Tesla is offering to replace the drive units in early Cybertrucks free of charge for some owners, with the automaker saying it is part of a study to improve efficiency and reliability.
According to a screenshot of a message from Tesla Service shared by Out of Spec’s Kyle Conner on X, Tesla appears to not be proactively reaching out to customers, but rather offering the swap at service appointments made for other reasons.
The messages says the new drive units to be installed are “the latest production pedigree which is intended to improve efficiency and reliability.” Tesla goes on to explain that the swap is not being done because of an identified concern in the vehicle, and that it is still perfectly safe to continue driving before the swap takes place.
Hmm @Tesla wants one of my drive units in my Cybertruck!
— Kyle Conner (@itskyleconner) July 3, 2024
Won’t say no to swap to a new one ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/nvXwpgQG7u
It is unclear at this time what the “efficiency and reliability” improvements will be, but there have been several owners report vibrations in their Cybertrucks while driving. According to one owner on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, his Cybertruck had a vibration on the day of delivery, and that Tesla replaced the drive unit about one month ago, in early June.
Once the swap was complete the owner reported that the vibration was gone, but that the truck felt “very different,” noting that it appeared to have more regenerative braking, but also felt slower.
“The vibration is gone and it also has a lot more regen. Also feels like it has significantly less acceleration before it was undoubtedly faster than my long range model 3 now it feels slower,” Truck Genio explained.
So far it appears as though there have not been many drive units replaced as part of this study, but hopefully we learn more about it as it expands.
