back to article Tesla Cybertruck recall #8: Exterior trim peels itself off, again

Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall, this time over exterior trim panels that risk detaching while driving - the second time loose body trim has triggered a safety fix. This time, the stamped stainless steel piece attempting escape is the cant rail, a cosmetic metal trim running along the top of the doors from the …

  1. Like a badger

    Recall won't fix the big problem

    And the big problem is that driving one of these makes you look a complete bell end.

    1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

      Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

      They are an investment! In five years, when only two of them are still working, they will be worth millions!

      1. Roopee Silver badge
        IT Angle

        Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

        Upvoted, but very optimistic on both counts methinks! Unlikely to offset the total loss on your Tesla shares...

        1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

          Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

          What Tesla shares? OK, I had some four or five years ago, for two month... Should have kept them 'til 2024, but who can tell the future...

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

        Touching that you think that many will last 5 years.

      3. David Hicklin Silver badge

        Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

        So a bit like the Sinclair C5?

        I actually got to see one of these on the road where I grew up, looked everything like a toy go-cart !

      4. Groo The Wanderer - A Canuck

        Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

        Well, they would have been if they didn't get wet while being delivered to the auctioneer for sale...

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

      But complete bell ends think it makes them look great.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

        True, but that's the sort of thinking that shows just why they're complete bell ends, isn't it?

        1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

          And it seems we've found a bell end who thinks the it would make him look cool and resents the implication.

    3. Evil Auditor Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

      If your ego is so fragile that you feel emasculated by the presence of wokeness, looking like a bell-end seems a desirable outcome.

    4. PB90210 Silver badge

      Re: Recall won't fix the big problem

      The big problem is the nut holding the steering wheel

  2. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

    Quite moody car!

    The body can't take weather.

    The tires impale themselves.

    The pedal is loose until rivet.

    The glue deteriorates.

    The back falls apart.

    A mirror of Musks personality?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Quite moody car!

      No. He doesn't have one.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Quite moody car!

      I think it's nice that the car recycles itself as you drive it. So I would move this latest issue into the pro column.

    3. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
      Alert

      Re: Quite moody car!

      A mirror of Musks personality?

      Can it do a Nazi salute?

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/elon-musk-daughter-vivian-jenna-wilson-salute

      1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

        Re: Quite moody car!

        I bet it can! If something from the right door breaks by a calm tailwind...

      2. Blazde Silver badge

        Re: Quite moody car!

        A mirror of Musks personality?

        Can it do a Nazi salute?

        Well, he did try to pass that salute off as an 'unintended acceleration'

    4. Benegesserict Cumbersomberbatch Silver badge

      Re: Quite moody car!

      Also:

      Electrics stop working when it goes through a car wash.

  3. Headley_Grange Silver badge

    In terms of quality Tesla seems to be at same level as Datsun circa 1978.

    1. Gort99

      Come on, Datsun were never that bad!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Even 1978 British Leyland wasn't that bad!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Weell....

          I hereby coin the name "Electric Leyland"

          1. Felonmarmer Silver badge

            In the spirit of Kirsty MacColl, I'll take that and coin "Electric Landley"

          2. DoctorPaul Bronze badge

            Now that's got Hendrix running through my head, still that's an ear-worm I can live with!

        2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Stop

          Even 1978 British Leyland wasn't that bad!

          I feel I have to come to the defence of Tesla here. Them be fightin' words!

          I give you the Triumph TR7, Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Austin Montego - and of course the Austin Maestro - who's idea was it to put an electronic voice in it to tell you when someothing had gone wrong - surely it would have been easier to tell you when something hadn't?

          Although the Cybertruck does look as ugly as an Allegro. At least they don't sell Tesla models in vomit yellow, various shades of poo brown or vile orange.

          1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

            At least they don't sell Tesla models in vomit yellow, various shades of poo brown or vile orange.

            I think Trump has a patent on the latter colour.

          2. David Hicklin Silver badge

            > Austin Maestro - who's idea was it to put an electronic voice in

            I knew a sales rep who had one and deliberately let "her" chime off just to tell the "stupid woman to shut up"

          3. biffed

            I had a ‘80 Triumph TR7 as my only car for 4 years in the mid-90s. The only thing that broke was the fog light switch. Blame the Prince of Darkness.

