You thought that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving capability is all CEO Elon Musk has to worry about, you are wrong, imagine as a Tesla driver, you suddenly find yourself without a steering wheel on the road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) is now stepping in to initiate an inquiry into Tesla’s 2023 Model Y SUV, following two stories of Tesla vehicles demonstrating such a stunning lack of quality control. According to a document submitted by the agency on March 4, the probe encompasses slightly more than 120,000 automobiles.
According to the NHTSA, the culprit in both incidents was a missing retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column – a stupid and very hazardous error.
Last month, a worried owner of a brand new Model Y posted that his steering wheel had fallen off while driving down the highway only five days after purchasing it. Thankfully, because there was no vehicles behind him, the owner was able to safely stop the vehicle. Yet the harm had been done: his trust had been crushed.
Customer support was unhelpful and tried to charge him for repairs, so the owner tweeted directly at Musk, appealing for a refund. Tesla eventually offered to replace the car, but the incident was certainly spotted by the government.
Loose steering wheels are only the latest in a string of controversies the Elon Musk-led EV company has been embroiled in over the last couple of years. But Tesla is unlikely to respond to these latest reports as it disbanded its communications department years ago.
Reference- Electrek, Futurism, NHTSA document, The Associated Press reports, Tweeter, Inside EVs