Tesla steering wheel off under investigation by regulators
US regulators are opening a preliminary investigation into 120,000 Tesla Model Ys after receiving two reports of the steering wheel falling off while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims to have received two complaints of accidents in which the steering wheel unexpectedly came off the steering column while the owner was driving a Model Y vehicle built in 2023.
Just recently, Tesla recalled 3,470 2022-2023 Model Y vehicles in the U.S. because the bolts securing the second-row seat backrest frame were not tightened. This has left American consumers very concerned about the quality of Tesla's installation.
A large number of U.S. users complained
A Tesla user from New Jersey complained that the steering wheel suddenly came off when he and his family were driving the Tesla Model Y on the highway on January 29, just five days after he bought the car. The victim said he was fortunate to be driving on a straight road and there were no cars in front or behind him.
@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
According to U.S. regulators, the two cars in question are missing a fixing bolt that links the steering wheel to the steering column, a tiny but vital part of the car.
If your steering wheel comes off a tesla you will only be the 3rd one out of 4 million vehicles. It doesn’t sound like it should be news worthy #tsla
— strengthPlan (@strengthPlan) March 8, 2023
After the incident emerged, there were also two schools of thought on Twitter, the first of which felt that people were making a big deal out of it. "If your Tesla steering wheel flew, then you are 4 million parts of 3 people who happened this, this does not seem to be any news worthy of attention."
Remember TESLA is developing a car without a steering wheel. pic.twitter.com/HaHTbzKuJA
— AnonHeel (@AnonHeel) March 8, 2023
And the flirting faction, "I remember Tesla was working on a model without a steering wheel before." This person obviously doesn't have a Tesla at home.
Got a 2022 Tesla Model Y in the same day as we learned Model Y’s steering wheel are falling off while driving….talk about a coincidence..@elonmusk @Tesla pic.twitter.com/qjSgBdvQJB
— Franck Sévérac (@franck_severac) March 9, 2023
And the overwhelmed faction, "I bought a Tesla Model Y the same day it blew up with the steering wheel coming off problem," this person is clearly panicking and trying to beg for some life-saving strategies online.
Tesla's safety accidents have been constant
Because this happened in the U.S., as Tesla's home base, American consumers are relentless in their online trolling. The problems encountered since the launch of Tesla are actually very many, but only this problem involves the root of safety.
The U.S. National Highway Administration said that from last year to this year, a total of 367 traffic accidents caused by autonomous driving have been reported, of which Tesla accounted for 273, the number has been more than 70%. Ninety-eight of these crashes were serious, and 11 of them even resulted in multiple serious injuries or deaths.
So far the steering wheel has only existed in the U.S. market, and no such problems have been found in other regions of the market. As for whether this may have something to do with the assembly process of Tesla workers in the United States, or another hidden agenda? The final results of the investigation will have to wait for the disclosure of the U.S. regulators.