          4. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            I had a 1973 Marina, bought from my grandmother in 1977 when my grandfather died. It was certainly underpowered, and the suspension from a Morris Minor wasn't really up to the job of handling corners in a larger car (although it wasn't as lethal as the Triumph Stag of that era). All the same, I don't remember bits falling off, and it was never bothered by rain. Indeed, it had one of the best heaters I remember from any car back then. Easy & cheap to fix, comfy seats too. Leyland never had to recall all of them for just one fault...

      2. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

        I recall reading a car magazine published in the mid-late 70s, in which they had a group test of medium sized four door sedans from the era, including a handful of Japanese models and some British ones. The Datsun 180B/Bluebird could have been one of them. It struck me that the info box for every single vehicle in the test included a list of the defects the test example had off the showroom floor, which definitely isn't a thing these days!

        A 1970s Datsun was a product of its time. However, the Japanese automakers really sorted their shit out in the 1960s and by the late 70s were generally class leading in terms of value and reliability.

        Tesla has been speedrunning the mistakes that the traditional automakers (you know, the ones that are only "worth" a fraction as much as Tesla) made more than 50 years ago.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      At least the Datsuns were cheap.

      My parents' first car was a secondhand Datsun originally sold in... 1978. (No, really).

      Its achilles heel was that it was susceptible to rust in the UK climate- something which was already approaching terminal around the time it failed its MOT and it got replaced when it wasn't yet eight years old.

      Yet aside from that, my Dad remembers it being a good and easily-maintained car. I suspect it was probably more reliable (and better value for money) than many British Leyland cars et al back then.

      (And honestly, it probably wasn't all *that* much worse for rust than many other cars of its era. Not saying it was good in that respect, but rust on *all* cars was a way bigger deal at that time, and still a major problem well into the 1980s. Cars just didn't last as long back then.)

      1. Adair Silver badge

        Back then anywhere that put salt on the roads, cars didn't last long.

        Anywhere that didn't put salt on the roads, even then plenty cars lasted plenty long.

        1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

          Yes, but on a small island surrounded by notoriously windy and choppy seas, even if you don't put salt on the roads, ungalvanised steel won't last long. I remember our old Fiat 600 turning into a rustball.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Wasn't that the time Alfa Romeo's were pretty much already rusting in the brochure?

        Had something to do with the type of steel they used.

      3. Mostly Irrelevant

        8 years is good for a 70's Datsun. Here in Canada we salt the roads every winter. 70's Datsuns were lucky to make it to 4 years.

  4. JimmyPage

    Proof that Musk was inspired by Sir Clive Sinclair

    only it seems C5s were better built.

    1. blu3b3rry

      Re: Proof that Musk was inspired by Sir Clive Sinclair

      To be fair, for it's day the C5 was actually built in a rather clever way.

      Seem to recall the two halves of the polycarbonate bodyshell were effectively welded together using electrically-activated strips of tape.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Proof that Musk was inspired by Sir Clive Sinclair

      The Cybertruck isn't so much a C5 as a C4 in the way it blows itself apart over time.

  5. Dan 55 Silver badge

    46,096 wankpanzers sold

    I honestly thought it would be a whole lot more by now, perhaps there's hope for humanity yet.

    1. rgjnk Bronze badge

      Re: 46,096 wankpanzers sold

      Considering there were >250K reservations (supposedly) and plenty of unsold stock those numbers aren't too impressive. Though does again prove that the supply of tasteless idiots with too much money isn't running short.

      Maybe it sold better than the electric F150 or the Hummer EV but in the grand scheme of US truck sales all the electric ones are totally insignificant in a market that numbers in millions of units per year.

  6. blu3b3rry

    It looked stupid when it was first announced

    ....and proves that it is genuinely a clown car, if bits of it detach themselves at random.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

      It's even driven by clowns.

    2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

      Are Tesla owners losing their drive?

      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/mar/20/are-tesla-owners-losing-their-drive

      Cartoon by Fiona Katauskas

      1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

        Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

        Some go to even more extreme measures...

    3. David Hicklin Silver badge

      Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

      I have read on the BBC web site that it is not even road legal in the UK in a story of where one got impounded

      1. DoctorPaul Bronze badge

        Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

        It's not legal here or anywhere in Europe because the sharp edges and lack of crumple zones make it a danger to pedestrians. Interestingly that lack of crumple zones means that the WankPanzer will inflict similar damage on the occupants of said vehicle (I use the term loosely) in the event of a crash.

        Oh, they're irreparable too so insuring one might get to be a challenge.

