NHTSA Closes Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Power Steering Probe After Over-the-Air Fix

Federal regulators have closed their investigation into power steering complaints on 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

NHTSA shut down engineering analysis EA24001 after reviewing owner complaints and Tesla field data, then watching the numbers fall once the fix went out.

The affected population tied to the recall came to roughly 376,241 vehicles in the United States.

That is a clean ending to a probe that ran across nearly two years.

NHTSA Ends Investigation Into Tesla Model 3/Y Steering Failures https://t.co/KqAkDoqT1Q pic.twitter.com/2VsRbeFr7z

— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) June 27, 2026

Here is how it started.

NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation in July 2023 after owners reported sudden increases in steering effort or what felt like a loss of power assist.

Many drivers described stiff, notchy, or clicky steering, often paired with a Steering assist reduced warning on the screen.

On February 1, 2024, regulators upgraded the matter to a full engineering analysis, EA24001.

Tesla traced the root cause to an overvoltage breakdown condition that could overstress motor-drive components on the steering ECU printed circuit board.

The good news for owners is how the car behaved when the problem hit.

If the primary steering assist failed while the vehicle was moving, a backup system kept assistance available until the car slowed to a stop.

Once stopped, manual steering remained, but power assist would not return until the steering ECU was replaced.

Tesla moved on the software side first.

The company began rolling out steering ECU software update 2023.38.4 in October 2023, designed to prevent the overvoltage breakdown and cut the chance of component overstress.

Tesla then filed safety recall 25V092 on February 19, 2025.

Drive Tesla lays out the full arc of the steering investigation.

The report covers the 376,000-plus affected vehicles, the 2023 Model 3 and Model Y scope, and the owner complaint pattern that triggered the original review. Drivers were reporting sudden increases in steering effort, apparent loss of assist, and warnings on the screen before regulators opened the file.

It also walks through the timeline from preliminary evaluation in July 2023 to the formal engineering analysis in February 2024, then to the over-the-air update and recall path Tesla used to address the issue.

The practical takeaway is that complaint volume dropped after software version 2023.38.4 reached the fleet. That decline gave regulators enough confidence to close the analysis while still leaving the door open to future monitoring.

NHTSA Closes Tesla Power Steering Investigation After OTA Fix https://t.co/c6AEDMMyAX

— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 (@DriveTeslaca) June 27, 2026

Not a Tesla App adds useful context on how the matter grew over time.

The early probe covered a smaller slice of vehicles, around 280,000, after the first owner complaints reached regulators. The later recall population was larger, at roughly 376,241 vehicles, once the issue and remedy path were defined.

The write-up also notes why this is bigger than one complaint file. Tesla has seen several longstanding NHTSA reviews close in recent months, including the Model Y steering-wheel detachment review and the Actually Smart Summon investigation.

That does not mean every regulator question around Tesla is gone. It does mean this particular steering-assist case moved from complaint spike to engineering review to fleet remedy to closure.

For owners who want the technical breakdown, The EV Report walks through the steering ECU failure mode.

The issue was tied to an overvoltage breakdown that could overstress motor-drive components on the steering ECU printed circuit board. If that happened while the vehicle was moving, Tesla’s backup motor-drive setup could preserve steering assistance until the vehicle slowed to a stop.

Once stopped, the car still had manual steering, but power assist would not return until the steering ECU was replaced. That is why preventing the overvoltage condition through software mattered so much for owners.

The technical sequence also explains why this was a serious safety file even though the remedy arrived over the air. At low speeds, a sudden jump in steering effort can surprise drivers in parking lots, driveways, tight turns, and neighborhood traffic, which is exactly where power assist feels most important.

The closure itself comes from NHTSA.

The agency closed EA24001 after the software release and recall action, with complaint volumes falling in the aftermath. That is the core fact Tesla owners should care about: the federal engineering analysis ended because the remedy appeared to change the complaint trend.

The docket also preserves the timeline behind the decision. Regulators opened the preliminary evaluation in July 2023, upgraded it to engineering analysis in February 2024, and then evaluated the field data after Tesla pushed the software remedy and filed recall 25V092.

NHTSA did not frame the closure as a permanent guarantee. The agency will keep monitoring remedy effectiveness and can take further action if future circumstances warrant.

Not every Tesla probe is wrapped up either, with separate matters like the FSD low-visibility performance review still open.

What this closure shows is the strength of Tesla’s over-the-air model.

A hardware-adjacent fault got addressed for hundreds of thousands of cars largely through software, without owners lining up at service centers for a part swap they may never have needed.

That is the kind of quiet result that earns trust, and it is exactly what Tesla owners hoped the connected-car promise would deliver.