Tesla Recalls Most Cybertrucks Because the Trim Is Just Glued On

The ugly and embattled Cybetruck took another blow this week after the federal regulators issued a recall. According to the recall, Tesla must take back the vehicles to repair a bit of the trim that can fly loose while driving “increasing the risk of a crash.” The recall affects more than 46,000 vehicles.

Despite claims from Elon Musk that the Cybetruck is a bulletproof beast, it’s actually a shoddily manufactured vehicle. Drivers and people who test the durability of cars have known this for a long time. This recall, which covers every single Cybetruck since it went on sale, is the 8th one for the vehicle. It’s the second time the Cybertruck has been recalled over a trim issue. In June last year, the company issued a similar recall because “the trunk bed trim sail applique could have been improperly adhered and can loosen.”

Tesla told Bloomberg that it believes only 1% percent of the recalled Cybertrucks will have the issue, but it’s calling all the vehicles back anyway and will foot the bill for a fix. It also said that it had not fixed the problem in the manufacturing process, but expected to roll it out around March 21. It said it had already received 151 warranty claims about the trim issue.

The reason the trim sucks and is prone to flying away from the Cybertruck is that it’s just glued on. In a video published in August 2024, YouTuber WhistlinDiesel put the Cybetruck through various durability tests and compared it to the more popular F-150. In the video WhistlinDiesel appears shocked when he’s able to peel away various parts of the trim from the Cybertruck using just his hands.

The clip of the trim being peeled away got a second life when WhistlinDiesel took to TikTok. A cut from the longer video has been viewed more than 20 million times online. In it, WhistlinDiesel slams the Cybertruck with a pickaxe before attempting to peel away pieces of the trim with the tool. He drops it because he doesn’t need it. He only needs to use his hands to disassemble the car and you can see it’s held together with glue. “That is not acceptable dude. You just glued your truck together. That’s not OK. That is not OK,” he said in the video.

The high-profile recall of the Cybetruck is another blow to Tesla. Its stock price plummets every day. There are protests at the Tesla showrooms around the country. People are setting the cars on fire and spray painting swastikas on them. Long-time Tesla owners are selling the cars in massive numbers. The cost to insure the vehicles is skyrocketing.

Major Tesla investor Ross Gerber has made multiple television appearances in the past few days calling on Musk to step down as CEO. “If Elon came back to Tesla, that would be great. That’s exactly what Tesla needs. But he’s not. And he’s gonna stay at DOGE and he’s one of the most powerful people in the world now it’s definitely gotten to his head and I just don’t see him changing and going back. I actually think he’s completely neglecting Tesla at this point,” Gerber told Bloomberg TV.

“I think Elon should appoint a new CEO to run Tesla so he can focus on what he’s doing in the government and also separate himself from Tesla,” he continued. “Which is the great company that’s trying to solve climate change. It’s now associated with Elon in such a negative fashion that it’s destroying the sales of their main product, which is selling EVs. Somethings gotta change and I think it’s gonna happen this year.”

Musk has attempted to use his connection to the White House to bolster sales and repair Tesla’s image. It hasn’t worked. Trump recorded what amounts to an ad for the vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House. The stock went down. On March 19, Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick went on Fox News and pushed people to buy the stock. “I think, if you want to learn something on this show tonight, buy Tesla,” Lutnick said. “It’s unbelievable that this guy’s stock is this cheap. It’ll never be this cheap again.”

The stock got cheaper on Thursday morning after his appearance.