After receiving two complaints that the steering wheels on Tesla’s Model Y SUV potentially come off while being driven, U.S. auto safety regulators have launched an inquiry.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency, the investigation reportedly involves over 120,000 cars and trucks from the 2023 model year.
The agency claims that in both instances, a bolt holding the steering wheel to the steering column was missing when the Model Ys were delivered to the clients. The steering wheels were held in place by a friction fit, but when force was applied while the SUVs were being driven, they came apart.
In documents posted on its website on Wednesday, the agency claims that both events took place while the SUVs were still relatively new.
In one NHTSA complaint, a driver claimed that on Jan. 29, five days after buying the car, while travelling with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, the steering wheel unexpectedly fell off. The owner said that he was allowed to draw towards the road divider since there were no vehicles following him. There weren’t any accidents.
Prerak Patel stated, “That was a terrible experience. I was returning from the mall with my family when the steering wheel came off in the middle of the motorway. “This happened while I was in the left lane, and I can’t move my car to the left or right.” Yet, I was fortunate that the road was clear and that I could stop my car at the barrier.
Tesla, which has dissolved its media relations division, was contacted for comment.
Initially, a Tesla service facility estimated that fixing the issue would cost Patel $103.96. In what appear to be text messages uploaded on Twitter, the support centre expressed regret.
The service centre withdrew the fee and stated that Tesla doesn’t have a return policy, but Patel may contact the sales and delivery team when he wrote that he had lost faith in Tesla and requested a refund.
He claimed that Patel was later given the choice of keeping the automobile or having it replaced with a new one, and Patel made the latter decision.
Patel claimed to be a supporter of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and to have put a significant portion of his funds into the stock, which dropped 3% on Wednesday.
“As parents, we are able to rebuild their trust,” Patel said. “My kids were a little terrified to travel in a loaner Tesla. “My family is doing well now, and I hope Tesla will look into it and tighten up its quality control so no other family goes through what we did.”
Although uncommon, detached steering wheels are not unheard of in the automotive industry. Nissan recalled roughly 1,000 Ariya electric vehicles in February because a loose bolt might cause the wheels to separate from the steering column.
Yet, the most recent NHTSA probe is just the latest in a long line of issues Tesla has had with the American department for highway safety. It has initiated inquiries into Tesla’s “Autopilot” suspension issues and crashes into parked emergency vehicles during the last three years. At least 14 Teslas have used the Autopilot system and collided with rescue vehicles.
U.S. safety regulators said a Tesla that collided with a firetruck in California last month, killing the driver and injuring a passenger as well as four firefighters, is suspected of using one of the company’s automated driving systems on Wednesday, the same day the report about the problematic Tesla steering wheels was broadcast.
NHTSA urged Tesla to recall roughly 363,000 cars equipped with “Full Self-Driving” software in February because the programme can violate traffic regulations. Up to 400,000 Tesla drivers are testing the system, which is not self-driving, on public roads. Nevertheless, according to NHTSA papers, it can also include risky behaviours like passing straight through an intersection when in a lane designated only for turns, driving through a yellow light without using sufficient caution, or failing to react to changes in posted speed limits.
Also, Tesla was asked by the US Justice Department for records pertaining to “Full Self-Driving” and Autopilot.
The organisation is also looking into reports that Teslas can suddenly and unpredictably brake.
35 Tesla crashes where autonomous systems are suspected of being employed have been visited by NHTSA investigators. Two motorcycle riders were among the nineteen fatalities in the collisions.
Tesla has issued 20 recalls since January 2022, including several that the NHTSA mandated. Among the recalls is one from January of last year for “Full Self-Driving” cars that were set up to pass stop signs slowly.