Many mocked the Tesla Cybertrucks with wide, amateurish panel gaps, corrosion, and an ergonomic cheese grater-like design. However, its worst issue has recalled roughly 4,000 automobiles.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Association recalled 3,878 Tesla Cybertrucks made between November 13 and April 4. The accelerator pedal is problematic. Its pad can come off, trapping the pedal in the trim above it. Naturally, this is horrible.
In its recall notice, the NHTSA stated, “If the pad on the accelerator pedal becomes trapped in the interior trim above the pedal, the performance and operation of the pedal will be affected, which may increase the risk of a collision.
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Tesla Cybertrucks accelerator pad safety concerns
It confirms a social media incident from earlier this week. A TikTok video from a Tesla Cybertruck owner appears to demonstrate this issue. “As I’m driving, this slid up,” the poster said, removing his accelerator pad. “This sliding up and still hooked onto the pedal held the accelerator down 100%.”
According to the NHTSA, cybertruck owners are saved by the brake overriding the accelerator. However, when a nearly 7,000-pound electric car suddenly accelerates, not all drivers are calm enough to act.
Tesla developed its first Cybertruck in July 2023. The NHTSA claims the business added soap to the assembly line before mass production. The goal was to make attaching the accelerator pad to the pedal easier.
Unfortunately, it made the pad more straightforward to remove. “Residual lubricant reduced pad-pedal retention,” the NHTSA recall notification states.
The NHTSA says a Tesla Cybertruck customer reported the issue on March 31. Tesla engineers confirmed two days later that the accelerator was fully engaged and that the brake pedal stopped the Cybertruck using the impacted vehicle’s data logs. On April 3, another customer notice arrived. Tesla acquired photographs of the initial event and conducted its tests within a week. It ordered a voluntary recall on April 12.
Tesla Cybertruck owners are Required to Visit Service Centers.
The timetable matches rumours that Tesla halted Cybertruck deliveries earlier this week. Musk’s late Wednesday tweet on X appeared to confirm the situation. He wrote, “There were no injuries or accidents because of this.” “We are very cautious,” Telsa said nothing.
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The incident is another setback for Cybertruck and Tesla. The company’s stock has plummeted this year as competition from China heats up and plans for a cheaper electric vehicle are ditched to favour robotaxis.
In December, the business recalled virtually all of its vehicles to repair a bug in its Autopilot software, which it fixed over the phone. The business has been distracted by a shareholder dispute over Musk’s pay and X’s struggles.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla introduced a new accelerator pedal component by April 17, and Tesla Cybertruck deliveries resumed. Since there is no software patch for soap, Tesla cybertruck owners must bring their vehicles to service centres for free repair.