Tesla recalls over 46,000 Cybertrucks amid safety concerns
Tesla announces the recall of over 46,000 Cybertrucks produced since November 2023 due to a defect in the cant rail panel, which can detach and pose a road hazard, reports CNBC.
Tesla has stated the need to recall these vehicles because the cant rail panel poses the risk of detaching. According to the report submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this component can "delaminate and detach from the vehicle," increasing the risk of an accident.
The recall includes all Cybertrucks manufactured from November 2023 to February 2025. Tesla has informed owners that they can have the defective panel replaced for free at authorised service centres, as reported by CNBC.
This decision comes at a challenging time for Tesla, whose market value has fallen by over 40%. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's activities as an advisor to President Donald Trump continue quietly in the background.
Controversies surrounding Cybertrucks
On Wednesday, it was reported that two academic researchers from Rice University in Texas, Vivian Chenxue Lu and Nana Osei-Opare, who analyse the historical significance of armoured vehicles from the apartheid era, found similarities between them and Elon Musk's Tesla Cybertruck model.
Whether or not this was intentional, the Cybertruck’s harsh, sharp edges remind us, instead, of something from the past: the larger armored personnel vehicles that patrolled streets throughout Musk’s youth in apartheid South Africa, wrote Lu and Osei-Opare in the latest issue of "Slate".
During the apartheid era in South Africa, Casspir vehicles were mainly deployed in areas inhabited by black residents, becoming, alongside German shepherds, symbols of state repression against this section of the population.
Some users, likely without Tesla's consent, are converting the car into a combat vehicle, making it even more similar to a Casspir. An example is the Chechens, who in support of Russia in the conflict with Ukraine, have mounted heavy machine guns on the Cybertruck.
Elon Musk, who left South Africa in 1988, a year before his planned military conscription, has been accused of sympathising with white racists. These allegations surfaced after he allegedly made a gesture resembling a Nazi salute during President Donald Trump’s inaugural rally. However, his supporters claim it was actually a Roman salute.
