Elon Musk's Tesla Recalls Almost 4000 New Cybertrucks Due to Faulty Gas Pedal
Automaker Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it was discovered that the accelerator pedal could get stuck in the pedal-to-the-metal position, leading to unintentional acceleration of the vehicle and an increased risk of an accident, CNN reports.
The recall affects model year 2024 Cybertrucks manufactured between 13 November 2023 and 4 April 2024.
According to a statement to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the accelerator pedal pad could become dislodged and trapped in the interior trim.
"The unapproved change introduced a lubricant (soap) to assist in the assembly of the accelerator pedal pad components. Residual lubricant reduced the pad's retention on the pedal," NHTSA wrote in the recall document.
According to the NHTSA, the production cyber trucks were equipped with the new accelerator pedal until Wednesday of this week.
The safety regulator said that workers assembling the trucks at a Tesla factory near Austin, Texas, improperly used soap to help assemble the pad components onto the accelerator pedal.
The issue of the accelerator sticking was first raised on social media and in posts in online discussion groups.
Billionaire automaker Tesla, headed by Elon Musk, said it would replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly free of charge.
Unlike many Tesla recalls, this cannot be fixed with a simple software update over the air. Tesla will have to get owners to respond to the letters and take the Cybertrucks to its service centres for free repairs.
The notification letters are expected to be sent to vehicle owners in June.
The company delivered the first of its futuristic Cybertruck pickups to customers in November, two years behind schedule, and it is unclear when large-scale production will begin.
Elon Musk addressed the difficulties of mass-producing the vehicle, saying during the company's third-quarter conference call in October that "we dug our own grave with the Cybertruck."