It's increasingly common for conventional cars to have electric power steering, because it definitely has advantages over mechanically-pumped systems—both maintenance and efficiency. GM tried this several years ago with poor results, but the systems providers (Bosch etc.) have made great strides; I expect almost all new models will have it soon.

Same failure mode, though.

No. It's being fixed as if every car off the line had been shipped with a defective serpentine belt from day zero. I have no bone to pick with Tesla but let's not confuse normal wear and tear with sloppy engineering.