A Cybertruck Owner Says He’s Thrilled that Tesla Sold Him a Defective Truck. He adds, “I Can Now Return the Truck to Tesla at Full Price & Buy a Brand-New Cybertruck for $30,000 Less"

Reid Tomasko, a Cybertruck owner from New Hampshire, says that after experiencing multiple issues, he was recently forced to return his defective truck back to Tesla.

Reid says the glue holding his Cybertruck panels together was defective, which meant he had to get every panel on the Cybertruck replaced before he finally called it quits and asked Tesla to buy back his truck.

If a company sells a defective product and is required to fully reimburse the owner, that usually concludes the matter.

However, Reid states that he will use the money he received from Tesla as reimbursement for his defective Cybertruck to purchase another Cybertruck.

Additionally, for those who may feel sympathy for Reid due to the challenges he faced with a troublesome Cybertruck, he says “it’s a win” that his truck encountered issues, as it allowed him to return it to Tesla for the original price.

In contrast, another Cybertruck owner recently disclosed that Carvana offered him $59,400 for his relatively new three-month-old Cybertruck, which has only 2,000 miles.

And another Cybertruck owner says, “It’s impossible to get rid of a Cybertruck. I want to cut my losses and move on, but I can’t give this thing away. I’ve lost so much money already, help!”

However, Reid says he’ll have a brand-new Cybertruck and will also save $30,000 since Tesla will reimburse him for the original price he paid for the truck prior to all the price cuts and incentives.

Since Tesla started selling the Cybertruck, the EV maker has decreased the vehicle's starting price by $20,000.

Additionally, starting in 2025, the vehicle qualifies for the $7,500 point-of-sale federal EV tax credit, and Tesla is also offering a $1,500 referral discount.

If all this wasn’t enough, Tesla is also now offering a 1.99% financing rate for the Cybertruck, whereas people who bought their Cybertruck earlier had to pay 6% or a higher interest rate.

This alone reduces the price of the Cybertruck over the lifetime of the loan by more than $15,000.

Overall, with all these price cuts and incentives, Reid seems thankful that Tesla sold him a defective truck.

Now, Reid says his only concern is whether Tesla will quickly send him the money for the first Cybertruck so that he can use it to pay for the second Cybertruck he has already ordered.

This is certainly an interesting decision, and the unexpectedly pleased Cybertruck owner shared his story on the Tesla Cybertruck group on Facebook.

He writes…

“Tesla bought back my Cybertruck after I needed to replace every panel due to glue failure. You might think I'm crazy for ordering a new one; however, I'm getting a new truck and putting $ 30,000 in the bank, so I see it as a win!

I've also heard that all the panels being produced now use the new adhesive, so I feel confident placing my order.

I've invested so much into the Cybertruck community and have wrapped over 30 of them in the Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts area. I want to continue driving a wrapped Cybertruck every day!

I test-drove a few other trucks, but nothing excites me as the Cybertruck does.”

Below his post, Reid included a screenshot from his Tesla app that shows the order confirmation he got for the second Cybertruck.

Looking at the comments, other Cybertruck owners have also shared that they are experiencing multiple issues with their trucks, but they still express their love for the vehicle.

A fellow Cybertruck owner, Jacob Saltzman, says that similar to Reid, he is also in the process of getting Tesla to buy back his Cybertruck.

However, once again, similar to Reid, Jacob ordered a second Cybertruck even before Tesla reimbursed him for the first one.

Now he says he’s worried because Tesla has informed him that they will cancel his second Cybertruck order in 12 days if he doesn’t complete the payment. However, Tesla is taking too long to reimburse him for his first Cybertruck.

Jacob writes…

“How long did it take Tesla to pay you for the returned truck? I’m going through that and thought they would be able to apply the money from the returned truck to the new order, but they weren’t and now are threatening to cancel my order in 12 days.”

Tesla is refusing to apply the payment for the new Cybertruck using the funds from the returned truck. At the same time, the EV maker is threatening to cancel his new Cybertruck order if he doesn’t complete the payment.

This is definitely not ideal; however, Reid hopes Tesla will reimburse Cybertruck owners within 5 to 10 days.

Reid says he has also not received the payment from Tesla and writes…

“I’m also hoping to get my check before I need to pay for the new one.”

Stories like Reid Tomasko’s - and others who’ve had Tesla buy back their defective Cybertrucks - highlight how the EV ownership journey can take unexpected turns. But even when the vehicle seems mechanically sound, surprises can emerge over time. For instance, one Model 3 owner paid a steep $10K dealership markup for his car, only to realize four years later that battery degradation had subtly reduced his range to a single bar below full capacity. His experience raises a sobering question: when does paying more upfront for a Tesla actually pay off? If you're thinking long-term about EV ownership, his honest reflections are worth a read.

Overall, it’s interesting to see how many Cybertruck owners are returning their vehicles because of various defects but still opt to use that money to buy another Cybertruck.

It’s not just Tesla owners who find themselves reassessing their vehicle experience after extended use. Rivian owners have been navigating their own concerns, though for different reasons. One Rivian R1T driver, after clocking 100,000 miles, started worrying about efficiency drops in his electric truck, only to realize that his concerns were put into perspective when comparing to other EVs. His insights shed light on how real-world EV efficiency can shift over time, and how owners adjust their expectations as their vehicles age. If you're curious about how Rivian holds up in the long run compared to Tesla’s Cybertruck, you might want to check out his full experience here.

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For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Who Was T-Boned By a Drunk Driver Running a Red Light at 60 MPH Says His Truck Saved His Life & The Life of His 5-Year-Old Daughter – He Adds “I’ll Buy Another Cybertruck This Week”

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.