Tesla initiates sixth Cybertruck recall in a year
New Tesla Cybertruck vehicles parked at a logistics drop zone in Seattle on Aug. 22, 2024.
M. Scott Brauer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Tesla is recalling 2,431 Cybertrucks to replace defective drive inverters, according to notices made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday.
It’s the sixth recall of the Cybertruck since the angular steel pickup went on sale about a year ago. The Cybertruck sells in the U.S. for a base price of around $80,000.
Tesla addressed the previous Cybertruck recall with an over-the-air software update to fix an issue that caused images from the truck’s backup cameras to not display correctly after the driver shifted into reverse. The latest Cybertruck recall requires the replacement of a part called a drive inverter, which provides power to the wheels of the vehicle.
“If the inverter stops producing torque, the driver loses the ability to apply torque to the vehicle using the accelerator pedal resulting in a loss of propulsion, which may increase the risk of a collision,” Tesla wrote in a statement.
The Cybertruck became the third-best-selling fully electric vehicle in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2024, behind Telsa’s Model Y and Model 3 EVs.
Tesla is currently facing four known NHTSA investigations looking into possible safety defects in its vehicles. The most serious investigation concerns whether the company’s premium driver assistance system, marketed as “Full Self-Driving Supervised,” is safe to use in reduced visibility conditions such as glaring sunlight and fog.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clashed with NHTSA and other federal regulators for years. That tension is now in the spotlight following the election victory last week of President-elect Donald Trump.
As the principal backer of Trump’s campaign, Musk has been granted a role in a new office Trump called the Department of Government Efficiency. While the office hasn’t yet been formed or funded by Congress, Musk has said he intends to use his influence to cut federal spending and regulations, and to change federal motor vehicle safety standards that are implemented and enforced, in part, by NHTSA.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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