Tesla Cybertruck recall confirms what has been suspected about the pickup's sales performance

Tesla has recalled all the Cybertrucks it made between November 13, 2023, and February 27, 2025. The issue that needs fixing is the cantrail trim flying off the electric truck on the road, which could pose a risk, especially at high speeds. The company cannot solve this with an over-the-air software update; hence, it is asking all the owners of the 46,096 units delivered so far to head to a Tesla service center for a free replacement of the affected part.

Tesla has not been breaking down its vehicle sales by model for a while, but this recall has given a clue about the Cybertruck's performance. More than 15 months after it entered production, the automaker could only recall about 46,000 units. This is a far cry from CEO Elon Musk's prediction of 500,000 deliveries per year.

A more troubling perspective is that Cybertruck's qualification for the $7,500 federal tax credit this quarter has not been enough to boost sales. Tesla has also tried various incentives, including free wraps, supercharger access, and subsidized financing rates.

Tesla, however, could hope for a turnaround later this year when it begins selling the rear-wheel drive (RWD) Cybertruck. The cheaper version starts at $61,000.