A viral video of a Tesla Cybertruck owner explaining a problem with his accelerator pedal has piqued the interest of a federal vehicle safety agency.
The incident comes as Tesla has paused deliveries of its Cybertruck without offering much of an explanation.
The chain of events began Thursday when Jose Martinez said he was driving his six-day-old Cybertruck on a Southern California drag strip, according to CNBC.
The truck started to accelerate on its own until Martinez braked, stopped the car and saw that a rubber cover on the accelerator was loose.
Cybertruck has a SERIOUS ⚠️ design flaw all owner need to check ASAP causing unintended acceleration 😱 due to the cheap design of the accelerator pedal (no fasteners 🔩), the cover may separate and get stuck behind the trim, which had potentially lead to several accidents. This… pic.twitter.com/fWRHaMimS8
— 🛞Garage Klub (@garageklub) April 14, 2024
“The moment I let go of the brake, it would lurch forward at full throttle again,” Martinez said. “I had space where I could figure out what was going on. It wasn’t a situation where there were cars in front of me or a building or a tree.”
In a TikTok video, he demonstrated that the cover had wedged itself into the trim under the dashboard and was holding down the accelerator. The video has been watched more than 2 million times.
Between the time of the incident and the video he made Sunday, Martinez said he heard Tesla was pausing Cybertruck deliveries.
Tesla has not announced a recall or official pause in deliveries.
The website Teslarati has reproduced what it says are messages from Tesla to customers canceling delivery appointments without providing a reason.
That report was posted Saturday, citing cancellations made on Friday before Martinez made his TikTok video, but after his incident with the accelerator pedal.
Other unofficial sources are stoking conversation that the pause and the accelerator issue are linked, including an unverified comment that a sticky accelerator led to an owner’s Cybertruck hitting a light pole.
Martinez said he was able to drive without the accelerator cover.
“Other than this, it’s a pretty solidly-built car,” Martinez said. “I know saying ‘Other than this’ makes it sound like it’s not major, and it is.
“Because it is such a massive car, and it’s got such a great amount of power, I do feel like things in regard to safety definitely need to be a priority in getting it addressed and fixed,” he said.
A representative of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, “NHTSA is aware of this issue and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”
Road & Track added one explanatory note: “Notably, NHTSA is not officially investigating or probing the Tesla Cybertruck at this time.”
