The Tesla Cybertruck had an embarrassing problem this past week. We’re not talking about the surprise shrieking alarms, or the tire-eating wheel covers. This time, it was Pedalgate—a stuck throttle issue with serious safety implications. That apparently led to a delivery halt over the weekend and a recall this morning, but it looks like Tesla may now have found a solution.
As of this morning, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report outlining the details of the recall. Because this is a problem with a physical part it’s not something that can be solved with an over-the-air update.
Here’s what NHTSA said:
If the pad on the accelerator pedal becomes trapped in the interior trim above the pedal, the performance and operation of the pedal will be affected, which may increase the risk of a collision. Note that application of the brake pedal will cut drive torque, including when both brake and accelerator pedals are pressed, and continued application of the brake pedal will bring the vehicle to a stop as quickly as if the accelerator pedal was not pressed.
As for the cause:
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.
This seems to prove the theory that these things were glued on and it sounds like a ‘slip solution’ used to get the pedal in place actually reduced the effectiveness of that glue. But what’s the solution? The recall notice and reporting this morning isn’t clear:
At no charge to the customer, Tesla will replace or rework the accelerator pedal assembly such that the assembly meets specifications and ensures sufficient retention force between the pad and accelerator pedal to prevent the pad from dislodging.
Does that mean that Tesla will just reglue the part? Actually, we’ve got a hint of at least one solution Tesla might be trying out via a Facebook group for the world’s favorite stainless steel pickup. Owner Jim McGlone posted about his new Cybertruck delivery on Thursday, indicating that Telsa is once again getting some trucks out to customers, and shared the photo with The Autopian.
McGlone stated that there were seven Cybertrucks at the Virginia location, and his was one of two that was ready for delivery. His Cybertruck had been given a rudimentary repair in order to fix the problem with the accelerator pedal.
Yes, that’s a rivet. Because the accelerator cover was attached with a simple slide fit. It had no features to securely attach it to the plastic pedal underneath. This meant that in some cases, the cover could slide off while still attached to the pedal, and jam into a crease in the interior. This could leave the throttle pedal stuck at or near maximum, which is a highly dangerous situation for the occupants.
This exact scenario happened to one owner, who took to TikTok to describe the problem. He showed the completely detached pedal cover, and explained how it had gotten stuck in the footwell. Thankfully, he was able to use the brakes to stop the vehicle, with the Cybertruck cutting drive when the pedal was pressed.
@el.chepito1985 serious problem with my Cybertruck and potential all Cybertrucks #tesla #cyberbeast #cybertruck #stopsale #recall
In the wake of that video, many suggested that a five minutes with a drill and a rivet gun could solve the issue. That very much appears to be what Tesla has done. This is a fine solution that should be fit for purpose. Ultimately, a better one would involve multiple rivets that are nicely centered on the pedal. Regardless, just one should do fine.
Reworking each and every Cybertruck in this way would be a hassle, however. McGlone stated that the fix was temporary. It seems plausible that this is a temporary measure used to keep deliveries flowing to customers while Tesla arranges a redesigned part that is actually fit for purpose.
This comes after reports earlier this week that Cybertruck deliveries were about to resume. Customers began to speculate based on new VINs being assigned to customers with reservations.
Cybertruck deliveries resuming https://t.co/7MPcqtlkV5
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) April 17, 2024
At this stage, it’s not clear whether this is a one-off fix by a lone Tesla delivery location, or something the automaker is pursuing on a more widespread basis. Expect further customer reports in the coming days to bear this out one way or another.
It’s not unheard of for an automaker to undertake rework like this. Tesla itself has been known to use random hardware, even bits of wood, to help get its vehicles out the door. This fix isn’t pretty, but for now, it works.
Image credits: Jim McGlone, Tesla
I don’t see a problem with it. It is simple, and it works. Those are the best solutions in my experience.
