Tesla Cybertruck Owner Finds His Cybertruck Leaking Oil, Now He Needs a $7,665 Motor Replacement

A Cybertruck owner from Michigan shares his surprise when he found his all-electric truck leaking oil. He communicated the incident with Tesla and was told that he needed to pay $7,665 for a motor replacement.

Joey Arrowood is a Cybertruck owner from Hartland, Michigan and says he was surprised to find a puddle of oil under his truck.

Joe shared his experience on the Tesla Cybertruck group on Facebook.

Here is what he wrote…

“I took delivery of the truck last June. Since then, I've put just shy of 9,000 miles on it. The only off-road it's ever done is my local dirt roads. The other day, I came out to the truck and found a puddle of oil under the rear motor.”

Given the Cybertruck’s lack of a conventional internal combustion engine and the oil circulating and storing mechanism associated with it, some might find this fact surprising.

Tesla, for example, says, “Unlike gasoline cars, Tesla vehicles require no traditional oil changes, fuel system maintenance, spark plug replacements, or emission checks. Even brake pad replacements are rare because regenerative braking returns energy to the battery, significantly reducing brake wear.”

So, what’s going on with Joey’s Cybertruck?

He continues to explain…

“At some point, a small rock bounced over the belly pans and covers and wedged itself between the rear subframe and gearbox, wearing a small hole into the aluminum case. I find it absurd to comprehend that such a small rock can cause this kind of damage.”

Together with his post, Joey included a couple of pictures of his Cybertruck showing oil dripping out of a small opening on the rear motor casing.

Although electric vehicles don’t need conventional oil changes, there is still oil used to lubricate the motors as they rotate. And it appears that the rear motor housing on Joey’s Cybertruck has been punctured by a small rock causing the oil to leak.

This is unfortunate, however, as with any standard Tesla vehicle issue, the problem is further exacerbated by Tesla’s subpar service experience.

Continuing his post, Joey writes…

“The service center is saying the entire rear drive unit has to be replaced because of this pinhole to the song of $7,660.55. So far, the service center in Clarkston, Michigan, has not been helpful. They will not repair it unless I pay them or file an insurance claim.”

Finally, Joey ends his post by reaffirming his love for the Cybertruck, writing, “I love the truck and driving it, but come on, Tesla... A little help here is needed, please…”

Looking at the comments, given how small the hole is, people suggested that Joey get his Cybertruck’s rear motor housing welded, top of the oil, and call it a day.

In theory, this definitely beats having to spend $7,665 to replace the entire rear drive unit; however, as with all-electric vehicles, although the Cybertruck might be easy to maintain, the truck is exceedingly difficult to fix once something goes wrong.

This is why it’s a running joke among Cybertruck owners to see a truck involved in a small fender bender and make an absurd guess, like estimating it’ll cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix.

In response to the suggestion that he get the hole on his Cybertruck welded, Joey responds, “I highly doubt any welder is going to touch this with everything still assembled.”

Given the complexity of electric vehicles, with their huge battery packs and everything that goes with them, working on EVs outside the manufacturer-approved shops is not practical.

In theory, this might not be too much of an issue; however, as I’ve mentioned above, Tesla’s service experience is abysmal.

You can read in a previous article about another Cybertruck owner who experienced a catastrophic failure, with his high-voltage battery, rear motor, and 48-volt system failing simultaneously. Rather frustratingly, this individual was told by Tesla that “he chose the worst day to bring his Cybertyruck in for service.”

Overall, it is surprising to see how seemingly small problems on the Cybertruck cost thousands of dollars to fix. Please let me know what could be done to address this issue. 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 Lamar MK YouTube channel

For more information, check out: Tesla Cybertruck Owners Say They’ve “No RegrAts” about Buying the Truck, Several Share They’re Even Looking to Get a Second 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.