DETROIT (A.P.), — U.S. safety regulators have turned up the heat on Tesla. They announced investigations into steering wheels falling off certain SUVs and a fatal accident involving a Tesla using an automated driving mode when it collided with a California firetruck.
Wednesday’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announcement indicated it would launch a particular crash-investigation group to investigate the Feb. 18 crash involving a Tesla Model S and a ladder truck from Contra Costa County fire station.
The agency is conducting a wider investigation into several instances in which Teslas crashed into emergency vehicles parked nearby. NHTSA has been more aggressive in its pursuit of safety issues with Teslas over the past year. Multiple recalls and investigations were announced by the agency.
A passenger was critically injured, and the driver of the Tesla Model S 2014 was killed. The $1.4 million ladder truck sustained minor injuries and was treated by four firefighters.
NHTSA is currently investigating how Autopilot detects emergency vehicles that are parked on the highways. The system has been used by at least 14 Teslas to crash into emergency vehicles across the country.
NHTSA investigators are not always able to find automated driving systems involved in crashes. The Ohio State Highway Patrol found that the Tesla that struck one of its patrol cars in November wasn’t operating in autonomous mode.
According to authorities, the California firetruck was lit up and parked diagonally on a highway in order to protect emergency responders from an earlier accident that didn’t result in any injuries.
Chief of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District Lewis Broschard III said that his department is concerned by the dangers inattentive drivers pose for passengers, first responders, and themselves.
He said that unnecessary deaths, injuries, firefighter risks, and equipment loss could all be avoided. He urged drivers to slow down to make way for emergency vehicles.
Rob Brown Jr., CEO of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, stated in an email that recent reports of cars operating automated driving systems colliding with parked emergency vehicles on the scene of an emergency are a serious concern for firefighters and paramedics as well as the safety of the public.
When asked by NHTSA about whether the Teslas pose a threat to emergency workers, a spokeswoman for the agency said that she could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
The NHTSA has intensified its scrutiny of Teslas over the past year, seeking recalls and opening investigations.
The agency published documents earlier Wednesday that revealed an investigation into steering wheels that could detach from the column of up to 120,000 Model Y SUVs.
According to the agency, it was notified of two complaints that 2023 Model Ys had been delivered to customers without a bolt to attach the wheel to their steering column. The steering wheels were held together by friction, but the wheel separated when the SUVs were driven.
In documents published on Wednesday by the agency, it states that both incidents occurred while the SUVs were low in mileage.
One complaint was filed with NHTSA by an owner who claimed that he was driving in Woodbridge, New Jersey, with his family when the steering wheel fell off suddenly on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was bought. According to the owner, he was able to pull toward the road divider. There were no injuries.
Prerak Patel, the owner of the car, said it was a “horrible event.” He claimed he was in the left lane of the freeway when the steering wheel fell off. However, he was fortunate that the road was straight, and he could stop the car at the divider.
Tesla is located in Austin, Texas.
Initial estimates from a Tesla service center were $103.96 for Patel to fix the problem. In what appears to be Twitter-based text messages, the service center offered an apology.
The service center removed the charge after Patel stated that he had lost faith and requested a refund.
Patel was then given the choice of having the car kept or being replaced by a newer model. Patel stated that he had selected a replacement.
Patel stated that he is a fan and investor in Tesla stock. The stock closed Wednesday at 3%.
Patel stated that his children were afraid to ride in a Tesla loaner and that he was able to restore their trust as a parent. Patel expressed hope that Tesla would improve its quality control and investigate the matter.
Although detached steering wheels are not common in the industry, they are quite common. Nissan recalled about 1000 Ariya electric cars for the same problem in February.
NHTSA has also opened investigations into Tesla’s sudden braking for no reason, suspension issues, and other issues over the past three years.
NHTSA forced Tesla to recall almost 363,000 vehicles equipped with “Full Self-Driving” software in February. This was because the system could break traffic laws. As many as 400,000 Tesla owners are testing the system on public roads. NHTSA stated in documents that the system can be unsafe and may allow you to drive straight through intersections from a turn-only lane through yellow traffic lights without being cautious or responding to speed limit changes.