A Tesla automobile dealership in Austin, Texas, Might 31, 2023.
Brandon Bell | Getty Pictures
The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Protection Management has opened a brand new investigation into Tesla over steerage keep watch over issues and lack of energy steerage in 2023 Style 3 sedan and Style Y crossover application cars.
The federal car protection regulator stated in a understand posted to the company’s website online that it has gained a dozen proceedings from drivers who skilled steerage issues of their Teslas, together with one that stated it had brought about a crash. The probe, which the NHTSA known as a “initial analysis,” may have an effect on as much as an estimated 280,000 cars within the U.S.
The Style Y turned into the sector’s best-selling automobile within the first quarter of 2023, surpassing the Toyota Corolla and others. Tesla’s Style 3 is the corporate’s entry-level car and essentially the most inexpensive electrical automobile it provides.
In 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk instructed buyers that the corporate was once in a position to rewrite tool in an effort to transfer from one more or less chip to some other, when wanted, to deal with semiconductor shortages. A few yr later, Tesla voluntarily recalled a few of its Style S and Style X cars over energy steerage issues brought about by way of a wrong tool replace, in the end solving the problem with some other tool replace.
Normally, an NHTSA probe will result in an automaker investigating conceivable production or design defects and engaging in a voluntary recall. The company asks drivers to put up proceedings by way of telephone or on-line and makes use of the ones proceedings with different information to resolve when investigations are wanted.
Tesla didn’t straight away reply to a request for remark. Stocks within the electrical car maker have been buying and selling down by way of about 1.7% on Tuesday morning.