The butt joke of the battery-electric truck world has been hit with a safety recall affecting 11,383 vehicles produced in the period from November 13, 2023 through May 26, 2024. Turns out the cosmetic applique along the exterior trunk bed trim, which is referred to as the sail applique, may separate while driving due to poor adhesion.
Mexico-based Axiom Plastics of San Jose Iturbide produces the left and right sail appliques for the Cybertruck. Their parts numbers are 1741538-00-F and 1741539-00-F, respectively.
Filed by Tesla with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the chronology report indicates that – on December 28 last year – a Cybertruck with a missing applique arrived on a vehicle hauler at a Tesla delivery center with a missing applique. Through January 2024, engineers investigated this problem, optimized the install location, tooling, and inspection station to improve adhesion controls at Giga Texas.
From January 2024 to May 10, 2024, the battery-electric vehicle manufacturer monitored the fleet of delivered Cybertruck for any reports of missing appliques. On May 11, the second occurrence was reported on a customer vehicle. Further investigation revealed that said applique had somehow delaminated from the supplier-controlled adhesion interface. At the time, Tesla couldn't put its finger on the improper installation of the sail applique, insufficient adhesion, or a mix of both.
Through June 2024, the automaker inspected appliques of Cybertruck vehicles in the field. Lo and behold, Tesla found more instances of loose or detached appliques due to improper installation of the applique or adhesive. Given the aforementioned, quality control improvements were made by the supplier and at Giga Texas.
Photo: Tesla
Trucks currently located at Tesla delivery centers or in transit to delivery centers nationwide will be fixed prior to customer delivery. The world's best-known BEV manufacturer claims that affected trucks may not have complete adhesion promoter application and full wet-out of the pressure sensitive tape at the applique and vehicle interfaces. As expected, the remedy appliques promise complete adhesion promoter application and full wet-out of pressure sensitive tape.
Tesla stores and service centers have already been instructed on how to handle this problem, whereas the poor folks who signed a purchase agreement barring them from reselling a truck within a year of the purchase will be informed via first-class mail. The Tesla-branded recall notification letters will be mailed on or about August 18, 2024.
Customer deliveries for the 2024 Tesla Cybertruck started on November 30, 2023 to the tune of 10 units. Based on the 11,383 vehicles produced from November 13 last year to May 26 this year, it goes without saying that production has yet to ramp up. Prior to the start of customer deliveries, Tesla held more than 1 million refundable pre-orders. It remains to be seen how many of them will turn into actual orders.
Tesla's website currently lists three specifications, beginning with the $57,390 Cybertruck Rear-Wheel Drive, which is coming in 2025 with an estimated driving range of 250 miles (402 kilometers). The $76,390 Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive is due in 2025 as well, packing up to 340 miles (547 kilometers) on a full charge. As for the tri-motor Cyberbeast, the numbers are $96,390 from the outset, no more than 320 miles (515 kilometers), 2.6 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers), and 130 mph (210 kph).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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