Stephen Leonardi
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Tesla has announced a recall for almost every Cybertruck it shipped to customers owing to a defect that caused the vehicle’s accelerator pedal to become stuck.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday, the flaw can cause the pedal pad to dislodge and become caught in the car’s interior trim when “strong force” is used.
The defect was triggered by an “unapproved alteration” that injected “lubricant (soap)” during the assembly of the accelerator pedals, reducing pad retention, according to the recall notification. If the accelerator pedal becomes stuck, the truck’s brakes will still operate, although this is certainly not the best solution.
The recall applies to “all Model Year (‘MY’) 2024 Cybertruck vehicles built from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024,” with the defect predicted to be prevalent in all 3,878 cars. This is nearly every Cybertruck delivered to clients since its inception last year.
A recall appeared to be unavoidable when Cybertruck buyers were warned earlier this week that their orders were being postponed, with at least one customer being advised by their car dealership that the truck was being recalled due to its accelerator pedal. Other Cybertruck owners noted the problem on TikTok, demonstrating how the glitch “kept the accelerator down 100 percent, full speed.”
According to the NHTSA document, Tesla was originally alerted of the problematic accelerator pedals on March 31st, with a second complaint sent on April 3rd.
On April 12th, the corporation undertook internal studies to determine what caused it before issuing a voluntary recall. As of Monday this week, Tesla stated it was not aware of any “collisions, injuries, or deaths” caused by the pedal defect.
Tesla will notify its retail locations and repair facilities of the issue “on or around” April 19th and has committed to either repairing or fixing the pedals on recalled cars at no cost to Cybertruck owners. Every truck built after April 17th will also have a new accelerator pedal component and part number.
This is the latest of Tesla’s several recalls involving the Cybertruck, but it is the most serious. The business filed a recall for 2 million Tesla vehicles in the United States in February because the font on the warning light panel was too tiny to meet safety regulations, which was remedied with an update to the software.
Tesla enthusiasts have previously objected to the term “recall,” citing the company’s ability to repair faults with over-the-air software upgrades. However, they will most likely acknowledge that the word is applicable in this circumstance.
