Elon Musk's Tesla Recalls Nearly 380,000 Model 3, Y Vehicles In US Over Loss Of Power Steering Assist Concerns

EV giant Tesla Inc. TSLA is recalling 376,241 vehicles in the U.S. over concerns of loss of power steering assist, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday.

What Happened: Certain model year 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles may experience a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle reaches a stop and accelerates again, the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

A loss of power steering assist will require greater steering effort and increase the risk of a crash, particularly at low speeds, it said.

Tesla has released over-the-air software aimed at resolving the issue. The company told NHTSA that it is not aware of any collisions, injuries, or fatalities owing to the issue but has identified over 3000 warranty claims potentially related to the issue.

The recall follows a probe by the NHTSA into complaints of loss of steering control in model year 2023 vehicles. The complaints alleged an inability to turn the steering wheel or an increase in effort required to turn the wheel with a majority having experienced it when the vehicle was traveling with a speed between 5 mph and 35 mph.

"ODI (Office of Defects Investigation) is aware of over 50 vehicles which were allegedly towed as a result of the condition from a variety of areas including, driveways, parking lots, side of road and intersections,” the regulator said last year.

Why It Matters: In January, Tesla recalled 239,382 vehicles in the U.S. over concerns of loss of rearview camera image and fixed the issue via an over-the-air software update.

In 2024, Tesla issued 15 recalls, impacting over 5.13 million vehicles. However, a whopping majority of the recalls were fixed with over-the-air (OTA) software updates, and only a select few required vehicle owners to visit a service center to resolve an issue.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla