Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says His $100K Truck Became Paralyzed On Public Roads, Limped to Safety at 4MPH Before System Completely Failed, 'I Could Barely Turn The Wheel'

For those who watched Tesla’s Cybertruck thunder onto the automotive stage like an extraterrestrial doorstop, this was bound to happen. Not in the sense of schadenfreude, though judging by the Instagram comments, there’s plenty of that to go around, but in the natural and entirely predictable trajectory of a brand-new machine being field-tested by the general public. 

The Cybertruck is not immune to the teething issues that plague nearly every ambitious vehicle in its early production life. And when your pickup looks like it was chiseled out of a polygonal video game, the breakdowns don’t go quietly.

"Oh god, that is not good. So, all you Tesla haters are gonna have fun with this one, but my Tesla Cybertruck broke down yet again. I was just driving when I got this alert that told me to pull over immediately, and the truck just started acting weird.

So I found the closest parking lot to leave it for right now to figure out what was going on. And as you can see, the power steering is completely gone. I could barely turn the wheel, and I couldn't even shift the truck into any gear.

It was kind of just stuck in park. But eventually, I got this notice and paused it. If you want to read it, but it would allow me to drive at just a couple of miles per hour to load it onto a tow truck. And as you can see, I'm pedaling to the floor, and it's only going four miles an hour.

So as you might have guessed, 30 minutes later, the tow truck arrived to bring it to the service center. This is always the worst part because I don't know how long the Cybertruck is going to be gone for. I don't even really know what's wrong with the truck.

I tried googling the errors that I was getting, but it seems like nobody else has gotten the same exact error that I was getting. So there it goes off to the service center. I will keep you guys updated in the coming days to figure out what's going on."

One minute, you're driving a six-figure rolling sculpture with an 800-volt nervous system; the next, you're pedaling it like an injured mule at four miles an hour. Tesla’s system did the bare minimum, allowing enough movement to load the stricken wedge onto a tow truck, but for a vehicle that promises Mars Rover confidence and Blade Runner cool, it was a humbling moment. The screen's “Proceed with Caution” warning might as well have been printed in all caps with a side of existential dread.

Inside Cybertruck’s Steer-by-Wire and Adaptive Steering Technology

• Tesla’s Cybertruck is the first production vehicle to eliminate any physical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels, relying instead on electronic sensors and electric actuators 
• It uses two front motors and three position sensors feeding into a fail‑safe Ethernet loop operating at 48 V, ensuring the system remains operational even if components fail 
• Steering responsiveness adapts to speed: sharper turning (up to 340° lock‑to‑lock) at low speeds and relaxed control at highway speeds, complemented by rear‑wheel steering for ultra‑tight turns 
• Despite its massive size, the steering system makes the Cybertruck feel nimbler than expected, with precise, one-handed turns and agility rivaling sports cars

And yet, this kind of mechanical indigestion is hardly new to automotive history. First-year production vehicles have always walked the tightrope between innovation and aggravation. Early Dodge Vipers overheated at the mere sight of traffic. Jaguars practically came with a mechanic in the glovebox. 

Even icons like the Lamborghini Countach were more beautiful sculptures than reliable transportation in their first iterations. The Cybertruck, for all its radical design and high-concept tech, is still part of that same evolutionary gauntlet, one that every bold machine must stumble through before it becomes truly roadworthy.

But this isn't happening in a vacuum. Thanks to the megaphone of social media, every hiccup becomes high drama. Instagram user ionizedash was quick with a jab: 

“Tip! Maybe don’t buy a Cybertruck and buy an actual car that works for half the price.” 

Others took to the comments with similar glee, comparing Tesla’s approach to “building an entire vehicle out of glue and half-baked software.” Sarcastic? Sure. 

Cynicism With The Tesla Cybertruck

But embedded in that cynicism is a fair concern: Are these breakdowns growing pains or indicators of systemic software and service issues that Tesla needs to reckon with?

There’s precedent for optimism. Tesla isn't the first automaker to sell what amounts to a beta version of a production car. The difference is that the Cybertruck is both a software platform and a physical product, meaning it’s vulnerable to bugs not just in its drivetrain, but in its logic. 

Reports from us cite similar cases, a Cybertruck immobilized at a Supercharger station with no definitive fix even a month later, and another reportedly “dead” overnight with no ability to access basic features. When these vehicles fail, they fail hard, locked out, unmovable, and sometimes without a clear diagnostic trail. That’s not just frustrating. It’s alienating.

Cybertruck Owner Experiences: From Influencer Praise to Service Setbacks

• Some high‑profile owners praised the futuristic tech and tough aesthetics, but others reported significant dissatisfaction. Complaints range from over-promised Full Self‑Driving to build quality issues 
• Popular off‑road influencer WhistlinDiesel forced a hitch failure during towing tests, revealing structural weaknesses and prompting safety concerns within the community 
• Cybertruck influencers face mockery on social platforms (e.g., a TikTok from a Toyota dealer), and some have been criticized as mere “stock pumpers” hiding promo intentions 
• While public figures like Kim Kardashian have flaunted the vehicle (gifting one and featuring in photo shoots), the association sparked both buzz and controversy, depending on audience reception

Tesla’s service infrastructure, still lean in many parts of the country, is also part of the story. Owners report wait times stretching weeks or even months, especially when the issue involves the Cybertruck’s unique materials or design. One owner, Adoni Cuevas, even had a relatively minor accident that resulted in his truck being stranded at a Raleigh service center for over two months. With parts availability lagging behind production and stainless steel bodywork demanding specialized tooling, Tesla’s ambitions may be outpacing its ability to support them.

Still, it’s important to view the Cybertruck not just as a product, but as a work-in-progress, an electric frontier vehicle still taming its own technology. It represents a convergence of radical design, new-age materials, and complex software systems unlike anything else in production. These kinds of vehicles don’t arrive fully formed. They’re sculpted through use, failure, feedback, and revision. In that sense, the Cybertruck is doing exactly what groundbreaking vehicles have always done: make headlines, stir controversy, and teach its creators what still needs fixing.

For buyers, the trade-off is clear: revolutionary capability paired with unpredictable reliability. You get to be part of the bleeding edge, but the cuts are real. Like any pioneer species, early Cybertruck owners are navigating uncertainty. But that’s always been the cost of being first. And in a world of lookalike crossovers and beige safety, it’s hard not to admire anyone willing to put their money where the future is, even if it occasionally needs a tow.

Image Sources: Tesla Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.