The Tesla Cybertruck had an embarrassing problem this past week. We’re not talking about the surprise shrieking alarms, or the tire-eating wheel covers. This time, it was Pedalgate—a stuck throttle issue with serious safety implications. That apparently led to a delivery halt over the weekend and a recall this morning, but it looks like Tesla may now have found a solution.
As of this morning, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report outlining the details of the recall. Because this is a problem with a physical part it’s not something that can be solved with an over-the-air update.
Here’s what NHTSA said:
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.
As for the cause:
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.
This seems to prove the theory that these things were glued on and it sounds like a ‘slip solution’ used to get the pedal in place actually reduced the effectiveness of that glue. But what’s the solution? The recall notice and reporting this morning isn’t clear:
At no charge to the customer, Tesla will replace or rework the accelerator pedal assembly such that the assembly meets specifications and ensures sufficient retention force between the pad and accelerator pedal to prevent the pad from dislodging.
Does that mean that Tesla will just reglue the part? Actually, we’ve got a hint of at least one solution Tesla might be trying out via a Facebook group for the world’s favorite stainless steel pickup. Owner Jim McGlone posted about his new Cybertruck delivery on Thursday, indicating that Telsa is once again getting some trucks out to customers, and shared the photo with The Autopian.
McGlone stated that there were seven Cybertrucks at the Virginia location, and his was one of two that was ready for delivery. His Cybertruck had been given a rudimentary repair in order to fix the problem with the accelerator pedal.
Yes, that’s a rivet. Because the accelerator cover was attached with a simple slide fit. It had no features to securely attach it to the plastic pedal underneath. This meant that in some cases, the cover could slide off while still attached to the pedal, and jam into a crease in the interior. This could leave the throttle pedal stuck at or near maximum, which is a highly dangerous situation for the occupants.
This exact scenario happened to one owner, who took to TikTok to describe the problem. He showed the completely detached pedal cover, and explained how it had gotten stuck in the footwell. Thankfully, he was able to use the brakes to stop the vehicle, with the Cybertruck cutting drive when the pedal was pressed.
@el.chepito1985 serious problem with my Cybertruck and potential all Cybertrucks #tesla #cyberbeast #cybertruck #stopsale #recall
In the wake of that video, many suggested that a five minutes with a drill and a rivet gun could solve the issue. That very much appears to be what Tesla has done. This is a fine solution that should be fit for purpose. Ultimately, a better one would involve multiple rivets that are nicely centered on the pedal. Regardless, just one should do fine.
Reworking each and every Cybertruck in this way would be a hassle, however. McGlone stated that the fix was temporary. It seems plausible that this is a temporary measure used to keep deliveries flowing to customers while Tesla arranges a redesigned part that is actually fit for purpose.
This comes after reports earlier this week that Cybertruck deliveries were about to resume. Customers began to speculate based on new VINs being assigned to customers with reservations.
Cybertruck deliveries resuming https://t.co/7MPcqtlkV5
— Whole Mars Catalog (Supervised) (@WholeMarsBlog) April 17, 2024
At this stage, it’s not clear whether this is a one-off fix by a lone Tesla delivery location, or something the automaker is pursuing on a more widespread basis. Expect further customer reports in the coming days to bear this out one way or another.
It’s not unheard of for an automaker to undertake rework like this. Tesla itself has been known to use random hardware, even bits of wood, to help get its vehicles out the door. This fix isn’t pretty, but for now, it works.
Image credits: Jim McGlone, Tesla
If Ford can fix a fuel injector leak by installing a drain tube so it drains to the ground, this Tesla fix is 100x better.
Guess it’s better than using a random sized wood screw from Home Depot?
Are you trying to tell me that an ET like Musk has never heard of Alien Tape?
Should’ve used a ziptie.
Hire me now, Tesla, you’ll save scores of dollars.
*hires Man With A Reliable Jeep*
*saves $60*
“Well, technically…”
As Jeff Albertson would say, “worst. vehicle. ever.”
By industrial design standards this is such a basic fail that I suspect Tesla is employing child labor: they hired a 5-yo who never played with legos as engineering control manager. My theory is true because it also explains the looks of the final product, doesn’t it?
Is that why EM has so many kids?
Yes, just like peasants of yore, Musk is having kids as a free labor source.
“This seems to prove the theory that these things were glued on and it sounds like a ‘slip solution’ used to get the pedal in place actually reduced the effectiveness of that glue.”
I actually read the notice to imply that the initial retention was by way of an interference fit. Sometimes you can apply soap to the plastic as a lubricant to reduce the friction when trying to get a plastic part to snap onto a metal part. But, if the tolerances are too big and the fit is not tight enough the residual soap would allow the plastic part to slide back off.
That’s what I thought too. It does read like it wasn’t an “approved use” of the soap which means some dude one the line was probably tired of forcing it on, put soap on it, and VOILA it’s super easy now!
Sub micron tolerances strike again
This solution is….riveting.
