Tesla has agreed to recall nearly 4,000 of its Cybertruck pickups to fix an accelerator pedal that can get stuck, raising the risk of crashes, a federal safety agency said on Friday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the defect could cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, posing a safety hazard for drivers. The recall affects all 3,878 Cybertrucks on U.S. roads produced from November 13 to April 4.
The issue was traced back to soap being used as a lubricant during assembly at Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas. The residual soap reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal, leading to the accelerator pedal getting stuck.
Tesla first received a customer complaint on March 31 and quickly took action to assess and voluntarily recall the affected vehicles by April 12. The company will replace or repair the accelerator pedal on Cybertrucks free of charge.
This recall is just the latest setback for Tesla, which has been facing challenges in the electric vehicle market. The company’s stock has fallen roughly 40 percent this year, and it has been losing market share to emerging competitors.
Despite the recall, the federal safety agency noted that Tesla was not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths caused by the defect. Some owners have reported being able to stop the vehicle by pressing down on the brake pedal when the accelerator pedal gets stuck.
Tesla has faced several recalls in the past year, including one in February for more than two million vehicles due to font size issues on warning lights and another in December for more than two million vehicles to update its Autopilot software.
The electric car maker has been struggling to maintain its rapid growth as competition in the electric vehicle market increases. The Cybertruck, Tesla’s first pickup truck, has faced criticism for its unusual design and high starting price of over $80,000.
Despite these challenges, Tesla remains a major player in the electric vehicle market, with a market share of 51 percent in the United States in the first quarter of the year. However, this is a drop from 62 percent at the start of 2023, indicating increasing competition in the industry.
