Tesla devotee tests Cybertruck safety with his own finger – and fails We know that Tesla Cybertruck owners are very special, and their mothers love them very much, but perhaps the most special of all is the one who "broke" his finger attempting to demonstrate the safety of the "frunk" closing mechanism. The frunk is powered and shouldn't be closed manually, according to the owner's manual, …
That triggers an off topic question: Bog roll marketers have for decades bigged up the kitten/puppy/koala softness associated with their product, but this begs the question who took one for the team and did a blind test comparison? Maybe a docile labrador puppy is relatively low risk, but kittens have sharp edges all over, and the claws on koalas...well, you just wouldn't.
I don't want to worry anyone, but Koala bears have a rather high chance of infection with chlamydia:
"Chlamydia is a major disease threat to our Koala population."*
Whatever you do, do not check out whether a specific brand of toilet paper really is as soft as Koala fur on a certain body part.
https://koalahospital.org.au/pages/disease#:~:text=Chlamydia%20is%20a%20major%20disease,Chlamydia%20pneumonia%20and%20Chlamydia%20pecorum.
If he'd tried shutting his finger in the door, then he'd have most likely severed it, as demonstrated by some slightly less stupid[1] Cybertruck owners who used a carrot.
[1] I say only slightly less stupid, as you have to be a serious moron to own one of those Tesla contraptions in the first place.
Those self closers must be quite powerful. I've seen the results of someone closing a car door on their fingers. Badly bruised, but that was it. And then there's the adverts for BMW(???) a few years back which showed the engineer agonising over the nice sound of the gentle clunk as the perfectly engineered door mechanism gently closed with the minimum of manual effort.
If a door takes a determined slam or a significant, bone breaking force to close it, then the engineering must be shit. Oh wait. It's a Tesla.
The cars are popular and well regarded by their owners. I'm not sure why, There are lots of them around here so I know several Tesla owners and from them I gather that the vehicle is either rather good or they're members of some cult or another.
The Cybertruck must rate as the ugliest vehicle I've ever seen. There's a couple around here -- they're huge, like a cross between a Hummer and a Martian sci-fi movie prop. (Here I'll mention that the pole position for 'ugly' was previously held by something called a "Pontiac Aztec" but compared to the Tesla its a vision of beauty and practicality.) I haven't got close enough to see any redeeming features compared to a F150 "Lightning" Ford truck, something that appears to be a surprisingly practical vehicle (yes, I know someone who has one and uses it in his job.....much to my surprise).
"Not the point. What I ask is why powered anyway as manual opening and closing is simple and works."
TL;DR - "Because!"
Slightly longer version. Have you tried buying a new, basic, no frills car? Very few and far between. The car is a pretty much a done and dusted thing in terms of design so they compete on bells'n'whistes. EVs especially, since by definition they are going to be more expensive than an equivalent ICE car so they add all the "shiny", especially where there are government subsidies going begging so they sell at the full markup price and use the subsidy to add the flash while keeping the prices at merely eye-watering. When, or if, the range problem is sorted at reasonable prices, we may start to see them compete on price and start pulling all the bling to drop the end-user price.
I cannot agree more with this.
A few months ago, a customer turned up at our place to drop their dog off for a groom. They had meant to go back home and pick up again in a few hours - instead they sat in our driveway for nearly an hour while they tried to figure out why their automatic boot door was refusing to close. The eventual answer was "close it manually, carefully". Even that was going against the manual for the car.
So there you are. A fault with either the boot closing mechanism, or the sensor circuit that's put there to stop the closing mechanism from maiming people, can render the car unsafe to drive. And no good reason why the boot closing mechanism needs to be there in the first place.
I would almost extend this to electric windows as well. They're convenient when they work, I'll give you that, but they are unreliable and hard to fix. I've owned four vehicles with electric windows and three of them broke (in similar ways - window went down, refused to go back up). The fourth vehicle I've only owned for a few months. The fifth vehicle I own has manual windows, and they have never broken.
but they are unreliable and hard to fix
Come again? I've had multiple cars with electric windows over the years and I've *never* had a problem with them.
