Tesla Cybertruck RWD Recall Exposes Just 173 Sales

A routine National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall filing has inadvertently exposed what appears to be shockingly low sales figures for Tesla's rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck. The recall, covering a drive inverter issue, lists only 173 vehicles affected — a number that has sent ripples through the automotive and tech industries alike, raising serious questions about demand for Elon Musk's polarizing electric pickup.

The revelation comes at a particularly sensitive time for Tesla, which has faced mounting pressure from declining global sales, growing competition in the EV space, and controversy surrounding Musk's political activities. For a vehicle that once boasted a waitlist of over 1 million reservations, the contrast could not be starker.

Key Takeaways at a Glance

• Only 173 Cybertruck RWD units are covered by the latest NHTSA recall, suggesting extremely limited sales of the base model
• The recall involves a drive inverter issue that could cause loss of propulsion
• Tesla's Cybertruck RWD variant launched as the most affordable option, starting around $60,990
• Previous Cybertruck recalls have covered thousands of units for the AWD and Cyberbeast trims
• Tesla has not publicly broken out Cybertruck sales by variant in its quarterly earnings reports
• The broader EV truck market faces headwinds, with rivals like Rivian and Ford also struggling with volumes

Why 173 Units Is a Startling Number

NHTSA recall filings are one of the few windows into specific vehicle production and sales data that automakers would rather keep private. When a recall is issued, manufacturers must report the exact number of vehicles affected, which typically corresponds closely to the number of units produced and sold during a specific timeframe.

173 units is a remarkably small figure for any mass-market vehicle variant, let alone one from the world's most valuable automaker. To put this in perspective, previous Cybertruck recalls have covered significantly larger numbers — a June 2024 recall affected approximately 11,688 units across the AWD and Cyberbeast trims for a windshield wiper motor issue.

The RWD variant was positioned as Tesla's entry-level Cybertruck, designed to broaden the vehicle's appeal beyond early adopters willing to pay $80,000 or more for the higher-end configurations. Its sub-$61,000 price point was supposed to be the volume driver. Instead, the recall data suggests it has barely moved off the lot.

Tesla's Sales Transparency Problem Deepens

Tesla has long been criticized for its lack of granular sales reporting. Unlike traditional automakers such as Ford, General Motors, and Toyota, which report monthly U.S. sales broken down by model, Tesla only discloses total quarterly deliveries across its entire lineup — lumping the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck into broad categories.

This opacity makes recall filings particularly valuable for analysts and investors trying to understand real demand. The 173-unit figure for the RWD Cybertruck stands in stark contrast to the optimistic projections Tesla offered when the vehicle finally launched in late 2023, nearly 4 years behind schedule.

Industry analysts had estimated total Cybertruck deliveries in 2024 at somewhere between 35,000 and 50,000 units across all variants. If the RWD model accounts for just a few hundred of those, it suggests buyers are overwhelmingly opting for the pricier AWD and Cyberbeast configurations — or that Tesla has deliberately limited RWD production.

The Broader EV Truck Market Faces Turbulence

Tesla is not alone in struggling with electric truck volumes. The entire EV pickup segment has underperformed relative to the hype that surrounded it in 2021 and 2022.

• Ford F-150 Lightning production was cut multiple times in 2024 due to softer-than-expected demand
• Rivian R1T deliveries have plateaued, with the company burning through cash at an alarming rate
• GM's Hummer EV has seen steep discounts as inventory piles up on dealer lots
• Ram's REV electric pickup was delayed as Stellantis reassessed market conditions
• Chevrolet Silverado EV has gained some traction but remains a niche player

The pattern suggests that while consumer interest in EVs remains strong for sedans and crossovers — particularly the Tesla Model Y and various Chinese-made options — the truck segment faces unique challenges. Higher price points, range anxiety for towing, and the conservative buying habits of traditional truck customers all contribute to slower adoption.

