--- title: "Model S & X Air Suspension Sagging: How Owners Found and Fixed the Leak | EV Fix Guide" description: "How Model S and Model X owners on Tesla Motors Club diagnosed sagging air suspension: soapy-water leak tests, leaking tee connectors and valve blocks, a blown 40A fuse, used compressors and Arnott struts, with real costs and repair videos." canonical: https://evfixguide.com/blog/model-s-x-air-suspension-owner-fixes lang: en last_updated: 2026-10-24 --- [Tesla Model S](https://evfixguide.com/models/model-s) · [Tesla Model X](https://evfixguide.com/models/model-x) 6 forum sources · 3 videos # Model S & X Air Suspension Sagging: How Owners Found and Fixed the Leak By the EV Fix Guide team · October 24, 2026 · 3 min read ![Model S & X Air Suspension Sagging: How Owners Found and Fixed the Leak](https://evfixguide.com/assets/images/suspension-repair.jpg) A Model S or Model X that sits low in the morning, a compressor that seems to run all the time, or a red air suspension alert on the screen: owners of the air-sprung cars know the feeling. Tesla quotes in the forum threads run from about $1,650 to $3,000 for the usual repairs [2] · [4]. What stands out in the Tesla Motors Club threads is how often the expensive part was not the problem. Here is how owners narrowed down the fault, and what they paid. ## What owners learned - Find the leak before buying parts: soapy water on the struts, lines and fittings, with the car on its wheels, not on jacks [2] · [4]. - One corner down usually means that corner’s strut; both ends or random drops point to the compressor or valve block [2]. - A cracked plastic tee connector or a leaking aftermarket valve block can mimic a bad strut [3] · [4]. - A dead compressor on one P85D was really a blown 40A fuse (F82) in a hidden fuse bank [5]. - Used OEM struts (about $500) and compressors (about $125) were the common money-saving route [2] · [6]. ## Step 1: read the sag pattern Owners use the way the car settles as the first clue. A 2013 P85 that dropped evenly at both rear corners overnight, and was sitting on the ground after a week, refilled as soon as it was woken [2]. The rule of thumb in that thread: a single low corner usually means a single leaking strut, while both ends dropping or random drops suggest the compressor or valve block [2]. Not every noise is a leak. One owner chasing a repeated compressor cycle with a whoosh at the end learned that the whoosh is often the air dryer purging, and painter’s tape marks on the fenders showed no corner was actually sagging overnight [6]. ## Step 2: find the leak with soapy water The cheapest diagnostic in every thread is a spray bottle of soapy water. One 2013 owner heard air escaping in a quiet garage after driving in the rain and found heavy bubbling at the bottom of both rear springs, where the rubber sleeve meets the metal flange [1]. Others sprayed the strut bottoms, air lines and fittings and watched for bubbles [2] · [4]. Do it with the car standing on its wheels. Lifting the car unloads the springs and can hide a leak that only opens under weight [2]. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZeIY9GnijG0/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeIY9GnijG0) **Model S Air SUSPENSION LEAK - Tesla wants $1500 to ACCOMPLISH NOTHING - We FIXED IT for $250** · Rolling Stonks on YouTube. An owner tracks down a Model S leak and fixes it for about $250 instead of a roughly $1,500 quote. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play. ## Step 3: rule out the cheap parts Two owners whose compressors ran constantly traced the leak to a plastic tee connector in the air lines rather than a strut [3]. Another, who had already replaced the compressor, valve block, both front springs, the tee and the relay, used a bypass hose and a valve-block swap to isolate the fault, and found that the aftermarket valve block itself leaked. With the original block refitted, all four corners held overnight [4]. On a 2014 P85D with a persistent red EAS_w007 alert and a low front end, the owner checked fuse F36 and swapped relays K11 and K15 with no change. With help from the forum he found that the compressor’s 40A feed fuse, F82, in a second fuse bank hidden near the cabin filter, had blown. A $5-class 40A MIDI fuse and a reboot brought the compressor back after about six hours of DIY diagnosis [5]. A later owner with the same blown fuse also replaced the compressor and then needed Tesla’s service tool to clear a compressor lockout [5]. ## Replacing struts and compressors When a strut really is leaking, owners bought used OEM parts or new aftermarket ones. A used OEM rear strut ran about $500 on eBay with about $130 of independent shop labor [2]. One owner has run an Arnott rear strut for a year with a normal ride [3]. Watch the part numbers: front air springs differ between RWD (for example 6006351-00-D on 2012–2015 cars) and AWD (6006351-00-A), and aftermarket cross-references are not always right [3]. Compressors are a common DIY swap. One owner fitted a used compressor for about $125 and has driven about 60,000 miles on it [6]. Another fitted a rebuilt compressor and still got a red error with no pump running, so confirm the fuse and relay first [6]. