Thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over trunk, windshield wiper issues
Summary
The electric-vehicle company had two other recalls of the futuristic-looking truck earlier this year.
Tesla is recalling its Cybertruck. Again.
The electric carmaker issued two recalls for more than 11,000 of its futuristic-looking trucks over issues with the trunk and the windshield wiper, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla had two recalls earlier this year.
Tesla told the NHTSA that a trim attached to the trunk bed of certain 2024 Cybertrucks could fall off, creating a road hazard. The motor for the front windshield wiper could fail and reduce visibility on the road, according to Tesla’s report. Tesla reported it wasn’t aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths related to either issue.
The carmaker was set to notify affected owners in the mail in August. Tesla said it would replace the wiper motor free of charge and either apply more adhesive to the trunk part or replace it.
The Cybertruck, Tesla’s newest electric vehicle, hit the market in November. The unusual-looking vehicle isn’t nearly as ubiquitous as other Tesla models but has been driven by some celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the Cybertruck is unlikely to generate significant cash flow before the end of the year. The vehicle has been plagued by several recalls, with drivers sometimes discovering issues with the Cybertruck in real time.
Tesla didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
In April, Tesla delayed Cybertruck deliveries to buyers without saying why. The carmaker later issued a recall for the Cybertruck’s accelerator pedal, which can get trapped and cause the vehicle to accelerate, according to the NHTSA. In January, Tesla issued a recall because the font size of warning lights on the instrument panel was too small, according to the NHTSA.
The Cybertruck is currently available for order on Tesla’s website for delivery next year. The most expensive version listed is about $96,000.
Earlier this month, Tesla recalled certain Model 3, Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles due to seat belt issues. And in February, the company announced a recall affecting nearly all the electric vehicles sold in the U.S.—about 2.2 million vehicles sold between 2012 and 2024—due to the font for some visual warnings being too small.
Separately, Ford Motor said it was recalling more than half a million F-150 pickup trucks from the 2014 model year. The transmission can unexpectedly downshift into first gear no matter how fast the cars are moving, possibly making the driver lose control, according to a filing with the NHTSA. Ford will notify affected owners in the mail and dealers will update the car’s software free of charge.
Ford said Tuesday it expected less than 1% of the recalled vehicles to be affected. In some cases when the transmission downshifts, it could recover but in other cases the car would need to be stopped.
The auto industry overall continues to grapple with a cyberattack that has forced thousands of car dealers across the U.S. to radically change how they sell cars. Many have returned to workarounds such as spreadsheets and pen-and-paper to keep track of sales, repairs and orders after an attack on software provider CDK Global hurt the systems used by car dealers.
