Tesla announced a voluntary recall of nearly all 4,000 Cybertrucks produced between November 15 and April 4 due to faulty accelerator pedals that can dislodge, stick, and unintentionally accelerate, increasing the risk of a crash.
"On affected vehicles, when high force is applied to the pad on the accelerator pedal, the pad may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal," Tesla wrote in the recall report submitted to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Tesla explained that the accelerator pedal defect was caused by "an unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap) to aid in the component assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal. Residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal."
Here's more from the safety recall report:
The report also revealed that Tesla assembled 3,878 Cybetrucks in the five-month span—this is also the same number of stainless steel-clad trucks delivered to customers since the November 30 launch.
On TikTok, user el.chepito1985, a Cybertruck owner, described a situation where his pedal cover detached, forcing him to use the brakes, which cut power to the accelerator and allowed him to stop fully.
@el.chepito1985 serious problem with my Cybertruck and potential all Cybertrucks #tesla #cyberbeast #cybertruck #stopsale #recall ♬ original sound - el.chepito
As of Wednesday, Business Insider reported that Cybertruck vehicles in production were being equipped with "proper accelerator pedal parts.
Elon Musk recently noted Cybertruck's low production rates and said a 12 to 18-month ramp-up period will be needed. He also indicated that an annualized production rate of 250,000 could be realized sometime in 2025.
Earlier this month, Tesla also reported disappointing first-quarter vehicle deliveries, totaling around 386,810, missing the average analyst estimates calculated by Bloomberg of 449,000.
Shares of Tesla have been sliding downward year-to-date, down 40%, as the EV bubble unwinds.
The New York Post quoted one Cybertruck owner as saying, "Tesla really rushed these trucks out, what a nightmare."