Tesla is facing one less federal probe as U.S. regulators have moved to end a years-long investigation that was looking into reports of Model Y steering wheels detaching from their steering column due to the absence of the retaining bolt.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a document posted on its website that it is closing a March 4, 2023, preliminary investigation that was opened to allow regulators to look into reports of at least two Model Y owners who said their cars were delivered without the necessary bolts to retain their steering wheels to the column.
The NHTSA said it is closing the Model Y probe now because “no evidence has been identified to indicate that the alleged defect exists outside the two 2023 incidents that prompted the opening” of the investigation.
The NHTSA cautioned that “the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.” The agency added that it “reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.”
What the Probe Closure Means for Car Buyers
The NHTSA’s decision to end the investigation of Tesla’s Model Y means consumers will continue to be able to purchase the company’s top-selling model.
The NHTSA’s probe included 120,089 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2023 model year.
If the NHTSA had decided to continue the probe, the cars could have been at risk of being subjected to a physical recall, or Tesla could have been forced to stop selling the vehicles from the 2023 model year altogether.
What Happened to Tesla’s Stock
Tesla’s stock was at $377.91 in mid-morning trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange on Tuesday, April 28. That’s down from a close of $378.67 on Monday, April 27.
Tesla’s stock benefitted from the company’s release of its first-quarter 2026 financial results after the bell on April 22, when Tesla reported numbers that were close to Wall Street expectations as the company remains in a pitched battle with Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors on a live call that Tesla is going to be “substantially increasing capital investments” in anticipation of a big increase in production. He said the company would focus on improving its “core technologies” of battery, powertrain, AI software and training, and chip design, and laying the groundwork for a significant increase in manufacturing production.
Other Federal Investigations Into Tesla
Tesla is the subject of five open federal investigations, including one the NHTSA announced in late December looking into potential issues with passengers having difficulty exiting Model 3 and Model Y vehicles following crashes.
Open investigations into Tesla include:
- An Aug. 20, 2025, audit query launched by the NHTSA is looking into delays by Tesla in reporting mandatory details of crashes involving driver-assistance technology. NHTSA said it had identified multiple incident reports from the automaker that were submitted “several months or more” after the crashes occurred. Under an NHTSA order, companies were generally required to file such reports within one to five days of receiving notice of a crash.
- A Sept. 15, 2025, preliminary evaluation looking into the performance of emergency door handles on Tesla’s Model Y compact SUV. The investigation covered 174,290 2021 Tesla Model Ys after the agency said it received nine complaints reporting an inability to open doors on the vehicles.
- An Oct. 7, 2025, preliminary evaluation looking at the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences of Tesla’s Full Self Drive software executing driving maneuvers that constitute traffic safety violations. NHTSA said the investigations involved versions of the software Tesla labels as “FSD (Supervised)” and “FSD (Beta).”
- A Dec. 24, 2025, defect petition looking into the performance of emergency door handles on Tesla’s Model 3 electric sedan, which is Tesla’s most affordable and second-highest-selling car.
- A March 18, 2026, engineering analysis evaluating Tesla’s Full Self Drive software’s ability to operate in degraded visibility conditions.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
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