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
These trucks will always…
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These trucks will always have issues. They're really just a peice of junk
Why would he need air…
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Why would he need air conditioning in the winter!?? This story is ridiculous. It would make sense if his heater stopped working but nobody uses the A/C in the winter.
You keep saying AC. I do not…
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You keep saying AC.
I do not think that word means what you think it does.
Really though - need to proofread what the AI pulled from the original post since they didn't say AC.
Why in the world would…
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Why in the world would someone living in a cold climate area buy an EV..? They have limited range and function that diminishes with dropping temperatures. Stupid choice…
With people saying it's a…
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With people saying it's a first gen issue, tesla has made a number of vehicles with this same system of heating and defrosting. This system should not be failing.
This is the dude who is…
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This is the dude who is banking large amounts of our tax $’s to get us to Mars but hasn’t though of a redundant system to keep people here safe. Strange -N- how that works…..
So the writer of this…
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So the writer of this article doesn't know the difference between A/C and heating? The truck owner clearly referred to it as heating. But the writer describes it as A/C (which is short for air conditioning, as in cooling).
Why does it matter if the a…
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Why does it matter if the a/c didn't work in the freezing temps and not turn the heater on?
What's next, a summer article of a man nearly dying in the summer heat because his heater stopped working?
If only there was some sort…
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If only there was some sort of small electric device that could produce heat quickly. Better even it was sold at virtually every big box store.
That said, that he should need one is laughable.
There has recently been a…
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There has recently been a pause on construction of new cybertrucks ot the factory. I believe this to be a rework of the line and make changes to how the non "foundation series" trucks are made. Like let's fix all these issues on the line and start a newer version.
Stop buying this garbage…
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Stop buying this garbage nerds. They aren't trucks. They aren't quality vehicles. Stop supporting a moron.
Any self respecting Canadian…
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Any self respecting Canadian driver is prepared for heater failure when the temperature drops below zero. The dude driving the cyber truck is no Canadian driver.
Saying his ac stopped…
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Saying his ac stopped working is terrible writing you he special said heat and that's what everyone uses in the winter.
Of course, Tesla fans are…
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Of course, Tesla fans are gonna defend that product. If you’re unhappy with the vehicle traded away the cyber trucks have had nothing but complaints where I’m from and I wouldn’t buy one if you paid me too.
I'm not a car guy, and will…
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I'm not a car guy, and will never be in the position to buy a Tesla. However, First Generation or not, with the cost to purchase one of those vehicles, everything should be in top working order- no excuses. Lastly, you would think that there would be a better service department, with the kind of money people are paying....the trucks aren't disposable.
Who would even think of…
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Who would even think of driving in the winter with their A/C on. Hello A/C. Stands for Airconditioner. Are you kidding us. Let me guess this guy drives around in the summer with his Heater on. 🙃😃😀
Not too bright to have…
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Not too bright to have bought a cyber truck. They are very expensive JUNK.
Seems like the moron who…
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Seems like the moron who wrote this article doesn't know the difference between a heater and AC. Why TF would it matter if the AC stopped working in the winter? Smh.
Did a millennial write this?…
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Did a millennial write this? Why would the AC not working keep him from defrosting his windshield or prevent him from warming up the Tesla?
You messed up by buying a…
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You messed up by buying a tesla cyber truck or any other kind of EV all together. EVs are a new technology that need to be out longer for these kinds of tests. And the last 10 years is not enough time for that. Despite our beliefs and differences about EVs I'm thankful to God you are safe and well.
As an owner of Tesla vehicle…
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As an owner of Tesla vehicle, I know that most of the problems can be fixed by simply calling, and it miraculously is repaired through the air! Our daughter locked herself out of the vehicle, and my husband called Tesla, and they miraculously were able to take care of it. No locksmith needed no repair job needed. This is BS!
This type of malfunction…
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This type of malfunction should have been debugged by engineers before it's put up for sale. I would think engineers would have tested it's towing capability uphill and downhill, drive circles in the North pole, drive circles in death valley.
Why are you people blaming…
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Why are you people blaming the purchaser. Where are the inspectors or government agency.???? These vehicles should not be on our roads period.
"Still the best car I ever…
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"Still the best car I ever bought" lol
100k and it can't do the very basics
I wonder, if Chuanruai’s…
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I wonder, if Chuanruai’s trip had ended in a crash, would Tesla have taken responsibility for the accident?
The guy consciously continues driving with a faulty, outright dangerous (impaired visibility) vehicle and you expect someone else to pick up the blame? Are you sane?
It's a/c if it's cold it…
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In reply to I wonder, if Chuanruai’s… by Pooptie (not verified)
It's a/c if it's cold it will do that maybe put heat on next time
A pity he did not think to…
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A pity he did not think to drive to the nearest Canadian Tire and buy a plug in car heater. He would have had to charge the truck a few extra times on his trip, but better than freezing.
Of all malfunctions, I…
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Of all malfunctions, I wouldn't think of such a standard tried and true aspect of a vehicle to be the source of problems. If anything the FSD was thought to be the buggy bit.
HVAC. Not A/C a/c stands for…
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HVAC. Not A/C a/c stands for air conditioning.
Heating ventilation and air conditioning
a/c literally means "air…
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a/c literally means "air conditioning" NOT heat...
Pagination