Tesla has recalled nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks to fix an accelerator pedal fault that could cause the EV to accelerate at top speed.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Friday that Elon Musk‘s company will replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly at no charge and owners will be notified through letters mailed to them in June.
The recall comes after a new Tesla owner shared the design flaw in a video, showing how the pedal cover can easily slip forward and become lodged in the interior, effectively locking the car in full acceleration.
However, the NHTSA report revealed the Elon Musk-founded company received to customer complaints prior to the clip hitting the internet.
It is the latest development in the Cybertruck’s tumultuous rollout that has been plagued with delays.
BLOW FOR ELON: The Cybertruck’s rollout and development has been plagued with issues
The recall is due to the accelerator pedal pad that could come loose and get lodged in the interior trim, effectively locking the car in full acceleration
NHTSA said that 3,878 Cybertrucks were affected by the recall.
Many buyers had received messages stating their deliveries had been canceled weeks before Tesla made the call to pull the EVs off the road.
Musk only acknowledged in a comment on an X post from Whole Mars Catalog that incorrectly claimed ‘Cybertruck deliveries resuming,’ citing as evidence the fact that a customer had been assigned a vehicle identification number (VIN).
The billionaire stated: ‘There were no injuries or accidents because of this. We are just being very cautious.’
But it now appears that deliveries have not been resumed due to Friday’s recall.
‘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,’ the NHTSA shared in the recall document.
Tesla’s shares fell nearly three percent before the bell on Friday, adding to its five-session losing streak during which the stock lost about 14 percent.
In the first quarter of 2024 the EV maker had three recalls affecting about 2.4 million vehicles, according to a report by recall management firm BizzyCar.
NHTSA’s recall report states: ‘If the pad on the accelerator pedal becomes trapped in the interior trim above the pedal, the performance and operation of the pedal will be affected, which may increase the risk of a collision.
‘Note that application of the brake pedal will cut drive torque, including when both brake and accelerator pedals are pressed, and continued application of the brake pedal will bring the vehicle to a stop as quickly as if the accelerator pedal was not pressed.’
Cybertrucks have been seen stacking up at Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory in the past few days after deliveries came to a halt
Many buyers had received messages stating their deliveries had been canceled weeks before Tesla made the call to pull the EVs off the road
The recall comes after a new Tesla owner shared the design flaw in a video , claiming the pedal cover slipped forward and wedged the accelerator under the interior that was held down 100 percent
The reported noted that Tesla received notice of a customer claim about the pedal cover on March 31 and a second on April 2.
Tesla engineers conducted reviews and testing related to the claims and determined on April 12 that a voluntarily recall would be announced.
‘As of April 15, 2024, Tesla is not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths relating to this condition,’ NHTS stated.
All Tesla stores and service centers are expected to be notified about the recall on Friday.
However, the report states that the planned owner notification date is not until June 18.
The recall has also given an idea of how many Cybertrucks have been delivered, as Musk has not be public with the numbers.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