Is Tesla subcontracting stuff out to LG or Samsung? These things look like the garbage appliances in modern houses. I guess the rivet and the stainless and black plastic are on brand for all those things and so they at least match. Perhaps KitchenAid should make vehicles? The build quality would be solid, and the colors would be fantastic.
Aside from the centering, at least it looks like a nice, non-Harbor Freight rivet
Rivets? Duck tape would work and fit the overall stainless steel vibe.
There’s already a post on the cybertruck forum where someone had their pedal fixed incorrectly by Tesla so this may not be the last we hear of this.
Thank you for sharing, this is absolutely nuts. How do they consistently manage to have such poor quality control? All they had to do was put the rivet somewhere on the pedal, and somehow they managed to miss entirely and not notice.
It pleases me no end that the brakes can solve this at any time,so not as big a deal as on an ICE powered vehicle.
And also yes,this is a totally sensible fix for now.
Wow,almost two compliments for tesla and the week’s only just started.I should buy a lottery ticket
A lot of ICE vehicles cut torque when the brakes are hit, too. Toyotas in particular will totally cut power with the slightest bump of the brake pedal. I assume in response to the whole “unintended acceleration” thing.
This is a job for… JB WELLLLLDD!!!!
It’s not stupid if it works
It’s not even centered! ARRRRGHH!
It’s possible that the plastic piece has ribs on the backside for strength, with a rib running up the center being very likely. Put the rivet to the side to avoid the rib.
That’s not wood in the linked article. It’s plastic with a woodgrain. They probably couldn’t source the correct piece in time, so they got the woodgrain stuff instead. It might look silly, but it works just fine.
Why not up top where it’s effectively invisible? This is on par for Tesla, though.
Assuming there’s anything up top. That metal piece could be just a few inches long.
Did they run out of drywall screws ?
Sure it works, but that’s less than what I would do myself in the garage. I’d drill, tap, countersink, instal 2 properly spaced countersink allen bolts. Done. If I worked at a service center, I’d make a template and knock them out all day.
Allen bolts could unscrew, resulting in the exact same problem later. You can’t call that a fix.
Rivets are a much better solution, but the location of this rivet is maddening because it’s not centered, and because it’s where your heel touches it will likely wear away resulting in the exact same problem later…
Locktite, though I’ve never needed it for covers I’ve used before that never came loose. If anything, the problem was corrosion preventing removal. If there’s room on the backside, I’d put on locknuts, but I didn’t want to assume they wouldn’t interfere. Then again, blind rivets would also need some clearance, if not as much. Mainly this rivet looks like someone’s quick DIY fix, not a solution I’d accept for a 6-figure vehicle—at least get countersunk rivets and center it.
Thankfully, bolts aren’t used in cars, ever 😉
I get that you’re mostly kidding, but location and function are key elements of the decision where to use fasteners, and what type to use.
There are reasons that the steering wheel doesn’t have bolts through the rim, right? High traffic, high touch areas shouldn’t have protruding fasteners of any kind.
This is just bad design followed by an even worse solution to the problems caused. Inside the Cybertruck? It’s particularly un-ironic to find it there so it inspires a bit of schadenfreude.
Oh I know.
It’s just that using a counter sunk bolt would be perfectly adequate here.
They can handle shear and wouldn’t be caught by the user’s shoe.
The risk of them unbolting is minimal given the area and if that’s a concern loctite, would do the trick.
It wouldn’t be very pretty but from a mechanical design stand point it’s perfectly fine.
The CT is an abomination and I won’t try to defend it, but the use of rivets in cars isn’t exactly unheard of or unrealistic. This is pretty common and if they had just done this from the get-go people probably wouldn’t notice.
Now, putting rivets on items that will wear normally and require service is a whole different animal. I’m looking right at YOU Ford Motor Company!!!!
Goddamn Exploder power window motors riveted to the F’n door structure.
A plastic peddle cover will wear eventually and need replacement. This is “fix” seems to be on point for Tesla though “that’s tomorrows problem”.
haha, no it wont. I have cars with plastic accelerator pedal covers. None of them need replacing. not even after 150,000 miles.
