If there is one car model shrouded with controversy since its inception, it is the Tesla Cybertruck. From its polarizing design, shattered window on launch or the late deliveries, it has always been in the news. It has happened again; this time, it isn't for good reasons. The problem is the windshield wiper of the Cybertruck. Here is what we know about this issue:
The Problem
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put the Cybertruck under scanner after they observed that its windshield wiper motor could fail and reduce visibility, eventually leading to an accident. This problem and some others are found in around 11,688 Cybertrucks. The regulator stated, "Excessive electrical current can cause the front windshield wiper motor controller to fail,"
Another major issue that the company has found is with the trim in the trunk bed of the vehicle, which might not be adequately attached, leading to it becoming loose and causing a significant road hazard for the other drivers on the road.
Tesla will fix the wiper motor for free, install the rear trim correctly and replace the trims for the vehicles whose trims have gone missing. Tesla has claimed that its service team will replace the wiper motor and apply an adhesion promoter and pressure-sensitive tape or replace the missing trim free of charge for affected vehicles.
Previous Issues
This is not the first time Tesla is recalling Cybertrucks. In April, the American EV maker recalled close to 4,000 Cybertrucks to fix an accelerator pedal pad that might become loose and get stuck in the interior trim. These issues add to the fact that the Cybertruck has yet to go into mass production, which is expected to start next year.
The Cybertruck's deliveries started in November 2023 after it was unveiled in November 2019. Tesla has had to undergo a complicated production ramp-up that its CEO Elon Musk has called Tesla digging its own "grave'.
Tesla's Increasing Worries
The Cybertruck is not the only model that has experienced recalls. Reports have suggested Tesla has had 3 recalls affecting around 2.4 million vehicles in the first quarter of this year. 2.2 million vehicles were recalled in the US for faulty font size on warning lights.
Tesla is currently facing the issue of reduced demand for EVs in both the US and European markets, with its sales dropping 13% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024. Its title of the world's most-selling EV company was also taken away by BYD in the last quarter of 2023. Some reports have even suggested that it might lose its EV market majority in the US in the coming times.
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