Elon Musk has shown that the Cybertruck’s stainless steel exterior is bulletproof, but new owners of the EV discovered that it may not be weatherproof.
Several customers who recently purchased the $79,900 vehicle reported rust on the outer shell after driving it for “two days in the rain.”
An owner named Will shared his experience on a Cybertruck forum, stating that he purchased his Tesla truck on February 1 and noticed corrosion on the metal after 11 days of use – with only 381 miles of mileage.
The Cybertruck was taken to a facility, but staff told him they did not have the proper tools to repair the exterior and that it would take about a month to receive them.
Musk said last year that owners will soon have the option to purchase a tungsten carbide coating that helps protect against corrosion – but at an additional undisclosed price.
An owner named Will shared his experience on a Cybertruck forum, stating that he purchased his Tesla truck on February 1 and noticed corrosion on the metal after 11 days of use – he had only driven it 381 miles
Will shared images of his new Cybertruck online, showing small marks on the exterior remaining visible even after a wash.
“The Cybertruck has traveled 381 miles and was parked in front of my house for much of the 11 days in my custody,” he shared on the Cybertruck Owners Club.
‘Cold weather, rain and some direct sunlight later, I have attached a few photos of the corrosion spots and a video.
“It looks like it’s much more prominent on the top metal that sticks out more above the truck bed than anywhere else, but the marks are definitely all over the metal.”
Will noted that the problems arose after driving in the rain, while another owner posting on the same forum experienced the problem ‘after short periods of exposure to condensation’.
The other user, named Raxar, said they also picked up their Cybertruck on February 1 and were told by an advisor that the vehicle “develops orange rust spots in the rain and that the vehicle needed to be polished.”
Will shared images of his new Cybertruck online, showing small marks on the exterior remaining visible even after a wash
The other user, named Raxar, said they also picked up their Cybertruck on February 1 and were told by an advisor that the vehicle “develops orange rust spots in the rain and the vehicle needed to be polished for that.”
“I know I’ve heard the story about never driving your Delorean in the rain, but I just never read anything about rust and Cybertrucks,” they shared.
One comment below the post reads: ‘If it ‘rusts’, it’s not stainless steel.’
However, stainless steel is rust resistant, but not immune to corrosion.
According to Mead Metals, stainless steel will “rust from exposure to harmful chemicals, saline, grease, or prolonged exposure to heat.”
However, the owners who shared images of their corroded Cybertrucks claimed they had only exposed them to the elements for a few days.
“The simplest conditions under which rust can occur on stainless steel is when a piece of plain carbon or low-alloy steel is rubbed against the surface of an otherwise corrosion-resistant piece of stainless steel,” according to a report from Sperko Engineering Services.
“The iron from the common steel will rub off as a layer of unalloyed steel on the stainless steel surface, and after a few days of exposure to moisture in the atmosphere that layer of unalloyed steel will form unsightly rust.”
Musk said last year that owners will have the option of a tungsten carbide coating that helps protect against corrosion – but at an additional undisclosed price
But stainless steel shouldn’t rust in normal rain – and theories have emerged online about what could be causing the discoloration on various Cybertrucks.
One user posted on the forum suggesting that the rust spots come from the environment or could be rail dust created during transportation.
When cars are transported from the factory by train, the metal wheels of the train cars running on metal rails create small metal particles that fly into the air and land on the car’s horizontal surfaces.
The user, who goes by the name Daryoon, said they used a piece of clay on their Cybertruck and removed the iron particles – “all traces of rust (were) gone.”
“For some of the other spots I found, I used a car polish and that cleaned up the rust spot, but it didn’t remove the warm tone that is the patina of the stainless steel,” they posted.
Others pointed out that the dots couldn’t rust because they are black, while iron oxide is reddish-brown.