Most Cybertrucks recalled to ensure steel panels don’t fall off

Tesla’s bulky, beleaguered Cybertruck has received another recall alert from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This time, it’s not something a simple over-the-air software update can fix. According to the March 18 regulatory notice, a large strip of stainless steel exterior trim can potentially “delaminate and detach from the vehicle” while on the road. A total of 46,096 Cybertrucks now qualify for the free in-shop repair. That’s nearly every Cybertruck manufactured for the public since its December 2023 debut. The NHTSA expects all Cybertruck owner notification letters to be mailed by May 19. 

Rumors of a recall related to the cant rails—a pair of lengthy, boomerang-shaped metal sections that stretch over the vehicle’s driver and passenger windows—began circulating in recent weeks. Multiple people waiting on the delivery of their Tesla trucks reported a “delayed delivery due to inspection” on the popular Cybertruck Owners Forum, while the automotive website Road & Track published photos on February 21 of the EV with missing cant rails. A video posted last month by YouTuber and Cybertruck owner Reid Tomasko also relayed similar concerns.

The faulty cant rails appear to stem from inadequate glue used to adhere the components to the vehicle frame, which allegedly weakens after exposure to freezing temperatures. As Tomasko and others pointed out, these aren’t the only sections that appear to rely on the manufacturing adhesive. Multiple locations on the truck’s two quarter panels allegedly can display similar issues.

This is not the first recall notice for the Cybertruck. Less than five months after its release, nearly all vehicle owners received an alert citing a faulty accelerator pedal resulting from misapplied soap instead of lubricant. In October 2024, the vehicles required an over-the-air software update after regulators determined the rearview camera feed display was so delayed that it was illegal. The NHTSA in total has cited the Cybertruck in nine recalls, three investigations, while receiving 42 consumer complaints in less than 16 months. It’s not just the Cybertruck that’s faced a number of issues.

In one of the most recent complaints filed to the NHTSA, a Cybertruck owner in New York City reported the driver side cant rail “suddenly start[ed] falling off” while traveling along a highway at around 55 mph.

“This is the first winter for cybertruck [sic],” they wrote. “[T]he stainless panel is hard and sharp enough to hit other cars.”
Another incident report from Illinois detailed a similar experience with the passenger side section, and the owner also included the results of the subsequent visit to a Tesla service center. Although mechanics replaced the detached cant rail free-of-charge, they told the owner they couldn’t do the same for the driver side portion “until it falls off.”

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