May 8, 2026
Wheel deal gone wrong
Tesla is recalling its cheaper Cybertruck because the wheels might fall off
Only 173 sold, and now the internet is roasting Tesla for a truck with runaway wheels
TLDR: Tesla is recalling all 173 of its cheaper Cybertrucks because a part near the wheels could crack and let them come loose. Online, people turned the tiny sales number and the “wheels falling off” risk into a full-on roast, though a few noted rival Rivian had a similar problem.
Tesla has recalled every single one of its cheaper rear-wheel-drive Cybertrucks — yes, all 173 of them — after saying a problem with the brake parts could, in the worst case, let the wheels come loose. Tesla says it knows of three warranty claims and no crashes or injuries, but that tiny sales number only made the comments section even more savage. For many readers, the real headline wasn’t just the recall — it was the brutal little number 173, which commenters treated like a punchline all by itself.
The mood online was a mix of disbelief, mockery, and exhausted déjà vu. One commenter responded with a stretched-out “LOOOOOOOL” before calling the truck a “POS,” and that pretty much set the tone. Another deadpanned that the wheels “aren’t supposed to fall off for a start,” which instantly became the thread’s unofficial review of Tesla engineering. The jokes wrote themselves: a futuristic truck that looks apocalypse-ready, but commenters say it can’t survive basic reality.
Still, there was one small note of pushback. A commenter pointed out that Rivian had a similar recall, arguing that building giant electric trucks is just genuinely hard. But that defense barely slowed the roast. With this now being the 11th Cybertruck recall, critics piled on the idea that Tesla keeps shipping drama first and fixes later. In the court of public opinion, the verdict was clear: the community thinks this story is less high-tech innovation and more expensive beta test on wheels.
Key Points
- •Tesla is recalling all 173 RWD Cybertruck Long Range vehicles sold because faulty brake rotors could allow wheel studs to separate from the hub.
- •Tesla told regulators that brake rotor stud holes may crack under higher-severity road impacts and cornering loads.
- •Tesla identified three warranty claims potentially linked to the issue and said it is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities.
- •The recall is the 11th Cybertruck recall, following earlier issues involving components such as the accelerator, trim, inverter, reverse cameras, and font size.
- •Tesla said it will replace the front and rear brake rotors, hubs, and lug hardware on affected vehicles, while the newer $60,000 dual-motor AWD Cybertruck is not affected.