In February, Elon Musk’s DOGE announced cuts to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A month later, the NHTSA issued a recall for over 46,000 Tesla Cybertrucks. According to the safety regulatory agency, the Cybertruck might shed segments of its body paneling at highway speeds, leading to an increased “risk of injury or collision.” 

The NHTSA recalled more than 46,000 Tesla Cybertrucks after Elon Musk cut jobs from the safety agency

The NHTSA issues over a thousand recalls for millions of vehicles per year. However, the agency found itself on the chopping block of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). After DOGE targeted the NHTSA, the agency lost about 4% of its overall staff, including some of its most junior members before they had a chance to finish their probationary periods. 

Fast forward one month and the remainder of the NHTSA is issuing recalls for a substantial section of the current Cybertruck population. Specifically, the recall names 46,096 Cybertrucks for “a cosmetic applique along the exterior of the vehicle, known as the cant rail, which is an assembly comprised of an electro-coated steel stamping joined to a stainless steel panel with structural adhesive.”

According to the recall, the panels could separate from the angular truck and cause a “road hazard for following motorists and increase their risk of injury or a collision.” That sounds serious, but the fix is pretty straightforward for Elon Musk’s controversial EV truck. The NHTSA says that Tesla will remedy the issue by replacing the “cant rail assembly with one that meets durability testing requirements.”

Tesla Cybertruck owners can find the Safety Recall Recall notice here. As with other vehicle recalls, the automaker asserts that it will rectify the issue at “no charge to customers.” Moreover, owners can check their vehicles’ recall status with the NHTSA lookup tool using their VIN or vehicle information.