Tesla is undoubtedly one of the most prominent companies in advanced transportation, and the idea of self-driving cars and other cutting-edge features can seem almost futuristic. While previous articles have highlighted how safety and technological advancements have significantly reduced traffic accidents and saved millions of lives over the past decade, today we will take a broader look at the issues that Tesla vehicles may present, whether due to their design, or misuse by their owners.
Recall for Unintended Acceleration
Tesla has initiated a voluntary recall of 3,878 Cybertrucks due to an issue with the accelerator pedal. In April of this year, 2024, a safety report submitted to the NHTSA indicated that soap used during the assembly process may cause the pedal to malfunction, potentially leading to unintended vehicle acceleration.
Dashboard Font Causing Safety Issues
The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall for over 2 million Tesla vehicles due to a problem with the font size of the dashboard warning lights, which is considered too small. This issue may affect the driver’s ability to read the warnings, potentially putting vehicle safety at risk.
The recall specifically addresses an incorrect font size displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights.
Exorbitant Repair Costs
Repairing stainless steel on the Cybertruck presents a unique challenge. The truck’s unusually rigid construction, with 3mm thick stainless steel panels, is a first in the industry. Unlike traditional steel or aluminum bodywork, any repairs must be flawless since there’s no paint to hide imperfections. This makes the process much more labor-intensive and difficult. Instead of filling dents or cosmetic flaws, the entire repair must be structurally and visually perfect, which can be time-consuming and tricky. The nature of stainless steel means replacing panels might be a quicker option than trying to fix them, yet even that could present its own set of challenges.
Relying on panel replacements instead of repairs could further complicate matters for Tesla owners, who already face long wait times and steep repair bills. With the company’s decision to use stainless steel, these issues may only worsen. Even before this, Tesla drivers have experienced difficulties with high insurance claims and lengthy repair times. A recent example is a Tesla Model 3 incident where the total claim reached $22,000, with $14,000 going toward replacement parts alone. Given the Cybertruck’s design, the costs and delays for repairs could be even higher.
Concerning Privacy Breaches
In April 2024, Tesla faced a significant cybersecurity issue when it was revealed that some employees had breached the privacy of internal vehicle cameras. They shared footage of users, including some inappropriate recordings where individuals were captured without clothing, within a private group, under the guise of amusement.
Other images, however, were more innocuous. These included pictures of dogs and humorous road signs, which employees turned into memes with entertaining captions or commentary, and shared in private group chats. An ex-employee also noted that some of these recordings seemed to have been captured while the vehicles were parked and turned off.
Since around 2016, Tesla has employed numerous individuals in Africa and later in the United States to annotate images, aiding their vehicles in recognizing pedestrians, street signs, construction vehicles, garage doors, and other objects encountered on the road or at customer locations. To facilitate this, data annotators were granted access to thousands of videos and images from car cameras, which they reviewed to identify various objects.
Inadequate Autopilot Involvement
Tesla’s Autopilot is regarded as one of the most intriguing and potentially transformative technologies in the car industry. A report from the NHTSA, published on December 12, raised concerns regarding the Autosteer feature, which is part of the optional Autopilot system—initially developed with the vision of enabling fully autonomous vehicles. This feature is available in models such as the Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y.
The software issue highlighted by the NHTSA does not pertain to the actual functioning of the assisted driving feature but to the safety protocols meant to ensure that the driver stays engaged with the road. The agency found these measures to be “inadequate,” as their investigation uncovered that drivers could deceive the vehicle into operating autonomously without their active involvement.
Susceptibility to Unauthorized Modding & Demonstrations
Some Tesla owners have modified the vehicle’s software or hardware to bypass Autopilot safety limitations or increase speed, leading to dangerous situations and accidents.
Additionally, in attempts to test the supposed durability of the materials, users have been seen jumping on the windshield, roof, and even shooting at the vehicle to test its bulletproof capabilities. Not only do warranties not cover any of these damages, but a significant number of accident reports stem from these reckless demonstrations.
Among the two hazardous practices that have gone viral on the internet, we should be cautious about:
- Using VR technology or any visual enhancement that obstructs clear visibility of the dashboard and the road at all times. A notorious example is a user operating their vehicle with an Apple Vision Pro while the car drives itself.
- A particularly dangerous modification is complete polishing. Some users have spent up to four weeks polishing the steel panels of their vehicle. The result is a hazardous car that acts almost like a mirror on the road, reflecting everything around it and potentially becoming dangerous on sunny and hot days.
Oversold Aquatic Abilities
Like all car models, Tesla vehicles have a specific water level limit, which refers to the maximum depth at which the car can still operate without any issues. The new limit is set at 2 feet 7 inches, and the vehicle has successfully passed several tests.
The car has a mode specifically designed for aquatic conditions, in which it raises the ride height and pressurizes the battery when driving through water. However, it’s important to remember that despite this feature, even the manufacturers advise against using a Tesla for off-road driving.
Having initially stated that the “Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy,” the reality has been slightly different. Users have reported issues navigating small amounts of water, and some have even complained about the vehicle’s inability to survive a trip through the car wash.
An Unsafe Vehicle for Other Drivers on the Road
Most concerningly, Tesla’s Cybertruck has faced criticism that its rigid design poses a risk for pedestrians and other vehicles. With heavier vehicles already considerably more likely to cause serious injuries in collisions, the Cybertruck seems custom built to inflict damage on anything it hits.
Although the Cybertruck is currently unavailable in Europe for a litany of reasons, the European Transportation Safety Council had previously issued a statement saying, “We hope Tesla don’t bring this vehicle to Europe. A vehicle of this size, power and huge weight will be lethal to pedestrians and cyclists in a collision.”
Similarly, due to the lack of “crumple zones” to disperse impact in the event of a crash, the Cybertruck may also be unsafe for its own passengers. Reports had started circulating that the vehicle is largely uninsurable, and Geico was dropping all coverage. This has since been debunked, but finding coverage has proved challenging enough that some owners have taken to online forums to complain about insanely high insurance rates.
With all of this in mind, it’s unsurprising that Cybertrucks are currently tanking in value and complaints are arising from early adopters experiencing buyer’s remorse. However, for advocates of street safety, the most pressing issue is making sure these vehicles aren’t going to cause unnecessary accidents due to their questionable design choices and poor implementation of cutting edge tech.