Tesla Cybertruck Recall #11: Wheels May Fall Off
Tesla Issues 11th Cybertruck Recall as Wheels Risk Separating — and Only 173 Were Ever Built
Tesla has issued its 11th recall of the Cybertruck, this time over a defect that could cause wheels to separate from the vehicle while driving. The recall, logged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under campaign number 26V255000 and published on April 22, 2026, covers just 173 Cybertruck models from the 2024–2026 model year — specifically those equipped with 18-inch steel wheels. That extraordinarily small number is not simply a narrow manufacturing window. It is, according to NHTSA filings and multiple automotive outlets, the entire production run of the Cybertruck Long Range RWD variant. The recall has quietly confirmed what Tesla's grouped sales reporting had obscured: the budget-oriented Cybertruck variant was a commercial failure, discontinued after fewer than three months of production due to what Tesla's own filing describes as "limited demand."
What the Defect Is — and How It Slipped Through
According to the NHTSA recall report, the defect centers on stud holes in the brake rotors. Under rough road conditions and hard cornering, those stud holes can crack, causing wheel studs to separate from the wheel hub. In plain terms: the wheel can come off the truck while it is moving. Tesla's own filing states plainly that "wheel stud separation may affect vehicle controllability, increasing the risk of a collision." NHTSA echoed the severity in its recall notice, warning that "wheel hub separation can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of crash."
What makes this recall particularly notable is its origin. According to Tesla's NHTSA filing, the need for durability and performance improvements to the affected rotor design was identified during pre-production testing — meaning engineers already knew the geometry could be a problem before the vehicles were built. Those improvements, however, were never incorporated into production vehicles. Tesla's filing attributes this directly to a "change management error." In other words, a known fix was documented but never applied.
The brake rotors in question were supplied by Rassini and Brembo. According to the NHTSA recall filing, component-level thermal shock and maximum-speed stop tests were not completed by Rassini until February 26, 2026, and not completed by Brembo until April 7, 2026 — months after the affected vehicles had already been built and, in some cases, driven by customers.
Tesla says it became aware of the issue on November 5, 2025, when it identified a service visit from the previous month in which a Cybertruck driver had reported braking pulsations. Inspection of that vehicle revealed cracks on the brake rotor faces. As of the recall filing, Tesla confirmed that this remains the only verified field case of rotor cracking. The company also identified three warranty claims that could potentially be connected to the issue. Tesla has stated it is not aware of any related accidents or fatalities.
A Recall That Doubles as a Sales Confession
The recall has inadvertently shed light on one of the more striking commercial underperformances in recent automotive history. Tesla launched the Cybertruck Long Range RWD in April 2025 at a starting price of $69,990 — approximately $10,000 less than the AWD variant at the time — positioning it as the more accessible entry point into the Cybertruck lineup. Production of the affected RWD models with 18-inch steel wheels began on August 28, 2025. It stopped on November 25, 2025. Tesla's NHTSA filing states directly: "On November 25, 2025, production of the affected vehicles stopped due to limited demand of Cybertrucks equipped with 18-inch steel wheels."
The recall list of 173 vehicles effectively represents the total production run of the variant. Because Tesla reports Cybertruck sales under an "Other Models" category without model-level breakdowns, the public had no visibility into how few units were sold until this filing made it unavoidable. The RWD Cybertruck never reached four-digit sales before it was quietly discontinued.
This is not happening in isolation. Broader Cybertruck sales have been deteriorating sharply. According to Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book data, Tesla sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in 2025 — a decline of 48.1% from 38,965 units sold in 2024. The slide has continued into 2026: Tesla sold only 3,519 Cybertrucks in Q1 2026, a further drop of 45.1% compared to Q1 2025. The vehicle that arrived years late and, according to Popular Science, approximately $20,000 more expensive than its originally announced base price, has not found the mass market its launch hype suggested it would.
Eleven Recalls Since 2023: A Mounting Safety Record
The Cybertruck began deliveries in November 2023. Since then, according to Popular Science, the vehicle line has accumulated 11 recalls, four NHTSA investigations, and 124 complaints. The list of recall causes tells its own story: a stuck accelerator pedal, malfunctioning windshield wipers, overly bright front parking lights, a faulty drive inverter, and now potential wheel separation.
Among the more significant prior recalls was a March 2025 action covering more than 46,000 Cybertrucks. According to CNBC, that recall addressed a cosmetic exterior trim panel — the cant rail — that could delaminate and detach from the vehicle, covering all Cybertrucks manufactured from November 2023 to February 2025. While a detaching trim panel is a different order of severity than a wheel falling off, the cumulative picture of 11 recalls across roughly two and a half years of production is one that few automakers would want attached to a flagship model.
The Remedy and the Timeline
Tesla's fix for the wheel-stud defect involves updated hardware. According to the NHTSA recall report, the replacement components feature "more durable geometry that increases hub, rotor, and wheel contact area for reduced stress under operational loads." The new lug nuts include "a higher friction coating that is validated to improve torque retention in high-load scenarios." These are the design improvements that, per Tesla's own filing, should have been incorporated during production but were not.
Tesla notified all stores and service centers about the recall on or shortly after April 24, 2026. Owner notification letters are scheduled to go out after June 20, 2026. Owners of affected vehicles can contact Tesla directly or check the NHTSA website using their vehicle identification number to determine if their vehicle is included in recall campaign 26V255000.
Why This Matters Beyond the 173 Vehicles
In strict numerical terms, 173 vehicles is a small recall. But the circumstances surrounding it raise questions that extend well beyond the affected units. A change management error that allowed a known design flaw to enter production, combined with supplier testing that was not completed until months after the vehicles were already built and sold, points to process gaps that are relevant regardless of how many trucks are on the road. The fact that the defect involves potential wheel separation — one of the more serious mechanical failures a vehicle can experience — amplifies that concern.
For prospective buyers, the sales data adds another layer to consider. A model launched with a price cut to drive volume, discontinued within three months due to insufficient demand, and now recalled for a safety defect rooted in a pre-production oversight, represents an unusual combination of commercial and quality control signals. The broader Cybertruck lineup's 48.1% sales decline in 2025 and continuing drop in 2026 suggest that the recall headlines are not occurring against a backdrop of strong consumer confidence in the vehicle.
The Cybertruck was one of the most anticipated vehicle launches in years. Its actual trajectory — delayed by over four years, priced well above original estimates, and now carrying the weight of 11 recalls and ongoing sales erosion — is a case study in the gap between product hype and product execution.
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