Cybertruck oil spill results in $7,660 bill, who should pay

A small rock wedged between the motor and crossmember wore a hole in the aluminum housing, causing an oil leak in the 9,000-mile truck

One of the benefits of owning an electric car is that they have fewer moving parts, so repair and maintenance costs should be lower. But as one Tesla owner discovered, EV hardware isn’t invincible and can still be expensive when it breaks down.

The reminder came from Cybertruck owner Joey Arrowood, who was staring at an $8,000 bill after discovering his electric pickup was leaking oil. Yes, it’s an oil leak—electric cars use oil, too. As he shared in his post Facebook One day, the Cybertruck team returned to their truck and discovered a puddle of oil under the rear motor. Close inspection revealed that a small, sharp stone had worn a hole in the motor housing.

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Arrowood wrote on Facebook: “At some point a small rock bounced off the belly pan and lid and became lodged between the rear subframe and gearbox, leaving a small hole in the aluminum casing. “I find it ridiculous that such a small stone could cause such damage.”

The Tesla has a range of up to 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers), and owners say the small movements they see when off paved roads are limited to driving on local dirt roads. But Arrowood’s local service center in Clarkston, Michigan, claims the correct fix is ​​to purchase a new drive unit at a cost of $7,660.55 and says it won’t pay for it unless Arrowood pays for it itself or files an insurance claim. Repairs will be carried out only in this case.

“I love this truck and drive it, but here comes the Tesla…needs a little help here,” the owner wrote.

Commenters on the post did not all agree on the correct approach: some suggested using JB Weld to repair the hole; The hole; some people recommend using JB Weld to repair the hole. Others claim that real aluminum welding works better. But none of them thought Arrowood should have spent the money on a brand new engine, and most believed this was not a warranty situation, just an unfortunate freak accident that could have been made worse by poor design and thin castings on Tesla’s part Oops.

Who do you think should pay and what solution would you suggest? Leave a comment and let us know.