Tesla is once again facing scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this time for steering issues. According to the NHTSA’s investigation overview, drivers have been receiving messages indicating reduced or disabled power steering assist. Complaints have included incidents where restarting the car only partially restored steering capability, or drivers needed to make multiple attempts. One complaint even reported a situation where the steering felt stuck, causing the car to slide off the road and crash into a tree. Additionally, Tesla’s lane assistance and emergency features were said to have malfunctioned in this particular incident. Other cases described the steering wheel becoming overly stiff or completely locked.

While some Tesla owners have been able to regain full or partial steering functionality through restarts or multiple on-off attempts, many are concerned about the risk of being stranded in a sensitive traffic or highway situation. This poses not only a safety concern for themselves, but also for other vehicles around them. This is not the first time Tesla has faced steering-related issues with their electric SUV. In June 2023, a batch of Model Y cars were recalled due to steering wheel problems. Three months prior to that, the NHTSA launched an investigation into reports of steering wheels actually falling off while driving, affecting approximately 120,000 Model Y cars from the 2023 cycle.