New York: Federal safety regulators are looking into Tesla again — this time over concerns of steering wheels falling off 2023 Model Y vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Tesla after it received two complaints that steering wheels detached in 2023 Model Y vehicles while people were driving.
The preliminary evaluation covers more than 120,000 vehicles, according to an agency filing.
The agency said it launched the probe after it was made aware of two reports of the steering wheel on the vehicle falling off while drivers were on the road. In both cases, the agency said the cars had low mileage and were missing a bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column. No fatalities or crashes have been associated with the issue, according to the NHTSA report.
The agency is looking into the frequency of the alleged issue and how many vehicles may be impacted, as well as Tesla’s manufacturing process. The preliminary investigation could potentially lead to a recall.
NHTSA has become more aggressive in pursuing safety problems with Teslas in the past year, announcing multiple recalls and investigations.
The driver of the 2014 Tesla Model S was killed in the crash and a passenger critically injured. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, and the $1.4 million ladder truck was damaged.
NHTSA is investigating how the Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles nationwide while using the system.
Automated driving systems aren’t always involved in the crashes that NHTSA sends investigators to. For instance, the Ohio State Highway Patrol determined that a Tesla that hit one of its patrol cars in November was “not being operated in any type of autonomous mode” at the time of the crash.
Authorities said the California firetruck had its lights on and was parked diagonally on a highway to protect responders to an earlier accident that did not result in injuries.
A NHTSA spokeswoman said she couldn’t comment on an open investigation when asked if the Teslas are posing a danger to emergency workers.
NHTSA has been scrutinizing Teslas more intensely in the past year, seeking several recalls and opening investigations.