The Morris Minor OTOH - you have to apply *just* the right grunt 'n twist for the window to actually go into the top groove when closing it.
"...has manual windows, and they have never broken"
I picked up a mate in my Mk 1 Ford Fiesta in Exmouth and hit the A38 towards Plymouth, some years ago. Old Betsy started shaking at around 65 mph, which stopped at around 75 and eventually gave off an increasingly worrying whine until 90 when all sense had flown away. Crunch up and down the gears (all four of them) as the kettle, euphemistically called a radiator, gave way to air cooling, which was all that stopped the cylinder head exploding.
This marvel of delicately balanced engineering flew on through the late evening towards a night of debauchery along Union Street. We passed Buckfastleigh - a lovely long S curve after getting up to maximum speed on a downhill section. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye as my friends hand moved towards the window handle. I screamed "no" as the window dropped down into the depths of the door, a puff of rust streamed out into the Devonian air. Park up in the next layby. Bend the inside door panel to get at the window and return it to it's tenuous balance point and jam some other random car part in the mechanism to stop it moving. Bend panel back again. I can't remember why I left the handle on it.
Oh the good old days ...
You're making the mistake of presuming that Tesla should be considered an auto manufacturer...
IMO they're best considered an EV powertrain engineering company that attempts to wrap their latest creations in something resembling, but not quite equalling, a vehicle, rather than doing what they ought to do and simply sell said powertrain tech to whichever actual vehicle manufacturers want a proven EV powertrain around which they can wrap their own tried and tested vehicle designs.
Which ironically is what the actual founders planned to do. They made the Lotus based roadster as a demonstration of their skill intending to sell themselves as consultants - because to be an actual car company would involve massive investment in factories, battery plants, charging networks, dealers etc
To give the Muskiness his due, he did have the vision to actually make a car company that produced cars everyone wanted and wiped the floor with the established car makers
They may well have got in there ahead of the pack in producing vehicles that lots of people wanted, whilst the established manufacturers were busy trying to realign towards that sector of the market, but that doesn't mean they're in any way GOOD at doing any of that - their success is IMO entirely down to the fact that they simply were the first to market with a full EV that was sufficiently comparable to an ICE vehicle in terms of range/useability, such that people had no real choice but to buy one if that's what they needed from an EV, but now that other manufacturers have ramped up their own EV output to produce their own ICE-equivalents, we're seeing the inevitable results as people realise Teslas simply aren't all that great as complete vehicles and choose to buy their EVs from manufacturers who actually do understand how to bolt a car together properly.
So Musk might be due some credit for pushing Tesla into achieving that brief surge of success, but he's also due all the criticism for the problems Tesla now face in trying to maintain that momentum.
Those cost money. The frunk's got power to open and close because that looks cool, but it's got the absolute cheapest version without the safety features - for humans or the car - that other manufacturers have because that's the way Elon rolls.
Thus proving, as if there wasn't already enough evidence to indicate this, that, whilst Tesla may have (or at least HAD, depending on which round of layoffs we're into by the time you read this...) some world class engineers in their powertrain division, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to hiring the teams responsible for designing everything else that you need to put into a vehicle if you want people to consider it even remotely modern and well designed.
The OH has had a few cars with doors and tailgates that could be opened and closed at the push of a button, but EVERY SINGLE ONE of those vehicles was correctly designed so that the same opening and closing process could be performed manually with absolutely ZERO risk of damage to any part of the vehicle. Similarly, the last few vehicles I've had feature power-fold wing mirrors, which are similarly quite happy to be moved by hand without damage. Indeed, so well designed is the powerfold mechanism on my current vehicle that, when the mirror ended up being bent all the way forwards when some complete moron decided to change lanes without looking and dragged the side of their van along the side of my car as they drove off into the distance, the only damage was to the plastic clip-on shell covering the mirror innards, and *that* was only because after it had pinged off the mirror during the collision, another vehicle in the adjacent lane then drove over it...
