With Earth Day just around the corner, it’s an electric week at Auto123 as we turn the lights towards noteworthy developments in the EV segment.
We learned this week that the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the American equivalent of Transport Canada, was investigating an unintended acceleration problem involving Tesla's new Cybertruck model.
Today, Tesla announced it is recalling the vehicle to rectify the problem. Incident reports concerning the situation indicated a problem with the accelerator pedal jamming, which can lead to the vehicle racing out of control.
The Cybertruck is new to the market this year, so all 3,878 recalled models are 2024 vintages. All models are affected by the problem.
NHTSA documents give a more precise idea of the problem. Those state that when a significant force is applied to the cushion covering the accelerator pedal, the cushion can detach and become trapped in the inner lining of the driver's footwell. If it does, the accelerator pedal remains depressed and the vehicle continues to accelerate.
So we're not talking about a mechanical problem, but a glitch in the physical design.
Fortunately, the situation can be quickly brought under control, simply by depressing the brake pedal, which immediately cuts off power to the wheels. When both pedals are depressed (brake and gas pedal), the brake takes precedence (According to the NHTSA, when both pedals are depressed, the vehicle slows down as quickly as it normally would if only the brake were applied).
Tesla was first made aware of the problem via a customer complaint filed on March 31, 2024. On April 2, the automaker confirmed that the vehicle's braking system had functioned correctly during the incident and that the Cybertruck had stopped when both pedals had been depressed.
Tesla said that as of April 15, it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem.
To fix the issue, Tesla will replace or rework the accelerator pedal assembly and cover so the glitch can’t recur.
According to documents filed with the NHTSA, a modification was made to the Cybertruck's production process prior to April 17 in order to equip the vehicle with a new accelerator pedal.
Buyers still waiting for their vehicle will have it repaired before delivery. Deliveries are currently delayed, and it’s not clear when they will resume.