Tesla Recalls Cybertruck Due to Unintended Acceleration Risk
Tesla issued a recall for 3,878 Cybertrucks this week due to an accelerator issue that can cause the truck to speed up unintentionally.
The automaker says that pressing hard on the accelerator can cause the pedal pad to come off and leave the pedal itself trapped in the surrounding interior trim. Cybertrucks manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024, are involved in the recall.
The root cause of the issue can be traced back to a simple ingredient: soap. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an “unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap) to aid in the component assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal. Residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal.”
If Cybertruck owners should experience the issue, with their accelerator pedal pad becoming dislodged and the accelerator stuck, do not panic. Simply hit the brake. Pressing the brake will cut drive torque even if the accelerator is being pressed. So, hitting the brake will stop the Cybertruck just as quickly as if the accelerator pedal was not being pressed.
The issue was first reported to Tesla by a customer complaint on March 31. Tesla says its engineering team investigated and determined the problem. No crashes, injuries, or deaths relating to this condition have been reported. The automaker says it began equipping Cybertruck vehicles in production with a new accelerator pedal component and part number on April 17.
Tesla will replace or rework the accelerator pedal assembly in affected Cybertrucks to resolve this issue at no charge to the customer. All Tesla stores and service centers will be notified on or around April 19. Owner notification letters are expected to go out on or around June 19.
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