The Tesla Cybertruck was supposed to be the ultimate futuristic utility vehicle. But for some buyers, the new electric pickup feels more like it hasn't been properly cleaned.
While Tesla is hastily trying to fulfill the long-delayed orders of the Cybertruck, some customers are reporting that their expensive new vehicles were delivered with dust, dirt, and other contaminants. These complaints are accumulating on social media, where owners are sharing pictures of dirty floor mats, dusty interiors, and sticky residues on the stainless steel bodies.
Such is the case with Bill Walsh from Annapolis, Maryland, who received his Cybertruck in April. "It wasn't clean, like a new car for which you pay $100,000 should be," Walsh said. The interior of the windshield was covered with a hard-to-remove film, and the stainless steel body showed water streaks and fingerprints.
Tesla, which operates about 160 delivery centers in the US, has not yet commented on inquiries regarding the complaints. However, former employees report that the delivery experiences can vary depending on the center and the number of Cybertrucks on a given day. Some customers whose vehicles were dirty described it as a temporary inconvenience and stated that they were overall still satisfied with their purchase.
The complaints are occurring at a time when Tesla is trying to ramp up production of its first new passenger vehicle in years. The pressure to deliver the vehicles quickly to customers is apparently straining some delivery centers, especially in light of the challenges cleaning the unique design of the Cybertruck. The stainless steel easily attracts stains and fingerprints, making cleaning more time-consuming.
While most new vehicles nowadays roll off the assembly line clean, Tesla seems to be having difficulty ensuring the expected cleanliness during the delivery of the Cybertruck. This could partly be due to construction work at the production site, where dust and dirt are contaminating the vehicles even before shipping.
Although the design of the Cybertruck is polarizing, the vehicle has gained a loyal following, and many customers made reservations as early as 2019. Tesla CEO Elon Musk once mentioned over a million reservations, but the company has not released current numbers.
The Tesla stock has recently experienced a decline after years of double-digit growth. Tesla is increasingly relying on price cuts and sales incentives to attract buyers as competition from other electric vehicle manufacturers intensifies.
