A Cybertruck owner has revealed the reason why he’ll be driving his ‘old’ gas car instead of his Tesla this winter.

Elon Musk first debuted the Cybertruck in 2019. And while many still remain starstruck at the Tesla vehicle to this day, there are a lot more – particularly in the US – in the wild nowadays.

Many who own a Cybertruck take to the Cybertruck Owners Club forum so they can speak to fellow owners about the vehicle.

On the forum, one owner explained how he’s not using his Tesla vehicle over the winter amid concerns over salt on the road corroding the truck.

Jack, from Michigan, said: “It just started to snow here in Michigan, and with that comes SALT! I think I’m going to drive my old Cadillac Escalade while they are salting the roads this winter.

“Now, I doubt that the salt will rust holes in the Cybertruck stainless steel but tarnish it maybe? Maybe it can be buffed out in the spring with Bar Keepers Friend?

“Then there is the galvanic corrosion that occurs between aluminum and stainless.

“I’m sure that the engineers at Tesla took that into consideration but how well? Anyway, just wanted to see what other members on Cybertruck Owners Club think about it.”

Tesla has not publicly released the Cybertruck owners manual, though videos online have pinpointed what it entails.

The guide reportedly says the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel exterior lacks ‘a clear coat on the surface of the exterior body panels, meaning scratches that appear are in the stainless steel panels themselves,’ according to Business Insider.

“To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.),” the guide continued.

UNILAD has contacted Tesla for a comment.

One owner is ditching the Tesla vehicle this winter (Daniel Pier/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The topic of using the Cybertruck during winter has become the hot topic of conversation on social media, including the Owners’ Club.

An owner from Boston wrote: “I’m curious about this salt/erosion as well. I’d be truly shocked if it gets ruined over several winters.

“That said, I spoke with a local detailer / PPF installer who specializes in Cybertrucks.

“The owner owns one as well, and when I called inquiring about corrosion or staining, they said they did see some last winter and that they couldn’t fully get the stains out.”

It comes after a fellow Cybertruck owner spotted a ‘major flaw’ in the vehicle that could cause huge issues this winter.

Tesla has recalled nearly 700,000 cars after a potentially dangerous fault was discovered.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has found an issue with a portion of its cars, which could see people driving in an automobile which ‘increases the risk of a crash’.

According to the manufacturer, it is the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck which are affected by this issue, resulting in a recall letter set to be sent out to customers on February 15 2025.

Thankfully, the issue can be resolved via a free software update, however, until then the issue will persist.

Apparently, there is an issue with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system.

While there is a problem with the system, it has not yet resulted in any injuries, crashes or deaths of drivers or passengers.

In response, the company is recalling 694,304 of its models according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration letter.

The letter reads: “The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire pressure.

“Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.”

This isn’t the first time the manufacturer has had to recall cars. It took back 1.8 million vehicles in July of this year due to a bonnet issue which saw the software issue failing to detect an unlatched hood.

In May, it also recalled 125,000 vehicles because of seat belt issues, and in February, it called back over 2 million vehicles as warning signals showing in a smaller font size.

As well as manufacturing issues, one family has blamed for the death of a 31-year-old on Musk after he crashed his Tesla while using the self-driving ‘autopilot’ technology.

Genesis Giovanni Mendoza Martinez, was crushed to death on February 18, 2023, after using his Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ drive.

The Cybertruck is one of the models with the fault (Tesla)

A lawsuit was filed by Mendoza’s parents, Eduardo and Maria, and his brother Caleb, who were also in the car and injured during the crash.

They stated that it’s Musk’s fault for allowing the ‘ill-equipped’ feature to be used by drivers.

However, Tesla argued that the cars have ‘a reasonably safe design as measured by the appropriate test under the applicable state law’.

Another customer has also pointed out a major flaw in the Cybertruck design which could see headlights completely unable to illuminate the roads, making it a safety hazard.

TikTok user Joe Fay (@jf.okay) said: “So, I found a major flaw in the Cybertruck’s design.”

The Tesla customer explained how the headlights sit at the bottom of the vehicle, which could be a problem.

He explained: “These headlights are amazing and they’re extremely bright. However, that snow is building up right in front of the headlights.

“That can be a major problem when you’re driving in the winter time, because if snow builds up right here, the headlights are going to be completely blocked.”

Joe continued: “Now, I can’t believe Tesla just didn’t think about this when they put this giant shelf in front of the lights, but if they did, it’s honestly an awful design.

“I’ll let you know how driving is in the blizzard. It’s done pretty well so far, and I haven’t noticed that the headlights are getting all clogged up like that.”

Elon Musk has long insisted that Cybertrucks are bulletproof, prompting some people to test this theory out for themselves.

