From ExtremeTech: 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.
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