Tesla identifies a defect in certain Cybertruck models that causes cell denting, necessitating modifications to the battery packs. The manufacturer has opted to re-route the affected vehicles back to its Gigafactory Texas facility for thorough investigation and pack replacement.
Since its inaugural production year, the Cybertruck has experienced a remarkably smooth manufacturing ramp-up process.
Tesla has successfully ramped up production at its Gigafactory Texas facility, enabling the manufacture of thousands of Cybertrucks on a weekly basis.
Despite these achievements, however, the automobile program has its drawbacks.
Tesla has issued multiple recalls for its Cybertruck model, sparking concerns among owners who have also reported frequent maintenance appointments. Tesla acquired additional Cybertruck units that had previously been plagued by numerous quality control concerns.
Now, Electrek has identified a couple of new Cybertruck drawbacks: minor cell denting issues.
Tesla has informed sources familiar with the matter that “cell dents” were discovered in certain Cybertruck battery packs following a review of relevant paperwork, prompting the company to recall affected vehicles and transport them to its Gigafactory Texas facility for replacement of the faulty battery packs.
The Cybertruck is a Tesla vehicle that features its proprietary 4680 battery cell, designed and manufactured in-house by Tesla.
While difficulties were initially identified in “many stock autos” by someone familiar with the issue, it’s unclear why this problem hasn’t yet surfaced in consumer vehicles.
As previously disclosed, Tesla has faced an inventory surplus of its Cybertruck models in the US, prompting a response that includes converting Base Sequence Cybertrucks to standard variants and certifying more than 800 stock US-bound Cybertrucks for the Canadian market.
The existing infrastructure of Tesla’s service and collision facilities struggles to cope with the added complexity stemming from novel features such as self-driving laptop replacements in newly manufactured vehicles?
As a result of this logistical constraint, Tesla is redirecting Cybertruck production featuring these battery packs to its less congested facilities at Gigafactory Texas and other available locations.
Tesla has yet to release a service bulletin addressing the matter, leaving unanswered questions regarding the scope of vehicles impacted by the “cell dent” defect.
Despite recent progress, Tesla still encountered another issue with its Cybertruck battery pack, prompting a service bulletin announcement. Certain vehicles may be affected by a faulty installation of their battery ancillary harness.
The automaker wrote:
On certain Cybertruck models, an improper routing of the high-voltage battery ancillary harness may exert pressure on the harness branches and/or connectors between the High-Voltage Controller (HVC) and Battery Management Boards (BMBs), likely disrupting HVC and BMB communication via one of two harness branches.
When necessary, Tesla technicians are instructed to inspect vehicles thoroughly and replace the harness if any issues are detected before putting them into service.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s end-of-quarter and year appear to be experiencing a challenging period. The automaker faces a daunting task in simultaneously producing every available part in stock while also navigating the challenges surrounding its brand-new HW4 laptop model and attempting to clear out inventory of its Cybertruck line.
To accommodate the increased demand, Tesla must reconfigure the vehicles as Canadian-market models, omitting the Basis Sequence variant, and then modify certain battery packs accordingly.
Will Tesla attempt to boost sales of these vehicles by the end of the quarter to artificially inflate its financials?
