NHTSA Investigates Tesla Steering Wheels Coming Off in Drivers’ Hands

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla after receiving complaints from drivers that the steering wheel on Tesla Model Y vehicles can come off while driving. The investigation will likely have an impact on 120,000 cars produced in 2023.

The Daily Mail reports that the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched yet another investigation into Tesla, this time following reports from Model Y drivers that their steering wheel was detaching from the vehicle completely while driving.

The investigation began after two Tesla drivers posted pictures to social media of their steering wheels falling off after they were delivered without bolts. One Tesla owner expressed his “loss of trust” in the troubled electric car company, which has been criticized for some of its lax safety measures, including a dangerous “full driving system” that has some drivers asleep behind the wheel.

The Model Y, with a price tag of more than $53,000, is Tesla’s best-selling vehicle. In one NHTSA complaint that was posted on Twitter, the owner claimed that on January 29, five days after buying the car, he was traveling with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel abruptly came off. The owner claimed that he was able to pull toward the road divider because there were no vehicles following him. Thankfully, the loss of the steering wheel didn’t cause an accident.

The NHTSA has previously investigated Tesla for a number of reasons, including investigations into suspension issues and crashes involving Tesla’s “Autopilot” driver-assist system. While using Autopilot, at least 14 Teslas have collided with emergency vehicles.

The NHTSA forced the company to recall 363,000 vehicles in February that had “full self-driving software” because it could infringe on traffic regulations. According to its website, the system can “assist” drivers but does not fully automate the vehicle, however, a number of drivers have admitted to not paying attention while the software took control.

The NHTSA claimed that the software was occasionally responsible for unsafe behaviors like proceeding through an intersection while in a turn-only lane without using adequate caution or failing to react to changes in posted speed limits. 30 recalls have been made by Tesla, many of which were mandated by the NHTSA. Additionally, the agency dispatched investigators to 35 crashes involving Tesla that were thought to have involved automated systems. Two motorcycle riders were among the nineteen fatalities in those collisions.

Tesla’s “full self-driving” feature is also under investigation by the US Justice Department.

In response to the NHTSA’s investigation, Tesla stated that it would fully cooperate with the agency’s inquiry. The business has not yet made a statement about the situation.

Read more at the Daily Mail here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan