1 week Ago By Brandon Vigliarolo
The Tesla Cybertruck is closing in on an average of a recall every two months this year, as it notified the NHTSA last week of a sixth fix that can't be software patched away. Tesla has informed [PDF] the NHTSA of its sixth recall of the year on Musk's steel behemoth, this time due to faulty components in the vehicle's drive inverter used to control torque in the truck's electric motors. According to the recall notice, faulty metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET) in the inverters of Cybertrucks manufactured between November 6, 2023 and July 30, 2024 (2,431 of them, per NHTSA documents) can cause affected vehicles to suddenly lose torque, leading to a loss of propulsion.
Tesla believes only 1 percent of the total vehicle population includes faulty MOSFETs, but everyone with a vehicle manufactured in the covered period will need to bring it in to get a new drive inverter. Whether you do so at full speed, in limp mode or on the back of a tow truck is your own prerogative. The automaker said it will begin offering replacements next month, but doesn't intend to notify owners of the problem or remedy until January.
Tesla also noted in its recall report that improved drive inverters were included in Cybertrucks manufactured on or after July 30, though it's not clear what prompted the inverter replacement or whether Tesla was aware of a faulty component that, in its own words, "may increase the risk of a collision." Tesla didn't respond to questions for this story. "No warning occurs prior to the loss of propulsion," Tesla said in its recall report to the NHTSA.
"However, when the driver loses the ability to apply torque, they will immediately receive a visual alert on the user interface, with an instruction to safely pull over the vehicle to the side of the road." Tesla said it began investigating the issue in August after a customer complaint of a sudden loss of propulsion in late July. The EV maker said that it took until October to identify "an increased rate of failure for a population of drive inverters equipped with MOSFET components.
" Tesla said it was aware of five warranty claims related to the issue, but that there were no known collisions, injuries or fatalities associated with the issue. As we've noted in numerous stories since the Cybertruck came lurching onto American roads in November 2023, the vehicle has been recalled five other times since January, though two of those officially named "recalls" were able to be resolved with software updates to fix the rear camera issues and difficult-to-read fonts on the dashboard. The other three, however, have been physical fixes, with the Cybertruck recalled twice in June over failing windshield wiper motors and self-detaching trim and in April for faulty accelerator pedal covers that slipped and lodged themselves under the footwell, causing unintended acceleration.
According to vehicle recall data analysis , Teslas are some of the most recalled vehicles on the road, with Models Y, 3, S, and X taking up four of the top seven spots on a list of vehicles with the most safety recalls. The Cybertruck, being as new as it is, isn't on the list yet – but it probably will be soon enough. ®.
