Don’t call it a recall.
Early Warning
Cybertrucks have been shipped out to customers for less than a year, but the earliest owners seem to already need new motors.
As Electrek reports, Tesla has begun contacting select early Cybertruck owners to tell them that the company will “upgrade” their electric motors, of which the brutalist pickups have at least two, with more “efficient and reliable” versions during their next service visits.
The company reportedly told buyers the voluntary motor upgrades are part of a “study” of early Cybertrucks and that their vehicles are still safe to drive. As Inverse noted in its own reporting, the offer appears to only apply to its Foundation Series models that cost $20,000 more than the regular ones and featured cosmetic upgrades alongside well-documented kinks.
Problematic Fave
Among early Cybertruck issues were sunken “frunks,” stuck pedal problems that predicated a recall, failing breaks, broken giant windshield wipers, and other headaches for drivers who shelled out and waited years to be among the vehicle’s first owners. Interestingly enough, motor issues have not been included in the many reports we’ve heard about the futuristic-looking vehicles’ woes.
As of right now, there’s a lot that remains unclear about this not-recall, including whether Tesla intends to replace the front or rear motors in those early Cybertrucks or how many people were offered the upgrade offer. This voluntary replacement campaign could, as Electrek points out, be the start of a “soft” retrofitting campaign for problems the company has found with the drivetrains on the Foundation Series’ motors.
The upgrade will come, as both outlets note, at zero cost to Cybertruck owners — though of course recalls don’t cost buyers anything, either.
More on Cybertruck: Tesla Megafan Receives Two Subsequent Cybertrucks That Completely Fail
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