Electric vehicle maker Tesla is recalling almost every Cybertruck ever built, amid fears some external panels may fall off mid-drive.
The recall, issued this week by the US’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and announced by Tesla on Thursday (local time), applies to 46,096 of the futuristic vehicles.
It includes all 2024 and 2025 Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to February 27, 2025.
And the safety issue is embarrassingly simple.
The recall relates to a pressed steel sheet stuck to an external steel panel with “structural adhesive” – high-strength glue – that is attached to the vehicle with fasteners.
“If the cant rail stainless-steel panel separates from the vehicle while in drive, it could create a road hazard for following motorists and increase their risk of injury or a collision,” the notice warned.
Essentially, the wrong glue has been used.
Tesla said it would fix the fault with an adhesive that is “not prone to environmental embrittlement”.
It’s the eighth recall for the distinctive all-electric vehicle in about two years since it hit the US market.
Other issues have included a fault in an electric inverter that can cause the drive wheels to lose power, accelerator pedals getting stuck in interior trims and issues with windscreen wipers and the display screen.
It’s also the latest issue to hit embattled Tesla, which is chaired by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The company’s market capitalisation has almost halved from an all-time high of $US1.5 trillion on December 17 as its shares have plunged in recent months.
A wave of protests, some violent, have also targeted Tesla vehicles, dealers and plants in the US and overseas. The so-called Tesla Takedown movement is a reaction to Musk’s closeness with US President Donald Trump and his involvement in the new administration.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday that “several” people had been charged over Tesla attacks. Some could face up to five years in prison.
“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences,” she said.
Last month, prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman in connection with attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words “Nazi cars” spray-painted on a building.
In South Carolina last week, federal agents arrested a man they accuse of setting fire to Tesla charging stations. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit that authorities found writings critical of the government and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency in his bedroom and wallet.
Protesters appear to have been undeterred, saying on Wednesday they were planning what they described as their biggest day of action – 500 demonstrations are expected at Tesla showrooms around the world on March 29.
The Cybertruck trim issue first emerged on social media, with Tesla reportedly halting production last week. It said it began to investigate the issue in early January.
Dale Harrow, chair and director of the Intelligent Mobility Design Center at the Royal College of Art London, said the glue recall was “surprising”.
“Glues are used a lot more than people think in car body construction these days,” he told Wired.
“Rather than having a mechanical fixing, weld or a screw or a bolt, it’s very effective gluing panels together for a lighter construction. It’s become very popular. Jaguar, Lexus, Audi, they’ll use glues at some point. So I’m very surprised. It’s not as if it’s an unknown science. I’ve not heard [of problems] anywhere else.”
The Cybertruck sells for $US79,990 ($US126,000), although it is eligible for $7500 in federal tax credits.
Cybertrucks are not yet sold in Australia.
