Tesla Recalls Most Cybertrucks due to Trim Detaching from Vehicle

A person sits inside a Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla showroom in New York City, US, January 2, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Gray/File Photo
A person sits inside a Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla showroom in New York City, US, January 2, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Gray/File Photo
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Tesla Recalls Most Cybertrucks due to Trim Detaching from Vehicle

A person sits inside a Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla showroom in New York City, US, January 2, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Gray/File Photo
A person sits inside a Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla showroom in New York City, US, January 2, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Gray/File Photo

Tesla said Thursday it is recalling nearly all Cybertrucks in the United States to fix an exterior panel that could detach while driving, the latest in a series of call-backs for the pickup truck.

The recall covers just over 46,000 vehicles built from November 2023 through Feb. 27 of this year, Tesla said in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall could prove to be a setback for Tesla, whose stock has lost about half its value this year as the EV automaker grapples with rising competition, an aging lineup, and backlash against CEO Elon Musk's controversial role overseeing cuts to federal spending in the Trump White House, Reuters reported.

The recall addresses risks a stainless-steel exterior trim panel can detach from the vehicle, making it a road hazard boosting the risk of a crash, Tesla said. Tesla's service will replace the rail panel assembly with a new one that meets durability testing requirements, the automaker said.

On Feb. 21, NHTSA notified Tesla of a vehicle owner that alleged a rail panel detachment.

Tesla said a detached rail panel may create a detectable noise inside the cabin or customers may observe the panel coming loose or separating from the vehicle.

Tesla said it is aware of 151 warranty claims that may be related to the recall issue, but no collisions or injuries.

While Tesla does not break out deliveries of its Cybertrucks, the recalled vehicles represent a vast majority of the Cybertruck vehicles on the road, based on analyst estimates.

Demand for the unconventional EV pickup has already shown signs of weakness toward the end of last year, following several delays.

Shares of the EV maker fell 1.4% in premarket trading.

Tesla shares, initially boosted post-election due to Musk's relationship with US President Donald Trump, have fallen nearly 42% this year.

Analysts have pointed to a change in sentiment toward the EV maker from existing customers and potential new buyers, as reactions toward the brand such as protests at Tesla stores across the US and sales boycotts emerge.

Tesla accounts for a large portion of recalled vehicles in the US. In 2024, Tesla topped the list for US recalls with its vehicles accounting for 5.1 million call-backs, according to recall management firm BizzyCar. However, most issues for the brand's cars were usually resolved with over-the-air software updates.

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Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok Gets an Update, Starts Sharing Antisemitic Posts

xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok Gets an Update, Starts Sharing Antisemitic Posts

xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company said Wednesday that it's taking down “inappropriate posts" made by its Grok chatbot, which appeared to include antisemitic comments that praised Adolf Hitler.

Grok was developed by Musk’s xAI and pitched as alternative to “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Musk said Friday that Grok has been improved significantly, and users “should notice a difference.”

Since then, Grok has shared several antisemitic posts, including the trope that Jews run Hollywood, and denied that such a stance could be described as Nazism.

“Labeling truths as hate speech stifles discussion,” Grok said.

It also appeared to praise Hitler, according to screenshots of a post that has now apparently been deleted.

“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” the Grok account posted early Wednesday, without being more specific.

"Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.

Also Wednesday, a court in Türkiye ordered a ban on Grok after it spread content insulting to Turkish President and others.

The pro-government A Haber news channel reported that Grok posted vulgarities against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his late mother and well-known personalities. Offensive responses were also directed toward modern Türkiye's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, other media outlets said.

That prompted the Ankara public prosecutor to file for the imposition of restrictions under Türkiye's internet law, citing a threat to public order. A criminal court approved the request early on Wednesday, ordering the country’s telecommunications authority to enforce the ban.

It's not the first time Grok's behavior has raised questions.

Earlier this year the chatbot kept talking about South African racial politics and the subject of “white genocide” despite being asked a variety of questions, most of which had nothing to do with the country. An “unauthorized modification” was behind the problem, xAI said.