So there is simply NO EXCUSE for designing a powered thingumybob into a modern vehicle which, if adjusted manually, is at risk of being broken. None at all. Not in your entry level vehicle, and certainly not in the one you're touting as your flagship must-have ubervehicle that will conquer the world.
"Since it's powered if you operate it manually you will damage the servo, probably."
Electrically *assisted* doors have been a solved problem for decades. The entrance to my employers building has them and almost no one waits for them to open automatically and pushes or pulls as appropriate. Or are Tesla being "special" again and "inventing" stuff that already exists and getting it wrong again? :-)
If people at your work are pushing the door whilst the motor is opening it then that will damage the mechanism.
With automatic doors in buildings the problem was solved by making then quick and easy to replace, cheap, standardized so that you don't need to worry about part availability and robust enough to last 5+ years. Automatic door openers are considered a consumable from an estates management perspective.
But on a Tesla they are sealed inside the vehicle making access damn near impossible, and they are proprietary so you can't get spares. So on a Tesla you really don't want them to wear out during the vehicle's life.
"If people at your work are pushing the door whilst the motor is opening it then that will damage the mechanism."
I don't recall them needing repairs in the last 10 years or so. But then I did specify "electrically assisted" doors as opposed to "automatic doors". That means they are designed to "assist" the user in pushing/pulling them, not replace the users action (although they will do that too if you wait). That means they are designed to be pushed/pulled while the motor mechanism is engaged. As I said, a solved problem and no reason why the car door/boot mechanism should not work in a similar way :-)
If people at your work are pushing the door whilst the motor is opening it then that will damage the mechanism.
Well the few I've ever looked at don't have that problem. I did once have the opportunity to have a good look at a unit that had been taken off (not faulty, just no longer required). It was hydraulic.
So imagine the normal "spring and hydraulic damper" door closer, with the addition of a small pump to pump up the hydraulic pressure in the damper. Run the pump, door opens, stop the pump, door closes by spring. Push the door open, it opens just like it would with just the damped closer.
They likely used a worm gear someplace in the actuator, and manually collapsing it will shear teeth.
Or, they used a leadscrew pitch that would allow someone to shear teeth.
Or, they forgot the flyback protection diodes to clamp the voltage generated by the linear actuator being driven backwards.
I can see a few things they could have overlooked/"just dealt with" to get it out the door.
Nothing absolves them from the whole "increase torque request till it shuts" methodology, that's just really bad design.
There is some utility in having a powered trunk/boot. My Volvo estate has powered boot which is linked to a sensor under the rear bumper. If you have your keys in your pocket and armfuls of shopping then you can wave your foot under the bumper and it will trigger the tailgate to unlock and open. This is very handy. There are two buttons inside, one to close, another to close and lock. Also a button on your remote key fob as well as the outside handle. However you can only use the powered options. There isn't a way to manually close the tailgate. I wish it would operate like a CD drawer, where you just give it a small push and then it closes automatically.
My car has a powered boot lid. If I were to operate it as it was supplied in my garage or a multistorey car park it would bang into the upper surface and damage the paint. In consequence I have to adjust the stop point so that it doesn't fully open. The result of that is that it doesn't open fully in exterior places but remains at just the right height to crack my head on the protruding lock mechanism if I forget to manually force it to max (and the book says not to do that).
All my previous cars had a nice, simple, manual lift which I could gently open, against a strategically placed pad if required, with no risk of damage to car or head. It's just another example of an annoying gadget fitted "because we can", and not to meet any real need.
I watched a young lady with her arms full of shopping in the supermarket car park yesterday. She approached her car, carefully balanced on one leg, waved her other foot somewhat under the rear bumper, and I though to myself, well, that's a handy automation.
Then she put her shopping on the ground and prodded the lock until it opened...
"EVs don't have a dirty old engine in the front so you get a small amount of storage space under the bonnet/hood. Call it a front trunk or front boot - frunk or froot."
