The outrageously large door gaps have drawn criticism even from hardcore fans, prompting a response from Elon Musk himself.
01
The supposedly bulletproof Cybertruck
doesn’t seem to deter thieves.
MKBHD, the number one tech YouTuber in the field.
In his review of the Cybertruck, he mentioned numerous advantages but also pointed out that this vehicle has the most severe panel gap issues he has ever seen in a production car.
Similar situations were captured in photos taken by Autohome.
From this perspective, it seems that the supposedly bulletproof Cybertruck doesn’t deter thieves very well, does it?
After the news spread, even die-hard fans of the Cybertruck, with “truck” right in the name, expressed their dissatisfaction with such obvious quality defects on the X platform.
They believe that such flaws should have been discovered during the quality control process.
Elon Musk, who surfs intensively on the X platform every day, saw this news. On March 20th, he responded at the bottom of the thread:
“This is not a ‘door fitment’ issue but rather a lack of torque on the latches after the door panel is installed.
About 15 of the Cybertrucks in service have experienced this problem, which can be fixed in 5 minutes at the service center, and it has already been addressed through adjustments on the production line.”
In simpler terms, the screws weren’t tightened and became loose after a period of use… This error seems rather basic.
This response quickly reached the top spot on the “Cybertruck Owners Club” website’s hot list. As a gathering place for Cybertruck owners, many people were dissatisfied with this.
“Elon still acts as if this is a startup company.”
“If it’s just a 5-minute fix, then he should be ashamed to deliver such a $100,000 vehicle.”
“He seems to think that delivering a vehicle worth $100,000 to customers in this condition is completely acceptable.”
However, some people believe that this is completely normal for a Tesla.
02
Quality Issues with Tesla
Have Always Existed
The craftsmanship of Tesla cars and the signal of Apple phones can be considered as the rising stars and hidden flaws in the American tech industry.
As early as the delivery of the Model Y in 2020, numerous American users complained about paint and trim issues, dents in the seats, loose seat belts, and more.
Some even discovered that the rear seats of their cars were not securely attached to the chassis.
In early 2022, the first batch of locally produced Model Y vehicles in Germany started delivery.
To the surprise of the owners, German craftsmanship did not save Tesla from its quality issues. The new car had large panel gaps, gaps in the taillights, frameless windows, and other areas.
Interestingly, Tesla treats all owners equally. In 2023, when the million-level Model S Plaid was delivered, it still encountered quality issues.
In a video by an owner expressing their complaints, some of the new car’s rubber seals for sealing were already detached from the doors. The plastic trim near the taillights was not aligned properly, and the exterior window trim could be easily pulled off the vehicle.
According to the owner’s statement, they spent nearly $140,000 on the car, but it did not demonstrate the quality expected of a vehicle in that price range.
In 2020, the authoritative American organization J.D. Power released a new vehicle quality survey report, ranking Tesla last. For every 100 Tesla vehicles, there were 250 problems, far exceeding the industry average of 166.
In 2021, Tesla made some progress but still encountered 176 problems per 100 vehicles, ranking fourth from the bottom overall.
03
It’s Still Usable
As the leader in electric vehicles, why does Tesla, which can create the Cybertruck, fall short in terms of craftsmanship?
On one hand, it’s a matter of capability.
Craftsmanship cannot be achieved simply by wanting to do well; it requires a certain level of technical accumulation. Compared to traditional giants, Tesla is still relatively young.
On the other hand, it’s a matter of intention.
Creating a good seal with assembly joint sealing strips comes with a cost and is a systematic engineering task.
However, each vehicle model has cost control targets, and managers have to make choices about where to allocate funds strategically.
With Musk’s attitude of using “stainless steel” to build rockets, it is clear that craftsmanship is not his understanding of the “cutting edge.”
The money to improve craftsmanship could be used to increase range by dozens of kilometers, horsepower by several units, or add a few more cameras. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Or simply turn that money into profit…
Therefore, craftsmanship is neither Tesla’s strength nor a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, it can be summed up in one sentence: It’s still usable, isn’t it?