US probes Tesla Autopilot, steering wheels that can come off

FILE - A Tesla Model Y Long Range is displayed on Feb. 24, 2021, at the Tesla Gallery in Troy, Mich. U.S. auto safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla’s Model Y SUV after getting two complaints that the steering wheels can come off while being driven. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the probe covers an estimated 120,000 vehicles from the 2023 model year. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

DETROIT: US safety regulators are turning up the heat on Tesla, announcing investigations into steering wheels coming off some SUVs and a fatal crash involving a Tesla suspected of using an automated driving system when it ran into a parked firetruck in California.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on March 8 it is launching a special crash-investigation team to probe the Feb 18 crash involving a Tesla Model S and a ladder truck from the Contra Costa County fire department.