Tesla Cybertruck owners are finding another critical flaw with their futuristic rides

Tesla's  (TSLA)  Cybertruck is making its way to customers, however owners of the futuristic truck are speaking out about yet another defect with their rides. 

Users on the forums of the Cybertruck Owners Club are finding out that their shiny new trucks are losing their shine and starting to show signs of rust and corrosion.  

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A forum user under the username of Raxar started a thread on the forum on Feb. 1, where he complained to his fellow Cybertruck brethren that the metal on their new truck started forming small flecks of rust after two days of rain shortly after delivery.

Though some users who replied were skeptical, he defended what he saw on his car.

“I picked it up in [Dublin, California] yesterday (Thursday) it was pouring raining, drove it up to Sacramento and there’s a bunch of tiny orange specks and a few water spots,” they wrote. “The orange dots aren’t huge, they’re very tiny but they’re apparent. Sure I haven’t washed the car yet but it’s only been two days in the rain.”

In a later post on the thread, Raxar posted a few photos that showed visual signs of corrosion. 

View the original article to see embedded media.

Additionally, another user under the username vertigi3pc reported similar spots on their Cybertruck both on the forum and on the Cybertruck subreddit. According to them, Tesla is aware of the issue, but the service center he went to was not able to fix it then and there. 

“Speaking with someone at the facility, they told me 1) they have a procedure/guidance for how to fix it, but 2) they don’t have the tools on hand, nor have they done this repair before,” they wrote on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum. “They documented the corrosion, and told me they’ll give me a call next month when the tools have arrived and they can perform the service/repair.”

During Tesla's Cybertruck delivery presentation on Nov. 30, 2023, Elon Musk said that the truck was made from a "special, ultra-strong Tesla-designed steel alloy" made to make the Cybertruck tough.

"This metal did not exist before. We needed something that we could actually manufacture – that would have basically no corrosion, didn't need paint, but you could still make it in volume."

Despite this, the user manual warns owners that the stainless steel body of the Cybertruck can, in fact, develop corrosion under specific conditions. 

Cybertruck exterior will corrode and Tesla readily admits this in the manual. It's what I've been saying all along. Once that oxide barrier is compromised - corrosion begins.

".. immediately remove corrosive substances... Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash." pic.twitter.com/soKbxYfJsM— Beer Muncher (@solarbrewer) January 14, 2024

In a screenshot of the owner's manual provided by @solarbrewer on X (formerly known as Twitter), it states in a section titled 'Cleaning the Exterior,' to "immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.)," to prevent damage to the exterior.

Additionally, in a section below titled 'Dents and Scratches,' it warns owners that "the Cybertruck does not have a clearcoat on the surface of the exterior body panels, meaning any scratches that appear are in the stainless steel panels themselves."

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Owners are getting creative with their methods to remove spots. One user on the forum reported that Barkeepers Friend and Windex restored its luster after it showed similar rust spots before, while others are willing to adapt to the eventual "rat-rod" look said corrosion will give their Cybertrucks.

"[I] know I’m a weirdo but I actually kinda like the corrosion and hopefully the associated patina that will come with it," a user named DumpsterFire replied.

Tesla does offer something it calls "Cybertruck Color Paint Film" as an option for new Cybertrucks. According to them, the "self-healing, urethane-based film" available in black or white is thicker than the average vinyl color-change wrap and can be applied to Cybertrucks for the measly price of $6,000 - which includes the cost of installation.

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