This is one way to put the brakes on Tesla Cybertruck, mere months after the electric pickup finally started shipping, Tesla is being forced to recall each and every one of the 3,878 Cybertrucks delivered so far over a potential safety defect.
The issue, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, involves the truck’s accelerator pedal potentially getting stuck – a problem that could obviously put drivers at serious risk of unintended acceleration and crashes.
Reports of sticky accelerator pedals began trickling in over the past few weeks, with Tesla even reportedly hitting pause on Cybertruck deliveries temporarily while it investigated the root cause. But the company has now officially confirmed to NHTSA that the pedal can indeed become dislodged and jammed against the footwell trim.
Apparently, the culprit was an “unapproved” lubricant used during the pedal assembly process that reduced the friction holding the pedal pad in place. In a statement, Tesla said it first became aware of the issue on March 31 after a customer complaint, followed by a second one on April 3rd.
After some testing, the company determined a recall was necessary and claims it has already started building new Cybertrucks with a redesigned accelerator pedal free of that pesky lubricant. Existing trucks will either get the pedal replaced entirely or have it reworked at service centers.
While hardly an auspicious start for Tesla’s long-awaited pickup, some owners don’t seem too bothered by the sudden recall. “Tesla issued a recall for my Cybertruck’s accelerator pedal. I stopped by our local Tesla service center…and had it fixed in seconds. No appointment required,” wrote one satisfied customer on X.