‘Increasingly politicised’ Tesla forced to recall most Cybertrucks

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company issues its eighth recall notice on its Cybertruck – this time due to the potential for an exterior panel to fall off.

Tesla is recalling more than 46,000 Cybertrucks over the potential for an exterior panel to fall off.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a cosmetic applique along the exterior of the vehicles, known as the cant rail, can delaminate and detach from the vehicle, which the agency said could create a road hazard for motorists.

The cant rail is a long piece of metal trim over the left and right side windows.

The NHTSA said the recall population includes 46,096 model year 2024 and 2025 Cybertrucks made from November 13, 2023, to February 27, 2025.

That is the majority of all Cybertrucks, which Tesla first released in November 2023.

The flaw involves glue that can become brittle in certain environments, the recall said.

Fixing it requires Tesla to use a different adhesive and reinforce the rail with a stud welded to the stainless panel and a nut clamping the panel to the vehicle structure.

There should be no cost to consumers because all affected vehicles remain covered under the new vehicle warranty, according to the recall.

The agency said that Tesla isn’t aware of any collisions, fatalities or injuries related to the issue, and that the electric vehicle maker will replace the cant rail assemblies free of charge.

This is the eighth recall issued on the Cybertruck, an angular, stainless-steel, electric pick-up truck, which is priced between $79,900 and $99,990.

The company has also issued recalls for parts including the accelerator pedal, which could become loose and trap the pedal, and its drive inverter, which could lose power and put drivers at risk of a crash.

It was able to address some of its recalls with over-the-air updates to its software.

US President Donald Trump spruiks the Cybertruck with Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the White House on March 11. Picture: AFP

Tesla’s stock has slumped 38 per cent since the start of the year to $234.90 in midday trading, amid weaker sales and a delivery runway that requires 1.8 million new vehicles this year to keep sales flat with last year.

Analysts at Oppenheimer have expressed concern about the Tesla brand becoming “increasingly politicised” and said it needed to show it could both attract conservative-leaning customers, and progress on its autonomy and AI initiatives.

Cybertrucks and other EVs made by Tesla have come under increased public scrutiny in recent months as chief executive Elon Musk became a powerful senior adviser to President Trump.

Investigators examine the scene at a Tesla Collision Centre after an individual used incendiary devices to set several vehicles on fire on March 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Several high-profile incidents of vandalism and violence this year – including a Colorado woman throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles at a Tesla dealership and burning of Cybertrucks and EVs in Seattle and Las Vegas – prompted Attorney General Pam Bondi to declare a Justice Department crackdown on what she views as politically motivated violence and a form of protest against Musk.

Wall Street Journal