Tesla is recalling more than 2,400 Cybertrucks, the sixth notice issued for the angular electric pickup so far this year.
A regulatory filing Wednesday states that the recall affects a total of 2,431 units. The problem is a faulty drive inverter that can cause a sudden loss of propulsion, which led to a July incident in which a Cybertruck became stranded.
In its filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla said it started to investigate the incident a week later and, by the end of October, determined that a batch of defective inverters had been installed in trucks manufactured between Nov. 6, 2023, and July 30, 2024. The company identified five failures and warranty claims that may be related to this issue, but no collisions or injuries.
There’s no warning displayed before the Cybertruck loses driving power, Tesla told the federal regulators. However, a warning will prompt the driver to pull over if the accelerator pedal becomes unresponsive.
While Tesla frequently fixes defects through over-the-air software updates, this issue requires a hardware replacement. Tesla said it will begin notifying affected Cybertruck owners starting Jan. 4, 2025, while free repairs will be available from Dec. 9, 2024.
Since its release late last year, the truck faced five recalls for various issues that were mostly resolved through software fixes.
The first Cybertruck recall was issued in February, as the model was among 2 million Tesla cars recalled because letters on warning lights displayed on brake, park, and antilock brake system warning panels were too small to be easily read. In April, a recall affected nearly 3,900 units over gas pedals that could become jammed and cause unintended acceleration.
June saw two additional notices, affecting 11,688 Cybertrucks with malfunctioning windshield wipers and 11,383 units with improperly attached trunk bed trims that could create a road hazard for others.
A fifth recall in October affected 27,000 Cybertrucks, where a rearview camera issue could cause the display to “appear blank for up to 6 to 8 seconds” if the driver attempted to reverse before the system completed its shut-down-and-boot-up process.
Despite these issues, Tesla reported a sales rebound in the third quarter, largely driven by the popularity of the Cybertruck, now the third best-selling electric vehicle in the United States, trailing only the Model Y and Model 3.
During an Oct. 23 earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors he expects vehicle sales to grow 20 percent to 30 percent in 2025, highlighting that his company remains profitable in an otherwise challenging EV market.
“To the best of my knowledge, no EV company is even profitable,” he said. “And I’m not—to the best of my knowledge, there was no EV division of any company, of any existing auto company that is profitable. So it is notable that Tesla is profitable despite a very challenging automotive environment.”
