US opens probe into reports that Tesla steering wheels fell off
Add BT as a preferred sourceChiang Yin Pheng
THE National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Wednesday (Mar 8) it is opening a preliminary investigation into 120,000 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles after two reports of steering wheels falling off while driving.
The US auto safety regulator said the steering wheels in both vehicles, which had a low mileage, completely detached. The vehicles were delivered to owners missing the retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column.
The agency is opening a preliminary investigation to assess the “scope, frequency, and manufacturing processes associated with this condition”.
The investigation is a first step before NHTSA can demand a recall.
The agency said it received a complaint from an owner who had bought a new Model Y five days earlier and was driving on a New Jersey road on Jan 29, when the steering wheel suddenly fell off. There were no other cars around at the time, and he was able to pull over.
NHTSA posted a link to a tweet as part of the complaint filing. The tweet has received more than 2.4 million views on Twitter.
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Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NHTSA said “both vehicles received an end-of-line repair requiring removal and re-installation of the steering wheel”.
The agency said a “friction fit maintained the connection between the steering wheel and the column splines during operation until separation. Sudden separation occurred when the force exerted on the steering wheel overcame the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion”. REUTERS
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