Leading American automaker Tesla has issued another recall for 137 Model Y vehicles over concerns that the steering wheels might fall off while driving.
According to the official report, a Tesla service technician noticed that the Model Y’s steering wheel was loose while fixing the car seat on May 4. Thereafter, Tesla employed quality checks from May 5 to May 19 and filed a voluntary recall on May 22.
The automaker determined four warranty claims and one field report from November 12, 2022, to April 26, 2023, involving the issue with the steering wheel. Fortunately, there are no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities.
NHTSA investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the investigation following two separate complaints that emerged from 2023 Tesla Model Y owners.
Both reports present the same issue: the electric car’s steering wheel falling off while on the road.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla delivered both Model Y units to customers without the necessary bolt that fastens the steering wheel to the steering column.
“The steering wheel on Model Y vehicles is attached to the steering column using a fastener. Manufacturing and service records suggest that there may be a correlation between certain manufacturing record characteristics and the fastener being installed but not torqued to specification. A fastener not torqued to specification could allow the steering wheel to disconnect from the steering column. Tesla is not aware of any instances of the steering wheel completely detaching from the steering column due to this condition.”
NHTSA
Therefore, the risk of an accident increases if a fastener that should not have been torqued adequately causes the steering wheel to separate from the steering column.
In response, the Musk-led automaker recalls several 2022-2023 Model Y vehicles, 137 to be exact.
However, Tesla estimates that only 10% of the 137 units have defects.
See Also:
- Tesla recalls over 362,000 EVs in North America over self-driving software issue
- Tesla recalls more than 80,000 cars in China for software and seat belt issues
- Tesla issues voluntary recall on its Semi over parking brakes issues
- Tesla just recalled over 1M vehicles because windows can pinch fingers
- Tesla resolves the Model X “recall” with an over-the-air software patch
To fix the safety issue, Tesla will evaluate and replace the affected Model Y vehicles’ fasteners as needed for free.
Owners will receive notification letters starting July 28, 2023. Meanwhile, Tesla will begin communicating with all its stores and service centers shortly after June 1, 2023.
