Tesla Cybertruck Recall #8: Exterior Trim Peels Itself Off, Again

Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall, this time over exterior trim panels that risk detaching while driving - the second time loose body trim has triggered a safety fix.

This time, the stamped stainless steel piece attempting escape is the cant rail, a cosmetic metal trim running along the top of the doors from the windshield to the front of the bed. According to the recall notice, the cant rail is an assembly made of electrocoated steel and stainless steel panels bonded with adhesive, then fastened to the vehicle.

On affected trucks, the adhesive joint may weaken over time, leading to delamination and potentially causing the panel to peel off entirely. Tesla notes the adhesive used is prone to "environmental embrittlement."

In other words, the vehicle Elon Musk once described as "literally bulletproof" - right before its window was shattered by a metal ball - relies on glue at key trim joints that seemingly can't withstand the weather.

The recall notice states that some 46,096 Cybertrucks are potentially affected, covering all 2024 and 2025 models manufactured from November 13, 2023, to February 27, 2025. Tesla estimates only around one percent are likely experiencing the issue, and noted that as of March 18, the problem still hadn't been addressed in production, though the fix is expected to roll out around March 21.

To fix the matter, Tesla plans to replace the cant rail assembly "with one that meets durability testing requirements," which translates to using a stronger adhesive that won't crumble under the elements, and adding a stud welded to the stainless panel, secured with a nut clamping it to the vehicle structure. Naturally, this raises the question of why bolting the panel down wasn't part of the original design.

While slightly different from the current cant rail issue, this recall mirrors a June 2024 problem involving Cybertruck's sail applique - a stainless steel panel running along the truck bed. That earlier recall flagged cases where either the applique or its adhesive hadn't been installed to spec, making the trim prone to coming loose or flying off.

• Tesla Cybertruck turns into world's most expensive brick after car wash
• As Elon Musk makes thousands of federal workers jobless, tycoon pushes for $56B Tesla pay deal
• Geico tells El Reg, no, it's not canceling all Cybertruck insurance
• Tesla recalls over 1.6M electric cars in China for faulty hood lock

This brings the total number of Cybertruck recalls to eight since its late 2023 launch, averaging one every two months.

Thus far, issues have included detaching trim (twice), accelerator pedal cover detachment leading to unintended acceleration, rearview camera activation delays, faulty drive inverter, windshield wiper motor failures, and two broader Tesla recalls involving dash display sizes and faulty tire pressure sensor lights.

With all these faults continually popping up, and other cases of bad trim attachment reported by owners, we reached out to Tesla to see if it planned to look into quality control problems surrounding the Cybertruck, but didn't hear back. ®