Tesla Recalls the Cybertruck Again…Twice
On Tuesday, June 25th, Tesla announced its third and fourth recall for the Cybertruck. Recalls are relatively common, especially for new models in their first year of production. But the Cybertruck’s build quality has gained it lots of criticism, and these specific recalls may be due to the more orthodox choices made by the Cybertuck’s designers.
Remember the Cybertruck’s huge single windshield wiper? It was a less-than-normal design choice. And when photos of how much of the windshield it leaves unwiped emerged, the internet had a field day. Well now, Tesla is recalling over 11,000 trucks because this four-foot-long wiper’s motor has been failing. The recall impacts 70% of all Cybertrucks produced. But Tesla doesn’t need to recall unsold Cybertrucks, so it may affect closer to 100% of Cybertrucks sold.
Sam Abuelsamid is an analyst at Guidehouse Insights. He said, “Failures of the wiper motor shouldn’t come as a surprise.” He added, “This is the largest individual wiper ever used on a light duty vehicle with a 4-foot-long (1.22 meter) blade. That exceptional long lever arm puts a lot of stress on the motor and there have been a lot of anecdotal reports popping up since early in production of failures.”
Abuelsamid also said the Cybertruck’s build quality is “quite poor.”
The truck’s build quality has been the subject of many social media reports. These are mostly anecdotes with truck owners posting photos of poorly spaced body panels or misshapen trim pieces. We got more concrete evidence of poor build quality when Tesla announced its second Cybertruck recall. It recalled almost 4,000 of its early Cybertrucks over the accelerator pedal falling apart and getting stuck at full throttle. This was obviously a very dangerous issue, so the automaker didn’t mess about.
Now, for Tesla’s fourth Cybertruck recall, it is promising to fix 11,383 vehicles with trim pieces at risk of flying off and striking other cars. The trim pieces in question are the “trunk bed trim sail applique” at the back of the truck. The fix is essentially correcting for improper installation or adhesive.
Tesla made a unique choice when it shaped the Cybertruck out of a single stainless steel “exoskeleton.” This meant it needed to attach other bits, such as plastic trim pieces, to that stainless steel, instead of being able to fit them between panels. This may be one of the many reasons it is struggling with build quality.
Again, many new models have recalls. So here’s to hoping Tesla sorts out any dangerous glitches with its Cybertruck before ramping up production.
Next, find out why Tesla refused to recall autopilot cars killing first responders, or learn more about the latest Cybertruck recalls in the video below: