A Car Wash Killed a Cybertruck... or Did It?

A Cybertruck’s software went dark after going through a car wash, despite enabling the Car Wash Mode.

• Once home, the Cybertruck’s dash screen went blank, rendering the truck non-operational.
• The owner tried to reset the screen as instructed, but it wasn’t until the next day that the car became partially restored.
• This is not the only bug in the Cybertruck which has led to the company recalling all delivered models.

A Tesla Cybertruck owner encountered a baffling situation recently when, despite having the Car Wash Mode on, his vehicle broke down once he got home after washing it.

TikTok user @captain.ad took to the platform to share his tale of woe. After a day at the beach, he took the Cybertruck through the car wash with the Car Wash Mode on. When it was done, he noticed that the bed of the truck had some sand still, so he hosed it off. He drove home, parked his car in the garage, and then nothing.

All functionalities ceased as the dashboard screen went blank, making the truck non-operational.

He then attempted to reboot the system by following the factory instructions: holding down two buttons on the steering wheels. Nothing. Just a black mirror. Although, you could hear a weird popping sound. So, he did what everyone does; he filed for a ticket.

Imagine his surprise when the next day he went to get something from the car, and it was partially restored! What was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill short reset, turned into a complete reset that needed 5 hours to get to the halfway point.

The weird part is that nobody knows why the software stopped working. They’re not sure if going through the car wash with the Car Wash Mode enabled had anything to do with it. Most people think that that doesn’t make sense because what’s the point of a car that promises adventure if you can’t drive it in the rain?

As humorous as this situation is with all the memes on X, it shouldn’t eclipse the real failures of the Cybertruck. Some of the failures can be downright fatal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the accelerator pedal can get stuck, which causes the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally.

The company is now recalling all Cybertrucks delivered thus far and halting future deliveries for the time being.

It’s understandable when a car fails because of a user error, but how about companies not put out a 3-tonnes killing machine without dotting their ‘i’s and crossing their ‘t’s?

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