Tesla Model Y L Owners in China Report Rear Suspension Sag — What Canadian Buyers Should Watch

Tesla's six-seat, long-wheelbase Model Y L has a new question mark hanging over it. Owners in China — where the vehicle launched in August 2025 — are reporting that the rear suspension sags noticeably after accumulating mileage or carrying heavy loads, according to owner accounts circulating on Chinese social media and first reported by Chinese outlet Sina. Drive Tesla Canada, summarizing the reports, notes some owners can fit a finger between the tire and the wheel arch on affected vehicles.

To be clear about what this is and isn't: these are owner reports, not a recall, not a Transport Canada campaign, and not a confirmed defect investigation. Tesla has not publicly acknowledged a root cause.

What owners are reporting

• Rear-end sag: the gap between the rear tires and wheel arches shrinks as mileage accumulates; in severe cases the suspension drops far enough to fit a finger between tire and arch.
• When it shows up: one owner reported severe sagging after roughly 9,000 km while travelling fully loaded; another noticed it near 30,000 km.
• Knock-on effects: owners report increased body movement and uneven tire wear consistent with altered rear wheel alignment.
• Tesla's measurement bar: according to owners, Tesla treats 784 mm as the standard rear wheel-arch height; anything within 20 mm is considered normal, and readings below 764 mm qualify for replacement springs.

Why spring replacements aren't settling it

The wrinkle that keeps this story alive: at least one owner says the sag returned just 10 days after Tesla replaced the springs. If more cases follow the same pattern, it would suggest the springs alone aren't the whole story — possibly pointing at other suspension components or loading stresses — though no root cause has been confirmed. Anecdotal recurrence is not statistical evidence, but it is the detail Canadian quality-watchers should track as the vehicle spreads across markets.

Why this matters for Canada

Canadian buyers can't order a Model Y L today. Tesla now imports the Model 3 from Giga Shanghai, but Canadian-market Model Y vehicles come from Giga Berlin, which has not added the six-seat Model Y L to its production lines. The vehicle has expanded from China across Asia-Pacific and, more recently, to the United States, with first American deliveries expected soon — and a US launch is typically the leading indicator Canadian availability follows.

The practical takeaway for Canadians eyeing a three-row Tesla: this is a first-model-year-plus production run to monitor, not a reason to write the vehicle off. The Model Y L's 576 km real-world range result remains the strongest in its class, and sag reports so far involve Chinese-market vehicles built at Giga Shanghai. Whether North American-built examples behave identically is exactly the kind of question early owner data will answer.

How to check a Model Y L if you see one

The owner-reported diagnostic is simple enough to eyeball on any showroom or delivery-day vehicle: look at the rear wheel-arch gap, and if you want the actual number, measure from the centre of the rear wheel hub to the bottom edge of the arch and compare against the 784 mm standard. A one-time low reading after a loaded trip isn't the pattern owners are describing — persistent, increasing sag with wear is.

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