Oh, very rigorous engineering standards. The wheels aren't supposed to fall off for a start.
It’s the most poorly engineered “truck” there is. Can’t tow. Can’t haul (stupid bed design). It’s just a glorified pavement machine.
What a disaster. I don't really know anyone who is voluntarily buying Teslas when there are so many other viable options in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shock about the standards that led to cybertruck wheels falling off? Totally right. Discussion about Tesla engineering practices, servicing and business operations, and the influence of their leader on product - absolutely.
But statements like “No one is hauling anything in these anyway. The Cybertruck is a midlife crisis car for white-collar Indian dudes with money.” (Which, to be fair, was flagged so 100% thank you to the community)… or another user I won’t name who has multiple 3-4 word replies like “no it can’t” which is totally helpful in a discussion, are growing.
I know this is a messy topic; hate on the cybertruck and Tesla overall is high and we are all in a different headspace vs pre-covid. And I still come to hacker news because this is the best discussion forum left… but I’m sad about what we’ve lost along the way.
No crashes, injuries or fatalities have occurred. Much bigger recalls from other auto-makers in the past:
Toyota: 8-9 million worldwide recalled for "sticking" accelerator pedals and floor mats that would trap pedals, and a $1.2B DOJ penalty.
Kia 2015: also sticky pedals in various models.
Ford (1970's): 1.5 million vehicles recalled due to read-end collision fires from the fuel tank placement.
Can you name the truck that's been recalled twelve times, Costs less each month 'cause nobody's buying mine?
Cybertruck! Cybertruck!
(Whip crack!)
Her trim falls off when you drive through rain, The steering locks up on the highway lane!
Cybertruck! Cybertruck!
Top of the line in utility trucks! Started at a hundred, now they're slashing bucks!
She's got a price that drops faster than her resale value, And a windshield wiper motor that'll surely fail you!
Cybertruck! Cybertruck!
(Whip crack!)
Twelve recalls in a single year! Drive-by-wire that fills your heart with fear!
The accelerator pedal pops right off the floor, But Elon says it's you who doesn't love her more!
Cybertruck!
She rusts if you look at her wrong in the dew, The tonneau cover works... for a week or two!
She's marked down like a Kmart blue-light special now, A stainless steel disaster and a broken vow!
Cybertruck! Cybertruck!
(Whip crack!)
Whoaaa, Cybertruck!
CYBERTRUCK!
Musk: Well, that’s not very typical. Most vehicles are designed so the wheels don’t fall off.
Interviewer: But these ones did.
Musk: Well obviously. That’s why we recalled them. But wheel retention remains a very high priority at Tesla.
Interviewer: What caused it?
Musk: A minor component interaction that generated maximum freedom.
Interviewer: Freedom?
Musk: For the wheel.
"Where we're going, we're not going to need wheels."
Did they glue on these wheels too, like the pedals that fell off?
Everything about this company is cursed at this point. The jeering masses are just as bad as the CEO.
The cars themselves though continue to be really pretty great. Though maybe not the truck.
The design used to be futuristic-novel. But novelty passes - it now looks like a car pressed to pieces in a shredder. And it is very expensive. But most importantly, after Elon did his right-arm raise gesture twice, even aside from mass-firing people at DOGE or elsewhere ... does anyone still want to give more money to a very strange oligarch, who uses money to buy more influence and opinions here? Or buys a platform to turn it into a propaganda amplifier for his strange remarks about race and ethnicity?