Breaking: Tesla has Quietly Recalled Cybertrucks Built Around February & is Secretly Replacing Complete Battery Packs – Tesla Says It’s Due to “Cell Side Dent Induced Core Collapse”

A Tesla Cybertruck owner, Matt Albers, recently took his truck for routine maintenance; however, he was surprised to learn Tesla had decided to give him a complete battery pack replacement.

Initially, Matt assumed it would take a day to fix the minor issues; however, after Tesla had held onto his truck for more than two weeks without any explanation, Matt decided to reach out to the EV maker.

To his surprise, Matt learned that Tesla was not only replacing his battery pack but also that there was an issue that affected all Cybertrucks around the time his truck was produced and that Tesla was quietly replacing the battery packs of all the trucks.

Matt shared the issue on the Tesla Cybertruck group on Facebook. Here is what Matt shared and the explanation he received from Tesla in response…

“Anybody know what this means? I brought the Cybertruck in for the first time since delivery in February (VIN sub 2000) for the standard recalls and a few minor issues and they’ve added this to the list. 

They’ve had the truck for more than two weeks 😱 and I thought it might only be a day!  What does this even mean?”

Below his post, Matt included a screenshot from his Tesla app showing the added service item, " Cybertruck—High Voltage Battery Replacement (Cell Side Dent Induced Core Collapse).”

Underneath this service line item, Tesla gives the update “waiting for parts,” which partially explains the more than two-week wait.

Understandably, Matt was surprised by this service item and decided to reach out to Tesla for further explanation.

Here is what Matt wrote to his Tesla service technician: “Hi. It looks like there was an additional work item regarding a battery replacement. Can you explain what that means?”

Below, Matt added a screenshot of his communication with Tesla. In response, the Tesla tech in charge of the work being done to his Cybertruck wrote back, “Hey Matthew, this is a proactive replacement as our engineering team has noticed that some cells may have side dents, which can cause shorting in cells in packs developed around your car's production date.”

This is certainly an interesting way to find out that Tesla has decided to replace your Cybertruck’s entire battery pack.

Matt added, “Interesting update from Tesla! FYI for anyone who took delivery around February! I had no idea this was a “thing” until two weeks into the job when they added the work item to the list. Honestly, it's a bit concerning!”

There is a lot to unpack here. First, why did Tesla not communicate with the owner much more clearly when the company decided to replace his batterypack?

Imagine going to another dealer and finding out, oh yeah, we decided to replace your engine a couple of weeks back. Sorry, we didn’t inform you.

Yes, Tesla added a line item to the list of work being done; however, I think everyone would agree if Tesla is going to replace the entire high-voltage battery pack, then at the minimum, a person should have contacted the owner to inform him of what’s going on.

Second, how did the side-dented cells end up in the Cybertruck? Who and what process is to blame for this issue? What is the likelihood that this issue could cause a battery short? Has a battery short occurred in the field? What kinds of accidents and damage has this issue caused so far?

The two questions raised above are important; however, the biggest question left is the third: has Tesla informed the relevant regulatory organizations, and why is the EV maker not announcing an official recall so that all affected vehicles can get a remedy?

If there is a reasonable risk of a battery shorting out, which can cause a fire, I would assume Tesla should try to reach all the affected Cybertrucks and implement a remedy as soon as possible.

Currently, Tesla appears to be waiting for owners of the affected Cybertrucks to bring in their trucks for unrelated reasons before addressing the issue.

So far, Tesla has already issued four Cybertruck recalls, and it appears that this will be the next one. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the story develops.

Until then, let me know what you think about the side-dented cells potentially causing core collapse and how Tesla has chosen to handle the issue. Share your opinion by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Courtesy of Tesla, inc.

For more information, check out: Tesla Cybertruck Rental Prices are in Free Fall – You Can Rent One for $134/Day

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.