2018 Tesla Model S Steering Problems

Steering the vehicle is extremely difficult leading to major safety concerns. When making turns, right or left, where the steering wheel travels greater than 90 degrees, the steering wheel becomes hard to push past that 90 degree mark (I am 6' 200lb man). Once past 90 degrees, the wheel will stay at that turning angles without correcting to straight. A few times I have had to "muscle" the steering wheel quickly back the opposite direction to keep from running into parked cars on the right side on a right turn. I appears the lower steering column U-joint has rusted and is binding every 90 degrees making steering unpredictable, dangerous and difficult altogether.

On 9/27/2025 while driving my Tesla Model S, I received the error EPAS_w001 – “Steering assist reduced”. Immediately afterward, the steering became extremely heavy and nearly impossible to control, even at low speeds.

Received and error message, Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable and steering assist reduced simultaneously while driving between 65-75 mph. Steering will required extreme effort to turn. I was about 5 minutes from home exited the highway and took the backroads. Steering did require extreme effort. The following morning, car worked fine.

My vehicle did an update and after update I have received an error message “steering assist reduced”. I am unable to drive my vehicle and the wheel feels locked. I have reached out to Tesla and their soonest appt is over a week from now to even look at it.

My vehicle suddenly displayed an alert saying, “steering assist reduced” and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. I became very concerned about my safety and the safety of other drivers, so I took the car to Tesla for service. It is currently being repaired.

Maryland State Police Report [XXX] says: On [XXX], [XXX] was driving his 2018 Tesla Model S in Maryland on what is known in the DMV as the important highway, "The Beltway". According to Police Report [XXX], "Unit 1 was traveling southbound in Lane 1 on [XXX]. The Autopilot feature on the Tesla was engaged. The Autopilot malfunctioned causing the Tesla to lose control and leave the highway on the Left Side. The Driver was Transported by ambulance to the hospital ...." "Equipment Failure, Ran Off Road Left" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

HERE IS A 2018 TERDSLA MODEL S IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39010278?ROWNUMBER=13 THE FRONT WHEEL HAS NOT JUST GONE WHOMPY IT HAS SNAPPED OFF ENTIRELY. THIS IS NOT THE RESULT OF CRASH DAMAGE. THERE IS HARDLY A MARK ON THE CAR AND NO AIR-BAGS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED. THE STEERING ARM HAS SNAPPED OFF. THE STEERING KNUCKLE HAS CRACKED IN HALF. THIS IS A CASTING FAILURE. BAD DESIGN BAD MANUFACTURE AND BAD QUALITY CONTROL. WHY NO RECALL FOR THESE DEADLY DEFECTIVE TENT BUILT CLOWN CARS? YOURS IN TOTAL DISGUST. KEEF

I HAD A 2018 TESLA S. I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON US 395 IN LANE 2 OF A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY AT 0030 ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF LONE PINE, CA. IT WAS PITCH BLACK OUT. I WAS THE DRIVER OF A TESLA S IN SEMIAUTONOMOUS DRIVER-ASSIST MODE. THE ROAD WAS GOING UP HILL AND I CLICKED MY TURN SIGNAL TO PASS A SEMI TRAILER AND MY CAR WENT INTO THE LEFT LANE AND PASSED THE TRUCK. AFTER GOING A SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK AND STARTING DOWN HILL AND I CLICKED MY TURN SIGNAL TO RETURN TO THE RIGHT LANE. THE CAR WENT INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND CONTINUED ONTO THE RIGHT LANE BUT CONTINUED ABRUPTLY ONTO THE SHOULDER. IT FELT LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL TURN TO THE RIGHT AND WE WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO A DITCH 15-20 FEET BELOW. MY HANDS WERE ON THE STEERING WEAL, A FACT I CAN PROVE BECAUSE I SUFFERED A FRACTURE OF THE THIRD METACARPAL HEAD OF MY LEFT HAND, A FRACTURE AN ORTHOPEDIST CALLED AN "AIRBAG FRACTURE". ALSO THERE WAS BUSING OF MY DISTAL DIGITS OF THE FINGERS OF MY LEFT HAND. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. MY WIFE WHO WAS SLEEPING AT THE TIME WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT TRAUMA FROM HER SEAT BELT, A FRACTURE OF THE LATERAL SPINE OF C-7, BILATERAL FIRST RIB FRACTURES, STERNUM FRACTURE AND A T-12 BLOWOUT FRACTURE. I HAVE COPIES OF MY X-RAY OF MY HAND FRACTURE AND A PICTURE OF THE ECHYMOSIS OF MY FINGERS. I REPORTED THE ACCIDENT TO TESLA WITH THE DATE AND TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME AFTER INVESTIGATING, BUT THEY HAVEN'T.