WASHINGTON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its recently released Cybertrucks due to an accelerator pedal problem that could raise the risk of crashes, a federal safety regulator said Friday.
"A trapped accelerator pedal can cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a recall notice about Cybertruck, Tesla's newest electric vehicle, which hit the market in November 2023.
The problem, according to the regulator, originated on production lines with soap. "An unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap) to aid in the component assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal. Residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal."
The NHTSA said the recall affects "all Model Year ('MY') 2024 Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024."
"When high force is applied to the pad on the accelerator pedal, the pad may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal," NHTSA said.
Earlier this month, Tesla told its employees that it would lay off "more than 10 percent" of its global workforce.
The layoffs could impact more than 14,000 people and come two weeks after the electric automaker reported its first year-over-year drop in sales since 2020. The company has also warned that sales growth could be "notably lower" in 2024 than its stated goal of 50 percent growth each year. ■
