Tesla made a number of odd design decisions in the Cybertruck, including the angular stainless steel body and rear-wheel steering. The vehicle also has one enormous wiper blade for the front windshield, and it’s not working very well. Tesla has just initiated the third and fourth Cybertruck recalls since the vehicle launched in late 2023. The company says the wiper motor can burn out, leaving drivers with an obscured view. While fixing that, Tesla will also make sure parts of the truck don’t fall off.
The “giga-wiper” is powered by a 120W motor, which is more than twice as powerful as the motors used on other vehicles. According to documents submitted to the NHTSA, the wiper motor may fail due to “electrical overstress to the gate driver component.” Without a working windshield wiper, drivers are subject to decreased visibility and an increased risk of collision, says the recall document.
Tesla is no stranger to recalls, but it can often make the necessary changes to vehicles with OTA updates. However, this is the second time a hardware defect has been detected in the Cybertruck, requiring it to be handed over to a Tesla service center for repairs. Previously, Tesla had to recall all Cybertrucks due to sticky accelerator pedals.
Tesla became aware of a possible wiper issue back in February. It removed 20 motors from production vehicles for analysis, working with suppliers over the intervening months to understand the issue. Earlier this month, Tesla made the decision to begin a voluntary recall of vehicles.
The recall covers all Cybertrucks built between Nov 3, 2023 and June 6, 2024, which amounts to 11,688 vehicles. Given the Cybertruck only began shipping in late 2023 after a four-year wait, that’s probably all that Tesla has sold. CEO Elon Musk was undoubtedly expecting higher sales—Tesla told investors in late 2023 that its Texas facility had built the capacity to produce 125,000 Cybertrucks per year. Demand appears much lower, and the string of recalls and glitches won’t help.
Credit: Tesla
While Tesla is replacing the wiper motors, it will have to address a separate recall related to the EV’s body. Tesla reports that sections of trim along the truck bed were not properly affixed to the Cybertruck. That can result in the trim falling off while the vehicle is driving, creating a possible road hazard. Tesla says it will replace or rework the trim so it stays put.
The Cybertruck starts at $60,990 for the rear-wheel drive version, but that model won’t ship until 2025. The all-wheel model is $79,990, and the upgraded “Cyberbeast” edition will cost $99,990. It also ships in 2025—and presumably, Tesla will have all the hardware quirks worked out by then.