{"id":26441,"date":"2026-11-09T18:22:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=26441"},"modified":"2026-11-09T18:22:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:22:47","slug":"why-teslas-cybertruck-failed-and-what-well-remember-it-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/why-teslas-cybertruck-failed-and-what-well-remember-it-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Tesla’s Cybertruck Failed, and What We’ll Remember it For"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tesla Cybertruck is dead<\/a>, or at least it\u2019s soon to be out of production. Love it or hate it, the divisive EV has carved its way into automotive history. It launched with a ton of hype, had a shape you can only politely define as distinctive, and now has bowed out before the pre-orders have even been fulfilled.<\/p>\n

So where did it go wrong? Let\u2019s have a look at the Cybertruck\u2019s brief history to see where things went south for Tesla\u2019s \u201cbulletproof\u201d electric truck.<\/p>\n

It started with more of Elon\u2019s lies<\/h2>\n
\"elon
Image Credit: FotoField \/ Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elon Musk is known to be a bit enthusiastic when it comes to predictions and promises. Unfortunately, they don\u2019t always turn out to be true<\/a>. Famous examples of this include humanity living on Mars by the early 2020s, how he could build a functional \u201chyperloop\u201d between LA and San Francisco. He pushed various false claims about “full self driving”<\/a> and a recent example involves a flying Tesla.<\/a><\/p>\n

Musk was also liberal with the truth when it came to the Cybertruck. First there was the price. The Tesla CEO promised the entry-level version of the vehicle would be available for less than $40,000. The single motor, RWD, version of the Cybertruck never saw the light of day, and the \u201c$40,000\u201d price tag disappeared with it. Instead, people found themselves paying between $60,000<\/a> and $100,000+ for their trucks, depending on the version they opted for.<\/p>\n

The vehicle\u2019s milage was also initially overstated. Musk claimed over 500 miles of range on a single charge, but the tri-motor variant of the vehicle could only manage around 320. Technically Tesla did achieve \u201c500 miles\u201d of range, but to get that you would also need to purchase an expensive, large, and heavy range extender which took up a not insignificant amount of bed space.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the outlandish claim that the Cybertruck could double as a boat. In reality, it could handle around 30 inches of water for a limited time. It was not buoyant<\/a> and the numerous attempts at sailing in it dotted around the internet all resulted in severe damage to the Cybertruck.<\/p>\n

Quality control issues were rampant<\/h2>\n

Tesla didn\u2019t have the best reputation for quality control to begin with. Owners have been complaining about mismatched paint, leaks, parts failures, and panel gaps on the Model S, 3, and Y for years.<\/p>\n

With the Cybertruck the company decided to be more ambitious than ever and make the body out of \u201cstainless steel.\u201d What could possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n

Well, it turns out a lot. As it\u2019s Tesla, there were obviously panel alignment issues, along with problems involving the exterior finish. Other reports claimed the windshields were easily shattered, and in some cases gaskets were missing which led to leaks.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, the stainless steel body was prone to rust. Which stainless steel isn\u2019t really supposed to do. Unfortunately for Tesla, the quality control problems weren\u2019t all that was wrong with the Cybertruck.<\/p>\n

It was a laughing stock for a time<\/h2>\n
\"Tesla
Image Credit: Grapevine Police Department \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right after its launch, the Cybertruck had a few high profile failures. The most prominent of which saw the \u201crugged all terrain vehicle\u201d struggle in a couple of inches of snow, and get hammered on an off-road trail by a plucky little Subaru Crosstrek.<\/p>\n

The problems actually pre-date the truck\u2019s launch. Its \u201carmor glass\u201d windows shattered when lead designer Franz von Holzhausen lobbed a steel ball at them during a live demonstration. Tesla actually used a bit of frankly characteristic sleight of hand and \u201crepeated\u201d the stunt during the vehicle\u2019s actual launch. The windows didn\u2019t shatter this time, but those paying attention noted a leather baseball was used that time round. Not a steel ball.<\/p>\n

You also had issues surrounding the vehicle\u2019s appearance. It was certainly a bold choice, opting for bodywork that looked like a low-poly PlayStation 1 model of a moon buggy. But it was undeniably distinct.<\/p>\n

Political controversies are also not good from a business perspective, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on. Which is why many companies are soullessly neutral and try to play it safe where possible. Musk is outspoken and has become increasingly political in the last few years. This coincided with the Cybertruck\u2019s production run, and likely alienated many potential customers while encouraging others to shine a spotlight on the Cybertruck\u2019s numerous faults.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the Cybertruck\u2019s legacy?<\/h2>\n
\"Lucid
Credit: Dave McQuilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite this piece looking quite anit-Cybertruck, there\u2019s a good chance the controversial EV becomes a collector\u2019s piece in the future. It\u2019s already a distinct part of Automotive history for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n

First, you have its bold looks. Many cars were considered hideous at the time, but have since grown on people. Look at the Lamborghini Countach. So, like that other stainless steel vehicle that was poorly received at the time, the DeLorean DMC-12, the Cybertruck has a good chance of carving out a cult following on looks and quirkiness alone.<\/p>\n

It also pioneered a few things. It was the first mass-production vehicle to adopt a 48-volt architecture. It was the first vehicle to go fully steer-by-wire, without any mechanical backup. It also ditched the traditional wiring harness for a proprietary system that used 70% less cable. Many of these innovations will live on in other vehicles; many manufacturers have already jumped to 48V systems in their EVs.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a chance the Cybertruck will make a comeback in a few years. It\u2019s recognizable; controversies are always temporary. Maybe we\u2019ll see a Cybertruck MK II in the early 2030s? We\u2019ve probably got more chance of seeing that than a city on Mars by then, anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Tesla Cybertruck is dead, or at least it\u2019s soon to be out of production. Love it or hate it, … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electric-vehicles-evs","category-news","resize-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26441"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26445,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26441\/revisions\/26445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}