Chuanrui Wu is a brand new Cybertruck owner from Ontario, Canada, and says his life was at risk when his truck’s A/C stopped working in the middle of the cold while he was driving on the highway.
Chuanrui was returning from a trip from Montreal back to Toronto when his Cybertruck heater failed. In this icy environment, the Cybertruck owner says he was forced to wear insulated clothes to keep himself from freezing.
Not only that but without the A/C working, Chuanrui was unable to defrost or defog his windshield, making his trip that much more perilous.
Chuanrui shared his predicament on the Cybertruck Canada Facebook group, and the story was later reposted on Reddit.
Here is what he wrote…
“I recently drove my Cybertruck from Toronto to Montreal for a skiing trip. During the initial leg of the trip, everything worked perfectly, and using FSD (Full Self-Driving) made the journey very convenient. However, after a few days, the heater in my Cybertruck started malfunctioning—it worked sometimes and then stopped completely. This caused serious issues as I could no longer defog or defrost the windows.
On the way back to Toronto, the heater wasn’t working at all, and I had to wear a down jacket inside the truck just to stay warm. The windows were fogged up the entire time, and I couldn’t find any effective solution. Driving on the highway in such conditions felt extremely unsafe.”
It’s bad enough when the A/C stops working on a hot day; however, not working while driving on the highway in the middle of snow is not only inconvenient but downright dangerous.
I wonder, if Chuanruai’s trip had ended in a crash, would Tesla have taken responsibility for the accident?
Continuing his post, Chanraui says he was only able to keep driving with the aid of Tesla’s FSD software. According to the Toronto resident, this has increased his confidence in the software, but he says he feels let down by the Cybertruck’s performance in the cold.
Here is what he wrote…
“Without FSD, this would have been even more dangerous. While I think FSD performs well in icy and snowy conditions, the Cybertruck itself does not. This experience has left me very frustrated and concerned about the Cybertruck’s reliability in winter conditions.”
Finally, Chuanrui concludes his post by sharing several pictures of his Cybertruck’s center touchscreen, showing the error message he received and that the A/C function was unavailable.
Listening to Chuanrui’s story, the situation looks bad for Tesla; however, fellow Cybertruck owners believe that Chuanrui should have expected this would happen in a first-generation vehicle and that he shouldn’t complain.
For example, Dan GL writes, “It is to be expected for the 1st generation to have some issues. They will fix it for you.”
Sass Peress adds, “You bought a first-year vehicle. Let that be your worst issue. Get it fixed at the showroom.”
Bob Newby agrees, "Don’t buy Gen 1 of any new product. Thankfully, the early adopters will show what needs to be improved.”
Thomas Hekl writes, “Well if you have to be the first macho guy in Canada to buy a brand new Cybertruck, you are buying it with a developer package. You didn’t know that?”
Overall, the sentiment amongst Cybertruck owners and Tesla fans is that these kinds of failures are to be expected in a first-generation vehicle. However, I would counter that the vehicle has been out for a year, and Tesla should have worked out these issues already.
Please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
Image: Screenshot from Dirty Tesla YouTube channel
For more information, check out: My Tesla Cybertruck Just Died in The Middle of the Road, No Power & I’m Locked Out; How Do I Get Back in?
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.
Comments
im sure elon will take you…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
im sure elon will take you to prom if you gobble his knob just a little bit more
Elon is too busy sucking…
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In reply to im sure elon will take you… by J (not verified)
Elon is too busy sucking trumps d... to fix any problems with his junky trucks.
Soooo who runs their AC in…
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In reply to im sure elon will take you… by J (not verified)
Soooo who runs their AC in the winter, I’m confused…
I’m sure you’d take his…
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In reply to im sure elon will take you… by J (not verified)
I’m sure you’d take his place if he were busy, after all, Diddycrats give the best head….
Ohh stop it. In the original…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
Ohh stop it. In the original post, there's literally pictures of the console showing that the HVAC system was not working. And no, no new vehicle is perfect, but the cybertruck has had 4 recalls in just one year. Countless people reporting sudden power loss.. At least two where the subframe literally snapped in half. And numerous other things that just straight up don't work. It's a bad product. You don't have to keep Staning for Musk. He doesn't know who you are and he's not going to do anything for you.
Hey didn't you read the part…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
Hey didn't you read the part where he almost froze solid!
Those barely double digits will get you lol.
Ive hitchhiked from Montreal to Toronto during -25 February weather.
Suck it up snowflake!!!!!!
Lazy click bait exaggerated Tesla hate.
Weak!
His life was at risk once he…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
His life was at risk once he, it took ownership
Find me another car at this…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
Find me another car at this price point that is more of a failure
If you're looking for a…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
If you're looking for a comparison article that discusses cyber trucks versus other trucks, go find one. This article is a story about a guy whose HVAC went out. Get over it.
