New Tesla Owner Lashes Out At Elon Musk Over Broken Steering Wheel: 'Am I Responsible For Manufacturing Defect?'

A Twitter user based in New Jersey shared details of what they said was a “horrific experience” in the middle of the highway as their new Tesla Inc TSLA vehicle’s steering wheel fell off. 

What Happened: The Twitter user, who goes by the name Prerak, tweeted at Elon Musk, the CEO of the automaker and said their family was excited to receive the Tesla Y delivery on Jan. 24, but while they were driving on the highway “the sudden steering wheel [fell] off.”

Prerak said in the tweet, first noted on Motortrend, that they were lucky enough that there was no vehicle behind and they could pull onto the divider.

@elonmusk @TeslaOwnersWW @BLKMDL3 Family was excited to receive Tesla Y delivery on 1/24/2023. Was driving on highway and all the sudden steering wheel fall off, was lucky enough there was no car behind and I was able to pull on devider #SafetyFirst #Fixit #TeslaModelY #help pic.twitter.com/4UMokFA2cv

— Prerak (@preneh24) January 30, 2023

See Also: How To Buy Electric Vehicle (EV) Stocks

Why It Matters: Prerak also shared a video from the inside of the vehicle as well as the response from Tesla’s service center, which, according to the tweet, replied, “We are looking into the vehicle now.”

Prerak also expressed displeasure at being charged $103.96 for the steering wheel defect and asked Musk if he was “responsible for the manufacturing defect” in the same thread.

@elonmusk Am I responsible for manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel. Isn’t it company’s responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back. pic.twitter.com/7ZsO4ZiXNu

— Prerak (@preneh24) January 30, 2023

Later, the Tesla customer said that the service charge was removed but they did not take responsibility for the incident.

@elonmusk @TeslaOwnersWW @Tesla @TeslaSUV Tesla service center removed charge. However not assuring responsibility, if steering wheel or any other manufacturer defect cause an accident? Who’s #responsable for #safety? pic.twitter.com/WHgkH48ed5

— Prerak (@preneh24) January 30, 2023

In May 2020, a Tesla user, Jason Tuatara, from Blackpool, United Kingdom had their car’s steering wheel fall off while they were reversing the vehicle in their driveway, reported The New York Post.

Tuatara confirmed at the time that the steering wheel hadn't been fixed to the body of the car with a bolt, according to the report. 

In October, Tesla recalled 24,000 vehicles over seat belt issues. At the time it was reported that the remedy was to be provided free of charge. 

Price Action: On Monday, Tesla shares closed 6.3% lower at $166.66 in the regular session and further dropped 0.5% in the after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Read Next: Tesla's Recall Woes Multiply As 80,561 Imported And MIC Electric Vehicles Now Impacted In China