Tesla spent nearly four years building an electric pickup truck. The company succeeded in developing the Cybertruck electric vehicle and began delivering it to customers late last year, but progress was somewhat slow.
Today, Tesla decided to recall almost all of its 3,878 cars, because the problem lies not only in a defect in the car’s system or in a damaged memory chip, but also in the accelerator pedal that operates the car at full speed. Speeding without warning.
Frankly, this recall is not a surprise to many, as Cybertrucks buyers who were scheduled to begin deliveries last week reported a delay in their vehicles arriving without being told why, and now the reason is clear.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this manufacturing defect can cause the accelerator pedal to become loose over time. Imagine pressing the accelerator pedal hard in a Cybertruck to pass a car on the highway, but acceleration doesn't change when you let go; This is a big problem and can lead to a catastrophic accident.
Tesla received the first report of the problem on March 31, followed by another on April 3, and company engineers fully fixed the issue on April 12. The company decided to conduct a voluntary recall of electric cars. All Cybertruck vehicles.
Flaws in the throttle design appear to be the result of unintended changes during the Cybertruck's manufacturing process: soap was added as a lubricant to make assembly easier, and residue remained in the pedals, causing the components to separate and become unusable. .
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the brakes will still work even if the accelerator pedal is damaged. However, this is not an ideal solution because most drivers do not know how to prevent a damaged accelerator pedal from pushing the car forward.
The new Cybertruck released on April 17 features a different throttle body design and is not affected by this manufacturing defect.
Tesla has enjoyed great success since introducing its Model 3 sedan in 2017, but the launch of its Cybertruck in early 2024 fell well short of previous expectations. The company also stopped production of the electric economy model 2 and turned it into an automated taxi project that Musk plans to launch this summer.
Ultimately, Tesla's stock price fell on this news and its loss rose to 40% this year.