US auto safety regulator probes 1.2 million Tesla vehicles over suspension failure risks

NHTSA said most complaints indicated there was no advance warning before the failure, though some owners reported noises beforehand.

The agency said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities related to the reported defect.

NHTSA is currently conducting a preliminary evaluation, the first stage of its defect investigation process, which could lead to a recall if the agency finds a safety-related defect.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Tesla has previously recalled vehicles over lower lateral link detachments. A 2021 recall that covered about 2,800 Model 3 vehicles was due to a production issue, while a 2023 recall involved 422 Model 3 vehicles that experienced similar failures.

NHTSA said the reported failures in the new investigation extend beyond the scope of those recalls and do not appear to be related to the production issue that prompted them. The preliminary evaluation will examine the underlying cause, scope and severity of the potential defect.

Reuters reported in 2023 that Tesla had internally tracked chronic failures of suspension and steering components for years, even as it frequently blamed the damage on driver abuse in communications with customers and U.S. regulators.

Tesla, ranked seventh by recall volume in the second quarter, issued three recalls affecting about 234,000 vehicles, according to recall management firm BizzyCar.