        1. Ian 55

          Re: It looked stupid when it was first announced

          Plus Tesla refuse to give the required data.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "environmental embrittlement"

    In simple terms, the glue was not suitable for North American climate.

    Did Elon have a bigger hand in the minutiae of the design process than previously believed.

    1. rgjnk Bronze badge

      Re: "environmental embrittlement"

      It's just another Tesla product engineered with the assumption that engineering for California is enough. Cold/wet/salty/etc. conditions are all imaginary.

      1. Not Yb Silver badge

        Re: "environmental embrittlement"

        Probably tested it in an environmental chamber that only included vertical rain.

        1. that one in the corner Silver badge

          Re: "environmental embrittlement"

          Vertical rain? NO! Don't leave your cybertruck in the rain!

    2. Bebu sa Ware
      Coat

      Re: "environmental embrittlement"

      "Did Elon have a bigger hand in the minutiae of the design process than previously believed."

      Likely but I question which part of his anatomy was involved.

  8. ChodeMonkey Silver badge
    Stop

    Wank PanzerKampfWagen

    Is it not now a federal offence to denigrate the Wank Panzer? If so, suggesting it is a shoddily made gewgaw by issuing a recall could put Tesla in hot water.

    1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

      Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

      You ask, Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi answers.

      (Pam first caught my attention by taking a bribe to not prosecute Trump for fraud. According to Trump and Bondi, giving and receiving bribes is perfectly acceptable so we will just has to judge her character by the long list of other awful things she has done.)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: You ask, Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi answers.

        "The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars."

        What about shooting rifles in schools? Is that a crime?

        Wankers.

      2. Wang Cores

        Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

        Pam Bondi's greatest ambition in life was to become president of a New Jersey HOA. Unfortunately the only open position was Florida AG and getting promoted to US AG has not tempered her any.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

          Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

          "a New Jersey HOA"

          For those of us not in the USA, what's that? Does it involve standing on street corners?

          1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

            Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

            HOA is probably Home-Owner-Association. You are better off avoiding them more like the street corners, 'cause some HOAs are very weird. A clear example that "freedom" in the USA means "freedom to be scammed and f*cked over by everyone, and there is nothing you can do about it."

            1. Excused Boots Silver badge

              Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

              Just watched the video you linked to. Wow; just wow!

              err, ‘Land of the Free’?

              1. Melina1222

                Re: Is it not now a federal offence?

                To make things even worse for "Muricans, it's become harder to buy any sort of home that doesn't have an HOA. I'd rather live under a bridge than tussle with an HOA. John Oliver did a pretty good episode about them, BTW.

  9. JamesTGrant Bronze badge

    Hey look at this crazy concept!’

    ‘Cool - ship it’

    ‘But this is just a prototype’

    ‘Does it drive?’

    ‘Yeah, it’s a working prototype’

    ‘Then it’s finished, ship it’

    ‘Okayyy’

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      That's *exactly* what the Cybertruck's engineering comes across as.

      Something you'd expect to have been a prototype or mostly working mockup to get the point across, but all lashed-together shoddiness and short-term corner-cuts under the surface. The sort of things you'd expect to have been implemented and engineered properly in the production version.

  10. IGotOut Silver badge

    Six months time...

    Part recalled due to spot weld corroding and falling out.

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Six months time...

      Exactly what I was thinking. The chemistry of body of these toys has always been dubious and glue was probably one of the ways that engineers thought would reduce corrosion. Riveting anything is going to give the natural chemistry to turn these heaps of steel into heaps of rust.

      1. Sam Shore

        Re: Six months time...

        Using glue to bond metals is a time proven technique, up until about 2017. If the correct glue is chosen, lifetimes of 30+ years can be achieved. Looks like here someone scrimped on the glue, and or they didn't perform sufficient weather testing to identify the appropriate amount of glue for the job. I mention 2017, because that was the time of the Grenfell Tower fire. The Grenfell Tower had been covered with a metal cladding, that included in it's materials glue to bond stiffening rods to the inside of the panel, glue we now know to be flammable. As a result insurance companies in the UK all started to decline insurance for buildings that used glue bonding in it's metal cladding panels. The solution for the industry was to adopt stud welding to weld a threaded pin to the metal plate, to which the stiffening bars were then fastened in place using nuts. The problem of corrosion in the weld is mitigated by using similar materials, i.e. if your plate is 304 stainless, then weld a 304 stainless pin to it. 316 to 316, and steel to steel and so on. If the stud and the plate are similar materials, then you don't get the galvanic corrosion issue occurring.

