Complaint 2229022

Complaint Summary

STEERING

Owner Narrative

I was backing out of my residential driveway when I suddenly noticed the steering wheel required much greater effort than normal, indicating a loss of power steering. There were no prior warning messages or symptoms before this event. As I began driving, multiple warnings appeared on the display, including “Steering Assist Reduced,” “Stability Control Disabled,” “Traction Control Disabled,” and “Vehicle Hold Unavailable.” The steering immediately became extremely heavy, making the vehicle difficult to maneuver safely. Because the failure occurred without warning, I did not feel it was safe to continue driving except to move the vehicle as necessary. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by a Tesla Service Center, which confirmed that the steering rack and Front Vehicle Controller required replacement. The repair was performed by Tesla after diagnosis. I am submitting this report because a sudden loss of steering assist without any prior warning presents a significant safety risk. Although this occurred while pulling out of my driveway, the same failure could occur while a driver is traveling at higher speeds or in traffic, where maintaining control of the vehicle could be much more difficult.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.