NHTSA Investigating Tesla Steering Lock Up That Could Affect 280,000 Cars

Tesla is in hot water with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) again, and this time, it has nothing to do with the company's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving features. The agency is investigating claims that Tesla vehicles have developed a nasty habit of disabling steering while the car is in motion. The problem potentially affects 280,000 Tesla EVs.

According to CNBC, NHTSA has received 12 steering complaints about 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cars. Of those, five owners told NHTSA that they could not steer their vehicles at all when the problem occurred, but seven said they could still steer the car with difficulty. This is not the only steering-related issue under investigation at Tesla. NHTSA is also looking into reports that Model Y steering wheels can pop off while driving.

Drivers encountering the issue claim that the vehicles show an error code (UI_a020) when the steering locks up. The error states that the power steering assist is disabled but gives no reason. Some drivers say turning the car off and on again will clear the warning, but it pops up again after a few miles. That allowed some owners of affected vehicles to get them to a service center or at least off of public roads. However, others say that their cars never cleared the error, and the wheel refused to turn at all. A few say the defect caused accidents, and others needed to have their vehicles towed.

It's unclear how many vehicles have been affected beyond the 12 filed NHTSA complaints, but one owner claims Tesla delayed service for their Model Y steering issue because of a shortage of parts. Some of the complaints also allege more widespread steering issues. NHTSA's preliminary investigation will determine if there is sufficient reason to believe the defect poses a safety risk. If so, the agency will move on to an engineering analysis and recall.

All automakers run into recalls, but reports have put Tesla at the top of the list for several years. Tesla does have the ability to update most vehicle systems via OTA updates. That's how it dealt with previous NHTSA recalls, which focused on Full Self-Driving and its propensity to illegally roll through stop signs and mishandle simple driving maneuvers. If there's a mechanical fault causing the steering to lock up, that could clog Tesla's already strained service centers. Regulators are still closely watching Tesla's self-driving features at the federal and state levels, which could result in more recalls.