It is currently the most popular electric car in Germany – now the US auto safety agency is investigating serious defects in the Model Y SUV model Tesla.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the investigation affects an estimated 120,000 model year 2023 vehicles. The reason for the investigation: two complaints from Tesla drivers who the steering wheel fell off while driving.
A horror show!
According to the agency, in both cases the Model Y was delivered without a screw holding the steering wheel to the steering column. When the two Tesla customers exerted force while driving, the steering wheel came loose.
The investigation should clarify the extent and frequency of the problem.
The fact is: the Model Y is also manufactured at the Tesla plant in Grünheide (Brandenburg). In this country, however, no cases of falling Tesla steering wheels have been reported.
“I was driving on the Autobahn and suddenly the steering wheel fell off”
One of the two US drivers involved had his case open in late January Twitter made public. The family man from the state of New Jersey wrote at the time: “I was driving on the freeway and suddenly the steering wheel fell off.” He also published photos of the incident.
Suddenly the steering wheel was in his lap: the driver from New Jersey published this photo
Luckily for him, there was no other car driving behind him at the time. This allowed him to stop the car safely. The car was only five days old at the time…
Meanwhile, he received a new car from Tesla.
The preliminary investigation put Tesla shares under pressure on Wednesday: they lost more than three percent of their value (as of 6:30 p.m.).
After several incidents, the US regulator is already examining Tesla’s autopilot. The US Department of Justice has also launched an investigation into this.
Other manufacturers also have steering wheel problems
But it is also true that falling steering wheels are not just a Tesla problem in the automotive industry. In February, Nissan recalled around 1,000 Ariya electric cars because the steering wheels might become detached from the steering column due to a loose screw.
For this reason, Ford recalled around 1.4 million US Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models in 2018. In 2013, hundreds of thousands of Nissan Micra were hit.