NHTSA Closes Tesla Model Y Steering-Wheel Probe Without Action

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed a probe into 120,089 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles without taking action against the carmaker. The agency said it found no additional incidents tied to the issue under review.

NHTSA opened the preliminary evaluation in early 2023 after two reports that a steering wheel could detach from the steering column because of a missing retaining bolt. The regulator said both vehicles were built in the first week of January 2023 at Tesla plants in Austin, Texas, and Fremont, California, and had undergone end-of-line repairs before delivery that required the steering wheel to be removed and reinstalled. The agency added that both failures occurred within the first 400 miles of driving, suggesting any other affected vehicles would likely already have experienced the defect.