The US electric car manufacturer Tesla was targeted by the NHTSA after complaints about missing steering wheel mounts. The US agency announced on Wednesday On your webpage
known to have opened a preliminary investigation into two reports of steering wheels falling off while driving.
According to NHTSA, the vehicles were shipped without the mounting bolts that hold the steering wheel in place. The investigation therefore includes a good 120,000 Tesla Model Y from the year 2023. The scope, frequency and manufacturing processes are examined in connection with the defects found. There are no known injuries or deaths caused by the incidents, the agency said.
A statement from Tesla was initially not available. In the next step, traffic control could order a recall.
Teslas Shares
fell more than 3 percent in early US trade. The paper crashed massively in the second half of 2022. Between September and December it lost around two-thirds of its value. The stock had recently recovered.
The US agency has conducted a number of investigations into the carmaker over the past few months Elon Musk (51) a. Last month, Tesla recalled 362,758 EVs after the NHTSA determined that Tesla’s automated driving could increase the risk of an accident.
As early as January, a Tesla owner from New Jersey had photos Twitter
posted showing a fallen off steering wheel in a Model Y. In the post, the customer writes that he received the car a few days earlier. As he was driving on the freeway, the steering wheel suddenly fell off. In later tweets, he explained that Tesla agreed to replace the vehicle and NHTSA contacted him about the issue.
The Model Y was the best-selling electric car in the world last year. Loud BloombergNEF
it could also be one of the top sellers this year.
There have also been incidents of steering wheels falling off at other car manufacturers in the past. ford recalled 692 F-53 Motorhome Stripped Chassis and F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicles in August because the steering wheel mounting bolts could become loose. In 2018, around 1.3 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles were also recalled for similar issues.