Tesla Recalls Cybertruck a 10th Time in Less Than 2 Years
Off-Road Light Bar Accessory Could Detach and Increase Risk of Collision
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Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck recalls hit double digits less than two years after the vehicle’s introduction, a problem-plagued run for a model that has failed to catch on with consumers.
The latest recall of 6,197 Cybertrucks is due to a potential issue with the installation of an off-road light bar accessory that could detach and increase the risk of a collision.
Tesla isn’t aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to the condition, according to a filing posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
The recall — the 10th for the Cybertruck — comes just a week after a safety campaign related to overly bright parking lights in 63,619 pickups.
Among the other issues that have generated recalls: steel trim pieces coming loose, faulty inverters and warning lights that showed in too-small a font size.
The angular and unconventional Cybertruck has been a lightning rod since CEO Elon Musk first unveiled a prototype in 2019. But while the pickup has some ardent fans, it has been a sales disappointment. Last quarter, the Cybertruck, Model S and Model X combined to account for just over 3% of Tesla’s global deliveries.
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Tesla shares fell 3.5% as of 10:40 a.m. Oct. 30 in New York. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk has positioned the pickup as sturdy and strong since its introduction. “You want a truck that’s really tough, not fake tough,” he said on stage at a 2019 event in Los Angeles.
But after showing clips of the truck withstanding gunshots, a demonstration of the Cybertruck’s “armored glass” went awry. An executive hurled a metal ball at the driver-side windows and shattered them.