And yes, the man was in danger. Driving without the ability to defog your windows is dangerous. He should have stopped driving. Stupid decision. His road hazard of a "truck" also posed a danger to all the other cars in the road because it lacks basic safety features. Driving it was irresponsible on several fronts.
When we fit the public with…
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In reply to Hit piece article. Author… by Matt (not verified)
When we fit the public with control devices yours will be the most comfortable.
How has this writer lived…
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How has this writer lived his whole life without learning the difference between heater and A/C? These are not interchangeable terms, they are in fact opposites.
That's exactly what I was…
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In reply to How has this writer lived… by Cbads (not verified)
That's exactly what I was thinking whole reading through the article. I'm not a knowledgeable auto guy so I thought I was learning something new for the day
Exactly! Not interchangable…
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In reply to How has this writer lived… by Cbads (not verified)
Exactly! Not interchangable at all. And this is a hit piece article. Who continues to drive when in "danger"? Who has a car issue and writes an article about it?
I was wondering why they…
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In reply to How has this writer lived… by Cbads (not verified)
I was wondering why they kept calling it A/C but thought it was a Canadian thing lol
No, you don't spend over…
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No, you don't spend over 100k for a vehicle that has been in development for at least 4 years and give them a pass for not getting HVAC operating system right. That's crazy talk, especially since it is no different than what they've used on ALL Tesla's since 2013. Change to heat pump notwithstanding.
The heating system in Tesla…
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In reply to No, you don't spend over… by Joe Kopacz (not verified)
The heating system in Tesla vehicles being manufactured since 2022 are unique to Tesla. The heating system and the air-conditioning system is one and the same in the current system. It's an evolving product that should be closely monitored and a (do not operate) warning be displayed on the display screen under those circumstances.
You can be a fan of…
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You can be a fan of something without going over the top and being ridiculous, but so many Cybertruck owners are just delusional. I don't know how they function in reality, when they are so happy to pay an exorbitant amount for something that is riddled with faults and frequent recalls, and then won't stand up for themselves against Tesla or other CT owners.
It just seemed incompatible with operating a business, interacting with adults, or doing anything in life, really.
The Tesla cultists…
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The Tesla cultists willingness to excuse anything is both laughable and sad. If another car exhibited all the issues the CT does they would bury it, but when it comes to Tesla they lose the ability to think.
Well turn the heater on ya…
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In reply to The Tesla cultists… by Bobm (not verified)
Well turn the heater on ya dang fool!!! Just why the hell do you think the AC is going to warm anything up? SMDH
What's laughable is making a…
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In reply to The Tesla cultists… by Bobm (not verified)
What's laughable is making a news story about a broken heater. That's the anti-Tesla cult for you.
Anyone who thinks electric…
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In reply to The Tesla cultists… by Bobm (not verified)
Anyone who thinks electric vehicles are what advertisers say they are has too much money. First, most testing is done and told to you to suck you into believing it. Second, road conditions in Canada in winter are totally different from testing areas. 3. If you have a heating issue and drove the vehicle unsafely, you are responsible for your actions. Tow trucks are available to everyone. Buy a towing service.
I've not heard from these…
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In reply to The Tesla cultists… by Bobm (not verified)
I've not heard from these tesla cultists, but the amount of people who are incredibly insecure about tesla or EVs in general, well, I see plenty of those. They pretend as if mechanical malfunction is a new concept that never existed before tesla. I suspect much of it is political, as Elon Derangement Syndrome seems to be an increasingly prevalent concern. You'll never catch me driving an EV, ICE are more fun, but nor do I feel threatened by EVs, it's bizarre lol.
When will people wake up....
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When will people wake up....
If my car breaks down I don…
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If my car breaks down I don't keep driving it. I call CAA and get it towed. The irresponsibly to continue driving is not Tesla's liability.
Not that I am a supporter of the ugly Cybertruck or Tesla.
His A/C or his heater? …
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His A/C or his heater? Using your A/C in cold weather doesn't make sense. Typo?
I think the Cyber truck is a…
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I think the Cyber truck is a complete flop from every aspect. I wonder what JD POWER says?
$100,000 doesn't get you…
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$100,000 doesn't get you much!! Them cyber trucks shouldn't have any issues. it should be top quality for the money. way overpriced for an unreliable piece of crap! If you want to save the planet buy a Prius!
I must be missing something…
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I must be missing something. Is this the first vehicle to ever lose heat in winter? Will the same story get told if it is a buick la Sabre? does need to be a new vehicle? Struggling to find any significant point of this story. Is it the first vehicle in Canada to lose heat?
What the hell are you…
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What the hell are you talking about? A/C is air conditioning that you would use in the sweltering heat of the summer. A/C is NEVER used in winter. Jesus...
Not good that AC stops…
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Not good that AC stops working. BUT seriously - if its unsafe to drive, you have to pull over and call for help. This 'what if I end in an accident' argument makes no sense.
Pagination