Tesla under investigation after steering wheels fall off

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Tesla is under investigation by U.S. regulators over complaints the steering wheel can fall off certain new Model Y vehicles while they’re in use. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s aware of two incidents in which the wheel detached from the steering column while drivers were operating the 2023-model-year SUVs. The preliminary evaluation, opened March 4, applies to an estimated 120,089 vehicles, according to a filing posted on NHTSA’s website.

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The affected vehicles were delivered to owners without the retaining bolt that holds the steering wheel in place, the agency said. NHTSA is assessing “the scope, frequency, and manufacturing processes associated with this condition.” There are no known injuries or deaths related to the issue, NHTSA said.

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move by NHTSA is the latest in a series of investigations targeting Tesla, its products and its chief executive officer, Elon Musk. The Austin, Texas-based automaker last month recalled 362,758 electric vehicles after NHTSA said Tesla’s automated-driving technology could increase the risk of a crash.

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A Tesla owner in New Jersey posted photos on Twitter in January that appeared to show a detached steering wheel in a Model Y he said he had received several days earlier. He said in subsequent tweets that Tesla agreed to replace the vehicle and that NHTSA had contacted him about the issue.

The Model Y is a key product for Tesla, which recently started manufacturing the vehicle at its two newest plants — one outside Berlin and the other in Austin. Tesla, which reports a combined figure for its Model Y and Model 3 deliveries, handed over more than 1.2 million of the vehicles last year. The Model Y was the best-selling EV globally last year and could be one of the top vehicles of any type this year, according to BloombergNEF.

[Steering wheel detachments, while rare, are not unique to Tesla. Nissan, for example, issued a recall for its Ariya EV at the end of February for the same issue. That automaker says about 1,063 vehicles in the U.S. are covered by its campaign, but it believes that only 0.18 per cent – two or three cars – may be affected by the defect. It has not received any owner reports of wheels coming off, but has received notices from three dealers regarding loose steering wheels. The automaker advises owners check for play “when gently rocking the wheel forward and back with their hands,” and to contact their dealer if they find the wheel is at all loose. —Ed.]