Automotive testing website Edmunds took ownership of its long-term Tesla Cybertruck a little over a month ago and it’s already had a major fault. More specifically, the nearly brand new truck has suffered a “critical steering issue,” which doesn’t sound ideal.
This apparently happened with just a bit over 1,300 miles on the clock. The Edmunds team was doing some of their routine instrumented testing – lapping it around their handling track – when the center screen flashed a warning. They immediately observed a reduction in power (indicated by a little turtle icon), the air conditioning wouldn’t blow cold and an error message appeared saying, “Low voltage electrical issue detected / Vehicle power reduced – Schedule service.”
The team decided to park the truck and let it reset itself, but unfortunately for them, it didn’t fix the issue. Another Edmunds editor got in the truck a while later to run through some interior sound level testing. Putting the Cybertruck in drive reportedly brought up this worrying message:
“Unable to shift out of Park (P) because the vehicle has detected a loss of redundancy. Out of Park (P), the vehicle may suddenly lose electrical power, steering and propulsion, and may be unable to apply the parking brake.
“It may be possible to recover the system by performing a vehicle power cycle: Exit the vehicle, close all doors, reenter the vehicle, and attempt to drive.
“An override is available for low-speed maneuvering to position the vehicle for roadside support. Be ready to apply the brake pedal.”
They tried Tesla’s recommended reset method, but it didn’t work. Here’s what happened when they tried using the manual override:
At this point, the rear-axle steering did not work, the Cybertruck’s front running lights turned off, and the vehicle would not exceed 4 mph.
We moved the Cybertruck out of the track paddock and into the parking lot, assuming we’d leave it there until we could get roadside assistance out in the morning. (Remember, we own this Cybertruck; Tesla did not provide it to us for testing.) When we wrapped for the day, about 30 minutes later, we figured we’d try it once more, just for kicks, and of course, this time it worked.
The truck started, shifted into gear, and drove away without a single issue.
So, all’s well that ends well, right? Alas, not so much. There are been a number of reports in Business Insider and Cybertruck forums that have cited similar issues with the Cybertruck’s steering system, according to Edmunds. Right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a solution to the problem either.