US Probes Tesla Autopilot, Steering Wheels That Can Come Off

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are turning up the heat on Tesla.

They have announced investigations into steering wheels coming off some SUVs and a fatal crash involving a Tesla suspected of using an automated driving system when it hit a parked firetruck.

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

The probe is part of a larger investigation by the agency into multiple instances of Teslas using the automaker’s Autopilot system crashing into parked emergency vehicles that are tending to other crashes.

Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from Texas-based Tesla.