It’s no secret that Elon Musk has a flair for bold claims about his Tesla lineup, especially the futuristic Cybertruck. With promises of amphibious feats and rugged off-road capabilities, many adventurous owners have taken these statements literally.
In an ambitious attempt to test Musk’s statement that the Cybertruck can “act as a boat” and “cross rivers,” a California driver activated the truck’s built-in “Wade Mode” and ventured into the wild. What followed was more comedy than conquest. The truck ended up mired in thick mud, unable to escape without assistance from the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The CHP Truckee Division summed up the incident on Facebook with a touch of humor:
“Cybertruck activated ‘Wade Mode’… and waded a bit too far….”
They added a light warning for other adventurers:
“We’re all for testing boundaries… but maybe not the waterline. Remember, folks, ‘Wade Mode’ isn’t ‘Submarine Mode.’”
Despite Musk’s 2022 tweet asserting, “Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy,” the real-world results suggest otherwise. At nearly 6,600 pounds (3,000 kg), the all-metal truck sinks more like a stone than sails like a skiff.
It’s important to understand what “Wade Mode” actually does — it lifts the suspension and pressurizes the battery to allow the vehicle to traverse shallow water. It’s not a license to drive into rivers or lakes. And crucially, Tesla’s warranty doesn’t cover water damage from misuse, as Electrek pointed out.
The growing number of Cybertruck owners experimenting off-road, many of whom are new to such terrain, has led to more incidents like this. A previous mishap involved a Cybertruck stuck during a failed jet ski launch — another case of user enthusiasm outpacing vehicle limitations.
Musk has also floated the idea of using the Cybertruck to cross the channel between SpaceX’s Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas — about 1,100 feet (360 meters) of open water. That vision may still live in theory, but real-world tests like this suggest it’s a leap or perhaps a paddle too far.
As for the Truckee truck, damage appeared to be minimal, though no official report has confirmed this. Either way, recovery and potential repairs for Cybertrucks are known to be expensive.
