After prominent tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee brought attention to an alignment problem with one of the Tesla Cybertruck’s doors, Elon Musk promptly tackled concerns about panel gaps. Brownlee’s review emphasized significant gaps in the truck’s exterior, notably on the driver’s side door, which seemed to remain slightly ajar by about half an inch even when shut. Brownlee suggested that such issues could be widespread among early production models.
“I think there’s going to be something wrong with this door because it literally looks like it’s open. That’s pretty bad. I’ve never seen a gap quite that bad,” Brownlee said after he closed the driver’s side door and the door still appeared to hang about half an inch open.
“It’s probably one of those things where I’ll have to bring it in to Tesla. They’ll tighten some things up, and it’ll look fine, but that’s the stuff you will probably have to deal with if you get a low VIN Cybertruck,” he added.
Responding to a screenshot of the door gap from Brownlee’s review, Musk clarified that the problem wasn’t with the door fit itself but rather with the door striker loosening due to insufficient torque, affecting around 15 Cybertrucks in service. Musk assured that this issue could be fixed in about five minutes during service and had been addressed in production.
“Not a ‘door fit’ issue,” Musk wrote on X. “About 15 Cybertrucks in service had an issue where the door striker loosened in the field, due to insufficient torque after door fit.”
Musk said it “takes 5 mins to fix in service and has been addressed in production.”
In the absence of an immediate comment from Tesla, Miles Somerville, a producer on Brownlee’s show, improvised a temporary solution using gaffers tape to make the door striker flush with the vehicle. Somerville expressed disappointment that such a basic component as a door striker wasn’t properly executed upon delivery.
The Cybertruck’s panel alignment issues were noted even before deliveries began, with prototypes exhibiting poor alignment. The truck’s stainless-steel body, made from metal coils prone to curvature, compounded the problem. Musk had previously acknowledged the challenge posed by the truck’s design, which demanded extreme accuracy in measurements.
Despite these initial setbacks, Musk’s proactive response and the promise of ongoing improvements suggest Tesla’s commitment to resolving quality issues. The incident underscores the complexities of manufacturing a groundbreaking vehicle like the Cybertruck and highlights the importance of continuous refinement in production processes to meet high standards of quality and customer satisfaction.