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A Tesla Cybertruck Owner from Canada Shows his Truck Covered in Rust Spots Only 3 Weeks After Taking Delivery

A brand-new Cybertruck owner from Canada shares his concern after his truck was covered in rust spots only 3 weeks after taking delivery. Fellow Cybertruck owners dismiss his worries, writing, “Stainless steel does not rust.”

A Cybertruck owner from Canada, Karl Boyd, says it’s only been 3 weeks since he took delivery of his all-electric truck; however, he is concerned to see the truck already covered in rust spots.

Karl says he has taken his truck to the car wash five times, and the rust spots remain visible.

The worried Cybertruck owner went online looking for a solution and shared his predicament with the Tesla Cybertuck Canda group on Facebook.

Here is what he wrote…

Rust spot solution? 

I took possession of my Cybertruck about three and a half weeks ago. I just finished washing it at a Queen car wash for the fifth time, and I can see all these visible rust spots. Is anyone else experiencing this, and what are you doing as a solution?”

The frustrated Cybertruck owner continues to write that he’s considering reaching out to Tesla, saying, “Has anyone contacted customer service?”

Below his post, Karl included several close-up pictures of his Cybertruck’s stainless steel exterior.

The pictures show his truck covered in orange rust spots in multiple locations. Some rust spots are small; others are large and diffuse, with a deep reddish-orange color in the middle and a faded yellowish color on the outskirts.

Looking at Karl’s pictures, the rust spots appear to be spread throughout his Cybertruck.

A Tesla Cybertruck Owner from Canada Shows his Truck Covered in Rust Spots Only 3 Weeks After Taking Delivery

The discovery of rust on a newly delivered Tesla Cybertruck raises concerns about the vehicle's durability, especially in regions with harsh winter conditions like Canada. One other owner even decided to drive his Escalade for the rest of winter to avoid exposing the Cybertruck to road salt, which could accelerate rusting.

This is especially concerning given that the Cybertruck is the first bare stainless steel vehicle in a generation and Karl lives in a snowy environment where he will experience salted roads.

To make matters worse, Karl bought his Cybertruck in the middle of winter, which meant he had to face the rust issue immediately.

Given the circumstances, it seems reasonable that Karl would be worried. However, looking at the comments, fellow Cybertruck owners dismissed his fears, saying that stainless steel does not rust.

Fellow Cybertruck owner Sylvain Belanger writes, “Stainless steel does not rust. This is contamination. Have it cleaned.”

Another Cybertruck owner, John Bouwmeester, responds, “It’s not rust.”

Kyle Slager adds, “It’s brake dust from debris on the road. This happens to all vehicles, and it’s common. It’s mostly visible on lighter-colored vehicles and can be easily removed with a Clay Bar, Clay Bar spray, or an IronX remover.”

Another Cybertruck owner, Michael Cervellino, adds that it’s simply brake dust; however, he offers a rather interesting solution, writing, “Turn off the braking in the controls section, it’s just brake dust.”

Overall, looking at other Cybertruck owners, the feeling is almost unanimous that the rust spots are not due to the vehicle experiencing corrosion.

Only one forum member pushed back on the notion that stainless steel does not rust.

Angelo Otsardam writes, “surface rust or oxidation is 'rust' by definition alone; it can be cleaned, but it's still rust, which can form on iron AND steel.”

Angelo is right; stainless steel can indeed experience corrosion, and the widespread view that the Cybertruck can not rust appears to have originated from Tesla’s communication about the issue.

Tesla says not to worry if you experience rust spots on your Cybertruck. The EV maker adds corroded spots are not part of the Cybertruck’s stainless steel, but iron-containing debris picked up from the environment.

This is true to a degree since most of the rust spots can be removed using deep cleaning methods or iron-removing agents. However, what’s interesting is that before the Cybertruck, there weren’t widespread issues concerning other vehicles picking up iron-containing debris from the road.

Maybe the Cybertruck’s bare stainless steel exterior makes it easy for road debris to attach to the body panels.

Or perhaps the Cybertruck is experiencing surface-level corrosion and the rust spots are removable, but they are slowly thinning out the truck’s stainless steel panels.

Personally, it seems like the rust spots are a combination of iron debris from the environment and surface-level oxidation. However, 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 Credit 1: Screenshot from IMCARS YouTube channel

Image Credit 2: Screenshots from Karl Boyd's images linked above.

For more information, check out: Tesla Cybertruck Owner Straps a Gas-Powered Generator to the Truck Bed & Creates the First Hybrid Tesla, Takes 15 Gallons of Fuel to Charge to Full (18.7 MPG)

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.

Image credit: Screenshots from Karl Boyd's images linked above.

