The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into nearly 1.2 million Tesla vehicles due to problems with the vehicles' suspensions that can result in a loss of control of the vehicle.Tesla Model YTesla Model YIn a recent filing, the agency revealed it has received 156 complaints related to "a suspension failure" in 2018-2020 Tesla Model 3 sedans and 2021-2023 Model Y crossovers. According to the document, the vehicle's front lower lateral link may detach under certain conditions. If this happens, the driver may lose control of the vehicle.AdvertisementAdvertisement"In most cases, there was no advance warning or indication that the suspension failure would occur. Some cases cite noises occurring prior to failure, but note that the vehicle provides no visual warnings. Once the failure occurs, the vehicle may not be drivable, thus requiring a tow," the agency noted.Some Model 3 vehicles have been recalled for a previously problem with lateral link detachments. In 2021, a recall that covered about 2,800 Model 3 vehicles due to a production issue, while a 2023 recall involved 422 Model 3 vehicles that experienced similar failures. The problems are unrelated, NHTSA claims."The subject failures for this investigation exceed the scope of these recalls and do not appear to be related to the production issue that prompted those recalls," federal officials noted.No timeframe has been revealed for the investigation, but if after it's completed the agency has options. Most common are to suggest there is no problem or, conversely, to upgrade the problem to a full recall and require Tesla to initiate a recall to resolve the issue.[Images: Tesla]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
