Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11576321

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2020 TESLA MODEL 3

Manufacturer

Tesla, Inc.

Components

STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE

Dates

Incident: 03/07/2024
Filed: 03/08/2024

Owner complaint summary

My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or Autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The issue first appeared yesterday, after I tried to pull out of a parking lot, but I had trouble since my wheel would not turn. I will be going to a service center next week. After the errors began, I have not meaningfully driven the car, since locking of the wheel while driving is very dangerous. A handful of errors showed up on the screen (Cruise Control disabled, Traction Control Disabled, Stability control disabled, Steering assist reduced), and I did not have any regenerative braking applying. I returned safely to my parking spot. After multiple reboots of the car (pressing both wheel buttons), I found that sometimes after putting my car into Drive, my steering wheel was locked. Other times, I could turn my steering wheel without issue, but I would always receive the Steering assist reduced error.

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11576321). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11576321. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.