Edmunds' expensive Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series had massive problems from the start. After a traffic accident and major repair challenges, it was abandoned for scrap.
Edmunds' Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series was scrapped after just five months.
The expensive electric car, which was purchased as a long-term test, ended up as a total loss for the media division of the automotive platform Edmunds, after an accident and major problems. The car was purchased in July 2024. That is, less than a year ago.
The car portal itself writes this in a report on the very short ownership.
However, the problems with the car began long before the accident that ended up taking its life. Shortly after Edmunds received the car, the faults began to appear.
There were several cases of critical errors in the steering system. The electric car suddenly went into emergency mode or stopped working completely.
The screen in the cabin showed many different error messages. On hot days, the car's air conditioning failed. The gear selector also had problems selecting Park. That is, the parking gear.
The numerous and serious defects meant that Edmunds could not carry out their normal testing procedure. The car was also never tested off-road.
Tesla Cybertruck: problems and tons of bugs
The final blow was brought about by an accident on December 11, 2024. The nearly three-ton Cybertruck was parked at a curb.
A smaller car hit the parked electric vehicle. The force of the collision was enough to push the heavy Cybertruck onto the sidewalk.
The damage was extensive. On the outside, the wheels, tires, a stainless steel panel, and the bumper were clearly damaged by the impact.
But beneath the surface the situation was even worse. In addition to the suspension, the rear electric motor and the rear-wheel steering system were completely destroyed.
Many other components were also damaged in the accident. In short, the Cybertruck was in very poor condition after the collision.
Cybertruck Repair and Workshop Challenges
Still, Edmunds tried to get the Cybertruck repaired. However, regular body shops didn't dare work on the car because of its special steel body.
The only option was to use Tesla's own workshop network, but that quickly proved to be a challenge.
Even though Los Angeles is the city with the most Cybertrucks globally, there were only two Tesla-certified repair shops within a 50-mile radius, authorized by Tesla to repair the car's steel panels.
The first repair shop required a month's wait just to give a price estimate, and then another six months would pass before the actual repair could be carried out.
Edmunds had to decline that offer.
The other workshop seemed more promising with a one-month wait for an estimate, after which the repair could begin. But shortly before the appointment, it was moved up a month by Tesla due to busy schedules.
The list of necessary repairs was long. The most expensive single item was the rear suspension at approximately 64,000 Danish kroner.
A used Cybertruck without damage was valued at around 603,000 Danish kroner. Edmunds' damaged car would be worth far less.
It made no economic sense to repair the car. It was therefore abandoned, declared a total loss and ended up as scrap at a scrapyard.
Edmunds had paid approximately 714,000 Danish kroner for the car in July 2024. After the accident and the long prospects for repair, the wreck was sold to the car scrapyard Copart. Here the remains can be traded for just 56,000 kroner. If anyone is interested.
It was the largest financial loss on a test car for Edmunds ever. Also greater than what was collected from the now bankrupt Fisker Inc. after the purchase of a Fisker Ocean. Read more about it here .
