Almost Every Cybertruck Needs To Be Glued Back Together

The Tesla Cybertruck has gone from a reported stop-sale to a full official recall. Owners were finding that the stainless steel trim on Cybertruck A-pillars were peeling off. As it turns out, the parts have been faulty, and now the company needs to replace panels, and an awful lot of them. The recall seems to cover just about every Cybertruck built, starting from November 13, 2023, all the way to the end of last month on February 27.

Here’s What Broke

According to the recall documents, the original design of the A-pillar panels involved two steel panels. One was the exterior piece in stainless steel, and the other was a simple stamped steel piece that was coated and given some fasteners to attach it to the A-pillar. The two steel pieces were connected with adhesive alone. Clearly, this adhesive was not sufficient. Aside from more publicized reports, Tesla also found 151 warranty claims for replacing these panels. Though no accidents, injuries, or deaths have been connected to panels coming off, it’s easy to see how a huge and quite sharp chunk of stainless steel could be dangerous if it came off on a highway. Customers also generally dislike it when their expensive cars literally start falling apart only a year or two into their ownership.

Tesla’s Using More Than Glue For The Fix

The new panels will be similar in many ways. They’ll still consist of the two pieces of steel put together. The glue will be different, though, a type that won’t become as brittle as the original to hopefully hold together better. But in case that isn’t sufficient, Tesla is also implementing a mechanical fastener. A stud will be welded to the stainless steel portion that will extend to the truck’s pillar. A threaded nut will be put on the back, sandwhiching the whole thing together. So even if the new glue doesn’t hold, this fastener setup will keep the panel from flying off the truck. Tesla may be installing quite a few of these updated panels, too. The recall covers both sides. It will also be installing new ones on some Cybertrucks that have already been assembled, but haven’t yet been delivered. These would likely be the ones that were on the recently reported “containment hold.”