Tesla Recalls Nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks as Elon Musk Drops Down List of World’s Richest People

The NHTSA said a pad covering the accelerator pedal may dislodge due to soap residue, and can “become trapped in the interior trim” as a result

• Nearly 4,000 Tesla Cybertrucks are being recalled due to a problem with the accelerator pedal, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• The pad covering the pedal can come loose "when high force is applied" and can “become trapped in the interior trim"

• Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently dropped to fourth place on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index
  

Tesla is voluntarily recalling nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks due to a problem with the accelerator pedal while Elon Musk recently dropped down the list of the world’s richest people.

The Cybertruck recall includes all Model Year 2024 vehicles manufactured between November 13, 2023, and April 4, 2025, according to a Safety Recall Report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTSA said the pad covering the accelerator pedal may dislodge “when high force is applied” to it, and can “become trapped in the interior trim” as a result. And the issue is being caused by soap.

The agency explained that "an unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap)" used to help attach the pad to the accelerator pedal left behind residue that “reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal."

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The recall came about a week after a Cybertruck owner in California shared a TikTok video about the "serious problem." A short time later, it was reported that Tesla had delayed some of its upcoming deliveries.

But according to the NHTSA, Tesla received its first report about the pedal issue on March 31. A second, separate report was made about another incident four days later on April 3.

Jose Martinez, the man who shared the TikTok video, told NBC News his accelerator got stuck while he was operating the vehicle at a local drag strip.

In his TikTok video, Martinez said a piece of the pedal “slid up” and out of place before becoming wedged in between the floorboard and a panel, which caused the car to keep accelerating even though he wasn't pressing the pedal.

Martinez told NBC News he was able to hit the brake, but “the moment I let go of the brake, it would lurch forward at full throttle again.”

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Tesla made the decision to voluntarily recall the affected vehicles on April 12, according to the NHTSA. The company “is not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths relating to this condition” as of Monday, April 15.

All Tesla stores and service centers will be notified of the recall on or around Friday, April 19, 2024, while owners will receive letters in the mail. Customers can have the pedal fixed “at no charge.”

By Wednesday April 17, 2024, “Cybertruck vehicles in production were equipped with a new accelerator pedal component,” the NHTSA said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The Tesla recall came after new data showed Mark Zuckerberg had surpassed Musk, Tesla’s CEO, on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, dropping Musk from the third to fourth richest person in the world. News of the net worth change was first reported earlier this month.

Meta Platforms stock is currently approaching all-time highs, while Tesla shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday, according to Business Insider.

As of Friday, Musk’s net worth has dropped an estimated $59.2 billion in the last 12 months, while Zuckerberg’s has increased by nearly $50 billion.

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Musk was the world’s richest person from March 2023 until March 2024, when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos passed him on the billionaire index. At the time, Musk’s net worth was an estimated $190 billion.

Since then, according to the index, Musk’s net worth has dropped another $20 billion to about $170 billion.

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