Tesla, the Elon Musk-owned company and automaker, is under investigation by a federal agency for incidents about falling steering wheels on units of that brand.
The events occurred in model Y vehicles while the cars were in motion, although no major accidents caused by the loss of the steering wheel were reported. Apparently the events occurred due to missing retaining bolts that hold the steering wheels in place, after which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an investigation into the matter.
This is not the first time Tesla has found itself embroiled in controversy over its cars. The company has faced problems due to defects in the so-called autonomous driving, for which it has had to recall more than 300,000 cars from the market.
Ongoing investigation into Tesla models: another headache for company
NHTSA began the investigation after receiving at least two complaints about steering wheel detachment in Tesla Model Y cars while the car was in motion. According to the federal agency, the scope, frequency and manufacturing processes associated with the installation of the retaining bolt, which was not installed in the cars involved in the incidents, are being evaluated. In addition to this, 120 thousand units of vehicles belonging to this model will be analyzed.
Compared to other car models, the Tesla Y has a higher number of investigations. Currently, this model has four open investigations and 11 recalls. For example, the Honda CR-V model has 1 open investigation and zero recalls, while the Toyota RAV-4 has 1 recall and zero investigations.
Much of the research conducted by NHTSA relates to the software used for autonomous driving, one of the key features of Tesla electric cars.
Tesla’s problem reached social networks
The inconvenience with the deprendid steering wheels in Tesla cars was also a cause for discussion in social networks. One of the owners who suffered the malfunction in his vehicle posted what happened on Twitter, also owned by Elon Musk. It was a New Jersey couple who were driving down a freeway in their Model Y car that they had purchased just a week ago. When the steering wheel came loose, there was not much traffic around so the driver was able to stop and quickly remove it from the road.
Tesla’s first reaction to the couple’s complaint was to want to charge them more than $100 for repairs to the vehicle, although it later retracted this and offered to refund the money they spent on the car. It should be noted that Tesla clarified that the vehicle did not have any defect or other reason that would imply a liability of the company, but anyway and as a gesture of goodwill, it was decided to refund the money.
For the time being, we will have to wait for NHTSA’s resolution of what happened. Surely there are many concerned customers as Tesla’ s Model Y is one of the most popular, as it was the best-selling electric vehicle globally during 2022.
