Topline
Tesla is under investigation by U.S. auto safety regulators over complaints seat belts are not fully attached to new Model X vehicles and may not hold people in a crash, according to a filing Tuesday, adding to other probes into other Tesla vehicles, including investigations into the automaker’s steering wheels and its self-driving software.
More than 50,000 Model X vehicles will be probed.
Key Facts
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received complaints that claim the seat belts in two Model X vehicles were not connected to the vehicle, causing them to be detached while the vehicle was being driven, according to a filing Tuesday.
The agency said a probe will include an estimated 50,000 vehicles from the 2022 and 2023 model years.
Both vehicles were delivered without sufficiently connected anchor linkages, causing a “connection failure” with the seat belt’s anchor pretensioner—which tightens the seat belt during a collision—and the seat belt becoming detached, according to the agency.
Some Tesla models are already under investigation by the agency, including complaints indicating that some vehicles break suddenly for no reason, and another probe that claims the steering wheels in new Model Y vehicles are falling off while driving.
Big Number
362,758. That’s how many Tesla vehicles were recalled in February because of concerns that the company’s Full Self-Driving feature could cause crashes. A probe into possibly faulty steering wheels includes an additional 120,000 vehicles.
Surprising Fact
The agency previously recalled an estimated 61,000 Kia vehicles in 2022 after an investigation found that the company’s pretensioners would “deploy abnormally” or explode in some models.
Key Background
CEO Elon Musk—who previously promoted the company’s self-driving features as safe—has told investors that Tesla vehicles are “not quite ready to have no one behind the wheel,” amid scrutiny by federal regulators, the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission in recent years. The NHTSA previously issued a recall of Tesla vehicles and said the self-driving system could cause problems, like passing a stop sign without stopping or driving through an intersection without using caution at a yellow light. Agency officials investigated 35 Tesla crashes connected to the software, according to the Associated Press, as 19 people have died in those crashes, including two motorcyclists.
Further Reading
Tesla Steering Wheels That Allegedly Fall Off While Driving Under Probe (Forbes)
Tesla Recalls Over 360,000 Cars Due To Self-Driving Crash Risk (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/03/28/tesla-seat-belts-allegedly-not-attached-to-vehicle-under-investigation/