I Picked Up This Cybertruck on Oct 30th. On Nov 3rd It Was Dead and Tesla Has No Idea What's Wrong. Finally They Called Me Last Night

If you've followed the adventures of new Cybertruck owners, you might have caught Elan Michael's recent experience that's had the community buzzing.

Elan Michael, a Tesla Cybertruck owner, recently shared ongoing issues with his new vehicle, which has been unresponsive since early November. After initially believing a 48V battery failure was the culprit, Tesla service has now updated Elan, explaining that the problem stems from the Power Conversion System, an essential component managing power distribution in the Cybertruck. Technicians are currently working to resolve the issue, with the hope of having the vehicle ready by Friday.

Look how some other Cybertruck owners responded to Elon and shared their experiences in this video from the Torque News YouTube channel.

But this is what Elan wrote two days ago.

I "picked this car up on Oct 30th, on Nov 3rd it was dead in my garage, unresponsive to anything," wrote Elan on the Tesla Cybertruck Owners group on Facebook. He continues saying, I "couldn't even open the doors. Thus, I had it towed to Tesla service center. It's now November 12th, they tried changing the 48v battery to no success. They have absolutely no idea what's wrong with it and just keep moving my completion date forward."

Fast forward to yesterday November 13th, and there's news that Tesla has announced a recall for the Cybertruck - the sixth this year, but this one feels particularly relevant. This recall involves a fault in the drive unit inverter, which, much like the heart in your body, is crucial for the Cybertruck's electric system. It's what converts the battery's power into something the motor can use. If it fails, you've got a situation not unlike Elan's: a vehicle that can't move.

But late last night Elan, gave the group members a new update that Tesla mechanics finally called.

"They called me end of the day today and said they figured out the problem with my Cybertruck. It's the Power Conversion System. Tesla said they will work on it tomorrow (meaning today) and hopefully, the car will be ready Friday. We shall see. Last week they told me it was the 48V battery, and when they did the work it didn't help, so holding my breath."

Elan’s experience has drawn significant attention from other Tesla owners, as it coincides with Tesla’s recent Cybertruck recall addressing power and connectivity concerns that could cause unresponsiveness. In fact, about 70 people commented under Elan's post.

One of them says this is a Lemon Law, another says give Tesla a chance to marke it right, to which I agree, and yet others share their own experiences with the Cybertruck. One of them, with a user name Gina Beaux Bina, writes:

"Definitely frustrating and hearing this too often on the Cybertruck pages lately. Something similar happened to us on a long road trip. We weren't provided a loaner to get home, despite them knowing we were going to have to also drive back to get the truck. It took a week to be completed, was a new "ribbon/module" recall/service bulletin issue located under passenger side. Meanwhile, there was no guarantee that whole time that what they were doing was going to fix it - but I guess that's just how some computer/electrical problems are: replace parts and re-test. We've had it since early June, and 7,000 miles on it. We have multiple vehicles to fall back on, but for people who depend on their Cybertruck as their only vehicle, this has to be frustrating and costly. Furthermore, how are these vehicles being let out of production with so many issues? With such low mileage, it seems like these issues would have revealed themselves during very basic production testing, before release, and certainly by now so they could be proactive about repairs."

Obviously, this is not a cool way to treat a Cybertruck Foundation owner. And keep in mind, that these things happen with every type of car.

Yet, Tesla was trying to make it right.

I think Tesla’s identification of the Power Conversion System issue could be a step toward remedying the Cybertruck’s initial reliability concerns, especially as other owners report similar early-stage hiccups. Elan remains cautiously optimistic but expresses understandable frustration, sharing, “Last week they told me it was the 48V battery... so holding my breath.” His case underscores the challenges of adopting brand-new models but also highlights Tesla’s commitment to resolving these issues in real-time.

Tesla’s response to these issues will be a critical factor in shaping carbuyer trust. With more owners sharing similar experiences, many are watching closely to see how effectively Tesla can address these initial Cybertruck reliability hurdles. And Tesla seems to be trying to make it right.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.

Image: A screenshot from Tesla Cybertruck Owners group, linked above.