There have been numerous reports in recent days that the Tesla Cybertruck is already rusting, but that’s not entirely accurate. Yes, rust spots are forming on the stainless steel panels, but it’s not what everyone is making it out to be.
The idea that the Cybertruck is already rusting appears to have come from a post on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum that was picked up by Business Insider, with the catchy headline that the electric pickup truck was “starting to rust in the rain.” Naturally this caused concern as the Cybertruck has only just been launched, and if the panels were starting to rust, this would be a massive design flaw and a major warning flag to potential owners.
The headline of the Cybertruck rusting in the rain evoked mental images of the typical rusting you would see on steel car bodies, where the panels are flaking away and literally turning to dust. However, what was happening on the Cybertruck was completely different, in that tiny rust-looking spots were forming on various parts of the body.
As we all know, Tesla has used a proprietary ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel alloy for the Cybertruck. Despite those who may think otherwise, the Cybertruck’s stainless steel body, like all cars, still requires regular care to maintain its appearance, and in this case, it is no different.
What is happening here is that surface contamination, the most popular theory being rail dust, is sitting on the body panels of the Cybertruck. Since it is stainless steel, the surface contamination is reacting with the alloy, resulting in the formation of these tiny rust spots.
This isn’t going to cause any long term damage, and these tiny rust deposits can be easily wiped off. According to Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill, using products such as Bar Keeper’s Friend can remove the spots, or citrisurf77 can loosen the deposit and you can simply wipe these spots away.
So in the end the Cybertruck isn’t rusting, but tiny rust spots are forming due to a surface contamination sitting on the body panels. If you happen to live in an area with these sort of contaminants, then simply clean your Cybertruck, just like you would be doing with any other car you own.