…not to mention all of the other vehicles sharing the road, as well as cyclists and pedestrians. The fastest variant of this 9,000 lb monstrosity can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds.
its not 9000lbs dude come on. there is enough real bullshit going on with the ct it doesnt need you exaggerating.
Okay, 6,800 lbs. I stand corrected. I briefly mixed its curb weight up with GM’s 9,000 lb monstrosity. 6,800 lbs is still more than a Hummer H2 from 20 years ago…
This thing is an absolute pig of a vehicle and has the ability to rapidly build up momentum and kinetic energy.
More like 8300lbs with a full load of Americans in all the seats
Yeah, while accuracy is always good it’s not like the pedestrian or bicyclist being obliterated by a runaway CT will think to themselves “thank goodness it’s only 6800 pounds and not 9000 pounds! It could be worse!” as their life flashes by their eyes. Nobody really needs a multi-ton (indeed, any tonnage!) vehicle to be able to reach 60 mph in under 3 seconds out on the streets, especially in the hands of people who don’t have the reflexes of NASCAR or F1 drivers.
Weird comment to make but thank you for pushing back against misinformation a little.
Right – there’s a world where the guy who encountered this problem panics and now we have a multi-ton missile slicing through whatever is in it’s way at 100+ mph. Focusing on the occupant only is a mistake.
Bad enough they used a rivet but could they at least drilled the hole for the thing in the centre? A simple jig to drill the hole would suffice, they likely still have some leftover wood laying around to make one.
They should put like a dozen rivets around the edge of the pedal. Twelve-year-olds would find that awesome, and I’m assuming that’s the aesthetic Musk/Tesla is going for.
Rivets seem to hold aircraft together for the most part.
Mind you, Boeing might need a little help with this lately.
It’s bolts and castle lock nuts they need help with…
They’ve got the rivets down, probably why Tesla went that way. 🙂
It went from concept to production in just 4 years. When something is fast tracked like that there are bound to be teething problems. No one had time to worry about something as insignificant as the controls falling apart in such a short span of time. Give them some credit, the brake pedal stayed attached and the steering still works. They got some things right so I don’t know why everyone is talking about the one thing that went wrong instead of all the stuff that works.
/s if you can’t tell
You mean works RIGHT NOW
Yeah, with all the Musk stans out there it’s actually necessary to include the /s
At least we can see the fix, if it was just more glue we’d all (including me) all be speculating that they didn’t even do anything to actually fix the
TrucksShiny TrianglesWell they were going to JBWeld Plasticweld, but the local Gigafactory Ace Hardware only had a couple tubes!
They need to try Stan’s hardware on Maple Street
At this point offering these as kit cars would increase the build quality.
A rivet? I lived through the 1980s with British Leyland cars and can tell you that a rivet is the height of engineering finesse. Surely a cable tie or double sided tape would be adequate for as long as the warranty has to run?
I thought they’d just use a staple gun.
Velcro.
Double-sided tape appears to have been the fine engineering solution they started with.
I was in an OEM cost-down meeting once where it was suggested to replace double sided tape with single sided tape.
Just loop it over and stick it to itself. Perfect it only takes twice as much product and more labor, what could possibly go wrong…
Is this a temporary solution or did the guy responsible for the real fix get laid off?
It was this or a c-clamp.
Semi-related, I saw my first Cybertruck in the stainless flesh the other day. It drove by my house, which is especially surprising as we don’t even see Model 3s around here often (this is not the best environment for EVs).
I was expecting to be at a minimum interested, or nauseated, or… something. Some sort of reaction. While it is unlike anything else on the road, it’s design is minimal to the point that I couldn’t really muster any enthusiam or ill-will for it’s appearance. It looks like basically everything else our techbro world has produced of late, a demographic that seems hellbent into turning the year 2024 into a Logan’s Run set. If anything, seeing it reminded me to be wary of anyone trying to peddle Soylent Green to me.
For something that’s supposed to be so radical, I was expecting to feel joy for it’s mold-breaking quirkiness. Or disdain for it’s slab-sided ugliness.
Instead I feel nothing.
Story of my life, man.
I’m with you. Saw my first one 2 weeks ago. Turned a corner and it was there waiting at a light in all its flat uninspiring shape. I did get excited by the seeing the driver though, who happened to be Jason Kelce.
That’s actually cool, lol.
The driver of the one I saw was holding a phone to his ear. Which unfortunately managed to both be ironic, and predictable at the same time.
I’ve seen two now, first wrapped in black at the local bar in my one stop sign town and the other in it’s natural state on the highway. I kind of got the same impression, not as polorizing as I expected it just kind of a weird vehicle. I think the wrapped one looked better, but neither were horrible, or amazing. I think in another year or so it’s just going to be another vehicle.
I’d be interested to see it wrapped in some sort of color (not black but rather anything non-greyscale.
The naked one I saw damn near blended right into the pavement on an overcast day.
