Tesla Cybertruck faces its first recall

An official document from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the recall affects all Cybertrucks manufactured between 13 November and 4 April and that 3,878 units are involved. This is the first-ever indication of the Cybertruck’s production output. Tesla itself had not previously made anything public about this. According to the latest annual report, more than 125,000 Cybertrucks could theoretically be built in Texas each year. In reality, Tesla is miles away from such a figure.

According to Tesla, the first Cybertruck rolled off the production line in July 2023, although it remained unclear at the time whether it was already destined for customers. Tesla made its first deliveries of the model at the beginning of December 2023. The NHTSA states that the reason for the recall that has now been initiated is that a jammed accelerator pedal could cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally. The reason for this is the cover of the accelerator pedal, which could come loose and get caught in the interior panelling above the pedal.

As early as the middle of the month, media reports stated that production of the Cybertruck at Tesla’s factory in Texas would be curtailed. Shortly afterwards, deliveries of the Cybertruck had also been stopped for a week, as was reported in mid-April. The reason given at that time was the loose cover of the accelerator pedal. The NHTSA states that Tesla will now replace the pedal assembly free of charge and the owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted personally.

Tesla publicised technical data, prices and delivery information for the Cybertruck at the beginning of December 2023, but remained vague in several places. The start of production in July was already cryptic: Tesla only published a photo of employees gathered around a Cybertruck (and almost completely covering it). The only statement was the comment: “First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas!” As mentioned at the beginning, Tesla left the interpretation of whether this was the first production vehicle to others.

The previous history is likely to play a role here: Tesla had to postpone the start of production three times: First from late 2021 to late 2022, then to early 2023 and most recently to “early production” from mid-2023. According to an earlier report by Reuters, battery cell logistics was one of the causes of these delays.

reuters.com, theverge.com, static.nhtsa.gov (PDF)