The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed its three-year preliminary evaluation into steering wheel detachments on 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles, ending the probe without requiring a manufacturer action. The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation found no additional incidents beyond the two original reports that prompted investigation PE23003 in March 2023. The probe covered 120,089 model-year 2023 Model Ys TESLARATI, both of which had received end-of-line factory repairs before delivery.
Highlights
- Probe covered 120,089 model-year 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles
- Both incidents traced to a missing retaining bolt (P/N 1036655-00-A)
- Affected vehicles built in first week of January 2023 in Austin and Fremont
- NHTSA reserves the right to reopen if new evidence emerges
Root Cause Tied to End-of-Line Rectification
ODI confirmed that both vehicles were delivered without the retaining bolt that secures the steering wheel to a splined shaft on the steering column. A friction fit between the wheel and the column splines held the connection during initial low-mileage driving, then failed under normal operating forces. Both vehicles experienced detachment below 400 miles of service, and Tesla repaired both under warranty.
The two units were built during the first week of January 2023, one at Tesla’s Austin, Texas plant and the other at Fremont, California. Each had undergone end-of-line rectification, an offline factory process used to correct defects identified before vehicle release. Such repairs often require removing and reinstalling unrelated components and take place outside standard quality-control safeguards on the main assembly line.
Three-Year Data Review Found No Further Cases
ODI sent an Information Request letter to Tesla in April 2023, followed by three sets of follow-up questions in April, May, and June of 2025. The agency reviewed production data, fleet mileage, rectification procedures, and Tesla’s internal assessments. Its analysis found no additional related incidents in either the subject vehicles or peer fleet.
The agency noted that the subject and peer fleet have accumulated an average of 33,000 miles of service. Three vehicles in the data set reported under 500 miles, and six reported no mileage. ODI determined that any additional vehicles with missing fasteners would have already failed given the low-mileage threshold seen in the original two cases. The agency also found that rectification work outside the January 2023 window did not exhibit missing fasteners, and that Tesla applied additional process controls following the initial failures.
Closure Does Not Rule Out Future Action
In its closing language, ODI stated that the closure “does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist,” and that the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by future circumstances.
The PE23003 closure is separate from Tesla’s May 2023 voluntary recall of certain 2022–2023 Model Y vehicles, which addressed under-torqued steering wheel fasteners — a different defect mode from the missing-bolt cases that triggered the ODI probe. NHTSA continues to maintain several open investigations into Tesla, including a recent preliminary evaluation of Full Self-Driving software and inquiries into power steering loss and electronic door handles.
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