Tesla is recalling more than 375,000 vehicles in the United States due to a power steering issues, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Friday.
The automaker, co-founded and led by billionaire Elon Musk, is recalling some of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles operating software prior to 2023, the federal agency said.
The printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist may become overstressed, causing a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle stops and accelerates again, the agency said. The loss of power may require drivers to assert more control over the wheel, especially at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a crash, the agency added.
Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment.
Tesla has released an over-the-air software update, free of charge and announced owners of the recalled vehicles will receive a letter in the mail with more information in coming weeks, the NHTSA said.
The recall comes amid several ongoing probes into Tesla by the NHTSA.
In 2023, the NHTSA launched a probe into more than 280,000 Teslas over reports of steering issues. Last year, the agency opened a probe into more than 2.6 million Teslas after reports of several crashes while using the cars’ self-driving feature. And last month, the federal agency began probing Tesla’s “actually smart summon” feature equipped on 2.6 million Tesla vehicles in the United States. The feature allows drivers to retrieve their Model Y vehicles from parking lots through the Tesla mobile app.
The federal probes into Tesla come several weeks after the White House named Musk — who helms X, SpaceX, brain computer implant company Neuralink and Ai company xAI in addition to Tesla — to lead Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The agency, previously known as the U.S. Digital Service, has been slashing the federal workforce and government programs at unprecedented speeds in recent weeks.
Musk’s appointment to head the agency and his designation as a “special government employee” — which circumvents him from undergoing more onerous vetting requirements typical of full-time government employees — has raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
President Donald Trump and Musk pushed back on the concerns earlier this month, with Trump telling reporters in the Oval Office: “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval, and we’ll give him the approval where appropriate; where not appropriate, we won’t.”
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that a team of NHTSA regulators who oversee the safety of autonomous cars was facing staffing cuts ordered by the Musk-led DOGE.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the reported cuts to the NHTSA and Musk’s possible conflicts of interest.