        There's a youtube video showing the stud welding process they'll be using here https://youtu.be/SIU6YkmnSAY , and it's to be hoped that Tesla perform the necessary weather testing to determine how many studs are required to hold the panel in place without it blowing off at speed, or we'll be back to reading an article about the panels falling off again in six months time.

        1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

          Re: Six months time...

          I've nothing against using glue to bond metals, but the use in Twatmobiles has been arrived at for the wrong reasons: unsuitable steel was chosen for the bodywork for aesthetic reasons, and presumably because Musk didn't want to pay the premium of importing the specialised steel that he'd really need but that America doesn't produce.

          When they're allowed to do their job properly, engineers at Tesla and SpaceX tend to do good jobs, then the SAFA twat appears and fucks it up.

  11. IGotOut Silver badge

    This ladies and gentlemen...

    is why people don't buy US cars, despite usually being less expensive.

    The build quality is usually utter shit with badly fitting panels, cheap plastics, poor assembly and inefficient engines.

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

      You forgot the part about being nearly impossible to fix.

    2. thames Silver badge

      Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

      I have a good deal of first hand experience with auto manufacturing with several US, Japanese, and European car brands. US Ford and GM cars are reasonably well made. I don't like their current model line up in North America, but they're reasonably well made. Chrysler has always had a reputation for being less well made, but I would still put them as better than Tesla.

      Tesla though have always been known for poor build quality and questionable design engineering. They have always sold purely due to brand promotion and image. They got into the US electric car market early and a heavy focus on the California market got them a lot of publicity with celebrities and people who write about celebrities.

      They basically sell a Lada or Trabant grade product at BMW prices. If you want an electric car you are much better off buying one from one of the long established major brands who will sell you a much better made and designed car for the same price or less.

      I won't be surprised if Tesla end up going out of business or if their assets are bought by someone else for a small fraction of their current stock market value. They are a luxury brand that sell a poorly made product based on image. That image is being steadily undermined by the antics of a certain rather questionable person. Once their image is tarnished nobody has a reason to buy one anymore.

      1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
        Alert

        Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

        Tesla and Elon Musk are embroiled in a “brand tornado crisis moment” and the electric carmaker’s chief executive needs to cut back on his work for Donald Trump to stem the damage, one of the company’s biggest supporters has said.

        https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/20/tesla-musk-trump-work-cybertruck-recall-dan-ives-protests

        1. Like a badger

          Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

          "the electric carmaker’s chief executive needs to cut back on his work for Donald Trump to stem the damage, one of the company’s biggest supporters has said."

          Not sure on the logic here. Elon is toxic to the Tesla brand, to good organisation, to good decision making. Having outed himself as a fascist twerp who wants to be paid $56bn whilst he delights in illegally sacking government workers, there's no route back. Even if he gave up on his political activity, his previous buyers are not coming back. Having DOOFUS deliver a Tesla advert from outside the White House is probably another bit of brand damage that won't be readily repaired.

          1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
            Go

            Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

            In ten years we may be talking about Teslas as we once did about Deloreans or Reliant Robins – actually apart from the obvious shit which should have been stopped at the start, there's some good engineering the in the Reliants.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

              A Delorian is a collectable. Are you implying that Teslas will become highly sought after cars?

              1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
                Joke

                Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

                DeLorien is to Back to the Future as

                Tesla is to Back to 1939

      2. Like a badger

        Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

        "They are a luxury brand that sell a poorly made product based on image"

        But isn't that what most "designer" goods are? Something that sells to its intended audience despite its mediocre quality, and in part because of its high price? As you say, image is everything, and Musk's circus clown foray into politics is "doing a Ratner" with his own brand.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. Mike Friedman

        Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

        The problem is Tesla's stock market value is inflated by a factor of 10 even considering the recent slide (which is just reversing the run up it experienced last. year before the election). But I agree they can't go on without updating their model lineup, but they can't seem to figure out how to to do that. Probably too much interference from Muskrat.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

          Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

          It really should not be that difficult either. A few changes in the technology "under the hood" and a change in the body styling is all many, especially US, manufactures do. I remember when we started getting swamped with US TV and hearing people talk a about a car model from a specific year. Something that didn't happen here. A model was a model and the year it was made wasn't relevant. When a new model came out, it was more likely referred to as "mark 2" or "mark 3" or similar and might be 2, 4 or more years between those changes. US marketing seems to have encouraged if nor enforced far more frequent product updates than the rest of the world. And there's Tesla with barely a change, year on year, in what they sell. It's disruption I tells ya, DISRUPTION <maniacal laugh>

    3. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: This ladies and gentlemen...