Could Production Constraints Explain the Low Number?

Some Tesla defenders have pointed out that the 173-unit figure may reflect deliberate production constraints rather than weak demand. Tesla has historically prioritized higher-margin variants of its vehicles at launch, only ramping up base model production later.

This strategy was clearly visible with the Model 3 rollout, where the long-promised $35,000 base model did not become widely available until years after the initial launch. Tesla may be applying the same playbook to the Cybertruck, focusing on the more profitable AWD ($79,990) and Cyberbeast ($99,990) trims while keeping RWD production minimal.

However, this explanation has limits. If demand for the RWD variant were genuinely strong, Tesla would have a financial incentive to ramp production — especially as the company faces increased competition and its stock price has experienced significant volatility. The 173-unit number, regardless of cause, raises questions that Tesla's lack of transparency makes impossible to answer definitively.

AI and Software: The Cybertruck's Hidden Value Proposition

One aspect often overlooked in the Cybertruck sales discussion is the vehicle's role as a platform for Tesla's AI-driven technologies. Every Cybertruck ships with Tesla's latest hardware suite, including the HW4 computer designed to support Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities.

Tesla has increasingly positioned itself not just as an automaker but as an AI and robotics company. The Cybertruck, with its array of cameras and sensors, serves as a rolling data collection platform that feeds into Tesla's neural network training pipeline. Each vehicle on the road contributes to the dataset that powers FSD improvements.

• The Cybertruck uses Tesla Vision, a camera-only perception system powered by deep learning
• FSD Supervised is available as a $8,000 purchase or $99/month subscription
• Tesla's Dojo supercomputer processes driving data collected from vehicles worldwide
• Musk has claimed FSD will eventually make each Tesla worth $100,000+ as a robotaxi asset

From this perspective, even 173 RWD units contribute to Tesla's AI ambitions. But the argument that each vehicle is a future autonomous revenue generator has yet to materialize in any concrete financial sense, and it certainly does not address the fundamental demand question.

What This Means for Investors and the Industry

For Tesla investors, the 173-unit revelation adds to a growing list of concerns. Tesla's stock ($TSLA) has been volatile throughout 2024 and into 2025, buffeted by falling margins, increased competition from Chinese automakers like BYD, and uncertainty about Musk's divided attention between Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and his government advisory role.

The Cybertruck was supposed to be a growth catalyst — a vehicle so revolutionary it would create its own market. Instead, it has become a symbol of Tesla's execution challenges. Production ramp issues, multiple recalls, and now evidence of potentially weak base-model demand paint a complicated picture.

For the broader industry, the Cybertruck RWD data point reinforces a lesson that legacy automakers have learned the hard way: building an EV truck is easy compared to selling one in volume. The market for $60,000+ electric pickups may simply be smaller than anyone anticipated.

Looking Ahead: Can Tesla Turn the Cybertruck Around?

Tesla has several levers it could pull to boost Cybertruck sales. Price reductions — a strategy the company has deployed aggressively with the Model 3 and Model Y — could stimulate demand for the RWD variant. Improvements to range and charging infrastructure may also help address buyer hesitation.

The upcoming Cybertruck refresh and potential introduction of a smaller, more affordable Tesla truck (sometimes referred to internally as a 'compact truck') could reshape the equation entirely. Tesla's next-generation vehicle platform, expected to underpin models priced around $25,000-$30,000, might eventually include a truck variant.

For now, though, the number 173 hangs in the air — a data point that no amount of Musk's social media bravado can easily explain away. In an era where Tesla's narrative increasingly depends on AI, robotaxis, and humanoid robots, the mundane reality of selling trucks to everyday consumers remains stubbornly challenging.

Whether this recall figure represents a temporary production strategy or a genuine demand warning will become clearer in coming quarters. But one thing is certain: the gap between the Cybertruck's 1-million-reservation hype and its on-the-ground reality continues to widen.