After 200,000 miles sometimes the brake pedal cover is pretty badly worn. On some cars you can peel them off and put them back upside-down so your foot hits a different part of the pedal cover. At least, that worked for me until the car went to the junkyard.
The accelerator pedal? I’m with you. That never needs replacing.
Sometimes the best solution to a problem is the simplest.
Don’t buy Teslas?
“Don’t buy Teslas?”
That only works if you believe in a fantasy that there is another car maker out there that never has any product defects ever.
But that’s not reality because making cars is hard.
There’s a difference between never having product defects and having fewer product defects than Tesla. The former is not reality, I agree. The latter has been achieved by nearly every automaker, including Fiat.
A gas pedal cover isn’t what I’d call a “big defect”… not big in the way like Audi timing chain issues are.
And when it comes defects, the reason why the Fiat brand (at least in North America) doesn’t show up on the defect list is because their sales have fallen to such a low level that they can’t get enough data to include in the initial quality stats.
And there are some automakers that have been doing worse than Tesla for initial quality… such as Ford, Land Rover, Audi and Lincoln.
But there are defects and there are defects. And this recent recall is really minor compared many issues other automakers are having with their ICE vehicles.
I’ll take this minor throttle pedal cover issue any day over BMW VANOS issues or Audi timing chain issues… and other typical VAG issues
Fair enough. And I’ll happily continue daily driving my Toyota.
The simplest and best fix for this would have been to design a moulded-in clip on the two mating plastic parts. Same part count, no increase in cost or assembly time.
Adding it after the tooling has been made is expensive, which is why it’s better to design things properly. This should have been flagged up at a DFMEA meeting at least three years ago.
“The simplest and best fix for this would have been to design a moulded-in clip on the two mating plastic parts. Same part count, no increase in cost or assembly time.”
I bet you that’s what they’ll do eventually. But a change like that likely requires some tooling changes which takes time. And right now, they have to get the problem fixed ASAP… so that rivet thingy they’re screwing/hammering in will be for the short term.
” This should have been flagged up at a DFMEA meeting at least three years ago.”
As it has been said before, making cars is hard. And I bet it wasn’t flagged because the issue didn’t come up.
To me, this is similar to the sticking throttle/floormat issue Toyota had a few years ago. In both cases, if the driver isn’t an idiot, they would just hit the brakes and come to a stop as the brakes are designed to overpower/override the motor.
Problem is… they have to make designs account for idiots. Just look at all the jackasses misusing assisted driving features by watching movies or sleeping instead of continuing to pay attention like they are supposed to.
This is up there with my Chevy work truck I had.. the brake pedal pivot bolt was threaded in a way that over time pressing the pedal would loosen the bolt until it came loose (like mine did) leading to some sketchy situations. The official fix? Loctite and torque it down… half ass fix. I was glad to see that truck go.
having a plastic accelerator pedal and then glueing a metal cover over it just screams $140,000 truck.
I mean, that’s how they do it on the C8 corvette and Lamborghini Huracan. So, why not a truck?
That’s also how they do it on Porsche 911s. For the discerning connoiseur who wants pure billet aluminum pedal numeric will gladly sell a set for $31,000. For everyone else, Suncoat’s glued metal over plastic/rubber is $400.
Uh, the aluminum numeric that you linked to is only $499, vs $359 for the metal over plastic. Pure aluminum seems pretty good for that price difference.
Ugh my bad. Didn’t realize the site ran an automatic currency converter based on regional settings.
This isn’t wrong but this situation is potentially vastly more dangerous to people outside of the car.
I commented on the initial article that they would be installing some self tappers. I wasn’t too far off. Honestly though, I see this as a legitimate fix. Although I feel two rivets would be better than relying on one.
I was thinking adhesive on the back and then a fastener. But I only thought about adhesive as it would likely keep the pedal from rattling. Fastners can loosen a little over time and then feel sloppy but are a very physical way to ensure it doesn’t slip off.