Tesla in crosshairs after NHTSA opens investigation into 115K vehicles

2015-2017 Model S and 2016-2017 Model X vehicles are affected

Tesla is under the spotlight after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was opening an investigation into 115,000 vehicles from the electric automaker over safety issues.

First reported by Reuters, the U.S. agency is looking into the 2015-2017 Model S and 2016-2017 Model X vehicles after it received 43 complaints of issues with the left and right front suspension fore links.

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"The front suspension fore links may fail at the knuckle ball joint ring, which may result in contact between the tire and wheel liner," the NHTSA wrote in its investigation.

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Of the 43 complaints, 32 have happened during "low-speed parking maneuvers" and 11 have happened while driving, including four at "highway speeds."

"The complaints appear to indicate an increasing trend, with 34 complaints received in the last two years and three of the incidents at highway speeds reported within the last three months," NHTSA added in its report while also identifying eight other complaints that may potentially be linked to front fore link failure.

NHTSA noted that Tesla issued a service bulletin on Feb. 10, 2017.

Tesla has not yet responded to a request for comment from FOX Business.

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Shares of Tesla were higher by 0.6% to $577.50 in early Friday trade and have been rallying ahead of the company's inclusion in the S&P 500 set for December.

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The news comes just a few days after Tesla recalled 9,500 Model X and Model Y vehicles over faulty car parts.

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FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this story.