Tesla has announced a recall of a significant number of its Cybertruck vehicles due to an issue with the front parking lights being excessively bright. This decision was made after the company discovered the brightness levels exceeded design specifications during an internal review conducted earlier this month.
The recall affects most Cybertrucks produced to date, specifically targeting 63,619 units. Tesla reported the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), indicating that the software in the vehicles was unintentionally increasing the brightness of the parking lamps. This situation puts the vehicles in breach of U.S. motor vehicle safety regulations. Although the NHTSA warned that these overly bright lights could impair the visibility for oncoming drivers, leading to an increased risk of accidents, the recall notice stated that no incidents have been reported so far.
Despite the lack of accidents linked to this particular issue, the recall comes at a time when Elon Musk had previously projected high production numbers for the Cybertruck, aiming for over 200,000 units annually. However, the current recall suggests that the delivery figures have not met expectations, supporting claims of lower-than-anticipated sales.
Interestingly, reports emerged last week revealing that Musk”s companies have been acquiring Cybertrucks in large quantities, which some speculate may be an attempt to mask disappointing sales figures. However, the lead engineer for the Cybertruck, Wes Morrill, countered this narrative on social media, asserting that both Tesla and SpaceX are intentionally modernizing their vehicle fleets with the distinctive pickup.
This latest recall is not the only problem Tesla is facing. The company also reported a more serious potential defect in its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from 2025 and 2026, which could result in a loss of drive power due to issues with the battery-pack contactors. Unlike the Cybertruck issue, this problem requires physical repairs at a Tesla service center for 12,963 affected owners. The NHTSA noted that this defect could prevent the vehicle from applying torque using the accelerator pedal, significantly raising the risk of a collision.
Although Tesla has noted several warranty claims and field reports associated with the battery issue, it has stated that no accidents or injuries have been linked to this defect as of now. As of this writing, Tesla has not responded to requests for further commentary on either recall.
