National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed its preliminary evaluation of Tesla‘s Model Y steering wheels without ordering any manufacturer action, the agency said on Tuesday.
The decision marks a three-year probe that began with two reports of steering wheels detaching from the steering column while driving.
The investigation covered approximately 120,089 model-year 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles, NHTSA said in its closing resume.
The agency had opened the preliminary evaluation in March 2023 after receiving two consumer complaints involving 2023 Model Y vehicles delivered without the retaining bolt that secures the steering wheel to the steering column.
In both reported cases, a friction fit between the steering column splines and the steering wheel maintained the connection during initial use, until the wheel detached entirely while the vehicle was being driven.
NHTSA had said at the time it would assess the frequency of the defect, the manufacturing processes that produced it, and any safety consequences.
A Manufacturing-Process Question
The two vehicles flagged in the original NHTSA opening resume had each received an “end-of-line” repair at Tesla‘s factory, which required removing and re-installing the steering wheel.
The retaining bolt was missing from both vehicles after the repair, according to NHTSA’s documentation.
Closure of the investigation without a manufacturer action means NHTSA has determined that no recall or further enforcement is warranted for the specific missing-bolt issue that triggered the probe.
A Separate Recall Addressed a Related Issue
The closure of PE23-003 does not affect Tesla‘s May 2023 voluntary recall of certain 2022-2023 Model Y vehicles for a related but distinct steering-fastener issue.
That recall addressed steering-wheel fasteners that had been installed but not torqued to specification — a different defect mode from the missing-bolt cases that triggered the NHTSA probe.
Tesla initiated the May 2023 recall after a service technician escalated a vehicle concern on May 4, 2023, after observing a loose feel in a steering wheel while servicing the vehicle for an unrelated seat-trim repair.
The company’s field-quality and factory-quality teams reviewed service and production records between May 5 and May 19, and Tesla determined to file a voluntary recall on May 22, 2023, to inspect and re-torque the fasteners as necessary.
Tesla said at the time that it had identified four warranty claims and one field report between November 2022 and April 2023 that were related or possibly related to the under-torqued fastener condition, but was not aware of any crashes or injuries.
The torque-related recall was substantially broader than the missing-bolt cases that triggered the NHTSA probe, but covered a different defect mode.
Second Tesla Probe Closed This Month
Tuesday’s announcement marks the second NHTSA investigation into Tesla closed without a manufacturer action in April.
NHTSA closed its investigation into Tesla‘s “Actually Smart Summon” remote-parking feature earlier this month, with the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation finding that incidents involving the feature occurred infrequently and were not severe.
The Smart Summon investigation closure followed reports of low-speed crashes during automated parking-lot manoeuvres but no injuries or fatalities.
NHTSA continues to maintain several other open investigations into Tesla vehicles, covering driver-assistance functions, power-steering loss, and other matters.
The Model Y was the world’s best-selling vehicle in 2023 and 2024 by global registrations, before Tesla implemented a comprehensive refresh of the model — the so-called “Juniper” version — in early 2025.
Tesla reported first-quarter 2026 results last week, with CEO Elon Musk confirming that production of the company’s Cybercab autonomous vehicle had officially begun at Giga Texas earlier this month.
