US safety regulators to investigate Tesla for steering wheels that can fall off

Federal safety regulators are investigating Tesla's Model Y SUV after at least two instances in which owners said their steering wheels became detached while the vehicle was being driven.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking at the 2023 model year. It said in the two instances in which the steering wheel came off, the cars were delivered to buyers without the retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column, ABC News reports.

The report from the agency did not say if there were accidents or injuries as a result of the problem.

NHTSA said around 120,000 vehicles on US roads could be affected by the problem. This is an investigation, a step the agency takes before ordering a recall.

Tesla is not the only company facing safety questions about its steering wheel. Nissan also just disclosed to NHTSA that it is recalling about 1,100 Nissan Ariyas, its electric SUV, because it may be missing a bolt required on its steering wheel.

There were three vehicles found in dealer inventories in which there was too much play in the steering wheels, and upon inspection it was discovered the bolts were missing in each. But in none of those cases did the steering wheel come off while the cars were being driven, and there were no reports of accidents or injuries caused by the missing bolts.

In February, Tesla was required to issue a recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles equipped with what it calls its "Full Self Driving" software after NHTSA determined it "led to an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety based on insufficient adherence to traffic safety laws."

Among the traffic rules the cars violated in FSD mode was "traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk objected to calling that a "recall," saying it entailed only an over-the-air software update that did not require the owner to bring the cars to service centers to be fixed.

But Tesla did order a recall last month of 3,470 2022-2023 Model Y cars due to bolts in the second-row seat back frames not being secured correctly, which could cause the seat belts in those seats to not work properly in a crash.

Tesla has not had a public relations staff for several years and email inquiries to its press office are no longer accepted.

Meanwhile, Nissan has issued a voluntary recall of 1,063 Ariya electric SUVs due to a potential issue with their steering wheels, Fox Business reports.

Following reports of loose wheels from two dealers in January and February, the automaker discovered another Ariya in inventory with the issue.

According to the report filed with the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration (NHTSA), the vehicles had new steering wheels installed at a port of entry due to a defect with the original and some of the work was done incorrectly.

"As part of the activity, a technician may have inadvertently applied the incorrect torque settings to the steering wheel bolt. In certain cases, the steering wheel bolt may not have been installed," the report said.

There have been no reports from customers of accidents or injuries related to the issue, and only 1% of the vehicles are estimated to have loose bolts.

The recall work will take place at dealerships and involves replacing the steering wheel bolt correctly.

Dealers have already been informed and are holding vehicles for repairs while owners will be notified by the end of March.

The issue affects Ariyas built from June 21 to Oct. 21, 2022. Nissan delivered 201 Ariyas to customers in 2022 following its launch late in the year. The automaker reports sales on a quarterly basis and has not said how many have been sold so far in 2023.

The NHTSA is currently investigating several reports of Tesla Model Y steering wheels falling off due to a missing bolt that could include over 120,000 vehicles, but a recall has not been issued.