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qD1G5msxtKQ/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD1G5msxtKQ) **How to Replace Your Tesla Air Compressor | Fix “Air Suspension Adjustment Unavailable” DIY** · The Reel W Dad on YouTube. A DIY compressor swap after an air suspension adjustment warning. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b426m7-HsSk/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b426m7-HsSk) **Arnott front air strut installation video for Tesla Model S** · Arnott Suspension on YouTube. The parts maker’s own front strut installation on a RWD Model S. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play. ## What it cost owners - Tesla, both rear springs: about $800 each plus about $150 labor each, roughly $2,000 [1] - Tesla, other quotes: about $900 per strut and $1,650 for a compressor-related repair [2]; about €3,000 for two front springs and about $2,500 paid for a rear leak [4] - Used OEM rear strut: about $500, plus about $130 independent labor [2] - Used compressor: about $125 [6] - Blown 40A fuse: a few dollars and an afternoon of diagnosis [5] ## Full repair guide and cost table Step-by-step fix, tools and Tesla vs independent shop vs DIY prices: [Tesla Model S/X Air Suspension Leak: Repair Cost](https://evfixguide.com/guides/model-s-x-air-suspension-leak). Tesla Service $1,200 - $2,500 (Per air strut, installed) · independent shop $700 - $1,400 (Aftermarket or reman strut, installed) · DIY not recommended ## Sources: owner forum threads and references 1. [1] [Air Spring Suspension Leak](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/air-spring-suspension-leak.113130/) · Tesla Motors Club, Apr 2018 · Both rear springs leaking at the flange; Tesla quote about $2,000. 2. [2] [Tesla model s rear suspension leak](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/tesla-model-s-rear-suspension-leak.272907/) · Tesla Motors Club, Jul 2022 · Soapy-water testing, sag patterns and used strut prices. 3. [3] [Replacing 2013 S85 Air Struts](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/replacing-2013-s85-air-struts.340038/) · Tesla Motors Club, Jan 2025 · RWD vs AWD part numbers, Arnott experience, leaking tee connectors. 4. [4] [Model S 85D Air Suspension Leak](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/model-s-85d-air-suspension-leak.329184/) · Tesla Motors Club, Jun 2024 · Front spring quotes; an aftermarket valve block found leaking. 5. [5] [Air Suspension error - EAS_w007](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/air-suspension-error-eas_w007.246816/) · Tesla Motors Club, Nov 2021 · Compressor dead because of a blown 40A fuse F82. 6. [6] [Air suspension mystery](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/air-suspension-mystery.338122/) · Tesla Motors Club, Dec 2024 · Air dryer purge noise, used $125 compressor, valve block vs compressor. We summarise owner reports in our own words and link to the original threads; individual results vary. Videos belong to their creators and are embedded from YouTube. ## More owner repair stories - [Tesla Service Mode: How to Open It and What to Run — The hidden diagnostics menu every Tesla has, and the four tests worth running.](https://evfixguide.com/blog/tesla-service-mode) - [How to Reset a Tesla: Soft Reset, Power Off and 12V Reboot — Three resets, from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. Start with the lightest one.](https://evfixguide.com/blog/tesla-reset-guide) - [Tesla DIY Tool Kit: What You Need (and What Not to Touch) — Torx set, jack pads, trim tools. And the jobs you should never do at home.](https://evfixguide.com/blog/tesla-diy-tool-kit) - [Does an Independent Shop Void Your Tesla Warranty? — Short answer: no. Here is what the law says and where the limits are.](https://evfixguide.com/blog/tesla-warranty-independent-repair) This guide is for information only. High-voltage components (orange cables) can be lethal — leave them to trained technicians. Not affiliated with Tesla, Inc.