Not way back, we reported a few Tesla proprietor whose steering wheel actually got here off the automobile into their palms whereas driving. It wasn’t the one case, and now there are different EV house owners experiencing comparable points. To no shock, the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe into the problem, which is expounded to 120,000 Mannequin Y electrical crossovers.
Tesla has had its fair proportion of remembers, particularly of late. Apparently, some followers, house owners, and buyers proceed to level out that almost all of Tesla’s points aren’t actually remembers since they are often fastened with a free over-the-air software program replace, which does not require a service go to.
That stated, they’re nonetheless formally thought of remembers, regardless of how they’re addressed. If a automobile has a possible security problem, it will get “recalled.” Fortuitously, typically, Tesla house owners needn’t have a bodily restore carried out, however they nonetheless must have the security concern inspected and addressed.
On this specific case, if it is discovered that Tesla Mannequin Y autos have a problem that might trigger the steering wheel to detach, the automaker clearly is not going to have the ability to ship out a software program replace to “shore things up.” Mannequin Y house owners will seemingly should undergo the everyday inspection and restore course of.
NHTSA’s Workplace of Defects Investigation put out a public memo in the present day, Wednesday, March 3, 2023, outlining a problem it is now investigating based mostly on receiving two studies. In accordance with Automotive Information, the 2 studies are associated to “complete detachment of the steering wheel from the steering column while driving.”
The Mannequin Y crossovers had been each reportedly delivered to prospects lacking a bolt that holds the steering wheel onto the steering column. Each EVs needed to have the steering wheels eliminated after which reattached correctly. NHTSA shared by way of Automotive Information:
“A friction fit maintained the connection between the steering wheel and the column splines during operation until separation. Sudden separation occurred when the force exerted on the steering wheel overcame the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion. Both known incidents occurred at low vehicle mileage.”
The problem is at the moment being investigated as a part of a preliminary probe, which is not the identical as a recall. As soon as NHTSA has uncovered the entire info it wants associated to the potential steering wheel concern on the Mannequin Y, it should decide whether or not there’s a security problem that must be addressed, in addition to how you can transfer ahead.
