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The Cybertruck has a credible case for serious criticism: documented recalls address a potentially separating body panel, loss of propulsion, and two lighting or visibility compliance problems, while reported U.S. sales fell sharply in 2025. But “complete disaster” goes beyond what the evidence proves. The recalls affect specific vehicles or software versions, Tesla describes remedies, and crash-test results are mixed rather than uniformly poor. Here is what the evidence says—and what it does not.
What is wrong with the Cybertruck?
There is no single Cybertruck defect behind the criticism. The documented campaigns involve different components, production populations and remedies. Some concern physical hardware; others concern software behavior or compliance. The table summarizes the reported campaigns. Eligibility is not determined by a model-year label alone: owners should check the vehicle identification number (VIN).
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| Campaign | Vehicles or conditions described | Issue and risk described | Remedy described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantrail panel | Specified 2024–2025 vehicles made November 13, 2023–February 27, 2025; check VIN. | The stainless-steel panel may delaminate at its adhesive joint and separate, creating a road hazard and potential collision or injury risk. | Tesla says it will replace the assembly at no charge; the repair takes about one hour. Tesla says owners may continue driving while it contacts affected customers as parts become available. |
| Drive inverter | Specified 2024 vehicles made November 6, 2023–July 30, 2024; check VIN. | An inverter fault may stop torque production, removing accelerator-driven propulsion without prior warning. The interface then displays a pull-over instruction. | Tesla says it will replace the affected inverter at no charge. The repair takes about three hours and requires a service appointment. |
| Rearview-camera display | Certain 2024 vehicles made November 13, 2023–September 14, 2024; check VIN. | Under specified conditions, the rearview image may take longer than two seconds to appear after shifting into reverse, the response time cited under FMVSS 111. | Tesla says software version 2024.32.5.2 or later remedies the issue over the air. Its notice advises shoulder checks and mirrors if the image is delayed. |
| Front parking lamps | Specified 2024–2026 vehicles made November 13, 2023–October 11, 2025, running software earlier than 2025.38.3; check VIN. | The controller may command parking-lamp intensity above the maximum permitted under FMVSS 108, potentially distracting other drivers. | Tesla says software 2025.38.3 or later corrects the output over the air; no service visit is necessary. |
| 18-inch steel-wheel population | Associated Press reported a recall of 173 model year 2024–2026 Cybertrucks fitted with 18-inch steel wheels. | AP reported that rotor cracking under road and cornering stresses could allow a wheel stud to separate from the hub. | AP reported that the remedy replaces front and rear rotors, hubs and lug nuts at no charge. |
These are distinct campaigns, not evidence that every Cybertruck has each problem. In particular, Tesla’s notices define specific production ranges or software conditions, and the wheel recall reported by AP concerns a limited wheel configuration. The existence of a recall establishes a safety or compliance issue for the covered population; it does not by itself establish how often the issue occurs across the whole fleet.
Does a recall mean my Cybertruck is affected?
No. The production ranges in a notice help describe the campaign, but they cannot confirm whether an individual truck is included. Tesla’s notices direct owners to verify eligibility using the complete VIN, and NHTSA offers its own recall lookup. For a current answer, check both sources rather than relying on a headline or model year.
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- Find the complete VIN for the vehicle.
- Enter it in Tesla’s recall search or the NHTSA safety-issue search.
- Follow the campaign-specific instructions shown for that VIN, including any required service appointment or software update.
Tesla’s recall pages provide campaign-specific guidance, including its statement that owners covered by the cantrail campaign may continue driving while awaiting contact and parts. That is Tesla’s guidance for that campaign, not a general assurance about every vehicle or every symptom. NHTSA notes that the date shown for a safety issue refers to when the issue was reported; its search can also be filtered by publication date.
Do the recalls make the Cybertruck unsafe overall?
The recalls identify real safety or compliance concerns, but they do not establish a single overall safety verdict for every truck. The risks differ: a panel that may separate or propulsion that may be lost is not the same type of problem as a delayed camera image or excessive parking-lamp intensity. Nor do the campaign notices provide a model-wide failure rate.
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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the 2025 Cybertruck based on tests conducted by Tesla. Its page shows a mix of subratings, rather than one uniform result. IIHS also notes structural changes for vehicles built after April 2025, including changes intended to improve driver-side small-overlap performance and other front-crash outcomes. Those build-specific changes and test-by-test results matter: a subrating is not a blanket declaration that every Cybertruck is either safe or unsafe.
For the rating details and IIHS’s stated test scope, see its 2025 Cybertruck ratings. The ratings should be read as crash-test evidence for the vehicle and build configuration described there, not as a measure of real-world reliability or owner satisfaction.
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Are Cybertruck sales collapsing?
U.S. sales estimates fell substantially in 2025. Kelley Blue Book figures cited by CBS News put Cybertruck sales at 20,237 in 2025, compared with 38,965 in 2024—a 48% decline. These are U.S. sales estimates, not Tesla’s global delivery count.
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cybertruck sales | 38,965 | 20,237 | U.S. estimates attributed to Kelley Blue Book and reported by CBS News on January 23, 2026; CBS characterized the year-over-year change as a 48% drop. |
| Tesla automotive sales revenue | Baseline year | Down $6.66 billion, or 9%, from 2024 | Tesla-wide figure in its 2025 Form 10-K, filed in 2026—not a Cybertruck-specific result. Tesla attributed the decline to approximately 8% fewer cash deliveries and lower average selling prices associated with sales mix and higher incentives. |
The Cybertruck figures show a drop, but they do not explain why it happened. The cited sales report does not establish that recalls caused the decline. Tesla’s companywide revenue and delivery figures likewise cannot be used to infer Cybertruck sales, profit or margin. CBS News quoted Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives saying, “It’s been an uphill battle for sales, but a long demand curve ahead”; that is his assessment, not a measured forecast or a sales statistic.
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Sources: CBS News’s report of Kelley Blue Book estimates and Tesla’s 2025 Form 10-K.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.So, is the Cybertruck a complete disaster?
That verdict is too absolute. The evidence supports a critical assessment: multiple distinct recalls address meaningful safety or compliance issues, and U.S. sales estimates declined sharply in 2025. It also shows that remedies have been specified, some issues are software-correctable, IIHS results vary by test, and recall eligibility is campaign- and VIN-specific. The available evidence does not establish a model-wide failure rate, representative owner satisfaction, global 2025 Cybertruck deliveries or standalone Cybertruck profitability. Calling the truck a “complete disaster” turns those unresolved questions into a certainty the evidence does not support.
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