US safety regulators have received two complaints of steering wheels falling off 2023 versions of the Tesla Model Y SUV. This has led the authorities to open an investigation regarding the matter.
Tesla Malfunction
In the two reported cases, the reason why the steering wheels fell off was that there was a missing bolt that supposedly linked the steering wheel to the column. Futurism notes that this was quite clumsy and dangerous to overlook.
According to CBS News, friction kept the steering wheels bolted. However, the steering wheels fell off when forces were strong as the SUVs were being driven. Both incidents reportedly took place when the SUVs had low mileage.
One of the Tesla owners, Prerak Patel, mentioned that he was on the road with his family in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel fell off, as reported by USA Today. He expressed how the experience was horrible. Being in the left lane, he could not maneuver the car to the right or left. He said that he was lucky that the road was a straight one and that he was able to halt the car by the divider.
Patel mentioned that no cars followed after him and that no one got hurt during the incident.
@elonmusk @TeslaOwnersWW @BLKMDL3 Family was excited to receive Tesla Y delivery on 1/24/2023. Was driving on highway and all the sudden steering wheel fall off, was lucky enough there was no car behind and I was able to pull on devider #SafetyFirst #Fixit #TeslaModelY #help pic.twitter.com/4UMokFA2cv
— Prerak & Neha Patel (@preneh24) January 30, 2023
Customer service did not help Patel, so he tweeted directly to Elon Musk, asking for a refund.
@elonmusk Am I responsible for manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel. Isn’t it company’s responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back. pic.twitter.com/7ZsO4ZiXNu
— Prerak & Neha Patel (@preneh24) January 30, 2023
Later on, Tesla offered to have the entire vehicle replaced. However, the incident was not bypassed by authorities.
Tesla Under Investigation
Futurism reports that the investigation covers around 120,000 Model Ys, which is Tesla's top-selling model. Investigations focus on evaluating the frequency of the problem, the number of affected vehicles, and the manufacturing process at Tesla.
The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is already looking into the autopilot driver assistance system of Tesla after several collisions happened when the feature was enabled. Sky News reports that there have been at least 14 crash incidents of Tesla vehicles colliding with emergency vehicles while the autopilot feature was enabled.
In fact, according to the LA Times, the NHTSA urged Tesla last February to recall almost 363,000 vehicles that were equipped with the so-called Full Self-Driving feature because the system could go against traffic regulations. Around 400,000 Tesla owners are testing this system on public roads. NHTSA mentioned that this system may lead to dangers, such as driving straight in an intersection where only turns can be made, moving forward despite a yellow traffic light, and failing to adjust to speed limit changes.
The Department of Justice has also asked Tesla to grant them documents about the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. Tesla mentioned in their manual, both features were incapable of driving on their own and that humans should be ready to intervene when necessary.
As per the LA Times, the NHTSA has deployed investigators to look into 35 Tesla accidents where automated systems are thought to be involved. Nineteen individuals have died due to such accidents.
Ever since January 2022, Tesla has granted 20 recalls, many of which were urged by the NHTSA.
Check out more news and information on Tesla in Science Times.
