
Ball Joint

Lower Aft
Ball Joint

Figure 1 (RH side shown)
3. If the vehicle has air suspension, connect a laptop with Toolbox to the vehicle, and select Views > Suspension > Air
Suspension Fill/Deflate to deflate both front air springs.
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
4. Hold the lower fore ball joint with a hex tool. Remove and discard the nut that holds the ball joint to the knuckle (torque
195 Nm).
5. Disconnect the lower fore control arm from the knuckle.

SB-13-31-003

Page 2 of 4

6. Remove the bolt and nut that hold the spring module to the lower aft arm (torque 140 Nm) (Figure 2).

Figure 2
7. Release the spring module from the lower aft arm.
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
8. Hold the lower aft ball joint with a hex tool. Remove and discard the nut that holds the ball joint to the knuckle (torque
195 Nm).
9. Disconnect the lower aft control arm from the knuckle.
10. Inspect the ball joints and seating surfaces on the knuckles for shiny, oval-shaped wear marks. Examples of damage
to the knuckle seating surfaces are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3
11. Replace the knuckles if they have visible wear marks (refer to Service Manual procedure 31010102).
12. Replace the lower control arms if the ball joints have visible wear marks (refer to Service Manual procedure 31013402
or 31013602).
13. Continue to the “Wedge-Lock Washer Installation” section of this document.
SB-13-31-003

Page 3 of 4

Wedge-Lock Washer Installation
1. Remove and discard the 4 nuts that hold the lower control arm ball joints to the knuckle.
2. Install a wedge-lock washer on each ball joint stud, then loosely install a new nut (Figure 4).

Figure 4 (RH side shown)
CAUTION: To prevent ball joint damage, always hold the ball joint pin with a wrench while loosening or tightening the
lock nut.
3. Hold each lower control arm ball joint with a hex tool while torquing the nut to 195 Nm.
4. Check that there is no visible free play at the lower fore and aft control arms’ connections to the knuckle.
5. Reinstall the wheels.
6. If the air springs were deflated, use Toolbox to inflate both front air springs.

Affected VIN(s)

Affected Model S vehicles built before approximately November 10, 2013.
NOTE: This is a simplified summary of the affected VIN list. Refer to the VIN/Bulletin Tracker or
Customer/Vehicle profile to determine applicability of this bulletin for a particular vehicle.

For feedback on the accuracy of this document, email [email protected].

SB-13-31-003

Page 4 of 4