July 31 (Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration said on Friday it has opened a preliminary

investigation into about 1.2 million Tesla vehicles

over reports of suspension failures that could cause a loss of

steering control.

The regulator said its Office of Defects Investigation has

received 156 complaints alleging the front lower lateral link

detached in certain 2018-2020 Model 3 and 2021-2023 Model Y

vehicles.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for

comment.

Most complaints indicated there was no advance warning

before the failure, though some owners reported noises

beforehand, and vehicles often had to be towed after the

suspension detached, NHTSA said.

Reported failures extend beyond the scope of two previous

Tesla recalls for lateral link detachments and do not appear to

be related to the production issue addressed in those recalls,

the regulator added. The preliminary evaluation will examine the

underlying cause, scope and severity of the potential defect.