      "is why people don't buy US cars, despite usually being less expensive."

      Reminds me of Trumps recent comments about "yoo-rope" not buying "American" cars. We do. Lots of them. From US companies who set up across the UK and Europe and took the time to learn what sells here. The "American" cars that we don't buy are the ones from US companies who don't bother to look at how Europeans are different in taste and practicality and just try to export US models with minium changes to to meet local legislation. I've driven decent (for various values of decent!) Fords that easily do 60mpg, but try getting a US made one that can do that. And that's only one minor difference between US and European attitudes to cars.

      To be clear, the US car manufactures who have succeeded in Europe make the cars here, have been here for decades and make what people want to buy.

  12. Gene Cash Silver badge

    Glue?

    They need to talk to Apple and borrow some iPhone battery glue. That stuff'll take a direct hit from a nuke, I think.

    1. Not Yb Silver badge

      Re: Glue?

      The main problem with the iPhone battery is having to remove most of the rest of the phone from the case before you can even get to the battery. The glue is just an added bonus round.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Glue?

        I hear that's how you get to the Cybertruck battery too, so even more like Apple.

    2. Headley_Grange Silver badge

      Re: Glue?

      iPhone battery glue? Might be good but nothing beats dried Weetabix.

      1. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge

        Re: Glue?

        bogies!

        1. that one in the corner Silver badge

          Re: Glue?

          Well, Musk has a good supply of those nowadays; just gotta stop Donald getting them wiped away.

      2. Ken Shabby Silver badge
        Coffee/keyboard

        Re: Glue?

        Or shit to an army blanket.

      3. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Glue?

        "iPhone battery glue? Might be good but nothing beats dried Weetabix."

        Clearly someone who's never had porridge and forgot to wash the bowl out immediately!!

        1. Excused Boots Silver badge

          Re: Glue?

          Porridge, exactly, you basically need a flame thrower to remove it from the bowl - domestic dish washer; forget it?

          No idea what sort of weird chemical reaction between porridge and ceramics is going on, but probably deserves further scientific investigation. But, getting g back on topic, maybe something that Tesla could investigate as a fix for bits spontaneously dropping off their cars?

          1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

            Re: Glue?

            Maybe they should ass rice-flour to it. That is the secret of the wall(s) in China, at least of those which are still with their original mortar... That stuff give self-healing capabilities by filling those micro-creaks which always appear.

    3. Bebu sa Ware
      Windows

      Re: Glue?

      "borrow some iPhone battery glue."

      Or not source the two part epoxy from the local two dollar / pound shop.

      I suspect the original glue only design was a recognisably poor choice (amongst a slew of others.)

      If I were compelled to drive one I would at least have the rust inclined stainless painted donkey dick pink.:)

  13. veti Silver badge

    Meh. I think that's more a Tesla-specific issue than a general US one. Build quality of Ford, GM cars is usually OK, they've been doing it a long time. (Not saying anything about Chrysler, those things are rare outside the US and for good reason IMO.)

    What's not OK is the design, most importantly the assumption that efficiency is for losers.

    1. Not Yb Silver badge

      Also a problem: more than one set of engine designs that couldn't last beyond 100K miles even with recommended maintenance back when Toyota of the time could easily last 300K+.

    2. Michael Strorm Silver badge

      The Curse of Chrysler

      Not saying anything about Chrysler, those things are rare outside the US and for good reason

      Unlike GM and Ford, who were highly successful on the European market for decades, Chrysler never were.

      They made three failed attempts to crack Europe- the first and by far most significant being in the late 1960s, when they started buying out and combining the operations of various European manufacturers, latterly selling models under their own name before they cut their losses and sold the lot to Peugeot just over a decade later.

      They tried again in the 90s when they introduced the Chrysler Neon here as an obvious attempt to test the waters, but the numbers I saw weren't going to give Ford or Vauxhall any sleepless nights, and the Neon and Chrysler were quickly forgotten with nothing further coming of it.

      Finally, they tried under Fiat's ownership, which IIRC was little more than slapping the name on the likes of (e.g.) the Lancia Ypsilon small car- itself based on the Fiat 500- and even *that* flopped(!), and the Chrysler name was withdrawn again.

