The probe covers an estimated 280,000 vehicles. Five drivers alleged in complaints they couldn't steer the vehicles at all. Seven more cited a loss of power steering that required increased steering effort.
There was one report of a crash but no complaints of any injuries.
The agency says in a document posted Tuesday on its website that loss of steering control can be accompanied by messages to drivers indicating that the power steering assist has been reduced or disabled.
The document says investigators will look into how often the problem happens, manufacturing processes and the severity of the problem.
The probe is at least the sixth started by the agency into Tesla vehicles in the past three years. Investigators are looking into Teslas that can crash into parked emergency vehicles while running on the Autopilot partially automated driving system, emergency braking for no reason, suspension failures, steering wheels that can fall off, and front seat belts that may not be connected properly.
Messages were left Tuesday seeking comment from Tesla.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
