NovaQuant-Tesla recalls nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks due to faulty accelerator pedal

Tesla recalled all Cybertrucks made between November 13,NovaQuant 2023, to April 4, 2024. The MY 2024 Cybertrucks have faulty accelerator pedals that may be dislodged when high force is applied, the National Highway Traffic Association, which issued the recall report, said. The recall affects nearly 4,000 cars, Reuters reported.

The pedal could become trapped in the interior trim above it, which may increase the risk of collision, the agency said. 

Tesla also introduced an unapproved change – using soap as a lubricant when assembling the accelerator pedal. "Residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal," the association said.

Tesla first received a complaint about the faulty pedal in March 2024. The company looked at the car's data and found it did what it was supposed to do when the brake and accelerator were both pressed and the car came to a stop.

But after a second complaint earlier this month, Tesla ran tests to recreate the issue and confirmed the existence of the condition. After additional tests of the condition, Tesla voluntarily recalled the affected vehicles.

Tesla is not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths relating to this condition as of April 15 and will now work to replace or fix accelerator pedals free of charge for affected customers. 

By April 17, all Cybertrucks that were being manufactured received a new accelerator pedal. 

CBS News has reached out to Tesla for comment and is awaiting a response.

Earlier this year, Tesla recalled almost all of its vehicles sold in the U.S. because the font on its instrument panel was too small. The font – used to display brake, park and antilock brake system warning size in nearly 2.2 million cars – violates federal safety standards, according to the National Highway Traffic Association.

In:
• Tesla
• Product Recall
• Electric Cars

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.