After the steering wheels fell off in two Tesla Model Ys, US authorities are launching safety investigations into 120,000 Tesla cars.
The two faulty cars were sold in 2023 and have low mileage.
After verification, US authorities could request a recall. Tesla has not yet commented on this.
And suddenly the steering wheel was off…
Bad surprise for the driver of a new Tesla. As he was driving his five-day-old Model Y on the freeway, the steering wheel suddenly detached from the dash and while driving. Luckily there was no car behind the unfortunate Tesla. The driver managed to pull over, he wrote in a tweet that went viral.
According to that investigation report the US Department of Transportation Safety was missing the Tesla’s mounting screw that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column. A mistake with consequences. Because now the authority turns on and wants to examine 120,000 vehicles of the same type more closely. In addition to the case described above, there was another complaint about a detached steering wheel, according to the authority.
Tesla, which fears a recall of its cars after the investigation, responded to inquiries from Reuters not answered.
The Tesla Model Y was the most popular electric car in Germany in 2022. With over 35,000 new registrations, the Model Y was in tenth place best selling cars in Germany last year.
Since the news broke and the investigation began on March 4, Tesla stock has fallen. The share of the electric car manufacturer, which was 185 euros on March 3, is now – as of March 10 – at 162 euros.
AA