The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching an investigation into over 280,000 new Tesla models due to issues with losing control of the steering, Reuters reports.

The investigation will cover 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation into the issue after receiving 12 complaints from vehicle owners.

One of the complaints claimed that the steering felt stuck and caused them to slide off the road and crash into a tree. 

Another driver experienced their steering wheel jerking itself abruptly to the right and making a thud as a “Steering Assist Reduced” warning was displayed along with an error code.

“Tesla has moved my service visit from May 2 to May 25 due to a backlog of parts,” the driver stated. “They confirmed this is a recently known issue and noted the steering rack might be replaced entirely.”

This preliminary evaluation will be the first step in a formal investigation to determine the safety risk of these vehicles. In order for a recall to take place, the NHTSA would have to begin an engineering analysis after this.