The wheels are falling off Tesla’s Cybertruck—literally and figuratively

FastCompany: The headline sounds like a pun: “The wheels are falling off Tesla’s Cybertruck.” But it isn’t a joke. Tesla is recalling 173 Cybertrucks because the wheels can literally fall off while the vehicle is in motion. Yes, friends, you could be driving to Costco, take a right, and off goes one wheel from your six-figure polygonal truck. Goodbye! Your car is now a prop from a Buster Keaton movie. The recall covers Cybertrucks fitted with 18-inch steel wheels, built between March 21, 2024, and November 25, 2025. The problem is as straightforward as it is alarming and surreal.

Rough roads and hard cornering can crack the stud holes in the brake rotor, causing the wheel stud to separate from the hub. Tesla acknowledges the separation could cause loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash. The recall takes the crown of quality control problems in the history of Tesla quality control and manufacturing problems (see below). Tesla will replace the affected wheel hubs and rotors at no charge. Owners should expect a notification letter in the mail by early July 2026. An announced disaster This new recall is a perfect metaphor of the Cybertruck’s history.

It has been plagued with quality problems since its very design conception . In its presentation, its “indestructible,” bullet-proof driver door window—according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk— was destroyed on stage by Musk himself throwing a simple steel ball against the “armored” glass. It hasn’t gotten much better since. The truck had quality problems during manufacturing, with doors that don’t align and surfaces that are not exactly the same from one unit to the next.

The Cybertruck has been recalled over its accelerator pedal getting stuck at full throttle, its windshield wiper failing, its exterior trim flying off at highway speeds, and its cameras losing image while shifting into reverse. That’s before getting to the ones involving the frunk, which can close on people’s hands and sever their fingers. Sales flop The Cybertruck’s sales have been in free fall for years now. Back in 2023, Musk told investors he expected to sell between 250,000 and 500,000 Cybertrucks per year once production was fully ramped.

The Cybertruck launched in late 2023 with over a million people reportedly having placed reservations. It delivered around 38,965 units in 2024 , its first full year on the market—roughly 15% of Musk’s lower target. In 2025, sales were cut nearly in half to 20,237 units —the sharpest year-over-year decline of any EV in the U.S. market that year. And even those numbers are inflated: according to S&P Global Mobility registration data , Musk’s own SpaceX alone bought 1,279 Cybertrucks in Q4 of 2025—18% of all units registered in the U.S.

that quarter—with Musk’s other companies, including xAI, The Boring Company, and Neuralink, accounting for another 60 units. Strip out those purchases by related companies and Q4 registrations would have fallen 51% year over year. Update timeline So, without further ado, here’s our updated line of Cybertruck problems and recalls: NOVEMBER 21, 2019 Elon Musk unveils the Cybertruck . He claims its windows are made of “Armor Glass,” a bulletproof material that won’t even dent when you hit it, even at close range with a steel ball. Seconds later, two windows break in a live demonstration.

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The article addresses critical quality issues facing a high-profile brand, making it highly significant for the industry, while the challenges discussed are common but still relevant to brand strategy professionals.