A Tesla Cybertruck had to be pulled out of a river after the driver seemingly took Elon Musk’s word that the truck could float.
Back in 2020, Musk claimed the Cybertruck could “serve briefly as a boat,” and doubled down again in 2022, saying: “Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
This week, one Cybertruck owner apparently tried to test that. It didn’t go well.
The truck ended up stranded in the Truckee River in California. According to the California Highway Patrol, it was using Tesla’s ‘Wade Mode’ at the time—a setting that raises the truck and shields its battery for off-road and shallow water driving. But it’s not a waterproof feature, and it’s not even covered by Tesla’s warranty.
The CHP shared photos of the stuck truck in a Facebook post, writing: “Cybertruck activated ‘Wade Mode’ and waded a bit too far. We’re all for testing boundaries, but maybe not the waterline. Remember folks, ‘Wade Mode’ isn’t ‘Submarine Mode’.”
No details have been released about any damage to the truck, and the driver hasn’t responded publicly. Tesla also hasn’t commented.
This isn’t the first time a Cybertruck has struggled with water. One TikTok user posted a video of his Cybertruck breaking down after going through a car wash.
Tesla’s own manual warns owners not to wash the vehicle in direct sunlight, and says if they don’t use the special Car Wash Mode, it could cause problems.
“Failure to put Cybertruck in Car Wash Mode may result in damage (for example, to the charge port or windshield wipers). Damage caused by car washes is not covered by the warranty,” the manual says.
Both the river incident and the car wash breakdown were shared on Reddit’s “CyberStuck” forum, which now has over 300,000 members. Two of the top posts this week showed Cybertrucks stranded near water.
It seems more than a few drivers are finding out the hard way: just because Musk said it floats, doesn’t mean it swims.
