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Tesla Model S Drive Unit Replacement by the Numbers
During my early days of researching the Tesla Model S, I had concerns about a number of things that were emerging in the press. Fires, Model S drive unit issues, and handling in the snow. Tesla quickly addressed the “firegate” issue by retrofitting the Model S with a titanium shield. My concerns around winter driving, in particular handling in the snow, also became a non-issue after watching several winter driving videos put together by Bjørn Nyland.
Within no time, I became a new Model S owner and quickly learned that driving in the winter could actually be quite fun with a good set of winter tires. Tesla later introduced the all-wheel drive “D” models putting to rest any remaining doubt that the Model S could be the best and safest handling car in the world.
But one question still remains for me, Has Tesla dealt with the Drive Unit issues?
Model S Drive Unit Replacement by the Numbers
There is a group of Model S owners across the forums, but also validated by major publications such as Edmunds, that have had one or more drive unit replacements.
Early reports of drive unit issues ranged from total failures that left the Model S inoperable, to more recent complaints of clunking and milling noises. Elon has said in the past that many of these pre-emptive drive unit replacements were unnecessary and a simple $0.50 shim was all that was really needed, yet Tesla Service centers have been proactively replacing drive units.
The following polls from TMC show that a majority of Model S owners have had their drive units replaced.
While the poll only represents a small sample of Model S owners, one might draw significance in the numbers as the density circles around owners needing a drive unit replacement at relatively low mileage, and without any harsh driving prior to failure.
The polls also give insight to the motive behind each drive unit replacement.
Though it appears the issues mainly center around earlier versions of the Model S, there’s been reports of newer Model S with Autopilot hardware hearing milling noises coming from the drive unit. One viewer described the sound as “sawing wood”.
Tesla’s Response to Drive Unit Issues
In typical Tesla fashion, the company acted fast to address the issues, and curb concerns by offering an unlimited mile/8 year warranty on the drive unit. I think this was a great response by Tesla which put to rest any concerns about the quality and long term durability of their drive units.
Elon is now talking about building a power train that will last a million miles and I believe Tesla continues to put significant energy into improving the drive units. Tesla continues to honor the warranty and is proactively replacing drive units that show early signs of problems.
My Experience
After 12 months of Model S ownership and 30k miles drive, I started hearing a humming noise from the rear of my Model S during highway cruising. The noise was unusual as I had gotten used to hearing only the noise of the tires and wind, but there was a new noise only noticeable when cruising or decelerating with regeneration at 65 MPH and over. The noise continued to become more audible over the next few months, but I learned to live with it and did not contact Tesla. My personal rule of thumb on noise related issues is to wait for passengers to comment on it first. It’s my self crazy check.
Two months after the original drive unit humming noises began, a higher pitched milling type noise started occuring when traveling at speeds of 20 MPH or less. The sound varied depending on how much power was being used. That’s when I reached out to Tesla.
Tesla service record
Tesla service had me come in for a test drive which they can do on demand without you needing to wait. We drove about a block before the Tesla service technician said the drive unit needed to be replaced.
The explanation was that tolerances inside the drive unit have led to metal particles getting into the fluid around the drive unit, and as the concentration of particles increased, it caused the noise from the drive unit to become louder when under load. The new drive units evidently have better tolerances and are less prone to having metal particles being shaved off.
At that time, Tesla service has been very backed up here in Massachusetts so my appointment for the drive unit replacement was scheduled six weeks out. I put on another 4,000 miles during that wait time, with an increasingly louder drive unit, before it was finally replaced.
When Tesla replaces a drive unit, they replace both the drive unit and inverter as you can see from a copy of the parts list. The last letter in the drive unit part number (“M” in my case) seems to indicate the generation of the drive unit. The later the letter the better, with the “Q”s seeming to have the best longevity according to the forums.
I’m happy to say that I’ve logged 8,000 miles of happy and noise-free driving after my drive unit replacement. The replacement was done recently so my guess is that I have a newer unit, and thus hope this will be my only replacement.
Thankfully for all of us, Tesla has a first class warranty and level of service. While it goes without saying that inconveniences such as this may happen, rest assured that Tesla has you covered and will always strive to make things right.
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y L in the United States and Puerto Rico for $61,990. It is the longer-wheelbase version of the Model Y, and has been available in China since last year.
Tesla brings the Model Y L to the U.S. just months after it phased out the only pure SUV in its lineup, the Model X. It is slightly longer than the Model Y configurations that are already available in the U.S., and features a three-row, six-seat setup with Captain’s Chairs being among the many features that make this a truly fantastic offering.
The Model Y L is priced competitively at $61,990, and features 325 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds.
Tesla also added a handful of new features that are not available in even the Premium Model Y. Here’s a full list of its features:
- Heated/Ventilated Front Seats with Powered Thigh Cushion
- Heated/Ventilated Captain’s Seats in Second Row with Powered Armrests & One-Touch Fold
- Heated Third-Row Seats with Power Recline, One-Touch Fold & Child Seat Anchors
- Improved Airflow, Increased Efficiency, More Range
- 89 cubic feet of trunk space
- Upgraded Acoustic Glass and Suspension to Minimize Road Noise
- Adaptive Damping for a Smooth, Stable Ride
- Staggered Tires for Enhanced Grip
- Larger Tailgate for Better Rear Visibility and Bigger Windows Overall
- 16″ First Row and 8″ Second Row Touchscreens
- 19-Speaker Immersive Tesla Audio
- 50W Wireless Charging Pads with Active Cooling and Charging Ports for All Other Seats
- FSD Supervised and Integrated Grok AI
Tesla is also delivering these first units as a “Launch Series,” which comes with additional features, such as:
- Door Trim Puddle Lights
- Suede Dashboard Wing
- Exterior and Interior Badging
- Floor Mats
- Sill Plates
The launch of the Model Y L in the U.S. marks a huge offering from Tesla to U.S. consumers. People have been calling for Tesla to bring a larger car to the U.S., and it needed it more than ever now that the Model X is gone.
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- Credit: Tesla
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- Credit: Tesla
It is a huge accomplishment for Tesla to get the Model Y L to the U.S., and after reporting strong deliveries today, it will be interesting to see how this car impacts future quarterly delivery reports.
Deliveries for the Model Y L “Launch Series” are slated for September or October of this year.
Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.
The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.
The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”
Looking forward to the long weekend pic.twitter.com/URzH6zOUdn
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 1, 2026
Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.
With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.
However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.
Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:
This looks like a Model Y L https://t.co/TpnBwrLmH9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 2, 2026
This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.
Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.
Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.
Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.
It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.
As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.
The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.
It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.
Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements
While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.
This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.
Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.
The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:
🚨 If you’re a Tesla investor, this is one interview you don’t want to skip. The full video posted below.
Jeff Lutz @thejefflutz and I sat down with Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy, and it was packed with insights!
A few of the biggest takeaways:
• Cybercab is expected to… pic.twitter.com/fhYSr2dCqP
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) July 1, 2026
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.
