Tesla Defect Probe Escalates After Nearly 2,400 Steering Complaints

The upgrade means the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation determined more testing was warranted, and is a step toward a possible recall.

Photographer: Angel Navarrete/Bloomberg
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US authorities upgraded an investigation into a possible defect involving Tesla Inc.’s top-selling models after identifying almost 2,400 complaints about drivers losing steering control.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration escalated its preliminary evaluation of the issue — started in July of last year — to an engineering analysis, according to a notice posted on its website Friday. The upgrade means the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation determined more testing was warranted, and is a step toward a possible recall.