Steering Gear Replacement Guidelines

Provides guidelines on replacing steering gear after a collision.

For safety, the steering gear must be replaced after a collision or any impact that results in any of the following conditions:

Changes in the operation of the steering gear, as described in “Changes in the Operation of the Steering Gear.”
The vehicle cannot be aligned within specifications using normal adjustment procedures, as described in “Alignment Issues.”
Damage to any of the components listed in “Component Damage (Front)" and "Component Damage (Rear)".

Warning

Always replace a steering gear that has visible external damage.

Warning

During a collision or an impact, a shock can be transmitted to the steering gear through another component, and cause damage to the steering gear components or internal seals that is not externally visible. Internal damage to the steering gear components or seals will lead to steering gear failure or hinder the operation of the steering gear. Because it is not feasible to test for internal steering gear damage or damaged seals at the repair facility, the conditions listed in this document must be used to assess whether to replace a steering gear after a collision or other impact.

Note

Use only new, genuine Tesla parts. Do not replace steering gear components with used, recycled, or aftermarket parts or components.

Contact Tesla Collision Repair with any questions on these guidelines or on a specific repair.

Changes in the Operation of the Steering Gear

Replace the steering gear after a collision or other impact that results in any of the following issues when turning the steering wheel from stop to stop:

Jamming
Catching
An increase in the effort needed to turn the wheel compared to a non-damaged steering gear

Testing the Operation of the Steering Gear

Note

To test the operation of the steering gear, raise the wheels so that they move freely and turn the steering wheel from stop to stop.

Alignment Issues

Perform a four wheel alignment. If the wheels cannot be aligned within the specifications listed in the Service Manual (General Information > Technical Data > Wheel alignment) using normal adjustment procedures, replace the steering gear.

Component Damage (Front)

Replace the steering gear after a collision or other impact that damages any of the following:

Note

The following images are representative of the components, and may not look exactly like the components on the vehicle.


Component	Image
Steering: Steering gear Outer tie rod Inner tie rod
Drive: Front hub Front half shafts
Suspension: Front air spring module Front knuckle Upper control arm Lower control arm Stabilizer bar Stabilizer bar links
Subframe: Front Subframe

Component Damage (Rear)

Replace damaged steering gear components after a collision or other impact that damages any of the following:

Note

The following images are representative of the components, and may not look exactly like the components on the vehicle.


Component	Image
Steering Gear Mount
Outer Tie Rod
Inner Tie Rod
Subframe
Air spring module
Knuckle
Hub
Upper Control Arm
Lower Control Arm
Half shafts
Stabilizer bar
Stabilizer bar links