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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tesla recalls Cybertrucks twice in one day to fix windshield wipers, detaching trim

A Tesla Cybertruck.    (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg)
By Craig Trudell Washington Post

Tesla Inc. is recalling its Cybertruck model again over faulty windshield-wiper components and trim pieces that may come loose while driving.

The automaker is calling back more than 11,000 Cybertrucks over both issues, according to two reports posted online Tuesday by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company estimates in the filings that 2% of the pickups may have defective wiper motors, and that 1% may need may need trim pieces replaced or reworked.

Tesla has suffered several setbacks with the Cybertruck since it started delivering the pickup in November, years behind schedule. The trucks were included a broader February recall of about 2.2 million cars to increase the font size of text warning drivers about braking issues.

The automaker also called back almost 3,900 of its pickups in April over pedals that could dislodge and lead the vehicle to unintentionally accelerate and crash. Last month, multiple Cybertruck owners posted videos showing the front trunk of their pickups closing on their fingers.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk did point to some progress Tesla is making with Cybertruck while delivering his opening remarks at the company’s annual shareholder meeting earlier this month. Musk said the automaker had produced 1,300 of the pickups in a week, though he didn’t specify when or speak to whether Tesla would maintain that pace.

Tesla said in its windshield-wiper recall report that it identified wiper-motor failures in early February and, along with suppliers, performed analyses on the components. The carmaker said it isn’t aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths relating to the issue.

In its report about the trim pieces that can detach, Tesla said a Cybertruck arrived at one of its delivery centers in late December with a missing cosmetic applique along the exterior of the trunk bed. The company identified a second occurrence of the issue in May on a customer vehicle, then found additional instances where trim pieces were loose or detached due to improper installation.

Tesla said it’s not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths relating to this condition, either. Both reports were dated June 19.