Tesla is under investigation
by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following
two complaints of the steering wheel detaching from its Model Y SUV.
The agency's probe will cover an estimated 120,089 vehicles from the model year 2023.
- The NHTSA said its investigation will cover the frequency, scope, and manufacturing processes that led to the incidents.
- In
both cases, the vehicles were delivered to customers without the
retaining bolt that holds the steering wheel to the steering column,
according to the NHTSA.
- Friction kept the steering wheels in
place until the vehicles were in motion and the applied force "overcame
the resistance of the friction fit," the agency said.
- At the time of the incidents, both vehicles had low mileage. Neither episode caused injuries or an accident.
- Tesla has not commented on the probe, which comes several days after Tesla issued a physical recall for 3,470 Model Y SUVs over potentially loose bolts in the second-row seats.
