Man claims Tesla steering wheel fell off while driving just one week after it was delivered

A shocked Tesla driver claims the steering wheel fell off just one week after the vehicle was delivered.

While Teslas do come with a 'driverless' feature, which allows the car to take over the controls, we're pretty sure the steering wheel coming clean off isn't how it is supposed to work.

A New Jersey man shared photos and videos on social media and tagged Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the process to ask why his brand new car had such a major and dangerous defect.

@elonmusk @TeslaOwnersWW @BLKMDL3 Family was excited to receive Tesla Y delivery on 1/24/2023. Was driving on highway and all the sudden steering wheel fall off, was lucky enough there was no car behind and I was able to pull on devider #SafetyFirst #Fixit #TeslaModelY #help pic.twitter.com/4UMokFA2cv

— Prerak (@preneh24) January 30, 2023

@elonmusk Am I responsible for manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel. Isn’t it company’s responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back. pic.twitter.com/7ZsO4ZiXNu

— Prerak (@preneh24) January 30, 2023

In his Twitter post, Prerak revealed he had only driven his brand new car for a week before the incident.

"I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden the steering wheel fell off. I was lucky enough there was no car behind and I was able to pull on the divider," he wrote.

But, as well as the utter shock of driving along a highway to have your steering wheel detach in your hands, Tesla then attempted to charge the man USD$103.96 to fix the issue.

Prerak took to Twitter again to tweet the social media CEO to ask why he was being billed for a manufacturer's fault.

"Am I responsible for the manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting a bill for faulty steering wheel. Isn’t it the company's responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate a refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back," he wrote online.

Imagine paying over 54k for a car just for the steering wheel to fall off mid-drive. https://t.co/ntjPk7FqJG pic.twitter.com/F1yYvx8SqC

— Teresa Salazar García-Rosales (@tsalazargr) January 31, 2023

I’m not an engineer but “steering wheel does not fall off” has gotta be in like the top five boxes to check off right https://t.co/ffBOmHKP9e

— Miss Gender (@girldrawsghosts) January 30, 2023

According to Perak's thread, Tesla waived the fee shortly after.

Social media users were quick to respond to the astonishing tale.

One Twitter user said: "Imagine paying over USD$54,000 for a car just for the steering wheel to fall off mid-drive."

Another added: "I’m not an engineer but 'steering wheel does not fall off' has gotta be in like the top five boxes to check off, right?

You would think so. But, alas, this isn't the first time this has happened.

According to Drive, a Tesla Model 3 owner only had 340 miles on the odometer of his new car when his steering wheel fell off in 2020.

@elonmusk Steering wheel fell of today! Concerned that the rest of the car will fall to bits too! Can this be looked into as to why it’s happened to a car just over 1 month old! #TeslaServiceIssues pic.twitter.com/w103imxnbA

— Jason T (@JasonTuatara) April 26, 2020

Tesla collected the car and returned it the following day with the steering wheel properly attached.

It turned out the Tesla Model 3 had been missing a bolt that fixes the steering wheel to the steering column.

You know, just that tiny, crucial detail.

No biggie.

Tesla has been approached for comment.