Cybertruck graveyards resulting in trade-in denials, owners claim
Tesla has reportedly halted trade-ins for its Cybertruck while almost 2,400 units, equivalent to about $200 million, remain unsold. The automaker had previously received 1,943,876 reservations for its Cybertruck during July 2023, which equaled over $194 million in pre-order revenue, according to Teslarati. Cybertruck customers claim dealers aren’t accepting trade-ins because of overwhelming supply and declining demand, and owners with their model in prolonged service are being told to pursue the lemon law’s process to get the vehicle off their hands, Electrek reports.
Tesla
Cybertruck sales peaked at 5,308 monthly in September and have fallen dramatically since. Tesla removed special-edition Foundation Series badges from models sooner than expected in a sales tactic to reduce prices by $20,000. In January, Tesla removed all Foundation Series Cybertrucks from its inventory page, eliminating direct order opportunities. Tesla sold around 25,000 Foundation Series Cybertrucks in the US before stopping orders, and used Cybertruck prices have dropped sharply in the past year, with resale values down 55% year-over-year, 13% in the last three months, and 6% last month, according to The Economic Times. Cybertruck owner Kumait Jaroje from Worcester, Massachusetts, claimed he and his family face consistent harassment for driving the vehicle, spurring his desire for a trade-in, Torque News reports. Jaroje said: “I tried to trade in the truck because of that [harassment], but Tesla said they won’t accept it!”
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Jaroje also said: “My wife refuses to use the Cybertruck altogether. Disagreeing with Elon Musk or Donald Trump is one thing, but harassing a family over a vehicle is completely unacceptable.” Tesla is coming off its worst Q1 in company history, and what’s ironic regarding current difficulties with Cybertruck trade-ins is how Tesla trade-ins hit a record high in March. Teslas from 2017 or newer production years represented 1.4% of all vehicle trade-ins until March 15th, a 0.4% increase year-over-year that equals its highest-ever share. Shopping rates for new Teslas on Edmunds also dropped to their lowest level since October 2022 in February, following a November peak. Even if a Cybertruck owner with their vehicle stuck in service wants to use the lemon law, processes for the law vary significantly by state. A general outline of lemon law proceedings involves a vehicle having a defect or condition significantly impairing the vehicle’s safety, use, or value. Tesla would then have to unsuccessfully perform repairs after multiple tries over a reasonable timeframe for a customer to file under their state’s lemon law.
Tesla
Final thoughts
If you believed things couldn’t get much worse for the Cybertruck—Tesla removed the model’s range extender, promising a 445-mile charge from its online configurator over the weekend. Tesla initially claimed that the Cybertruck’s battery range extender would provide the Cybertruck with a 470-mile range as a $16,000 add-on, but it was later downgraded in 2024 to 445 miles. Both of these range estimates fall below the 500-plus miles that Tesla promised the tri-motor Cybertruck would offer in 2019. The Cybertruck currently available for order with the highest range provides 325 miles. If Tesla does officially eliminate the Cybertruck’s battery range extender, which would likely involve them removing the accessory from their website’s Cybertruck specs section in addition to the configurator, the move could keep the model’s sales at current abysmal levels. Autoblog approached Tesla for comment but did not receive an immediate response.