You mean like the VM Beetle (Or Bug to left pondians) that's been around since the 1930's?
From what I gather, the word frunk has never really been all that popular, but has been used for decades, at least in the USA. Here in the UK, despite my dad owning a VM Beetle when I was a kid (I learned to drive in it!), I'd never heard the term "frunk" until these last few years. There does seem to be a certain demographic that likes to use non-specific words in case using the proper words makes them sound too clever or nerdy and not home-spun, back-woodsie enough. Image is everything :-)
Our family's early 1960s, dark green, VW[1] used to carry our holiday luggage under - the bonnet. Although when I think back, the idea of that car towing the big trailer for the day boat around twisty Irish country roads is a bit scary!
[1] not a Beetle, it was too early for that name.
Is there any part of the Tesla Truck that is not a nightmare?
Supposedly bullet proof glass that shattered at the initial demonstration.
Steel bodywork that rusts, and is corroded by grease from physical human contact.
Wheel rims that should be removed before going 'off road'
A rear-view mirror that is obscured when the truck rear cover is in operation.
Owners who don't believe that their fingers could be damaged by being caught in the 'front trunk' lid when automatically closing.
See various Register articles on the above. It is almost getting to the pointy where there should be a specific item "Tesla Truck" in the Register menu fro quick access.
Methinks I shall buy me a Mercedes*
* "Oh Lord won't you buy me,
A Mercedes-Benz ..."
>>Is there any part of the Tesla Truck that is not a nightmare?
The fact that this monstruosity sells for up to $100K...
And there is people queueing for it?
Not sure why Tesla would bother with minutieae such as safety, security, or usability if the cultist are (metaphorically for now) diyng to give them their money
"It's the people who get hit by one and die that I feel sorry for..."
This is why you will not see one on the public roads in the UK or EU. There's no way that thing would ever be road legal on safety grounds alone. Crumple zones are mandated for a reason so something designed to cut pedestrians in half isn't likely to get approval outside of a video game such as GTA.
My Mercedes estate has a powered tailgate, and it complains A LOT if anyone tries to shut it manually... and it has a lot of much more obvious “just to be different” design faults too, unlike my previous similarly-sized (but originally much cheaper) Honda estate, which was perfectly happy with its electric tailgate being shut manually. My next car will definitely NOT be a Mercedes!
This reminded me of some guy who invented a really impressive circular saw emergency stop mechanism. The blade could detect contact with skin and it would then be stopped and retracted ridiculously quickly. Successfully tested on frankfurter sausages, he then tried his own finger (taking a load of painkillers in advance).
It worked as designed, cutting just a millimetre into his finger. Hurt like hell, apparently. That kind of informed confidence / bravery I can admire, unlike Mr Cybertruck.
Not sure if this is a different company or an updated mechanism, but you get the idea:. https://www.sawstop.com/why-sawstop/the-technology/
A quick google for "circular saw accident" brings up some tales of grue
Oldest brother, when he was a young tree surgeon, had a colleague who managed to run a stump-grinder over his foot.. Took out a 2" wide strip of his foot for about 6 inches. Turns out that, in a contest between steel toecaps and a heavy grinder, the grinder will win every time.
Said colleague was committing the "you must *never* do this" act of walking backwards, dragging the still-on grinder and stumbled, pulling the grinder over his foot. The H&S safety training emphasised that you must *not* move while using the stump grinder - stand in place and use your arm/back muscles to move it. And especially, if you do need to move it, ensure that it's not active!
Said colleague never worked as a tree surgeon again.
Brother left that company not long after in order to start his own company - he was tired of working all hours (and a few more) just to enable the company owner to laze around doing nothing, even though he was also a trained tree surgeon.
The previous company eventually went out of business after one too many health and safety failures - no-one wanted to work for them.
The system works but its a single use safety system. You keep your fingers but you have to replace the stop mechanism. The demo video I've seen used a hot dog as the 'finger'.
This reminds me of my earliest job where designing earth leakage trips was fashionable among the engineers. Guess how they were tested.......
