CYBERTRUCK OWNER TESTS 'FATAL' DESIGN FLAW FOR HIMSELF

The owner wanted to see if the software update fixed the issue with the frunk
The update added anti-pinching to the hatch, detecting objects in the way
READ MORE: Customers discover design flaw in Tesla's $80,000 Cybertruck

A Cybertruck owner has tested the 'deathtrap' feature after Tesla claimed a software update now helps the frunk detect when an object is in the way of the hatch closing.

The issue surfaced in January after reviewers found the hatch would shut, even if something was placed in the way - leading some to believe the flaw could potentially chop off someone's finger.

Jeremy Judkins put it to the test in a new video shared on TikTok, first starting a banana that was saved by the new software update.

The main event saw him place his finger inside, watching the hatch slowly close and trapping his appendage inside.

When the frunk hatch popped back up, Judkins removed his finger to find a gash on the skin.

‘I feared for my finger for a second,’ Judkins said, showing off his finger was throbbing.

Tesla released the software update this month after reports surfaced that the frunk potentially cut off body parts.

Instead of clamping down, the hatch can now detect when something is in the way and immediately open back up.

Anti-pinch sensors and anti-pitch catches have been an increasingly common feature of vehicles since the early 2000s, particularly with automatic windows, making their absence from the Cybertruck unusual.

An August 2016 Tesla software update cut out pinch sensor functionality on the Model X's futuristic gull-wing doors, to prevent 'phantom detections.'

Judkins first tested the update using a banana, which was unscathed - the hatched pop right back up.

The Cybertruck failed at detecting a carrot, cutting the vegetable in half.

While the software did not save Judkins’s finger, it faired better than the carrot.

The issue surfaced in January when reviewers started sharing the results of the now viral ‘carrot test,’ which Judkins showed in his TikTok.

'I'm just going to shut the door like a normal person shuts the door. Nothing too hard,' one reviewer said just before gently showing the Cybertruck's driver's side door chop the ends off two large, hearty carrots.

'You might want to watch your fingers around the Cybertruck,' as TikTok user @molesrcool put it. 'You could end up losing them.'

Elon Musk handed the first Cybertruck keys to owners on November 30 during livestreamed event hosted at Tesla's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.

However, the futuristic truck has since been plagued with issues - one that led to Tesla recalling nearly 4,000 that were on the road due to a faulty accelerator pedla cover.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced in April that Musk's company will replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly at no charge and owners will be notified through letters mailed to them in June.

2024-05-07T21:43:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd