Tesla recalls more than 376,000 vehicles over steering system issues

Tesla is recalling about 376,241 vehicles in the United States to correct a problem with the power steering systems, according to records posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In a safety recall report posted on the NHTSA website, the electric car maker Tesla said the recall includes Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States between Feb. 28, 2023, and Oct. 11, 2023, that were equipped with a certain outdated software version.

The electric car maker’s shares fell about 5.11% during trading on Friday.

The records said the printed circuit boards in the steering systems in the affected vehicles can be overstressed, causing the power steering system to fail in some cases when the Tesla vehicle stops and then accelerates.

The recall follows a year-long investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into complaints from Tesla owners about steering issues. Using an older version of the software could increase voltage, causing excessive stress on the drive motor components on the power steering electronic assist circuit board. This could result in a loss of power steering support when the vehicle comes to a stop and then accelerates again. The loss of power could require drivers to exert more effort to control the vehicle, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.