Tesla has issued a recall for every Cybertruck sold since its introduction in November 2023 due to an issue that may cause the vehicle’s accelerator pedal to get stuck when pressed down, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Thursday.
The company said it issued the recall after it received two complaints, one on March 31, one on April 3.
After reviewing the complaints and analyzing the data from the two trucks’ black boxes, Tesla determined that the rubber-lined metal pad of the Cybertrucks’ accelerator pedals had dislodged, causing them to become stuck in a nook of the car’s interior trim.
The company explained that a jammed accelerator pedal does not affect the performance of the brakes, which cut drive torque and “bring the vehicle to a stop as quickly as if the accelerator pedal was not pressed.”
One of the complainants posted a video on social media demonstrating how the pedal cover had dislodged, stuck behind the car’s interior trim, and “held the accelerator down 100 percent, full throttle.”
The man confirmed that the brakes worked as normal, but the vehicle sped up again as soon as he released the brakes.
Considering the Cybertruck’s weight and power—with the top model capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds—the risks associated with a jammed accelerator pedal are considerable.
Tesla said it will replace or repair the pedal free of charge, and all affected vehicles remain covered under the new vehicle warranty.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed in June 2024.
The company cited as the reason for the malfunction an “unapproved change” in the assembly process, where soap was used as a lubricant to facilitate mounting the pedal cover. Residual soap may then cause the pedal cover to slide forward “when high force is applied,” according to the NHTSA’s safety recall report.
The report further stated that, as of April 17, all Cybertruck vehicles in production will be equipped with a new type of accelerator pedal; all trucks currently in transit or sitting at delivery centers will receive new pedals prior to delivery to customers.
The recall is likely to put another dent in the vehicle’s reputation after users reported orange rust spots and tiny corrosion craters appearing on the Cybertruck’s bodywork—a flaw customers will find it hard to demand damages over, as the truck’s documentation expressly warns users against this.
“To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.),” the Cybertruck’s manual reads. “Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash.”
The accelerator pedal constitutes the second recall for Tesla this year, after the NHTSA announced on Jan. 30 the “recall” of no less than 2,200,000 Tesla vehicles, including Model S, Model 3, Cybertruck, and others, over small font sizes on the vehicle’s instrument panel.
“Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash,” the NHTSA report read.
Fortunately for the company, the issue was easily remedied via a simple software update.
