Could my Brother sewing machine be damaged from this? Sewing Machines Parts and Sales in Los Angeles

So usually I don’t have a problem sewing through thick fabric with my Brother sewing machine (model JX2517). It’s now 3 years old and I’ve broken two sewing needles on it, probably every other year. The first time I just put in the replacement and all was fine.

This last time, a few days ago, however, I replaced the needle and now it seems that the tension is all out of wack, super loose on the top and not actually stitching the fabric. It’s really hard to describe, so tried to take some example pictures.

here you can see how loose the thread is when the needle has tried to make a stitch. Here is how it’s been sewing on the fabric. The first stitch goes through on both sides, then nothing until randomly stitching in the middle then again on the last stitch.

I hadn’t changed any settings between switching the broken needle for the new one, but I tried adjusting the tension to all the settings with no luck.

I’d appreciate any ideas!