Steering Wheel Came Off NJ Tesla Driver’s SUV, Federal Probe Reveals

NEW JERSEY — The steering wheel came off a New Jersey man’s new Tesla SUV while he was driving with his family five days after he purchased it, a federal probe of the company revealed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating how Tesla’s autopilot system reacts to emergency vehicles after a fatal crash in California involving a fire truck.

The New Jersey man who reported the fault to the NHTSB, Prerak Patel, was on the highway with his family Jan. 29 when it happened. The steering wheel came off of the Tesla Model Y SUV he had gotten four days ago as they were in the left lane driving in Woodbridge, he told the Associated Press.

There were no cars behind him, Patel said in a series of images shared through Twitter.

Patel told the Associated Press he was lucky the road was straight so he could stop the car at the road divider.

The NHTSA is also investigating another complaint where 2023 Tesla Model Y SUVs were delivered to customers without a retaining bolt holding the wheel to the steering column, causing the wheel to separate. This problem could affect up to more than 120,000 customers, the NHTSA estimated.

“A friction fit maintained the connection between the steering wheel and the column splines during operation until separation,” wrote investigators. “Sudden separation occurred when the force exerted on the steering wheel overcame the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion.”

In both these cases, the SUVs had not been driven much, the agency said.

Tesla gave Patel a cost estimate of $103.69 to repair the problem at first, but removed the charge after he wrote to say he’d lost faith in the company, according to messages he posted on Twitter.

Patel added he is a fan of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and said he chose to get a replacement Tesla Y when given the option of keeping his original purchase or getting a new one.

“My kids were a little scared to ride in a loaner Tesla and, as a parent, we are able to restore their confidence,” Patel told the outlet, adding that he hopes the company will investigate the issue and improve its quality control.

On Wednesday, the NHTSA also said a special crash investigation team will probe a Feb. 18 crash where a Tesla Model S crashed into a fire truck in California, killing the driver. At least 14 Teslas that have crashed into emergency vehicles while using the Autopilot system.

In recent years the NHTSA also has opened investigations into Teslas braking suddenly without reason, suspension issues, and other problems, reports the Associated Press.

The U.S. Justice Department has also requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and "Full Self-Driving" features, according to a regulatory filing.