Comments

Curt Harvey (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 2:21PM

Yes...stainless steel can and does rust.
Being as this is " SUPPOSEDLY" not even a month old I'm wondering how many years it spent sitting in a lot in the elements before it was completed and sent out to an owner. The other problem is, as the author if the article states, " why are other vehicles , both new and years old showing these spots?
Overpriced, underperforming you for people with either too much money they have to spend it on something or attention craving rich kids with no idea of the value of a dollar. Remember, just like every other vehicle, once you take delivery or drive it off the lot the value drops by AT LEAST 7-10% once production has caught up to demand. With the price of these that means 10s of $1,000s after you've driven it less than a single block.
Remember...Elon lives you. 🤣

TBM (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 2:48PM

Stainless steel comes in various grades 304, 316 etc. The higher the number, the better grade of steel. 304 will show surface rust. It's an alloy.. it's a blend.
On top of that, depending on where the steel came from, China? The lower grade no doubt has contamination and unspecified additives in it.

Tony Oostendarp (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 3:33PM

What a waste of money to spend on a vehicle. No wonder China soon is going to leap frog over Tesla as the number one electric vehicle manufacturer country in the world.

Josh (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 4:04PM

Imagine if Tesla made their cybertrash can out of 302 stainless, would probably have less complaints about the rust so early on 😂😂😂..... O wait making a vehicle out of 302 stainless would drive the price up to 200k+ 😂😂😂 people are soooo stupid if they think STAINLESS is rustproof it's called STAINLESS not stain proof

George (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 9:15PM

It looks like carbon steel weld spatter from someplace on the production line. It was hot enough to attach to the stainless but the salt acts like a catalyst between the steel and stainless steel excelorating the electrolysis and causing the pitting between the two different metals. Wonder how they buff the stainless before it finishes and rolls off the production line.

Adam (not verified)    January 5, 2025 - 10:58PM

I’m a machine operator in a cold wet environment and stainless steel rust faster than you think… I’ve seen crazy amounts of rust on stainless after 2 weeks.

Scott Buchholtz (not verified)    February 8, 2025 - 5:30PM

There are numerous grades of stainless steel. It has to do with the nickel and other alloy contents within the particular grade of stainless. Just as most people will assume stainless is non magnetic this also depends on the grade of stainless. Look up grades 303, 304, 413 for stainless and look at the alloy content for each.
Bottom line... stain.... less.... means just that.. it stains but either at a lesser degree or slower rate..
It is not STAIN FREE!

Sam (not verified)    February 14, 2025 - 12:23PM

Yes, even though stainless steel is known for its corrosion resistance, it can still corrode under certain conditions, particularly when exposed to strong chemicals like chlorides (salt), high heat, or specific environments that can disrupt its protective oxide layer; the type of corrosion often seen in stainless steel is "pitting corrosion" where localized areas of the metal corrode, especially if the stainless steel grade isn't suitable for the environment it's in.
Key points about stainless steel corrosion:
Chromium content matters:
The level of chromium in the stainless steel alloy determines its corrosion resistance, with higher chromium content offering better protection.
Pitting corrosion:
This is the most common form of corrosion in stainless steel, appearing as small pits on the surface, often caused by exposure to chlorides.
Environmental factors:
Harsh environments like saltwater, acidic solutions, and high temperatures can accelerate corrosion in stainless steel.

bilbo christner (not verified)    February 20, 2025 - 3:26PM

Stick a magnet to the stainless steel if it sticks that means it's 440 a iron and stainless mix. The truck will not rust through or create a hole clear through ever it's plenty strong. Polish your truck the rust will be gone. One cool ride 😎

Christopher Beach (not verified)    February 21, 2025 - 9:01PM

Can't feel sorry for a dummy. Anyone with a lick of common sense, wouldn't have bought this in the type of environment that they live in.

Mike Dodge (not verified)    February 26, 2025 - 2:46PM

I don't care what everybody says these trucks are not stainless steel. Magnets don't stick to stainless steel I deal with stainless steel everyday. Elon can say that it's the new stainless steel but it's not it's steel because magnets stick to it and it's rusting.

Dennis Stewart (not verified)    March 1, 2025 - 6:57AM

Have you noticed the complaints on the tesla cybertruck since Trump took office and brought musk on broad to work for him, just asking

John Blair (not verified)    March 2, 2025 - 4:02PM

Can't wrap it. Painting it is expensive and difficult to do well. If Tesla tried clear coating it, it either failed or was abandoned. Cybertruck is primarily a vanity project for Musk. Turns out forcing a design fraught with serious issues, most of which Tesla failed to overcome, instead resorting to bandaid solutions for serious structural, mechanical, metallurgical, forcing square pegs wherever they couldn't achieve robust solutions. SOME successes were achieved in the process. The end product is not one of them. It puts the VAIN in vanity project. Comical in form, obnoxious in presentation, Usless as a truck, embarrassing in frailty. SEVEN RECALLS IN 13 MONTHS. Come on... defend 7 recalls in a year.

Edward Muir (not verified)    March 11, 2025 - 2:41PM

There are various series of stainless. The 400 series is known to rust at times. Also all series can show surface rust due to iron particles embedded in the surface during forming operations from the tool steels used in the forming dies. Stainless is many times passivated to remove surface iron particles.