The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla following reports of steering wheels falling off while on the road. The agency said it's aware of two reports of the wheel completely detaching from the steering column in the Model Y vehicles. It added that the vehicles were delivered to their owners without the retaining bolt that keeps the steering wheel attached.
In both cases, only friction was keeping the wheel in place until the force exerted on it "overcame the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion," the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation said (PDF). The vehicles each had low mileage.