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Tesla is recalling its Cybertruck vehicles due to dangerously defective accelerator pedals
The truck, a pet project of Elon Musk’s, has been plagued by design issues since it began shipping to customers last year.
It’s been a bad week for Tesla. First, the EV maker announced mass layoffs. Then, despite this, just a few days later, Tesla asked shareholders to approve Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package—a figure so large that a court had previously nullified it. And then Tesla’s already beleaguered stock was downgraded by Deutsche Bank right ahead of Tesla’s earnings call next week.
And now Tesla’s week is even worse: The company has announced a recall of what looks to be every Cybertruck that it has shipped to date. The reason for the recall? The accelerator pedal can become stuck, sending the truck accelerating beyond control, making it a danger to everyone on the road.
Tesla has confirmed the problem to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has now published the recall notice on its website. The notice states that 3,878 Cybertrucks may be affected, which, as TechCrunch notes, is all of them sold to date.
The recall notice states that, “The accelerator pedal pad may dislodge and become trapped by the interior trim.” It also notes that “A trapped accelerator pedal can cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.”
The Cybertruck has been Elon Musk’s baby ever since he announced it back in 2019. But since it began shipping to customers last year, the truck has been the target of scorn, which may be the result of Musk’s social media antics as well as multiple design issues that have come to light.
This recall, however, is not the first to impact the Cybertruck. In January, the NHTSA announced that the truck’s warning lights had a smaller font size than required. This was fixed in a software update.
The Cybertruck’s latest recall, however, is more concerning, given that the problem can cause the truck to accelerate out of control and crash into other vehicles or pedestrians.
As for Tesla, the company says it will replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly at no cost to Cybertruck owners. Letters announcing the works are expected to be mailed to Cybertruck owners in June 2024. In the meantime, concerned owners can contact Tesla at 1-877-798-3752.
