The Tesla Cybertruck was unveiled at Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne, California on November 21, 2019.
Tesla recently issued two additional recalls for its Cybertruck pickup trucks in the United States, as the automaker continues to grapple with issues with its new electric vehicle, nearly six months after it began delivering them.
The third and fourth Cybertruck recalls involve physical repairs that typically require scheduling a service appointment at a Tesla Center. One recall is for issues with the molding, which can become loose and fall off the trunk, while the other focuses on faulty motor controllers in the front windshield wipers.
According to a recall report posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website on June 19, if a piece of trim separates from the vehicle while driving, it could pose a hazard to following drivers and increase the risk of injury or collision. Tesla plans to replace or rework the trim to ensure sufficient adhesion, the report states.
A second safety recall report on the NHTSA website explains that in some vehicles, the front windshield wiper motor controller may stop working due to an electrical overload in the gate driver component. A non-functioning wiper can reduce visibility in certain conditions, potentially increasing the risk of a collision. Tesla plans to replace the motor controller in the Cybertruck windshield wipers for affected customers.
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding these recalls.
Four years after CEO Elon Musk initially unveiled the Cybertruck and two years after it went into production, the vehicle was launched in limited deliveries in November at an event in Austin, Texas, USA.
Musk has described the Cybertruck as “a better truck than a truck, but also a better sports car than a sports car, all in the same package.” He often touts the truck as a vehicle that embodies the future.
A previous Cybertruck recall involved an issue with the accelerator pedal, where the pedal could become loose and catch on the vehicle’s interior trim, causing unintended acceleration. The issue gained attention via a viral TikTok video created by a Cybertruck owner.
The recall information related to the windshield wiper issue indicates that between November 13, 2023, and June 6, 2024, there were 11,688 Cybertrucks in the vehicle population. Those numbers suggest a relatively slow start for the Cybertruck, Tesla’s first entry into the U.S. pickup market, where it faces competition from vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T.
In Tesla’s first-quarter shareholder update, the company said its Cybertruck production capacity exceeds 125,000 per year. At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk revealed that the company hit a record 1,300 Cybertruck shipments in a week.
Aside from the Cybertruck woes, Tesla has faced challenges in the first half of the year. Its stock price has fallen 25% year-to-date and sales have declined due to an outdated product lineup, increased competition in China and a declining brand image, partly attributed to Musk’s “antics” and “political rants,” according to a recent survey. Tesla is undergoing a significant restructuring, including a workforce reduction of at least 14%.
