I was driving over an overpass on to the free way. It was about 11am. The steering wheel locked in a turning position, driving the car off the overpass. I was able to yank the wheel and get it back straight. The auto pilot was not on, the cruise control was not on. I drove it straight to the service center, i though i should call so i put the car in curise control to pull out my phone but decided against it and turned it off at 11:15. Now the service center says they can not duplicate it they are telling me nothing is wrong. This has never happened before. I have never had any issues with my car.
2022 Tesla Model 3: steering wheel locks up
5 of the 774 complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model 3 describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 2 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
- 20252
- 20243
- 20238
- 20225
- 20212
- 20203
- 20194
What owners say
The car's steering wheel locked unexpectedly, rendering the vehicle undrivable. Additionally, multiple alerts appeared, indicating that the car's hold feature, traction control, and steering assist were reduced. This issue occurred while the car was parked but still running. When I shifted into drive, the car unintentionally rolled backward, forcing me to press the brake pedal to prevent a collision. If this had happened while driving, it could have resulted in a serious accident.
The steering wheel locked up while I was driving. I was driving on a country road and the road didn't have any painted lane stripes and the car got a lane departure warning and the steering wheel pull me hard to the left, I almost got out of the road and on the way of a incoming vehicle, I break and pulled hard to the right and managed to pull to the side. When I got into a complete stop I checked all the settings, I turned off the late departure Assistant and the steering wheel was still locked. There is no on or off button on the car so I walked away from the car, the car locked and unlocked to get back in and the steering wheel was back to normal. It was very scary, lucky I was driving slowly and I wasn't around heavy traffic.
This car has demonstrated repeated incidents of moving/driving backwards when it is set in Drive/Forward via the steering wheel control. This was first reported to Tesla in December of 22. Their service center responded that they could not identify a cause or propose a repair. They commented that it was an engineering and/or software problem. I provided them with multiple date/time stamps. videos of the car performing this way. In the interim the car has demonstrated ghost braking at high speed on an empty freeway. A complaint regarding this concern was provided to NTSA and I have not had a response. The car has subsequently repeatedly moved backward when in Drive. I also have videos of these occurrences. I returned the car to the service center for these behaviors and was told that there was nothing that could be done. The service center said that I "canceled" my request for servicing, and noted that in the Tesla service files. I did not cancel my appointment. They refused to examine and service the car. We recently experienced the car steering wheel locking and inableing the wheel to be turned right, during a 3 point parking exit. I took the car in and was told that the problem was a "firmware" update problem. The problem of driving in reverse when the car is placed in Drive has repeated itself in the past 3 weeks, and I again have videos of this occurrence. This in particular is a dangerous action as it can result in a collision or injury to persons. It is a servo-motor and control problem.
The contact stated that while renting a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel suddenly turned left while accelerating. The contact attempted to gain control however the steering wheel seized. The vehicle ended up crashing in the middle of the highway on the left side of the vehicle and front-end mostly. The air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed however it had not been determined if the vehicle was totaled as of yet. The display of the front left safety restraint system fault message was displayed on the main control display. The contact received injuries to their arms, knees, neck, shoulder, and back. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: automated/adaptive steering
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation. The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution. In addition, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver's adjustment of the vehicle's speed to exceed posted speed limits.
- Risk
- FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.
Recall number 23V085000 · Recall details
Steering: automated/adaptive steering
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.
- Risk
- Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that disables the "rolling stop" functionality, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.
Recall number 22V037000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2022 Tesla Model 3 steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
5 of 774 owner complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model 3 (1%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2023.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
There are 2 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2022 Tesla Model 3
Adaptive cruise 338Phantom braking 226Collision warning 37Lane assist 16Headlights 12Sudden acceleration 12Jerking 8Grinding brakes 7Ball joint 6Power steering loss 6Backup camera 5Seat belt 5Wipers 5
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