      I think they've always sold some of Chrysler's American vehicles as imports over the years, but that's always been more of a niche thing, as the US and European car markets are quite different in general.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: The Curse of Chrysler

        Didn't they also buy the well respected and actually very good Saab[*] car manufacturing business and turn it from "built like tanks, runs for years" and completely destroy then in under 20 years?

        Think "the other Volvo", for those who've not heard of them.

        1. Michael Strorm Silver badge

          Re: The Curse of Chrysler

          No, it was GM that took over Saab, or at least the car division. IIRC- and Wikipedia confirms- Saab's demise was precipitated by GM's own bankruptcy in the late 2000s and the legal mess that followed the change of ownership.

          (FWIW, the original parent company- defence contractor Saab- is still going, apparently).

  14. DS999 Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    You love to see it

    Every time Tesla fails it is music to my ears!

    1. Blazde Silver badge

      Re: You love to see it

      Just you wait 'til they're fully self-driving in 2017, that'll wipe the small from your face!!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: You love to see it

      Hmm.. I thought that Tesla was a darling of the handwringing enviro-conscious classes as they showed that EVs could be good and even a bit cool? If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
        Stop

        Re: You love to see it

        Troll on…

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: You love to see it

          I'm confused, I was pretty sure that a few years ago owning a small fleet of Teslas along with the home chargers, power wall and solar tiles was THE status symbol of the upper middle class to show just how much you care about the environment.

          Yet here we have someone who has been vocal about climate change selling their Tesla and buying a Chevy Tahoe, which isn't even a hybrid!

          https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arizona-senator-buys-chevy-replace-145834608.html

          1. graeme leggett Silver badge

            Re: You love to see it

            Kelly says the Chevy was built by unionised labour (labor)

      2. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

        Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

        We still are. What's your point?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

          Do you think Norway would have such a huge EV takeup if there had been no Tesla? I doubt the Nissan Leaf would have made such an impact.

          1. DS999 Silver badge

            Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

            Might have taken another few years, but the result would be the same. It isn't like Tesla had some unique product no one else is able to make. They just had a CEO willing to lose money for long enough to get them over the profitability hump before the batteries were quite ready for prime time (and the technology has already moved on to LiFEPO to avoid LiON's issues with fires that can't be put out so now Tesla's battery technology is behind the times)

            Unfortunately for the investors, that same CEO is trying to back up his Cybercuck over that same hump and drive them back into losses by alienating all those early customers and hoping he can make up for their loss with MAGA enthusiasts who'd rather roll coal and drill baby drill than be caught dead driving an EV.

            1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

              Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

              Correct, but there seems to be a lot of short term memories here and (well deserved) hating on Musk. The incumbents were only just starting to look at the potential of EVs for the mass market instead of as curios and would have taken at least another decade to get to market without the kick up the arse they got from Tesla. There were a few experiments, especially in California that never took off enough to become mass market. Toyota’s Prius hybrid was the best of the bunch before Tesla came in years later and really shook up the "proper" EV market.

              1. DS999 Silver badge

                Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

                China would have still gone all-in on EVs for its own reasons on the same timeline. They're going to own the worldwide car market in 20 years everywhere but the US and maybe the EU. Tesla had little chance of stopping that before, but now that Musk has turned the brand to poison it is going to sink with the rest of the US automakers that can't compete outside their own country with big tariff walls keeping out the Chinese EVs.

            2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

              Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

              Musk never lost money with Tesla, not least because of the emissions credits meant that he had a negative capital cost: he made money any time he asked investors for more cash.

              Doesn't mean he wasn't courageous to invest in Tesla and Space X but he made sure he personally stood to lose little. The only time he put his personal finances at risk was when he bought Twitter.

          2. Blazde Silver badge

            Re: If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.

            Do you think Norway would have such a huge EV takeup if there had been no Tesla? I doubt the Nissan Leaf would have made such an impact.

            Absolute it would. This Nissan Leaf lead the take-up there and has traded blows with Teslas in the sales rankings every since, but there are many other successful brands and the main cause is tax incentives.

            Actually, studying the large diversity of EV car sales brands in Norway is the easiest way to refute the thesis that Tesla is somehow different from other car brands and will eventually capture a much bigger market share than any other manufacturer in history. It isn't a tech company, it doesn't have network effect nor low marginal costs. It's a car brand and people love to express their individuality through their car choice, not drive the same one everyone else in their town does. Even without Musk's toxicity there's a good case to be made that it already hit peak popularity.

