A Cybertruck Owner Says He’s No Longer a Tesla “Fanboy” After His Truck Experienced a Bizarre Failure Where Everything Remained Powered ON but Unresponsive – The Cybertruck Had to be Towed With The Brights Blinding Oncoming Traffic

Ed is a Cybertruck owner from Nashville, Tennessee, and he says his truck suddenly started to panic while he was driving 75 miles per hour on the highway.

Ed’s Cybertruck began throwing off multiple error messages, culminating in a bizarre failure where everything remained powered ON yet unresponsive.

Ironically, this made towing the Cybertruck even more difficult than if it had lost all power and completely turned off.

So far, we’ve seen several Cybertrucks getting bricked with all systems shutting down.

In Ed’s situation, although the Cybertruck became unresponsive, all systems remained ON, including lights and screens. However, nothing that was ON could be turned OFF.

While this might seem like a milder issue compared to a completely bricked Cybertruck, Ed found that a vehicle that is partially powered but unresponsive is actually more problematic than one that’s completely dead.

When the Cybertruck shuts down, it usually locks its doors, engages the parking brake, powers off completely, and goes to sleep. However, in Ed’s case, the lights remained on, the windows were rolled down, the doors were open, and the parking brake was disengaged, which made it even more challenging to transport with a tow truck than if the vehicle had been completely dead.

As a result, the Cybertruck had to be loaded onto the tow truck with its high beams on, facing oncoming traffic and illuminating the cars directly behind the tow truck.

Ed mentions that frustrated drivers honked at them and shouted insults as the Cybertruck’s high beams blinded them.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Ed says that without the parking brake engaged, even though the tow truck operator did his best to secure the Cybertruck onto the flatbed, the Cybertruck kept moving, making it even more dangerous to transport.

This all sounds bad; however, Ed adds that the already unenviable situation was made even worse by Tesla’s roadside assistance.

Ed says he was stranded in the middle of nowhere at the border between Tennessee and Georgia, two hours into a six-hour road trip.

However, Tesla’s roadside assistance insisted that he return from the service center using Uber and refused to provide any accommodations other than a $50 voucher.

His experience with Tesla’s roadside assistance was so bad that Ed says he was a “fan boy,” but he has realized that Tesla is like any other legacy automaker or big business.

Having said that, Ed still makes sure to give Tesla praise, saying it’s the most forward-thinking, innovative company in the world.

Given all the challenges he has encountered with his Cybertruck, that’s indeed an interesting perspective. Nevertheless, the still surprisingly pro-Tesla, Cybertruck owner shared his story on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum.

He writes…

“FSD Stopped, cruise stopped, parking brake degraded…

While driving in the left lane at 75mph, FSD suddenly stops, and alarms go off: “FSD Unavailable,” "Cruise Unavailable, “Parking Brake Degraded,”  “Automatic ehicle hold degraded,”...

I reset the Cybertruck using the steering wheel. Nope

I did a hard reset for two minutes. Same issues.

I am 2 hours into a six-hour trip. Thoughts?’’

After a few minutes, Ed contacts Tesla’s roadside assistance and informs forum members that he cannot resolve the issue on his own; he will need to have his Cybertruck towed to the service center for evaluation.

He continues to write…

“I’m going to have to get my Cybertruck towed for evaluation.

I’m two hours from home, and the nearest service center is closed until Monday. I got a $50 Uber voucher.

I travel for work and have been informed that storage fees will begin if I do not pick up the car within 24 hours after Tesla completes work on the Cybertruck.

Tesla is making it hard to be a happy customer for this first-time Tesla owner.”

Having to get his Cybertruck towed is bad enough; however, Ed shares that once he put the truck in “Tow Mode,” everything started to get even worse.

In a bizarre turn of events, the truck became unresponsive even though everything stayed powered on.

Ed continues to write…

“It got progressively worse, and the Cybertruck began to panic with alarms galore. Then, when I put it in Tow Mode, it froze in panic mode. I couldn’t turn off the lights—they were on high beams—and it wouldn’t shift into park. "

I couldn’t lock the doors. Couldn’t roll up windows. The tow truck got it up on the bed (barely) and tied it down as best he could, but it was still rolling back and forth a bit on the flat bed—absolutely no parking brake.

People were honking at us and giving us the finger as we drove in the tow truck because the Cybertruck’s brights were still on, and it was facing the oncoming traffic.

Not what I expected.

I went to a small local airport and rented a car on my dime. Tesla said they don’t cover anything but the towing - even if the vehicle is only 4 weeks old. I miss FSD and the quiet cabin.”

Ed continues on hammering Tesla’s roadside assistance, writing…

“Tesla’s roadside service said they would not cover the cost for the tow truck to drop us off, but they offered a $50 Uber voucher instead. We were in the middle of nowhere at a rest stop on the border between Georgia and Tennessee.

I wasn’t taking a chance on Uber that far out at 10 pm. The tow truck took two hours to arrive, and he said he would not leave us stranded here and asked permission from Tesla to drop us at the airport. Tesla said they wouldn’t pay any extra. He did it for free. Absolutely unacceptable on Tesla’s part.

I was a fanboy until this incident. I see how they keep efficiency as a top priority. At 3,550 miles in, I’ve discovered that Tesla is just like Ford or any other major car manufacturer when your vehicle breaks down.

I was foolish to think differently. I will use AAA next time. They may be just as cheap, but at least it wouldn’t make me lose even more trust in the most forward-thinking and innovative company in the world.

I still do miss that Cybertruck after driving 4 hours in a Toyota RAV4 rental. I’m just now aware that Tesla roadside sucks. I would never recommend them.”

Below his post, Ed shared several pictures and a video showing all the issues he’s faced with his Cybertruck.

The video shows Ed’s Cybertruck's center screen flashing bright red with the words "Pull Over Safely" and "Critical Issues Detected" being displayed on the screen.

The Cybertruck screen also shows several error messages, including…

• Rear axle steering disabled – Turning radius limited
• Automatic Vehicle Hold Disabled 
• Parking Brake Functions Degraded 

Ed also included several pictures of his Cybertruck: one shows the Cybertruck being loaded onto a tow truck, and another features the Cybertruck being transported on the tow truck with the high beam lights and daytime running light on.

Overall, Ed says he’s no longer a Tesla fanboy; however, for now, he’s only willing to criticize Tesla’s roadside service while still praising the rest of the company.

Considering all the failures he has faced with his Cybertruck, this is surprising; however, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the RED “Add new comment” button below. Also, make sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Screenshot from Ed’s post on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum

For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says He Drove His Truck Through a Tornado Zone – Adds, “I Have Never Driven in a Rainstorm This Bad, but It Was Beautiful in the Cybertruck”

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.