Tesla Cybertruck recalled over trapped pedal issue seen in viral video

Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for 3,878 Cybertrucks to fix the “stuck pedal” issue that had been depicted in a viral TikTok video posted last week by owner Jose Martinez.

A pad on top of the Cybertruck’s accelerator pedal could come loose and get trapped in the interior trim causing unintended acceleration, a Tesla filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledged.

Tesla’s service department plans to replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly, free of charge for owners.

In a defect notice, Tesla revealed that “an unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap) to aid in the component assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal. Residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal.”

Tesla first became aware of a customer with this issue on March 31, 2024, and the filing says it decided to voluntarily recall the Cybertrucks on April 12 after assessing the problem.

Deliveries of the Cybertruck, Tesla’s newest model EV, have been low — under 4,000 units shipped — since CEO Elon Musk kicked off deliveries at a marketing event on Nov. 29, 2023 the filings said.

The company reported disappointing first-quarter vehicle deliveries for 2024, totaling 386,810 cars. That represented a drop of 8.5% from the same quarter last year. Tesla reports first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

CNBC asked NHTSA about the trapped pedal issue on the Cybertruck on April 14, after Martinez’s video raised public awareness of the defect and unintended acceleration.

A representative for NHTSA on Monday said the agency had received three vehicle owner complaints about the Cybertruck and that the agency was aware of the video. The NHTSA said it “uses many data sources in its enforcement processes, including social media and vehicle owner and other related forums.”