"Hurt like hell" what was he using? the dullest saw blade he could find? I once cleaned the nail off one finger on a table saw, didn't feel a thing, kept on pushing pieces of wood through the saw..... "What are those spots on the saw table? "Hmmm looks like blood, I wonder where that is coming from?" after a moment or two it sinks in it must be coming from me 50 years later I have a misshaped finger nail to remind me of that, also have a slightly bevelled thumb from a radial arm saw, didn't feel that one either. Wood working shops are really dangerous places, you get so complacent using the machines all the time.
Wood working shops are really dangerous places
I still have a divot in the crease of my left hand from a lathe-related accident at school.. turning some wood and reached over to feel if it was smooth just as the 'not terribly sharp' chisel hit a knot and jolted upwards, straight into my hand.
Woodworking teacher basically said "there's a reason why we tell you to keep both hands on the chisel while the lathe is turning". He did allow me to go and see the school nurse though.
(We were a fairly progressive school for the 1970s - everyone (boys and girls) got to do 6 weeks in Art, Woodworking, Metalworking, Domestic Science and Sewing. Although they did allow people to opt out of one of them.. Which is why I was the only male in the sewing class :-) )
Tesla owner... Grab phone. Authenticate. Discover weak network signal. Climb on top of Tesla. Hold phone to the sky. Get enough signal for the app to log in. Go through various menus. Find option. Close the "frunk". Proudly explain to gawkers the absurdity of the process. Pledge undying love to Elon Musk Rube Goldberg for the product design.
Every other vehicle owner.... Grab handle, pull, shut.
"Must be fun to dig your phone out of your pocket and get the app loaded with two arms full of groceries..."
Tesla owners don't go grocery shopping!! That's for Hoi Polio!! They order on line and they get it delivered by one of the many, many Tesla "robo-taxis" offered for use by their owners who aren't currently using them and earning money in the process.
Oh, is it time to get up already? Where's my breakfast! I think I just had a weird dream, but it's fading now....
A carrot is much, much easier to break than a finger with a bone in it. Especially a nice, fresh and crispy one. But even so, yes, it really ought to serve as a warning. The force to start the carrot breaking is not going to be nice when it's your finger in there (as some actress quite possibly said to a bishop):-)
Why do these two brands attract the functionally clueless?
They substantially lack cluons - the fundamental exchange particle that mediates the force that keeps individuals and their money tightly bound to one another. :)
I suspect dysfunctionally clueless might be slightly more accurate.
The set of Apple owners and the set of Tesla owners are very far from being disjoint.
Still made my day.
Has to rate with Rick Stein demonstrating on camera the use of a mandolin while relating, with a smirk, how his apprentices were assigned the same task early in their training to learn a valuable lesson....
All chefs cut themselves with a mandolin but you only do it the once
tempting fate, or hubris with the inevitable consequence. That's twice then, Mr Stein? :)
Rick Stein is very far from clueless so what chance Tesla owners?
One has to wonder if Musk were to market razor blades whether his customers would require a safety warning: Please refrain from sucking, licking or swallowing.
I’m really delighted that teams of people have put a huge amount of effort into designing safety systems for my car, and that different teams have put equally huge amounts of effort into testing those systems. I trust those teams - I don’t need to verify their work by using bits of my body.
If though, I was told that I had to perform a bloody stupid experiment with a car the last car I’d choose to piss about with is a Tesla. I’m not certain that the Tesla design teams are big enough to design a quality product anymore - and I’m damn sure that they don’t do enough QA.
The 'Bonnet'/'Frunk' mechanism is a progressive strength operation that starts very sensitive to obstructions. If it detects an obstruction and reopens, if you the human say "actually I really want it closed anyway" by pressing "close" again, then on each retry it will use more and more force. Once successfully closed (with or without deliberately sliced fingers) the bonnet will again be highly sensitive to obstructions.
So please do not blame the Cybertruck for allowing the human operator to (repeatedly) tell it to disable safety features.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