Soylent did do a limited run of Green Food Squares a few years ago, they sold out fast and are no longer available.
Soylent is one of the most curious cases in marketing I can recall. Rarely can you sell a product that’s name is famously linked to eating recycled humans. But hey, what name could be more memorable?
Only as a last resort, the fictional Soylent Corporation made its fortunes on high protein vegetable wafers – Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow. Also, in the book, meat substitutes made of soy and lentils, called Soylent Steaks.
But, no, everybody has to remember them for that one, single product with one controversial ingredient.
Similar to how the Aztek immediately invades my mind whenever someone says “Pontiac”.
Reminds me of this.
So a man walks into a bar, and sits down. He starts a conversation with an old guy next to him. The old guy has obviously had a few. He says to the man:
“You see that dock out there? Built it myself, hand crafted each piece, and it’s the best dock in town! But do they call me “McGregor the dock builder”? No! And you see that bridge over there? I built that, took me two months, through rain, sleet and scoarching weather, but do they call me “McGregor the bridge builder”? No! And you see that pier over there, I built that, best pier in the county! But do they call me “McGregor the pier builder”? No!”
The old guy looks around, and makes sure that nobody is listening, and leans to the man, and he says:
“but you f one sheep…”
I totally bought a couple of cases of Soylent just for the name. The youths I work with don’t get it, but I chuckle to myself every time I open one.
The urge to yell “is people!” would be strong for me.
That is interesting. That was not my experience. I saw my first one in the wild a couple weeks ago. I admit that I stopped and stared for a few seconds. I ended up leaning more toward disdain, but there was an emotional reaction from me for sure.
Yeah, despite a proliferation (or infestation depending on one’s perspective) of Teslas of various kinds around here I have yet to see a Cybertruck but I suspect my reaction would be similar to yours. Apropos of that, here’s something that’s become a bit of a meme:
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/524/509/865/844/658/original/bb4a7ceda2caa1ba.jpg
In case the link doesn’t work, it’s an atmospheric black and white photograph of a Cybertruck forlornly sitting at an intersection underneath some street lamps after it’d been raining with the caption “Days after launch, you sit at a red light. The novelty is gone, you aren’t any happier. Maybe it’s your imagination but the gaps in the door looks off. You think you saw a car full of teens laughing at you earlier. You’re now 100k debt for a meme, and you feel nothing.”
I’ve yet to see one, but that’s not too surprising being in Wyoming. what was surprising was in the past 3-4 weeks I’ve seen a Hummer EV, 2 Rivians (r1t and r1s), and 2 different Ford Lightnings, which was really cool. I kind of want to see one, not because I like them, but because I want to know how my body/mind would react.
Plastic pedals huh? $100k vehicle with plastic pedals like a Power Wheels car.
Since manufacturers started going to drive by wire it’s been common to use plastic for the gas pedal assembly. Fancier cars are more common to have a metal look cover to hide the plastic, but many are simply grooved plastic pedals on a plastic lever arm.
Tesla publicly fights the norm in almost every way they can it seems, but when something works and it doesn’t stand out they don’t seem afraid to embrace it, either.
It’s so much more common than you would think. Short of Rolls Royce and maybe Bentley, pretty much every single automaker used plastic with a metal look finish like Steve mentioned. It’s significantly more expensive to have proper full metal versus a plastic pedal that looks metal, and in the car industry, Automaker will fight tooth and nail for tenths of cents per unit on things like rod bearings and door switches, so multiple dollars (if not 10’s) per car is an astronomical expense in the world of automaking.
Another home depot solution
Now I know what the owner of the Cybertruck I saw at my local HD last weekend was buying.
The most desirable CT in 30 years will have one lone rivet on the accel pedal.
No tire-kickers!
No seriously, the wheels will bend if force is applied laterally please don’t kick it.
Lol, buncha hacks.
A problem with designers with little history of past problems with salt corrosion wouldn’t know about floor mounted pedal pivots disintegrating after a few winters. The answer, of course, is suspended pedals, common except here. The rivet “solution” is temporary. Salt will eat it quickly, leading to a repeat problem that will kill people. A complete redesign is required. The technology is certainly not new.
If it’s a high grade stainless rivet it should be pretty long lasting even in a corrosive environment.
The bigger issue is if it isn’t stainless, there may be dissimilar metal corrosion between the rivet (commonly made of aluminum) and the likely stainless steel pedal cover.
Unless its a plastic rivet. Or Trucoat.
The accelerator in my Mercedes W123 is mounted to the floor. It rusted out and the pedal fell off. So now I drive it by pushing on the little bent metal rod coming from the dash. It’s fine with shoes but not barefoot.
That’s kind of amazing
Teslas are designed in California.
Winter is what happens on TV news while Californians are sipping Margaritas at the pool.
The only salt Californians get in our cars is whatever flakes off the Margarita glass…
This is true for SoCal we only get two seasons, summer and almost summer, NorCal gets darn chilly though.
I froze through 20 summers of living in San Francisco.