In other cars, we’d also press the airbag cover to engage the hooter, and while this isn’t the case on the Tesla yoke, which has a hooter button, the automaker’s airbag supplier – TRW Steering Wheel Systems, a subsidiary of ZF – likely has a standardized template to ease manufacturing.
The standard steering wheel, which sold out as a replacement option for the yoke in record time, has a different airbag housing, and the Tesla Worm doesn’t seem to be as prevalent on these.
While such creases are no longer commonplace to be so visible, it’s not uncommon to see them in other brands too. It’s particularly common on older cars in which airbag technology was new, and owners of older Porsche 911s have claimed it to be pretty common after a few years in the sun causing the material on the airbag cover to soften, revealing the crease.
So while it may be unsightly to some, the Tesla Worm is hardly a manufacturing defect, quality issue, or concern. And it’s certainly not as gross as it might seem.