Tesla’s new Model Y L is having suspension problems in China

This is news about a car, not a home energy upgrade, so it does not affect your house or any rebate program. But since it touches on EVs, here is what happened.

Owners of Tesla's Model Y L, a longer three-row version of the Model Y sold in China, are reporting that the rear suspension sags or collapses on some vehicles. The complaints spread on Chinese social media between June and August, with owners posting photos of unusually low rear wheel wells. Enough people ran into the problem that a "finger test" spread online: owners slide fingers into the gap between the tire and the wheel arch, and fewer than three fingers of space suggests the suspension has dropped. A tape measure gives a more exact reading, with normal height between 764 and 804 millimeters; below that, Tesla's own service guidelines call for a replacement.

Most of the affected cars are from the first batch delivered in Shanghai in September and October of 2025, and Tesla has mostly fixed them under warranty, though the problem has come back on some vehicles even after repair. Tesla has not made a public statement on the cause. The concern extends to other Shanghai-built Model Y L cars sold overseas, including in Australia and New Zealand. It's unclear whether the U.S. version, built in Texas and launched in July, shares the same issue, since Tesla's U.S. and Shanghai factories have differed on other problems in the past.