Tesla touts the Cybetruck as the most rugged production vehicle out on the road. We have all seen the demonstrations where the Tesla Cybertruck stops bullets, and the windshield stopping a baseball thrown at 70 miles per hour.
This is all well and good; however, owners who have bought a Cybertruck are finding the all-electric truck might not be as indestructible as originally presented.
This was the case for one new Cybertruck owner who just picked up his Cybertruck less than 24 hours ago.
The owner who posted his predicament on the Tesla Cybertruck group writes, “Not even 24 hours after I picked it up. While talking to someone, my wife waved her hand, and her wedding ring CRACKED the windshield.”
Continuing to express his frustration, the owner writes, "It’s horribly weak. Now, I have to wait three weeks because they are in 'backorder.' And I live 10 minutes from the gigafactory in Austin. Seriously 💁🏻♂️ oh. And 'impact is not covered'. So I’m paying out of pocket."
This situation highlights the inconvenience and unexpected cost that can arise from Cybertruck damage. Last week, we reported on a Tesla Cybertruck owner who got into a minor fender bender. Tesla charged him $13,304, and had to wait three months to get his truck fixed.
Returning to the cracked windshield, it’s surprising that the Cybertruck windshield could crack so easily from a simple hand wave.
Fantastical images purportedly showing a Tesla Cybertruck left to burn on the beach as it gets engulfed in fire are spreading on the internet. Here are the tell-tale signs and subtle features proving these are AI-generated fakes. @Tesla @elonmusk #Tesla https://t.co/wOdPbaUmY9
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) July 17, 2024
According to Tesla, the Cybertruck windshield is rated to withstand Class 4 hail. A Class 4 rating is the highest possible rating and indicates that the glass can withstand all kinds of hail impact.
Presumably, Tesla is using the same glass product on the Cybertruck windshield as the company uses for the solar roof. In the roofing world, a Class 4 hail rating is given if a product does not show any signs of cracking after a 2-inch steel ball is dropped twice on the same spot from a distance of 20 feet.
However, despite these lofty promises, the Cybertruck in the real world doesn’t appear to be as sturdy as maybe tests in the lab showed.
One issue here might be the sheer size of the Cybertruck windshield. The class 4 hail rating for Tesla glass roof is for flat and small 15-inch by 45-inch square panels; however, on the Cybertruck, Tesla has fitted the vehicle with the largest single piece of glass in the automotive industry.
This means the Cybertruck glass is subjected to far more tension than the Tesla solar roof tiles. In addition, the Cybertruck glass is curved and crimped at the ends, which adds to the windshield’s vulnerability.
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Having said that, in Tesla’s defense, if the woman who shattered the Cybertruck windshield while simply waving her hands was wearing a diamond wedding ring, the fact that the windshield cracked might be more understandable.
According to the Mohs hardness scale, a diamond is at level 10, and the glass Tesla is using for the Cybertruck is around level 5 or 6. This suggests that it might not be at all surprising that the diamond was able to shatter the glass.
We can give Tesla a pass here; however, another issue the Cybertruck owner is facing is that there aren’t enough parts, and it will take weeks to repair his Cybertruck.
Making the wait even more frustrating, the Cybertruck owner lives in Austin, Texas, 10 minutes away from the Giga Texas factory where the Cybertruck is built.
However, despite his close proximity to the Cybertruck factory, Tesla told him Cybertruck windshields were on back order, and he had to wait three weeks for the parts to arrive.
If you think being unable to drive your brand-new vehicle for three weeks because replacement parts are unavailable is bad, given Tesla’s less-than-stellar service record, it would be a miracle if he could even get his windshield replaced in that time frame.
According to the countless Tesla service nightmare stories I have read over the years, the Cybertruck owner will likely have to wait several months to sort out this issue.
Having said that, in recent days, Tesla appears to have increased focus on improving the service experience. After laying off close to 20,000 employees in the past few months, Tesla is now back on a hiring spree, with the plurality of the new positions opening up for Tesla service technicians.
Construction of the Tesla Semi volume production facility is progressing rapidly. After completing grading and drainage work last week, Tesla has now moved to footing work with footing trenches already dug on one-third of the future factory floor. @Tesla @elonmusk #Tesla
-… pic.twitter.com/nALjVqPtAy
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) July 18, 2024
Another thing to note, in the spirit of fairness to Tesla and the Cybertruck, although the Cybertruck has not been as indestructible as Tesla led people to believe, it’s important to note that the Cybertruck is still much more sturdy than any other production vehicle.
The Cybertruck stainless steel exterior is especially holding up as advertised. We’ve countless reports praising Tesla and the Cybertruck following collisions with a Ram pickup truck, with a semi-truck trailer, running over a deer at 75 miles, and so on.
Overall, if it hadn’t been for the subpar Tesla service experience, given that the Cybertruck is sturdier than any other vehicle on the road, we would have given Tesla a pass for the occasional unexpected failures.
However, Tesla’s subpar service, coupled with an unexpected failure, severely magnifies the owners' frustration.
Currently, this is all the information we have; however, we’ll be sure keep you posted on Tesla’s vehicle lineup going forward. Until then, make sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
So, what do you think? Are you surprised to see the Cybertruck windshield shattered following a hand wave impact? Do you think this puts into question the truck’s ruggedness bonafide? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below by clicking the red “Add new comment” button.
Image: Courtesy of Tesla, inc.
Related News: Trying to Use My Tesla Cybertruck for Work, but Struggling with all the Attention
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.