Famously, in 2019, when Musk debuted the futuristic-looking electric truck, he bragged to the crowds that the Cybertruck was pretty much indestructible.

To prove this, he had Tesla’s chief designer to throw a metal ball at one of its armored windows, but embarassingly, it smashed into pieces.

Adding to the awkwardness, they then tried again with a different window, for that one to smash too.

Musk then quipped that the ball may have been thrown ‘a little too hard’.

Since the incident, the Tesla CEO and his chief designer have tried again, to better success. Watch here:

Fast-forward to November 2023, and the first fleet of Cybertrucks were released. To date, just short of 30,000 of the unique vehicles have been sold.

Tesla’s website states that its Cybertrucks are made out of ‘ultra-hard stainless-steel exoskeleton’, which ‘helps to reduce dents, damage, and long-term corrosion’.

“Armor Glass can resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph or class 4 hail. Acoustic glass helps make the cabin as quiet as outer space,” it adds.

The website also insists that repairs are ‘simple and quick’, and I’m sure Cybertruck owner Dante Colle will be pleased to know this.

On October 16, Dante took to Twitter to share video of him firing a gun at his truck, and it’s safe to say he regretted his decision pretty quickly.

Realizing that the bullet penetrated the stainless steel, a disappointed Dante put his hands on his head.

That didn’t deter Dante from trying again though. Moving to the side of the truck, he shot another bullet at it, and this time, it didn’t pierce the metal.

lly, there seems to be a 50/50 chance that a bullet might or might not penetrate the car’s stainless steel and, I’m sure about you, that’s not really a chance I’m willing to take.

Away from the Cybertruck’s supposed bulletproof abilities, before its release, Musk said that the car could be ‘briefly used as a boat’.

“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,” he penned on Twitter in September 2022.

Oops (X/@HippieGQ_)

Musk added: “Needs to be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel.”

While he described the truck as being able to turn into a boat (albeit for a short period), Cybertrucks actually have something called ‘Wade Mode’ that allows it to drive through shallow bodies of water.

This raises the ride heigh and pressurizes the car’s battery when traveling through water. It can only be used for 30 minutes.

So, saying that the truck could turn into a ‘boat’ might have been a bit a far-fetched…

A man once shared his Cybertruck order receipt and it left people absolutely stunned over how much he paid for his futuristic whip.

It’s been several months now since the highly-anticipated Tesla vehicle landed, with the likes of Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber all spotted driving around in the cars.

When it was first rolled out in the US back in November 2023, founder Elon Musk promised the Cybertruck was safe and used the analogy that if it ‘had an argument’ with any other vehicle then ‘you will win’.

Because that’s a reassuring way of putting it.

And despite that, car safety experts still expressed concerns about the Cybertruck posing danger to those outside the vehicle, not its passengers.

They were particularly bothered about the material used in the car’s body, described as ‘ultra-hard stainless-steel’ by Tesla.

Many modern cars have a safety feature called a ‘crumple zone’. This means that a portion of the car is designed to collapse in the event of a crash.

This might sound counterintuitive, but in practice it means that the force of the impact is absorbed by the crumple zone, instead of the occupants.

But the Cybertruck was criticised for not appearing to have this feature and given that it’s a very large vehicle that can travel very fast, this means that if it hits another car, it’s likely not stopping.

Safe or not, many people have purchased the Cybertruck – though driving around in it will certainly not be cheap.

“Finally the future will look like the future,” Musk said as he announced the car.

But if you want to live in the future, then you’ll certainly need the bank balance to accommodate it.

This is evident from one Reddit user who posted the receipt for his Cybertruck, and people can’t get over how much they he paid for it.

Reddit user UTECHPIA paid a grand total of $122,135 for his Cybertruck – something he could have to wait years for until he is driving it around.

Some reports have suggested that Cybertruck orders may arrive as early as 2024, but less generous estimations are going up as high five years.

Nonetheless, the Reddit user is excited for his Cybertruck arrival, as he penned: “WILL IT ARRIVE in 2023? What do you guys think?

“I’m so excited, I got the email invite to put in my order on Fri, Dec 8, 7:30 PM PT, and placed my order within 5 minutes!”

The man is seemingly a massive Tesla fan, as he already owns a 2023 Tesla MYP – the super-fast SUV from Musk’s company.

Many Reddit users flocked to the comments section of the post to express their shock at the price of the car.

“I didn’t think anyone was going to buy it with the massive price hikes and feature reductions. I guess I was wrong,” one person wrote.

A second added: “Want one, but that price tag.”

While a third joked: “I really want to do this, but then I would be cyberhomeless.”