      3. Excused Boots Silver badge

        Re: You love to see it

        "If it wasn't for Tesla we'd all still be driving 6ltr V8s.”

        Maybe, maybe you are right. No actually you probably are right. Arguably Telsa did at least make EVs cool and acceptable - how much of that was down to Musk personally is debatable, but whatever; fine.

        Except, I don’t think that anyone has an issue with Tesla cars per se, the problem is that the company and brand is tied to one E. Musk esquire, and he, personally is now toxic to a lot of people; not just in the rest of the world, but in the US as well. Hence the, understandable, backlash against Tesla. Nothing really against the company or their products (well bits falling off them notwithstanding), it’s him!

  15. Howard Sway Silver badge

    All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

    The vehicles themselves now come fitted with Level 5 Full Self Disassembly as standard.

    1. fromxyzzy

      Re: All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

      It's 50/50 whether there's anyone actually setting the things on fire. Leave 'em sitting out on the lot for long enough, odds are at least one will go up and take a few others with it in a light drizzle.

      1. RedGreen925

        Re: All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

        "It's 50/50 whether there's anyone actually setting the things on fire. "

        The same odds I would give of it being his Nazi buddies doing a false flag operation to try and own the libs. With them getting the blame to enable more of a crack down on peoples freedoms. A classic scumbag Yankee move from their playbook for the last century, littered with the bodies of millions they have killed using it in other countires...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

          Except for the fact that it could only be the political left as they are the only ones pathetic and narcissistic enough to do things like that. And its not like the political left has never carried out random acts of violence and destruction.

          1. AbominableCodeman

            Re: All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

            Thst reads like projection to me. Is that you Donnie? Time for your dried frog pills.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: All the idiots vandalising Tesla dearlerships are wasting their time

            What's the current going rate in rubles for a post like this?

  16. Winkypop Silver badge
    FAIL

    Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

    And this from a vehicle of such poor design and specification that it’s banned in a number of sensible countries.

    1. Mark Exclamation

      Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

      And all of which countries will be subject to tariffs if said crappy vehicle is not allowed in.

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

        Oh, they can be imported, if anyone still wants to do so, just not used on public highways… Mind you, the same could be said for most American cars which are generally unsuited to lanes less than 5m wide!

        1. Thomas Steven 1

          Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

          Given that the owners of most BMWs, Mercedes can't get down a Cornish lane wide enough for two cars without leaving a 1 metre gap between them and the vegetation on the left hand side, I don't think it's an American car problem it's a can't drive problem.

          1. ICL1900-G3 Silver badge

            Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

            Er.. I live in Cornwall and drive a Mercedes and live down a narrow lane with Cornish hedges (not made of bushes, for the uninitiated)... seem to manage ok, but hey ho, YMMV.

            1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

              Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

              There's an exception to every rule.

            2. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

              Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

              The difference is whether you're prepared to let the nearside of your car get scratched, if only minor scratches. People who actually live in these areas will generally drive older cars, where the minor damage from hedges and stone chips will just be seen as the hazards of driving.

              Here in Somerset, the country lanes are not that wider than Cornwall, and I can tell a local driver from one just visiting by how they drive on minor roads. Visitors will try to keep equal distance from both sides, and will be a real pain in the neck if you ever meet one head on, especially if they're unwilling/unable to reverse to the passing place that is just behind them.

              I drive a 17 year old Land Rover (although one of the more car like ones), but don't mind the hedges, because what is a few more scratches!

          2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

            Re: Tesla has issued its eighth Cybertruck recall

            There's a difference between the vehicle and the driver… while a lot of clueless do indeed drive expensive status symbols, that's very different from trying to drive an unresponsive and oversized toy like an American SUV.

  17. Mitoo Bobsworth Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Can't build a truck on Earth

    but gonna build a city on Mars.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Can't build a truck on Earth

      Lets hope those wall joints don't gaps in the panels then!

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cybertruckin’

    Cyber Trekkin' across the universe

    On the starship doge-prise

    Under Captain Musk

    Cyber Trekkin' across the universe

    Boldly going forwards cause we can't find reverse

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Pirate

      Re: Cybertruckin’

      I've got that song in my head now...

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Cybertruckin’

      Boldly going forwards cause we can't find reverse

      But can do U-turns, evidenced by having to re-hire people after firing them :-)

  19. Mitoo Bobsworth Silver badge

    "The Front fell off..."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM&t=128s

  20. Evil Auditor Silver badge
    Coat

    He said bulletproof, NOT weatherproof.

  21. Mike 125

    Tesla Cybertruck, The Little Truck That Cant

    courtesy the deluded little c'nt who can't, but thinks he can.

    "the stamped stainless steel piece attempting escape is the cant rail, a cosmetic metal trim"

    Even the components are trying desperately to escape.

  22. Anonymous IV
    Alien

    Does Musk read these comments?

    The number of comments which have all received a single down-vote is Deeply Suspicious.

    About time for a conspiracy theory, methinks!

  23. 0laf Silver badge

    Musk finding out that building cars is actually quite hard. I had a few friends with Teslas, they did like the cars but that was despite the build quality rather than because of it. Most of them had really very significant QC issues with their cars such as missing bolts leading to parts working loose and becoming damaged (power steering pump in one more serious case), paint runs, misaligned panels and lot of gremlins. But they did like them. However none now own a Tesla all moving on to other EVs or back to ICE in a few cases.

    Tesla has lost it's USP now other manufacturers have caught up with their own EV products.

  24. 45RPM Silver badge

    I think that everyone here is being very mean to Elon and the cybertruck. Stop it now, before his little feelings get hurt.

    You have to consider the use-case of the vehicle, and the cybertruck is admirably suited to its design objective.

    Want to look like a wanker or signal that you’re a not so closet Nazi? The cybertruck is perfectly suited to your needs.

    Want to cover any distance, on road or off road, safe in the knowledge that your car won’t rust when you wash it, and will cover any terrain you throw at it? Toyota has your back.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Though buying a Toyota Hilux in USA is nigh impossible because of the "Chicken Tax"

      The Lie Cheat Steal podcast was most informative on the various ways regulations have distorted the American car market and monstrous trucks are everywhere

  25. Mike Friedman

    You can't fix ugly. You can't recall ugly.

    I saw a hilarious Youtube video the other day of a guy talking about why he hated his Cybertruck and after 6 months sold it. At a huge loss (because Tesla lowered the price 25% (!) after he bought it, thus undercutting the value of the existing cars. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTXbAtrV7gg)

    Musk is a disaster. He can't even do the thing he's supposedly great at, well. He's all hype and no meat (sorry for the heavily mixed metaphor) and a deeply weird mess.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      tl;dr- If you bought a Cybertruck, you deserved everything you got...

      I don't have any sympathy for anyone who got screwed over because they bought a Cybertruck.

      Unlike the earlier Teslas, the entire deal with the Cybertruck was very clear by the time it hit the streets. The bullshit stupidity of the concept. The ludicrous claims that were already being disproven even before- *long* before- it came out, most obviously the infamous "unbreakable" windows demo.

      The Cybertruck is- or is meant to be- a pure "image" car, closely associated with Musk. The "I didn't realise Musk was *quite* that much a POS" excuse might have washed for owners of older models, but this was already clear by the time the Cybertruck actually came out.

      If the Musk fanboys and attention-seekers who bought one "regret" that or are backtracking, it's only because they took for granted the attention they certainly *did* get would have been much more positive than it was.

      Even for those with a pre-order, they apparently cost next to nothing- something like $100 IIRC- and could probably be re-sold for way more than that. Regardless, no-one goes ahead and spends $100,000 on a Cybertruck simply because they don't want to lose their $100 deposit...!

  26. Roj Blake Silver badge

    "Cant Rail"

    Did your autocorrect replace a u with an a?

  27. Dave 13

    The new model

    I once owned a series of British sports cars, starting with MGs and ending with a 90's Jaguar. One thing I moved from car to car in that decades-long journey was the little brass plaque which read "the parts observed falling off this vehicle are of the finest British workmanship."

    Tesla has taken up this model, and then some.

    1. Michael Strorm Silver badge

      Re: The new model

      Tesla has always had questionable build quality, but the Cybertruck is worse than that- and the cars you owned- because it already started off with countless fundamentally misconceived design decisions at almost every level.

  28. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Mushroom

    RUD

    Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly of the Exterior Trim

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I haven’t bought one

    I still haven’t bought one…

  30. Vikingforties

    Waddaya mean!

    "the adhesive joint may weaken over time" - the things hardly been out and it's dropping to bits.

    1. collinsl Silver badge

      Re: Waddaya mean!

      Where $TIME > 5 days

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