The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recently closed its engineering analysis into loss of electronic power-assisted steering in 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, ending a federal inquiry that began in 2023. The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened the matter as a preliminary evaluation on July 28, 2023 and later upgraded it to engineering analysis EA24001 on February 1, 2024. ODI cited a decline in complaints after Tesla deployed an over-the-air software remedy tied to recall 25V092. Tesla had traced the failures to an overvoltage condition that can overstress components on the steering control unit’s circuit board.
Highlights
- NHTSA closed engineering analysis EA24001 into loss of electronic power-assisted steering on 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
- Tesla identified the cause as an overvoltage breakdown that can overstress motor drive components on the steering ECU’s printed circuit board.
- Tesla filed safety recall 25V092 on February 19, 2025, with a remedy delivered through steering ECU software update 2023.38.4.
- The software reached vehicles via over-the-air update beginning October 2023, and ODI found complaint traffic declined afterward.
What Caused the Loss of Power Steering?
Owners reported a sudden, unexpected inability to turn the steering wheel or a sharp increase in the effort required to turn it. The complaints described the condition occurring at various speeds during driving and at vehicle start-up. Many owners said they received a “Steering assist reduced” warning message before, during, or after the loss of control, and some described the steering beginning to feel “notchy” or “clicky” around the time of the incident.
Tesla identified the cause as an overvoltage breakdown — a condition in which the applied voltage exceeds the maximum design limit — that can overstress motor drive components on the printed circuit board of the vehicle’s steering electronic control unit (ECU).
How the Backup Steering System Responded
If the primary motor drive components experienced an overvoltage breakdown while the vehicle was traveling above 0 mph, power-assisted steering was diverted to secondary, or backup, motor drive components. Those backup components maintained assistance until the vehicle slowed to a stop.
Once a vehicle operating on the backup system reached 0 mph, the driver lost power-assisted steering, though manual steering remained available. Power assistance would not return until the steering ECU was replaced.
Tesla’s Software Remedy and Recall 25V092
Tesla filed safety recall 25V092 on February 19, 2025 to address the loss of power-assisted steering. According to the recall filing, a steering ECU software update identified as 2023.38.4 had entered production and was distributed to affected fleet vehicles through an over-the-air update beginning in October 2023. The update was designed to prevent the overvoltage breakdown and the resulting overstress of the circuit-board components.
Why NHTSA Closed the Investigation
ODI reviewed related Vehicle Owner Questionnaires and Tesla field data and found that complaint volume fell after the 2023.38.4 software release. Citing the recall action, the agency closed the engineering analysis, adding that it will continue to monitor the remedy’s effectiveness and reserved the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant. The closure is the latest in a series of federal reviews of Tesla steering systems, following a separately closed evaluation of Model Y steering wheel detachment reports.
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