Cybertruck rust 'can be cleaned off,' says Tesla engineer

SAN JOSE: The rust spots which have blighted a few of Tesla's shiny new Cybertrucks are normal and easy to get rid off, a Tesla engineer has gone on record as saying.

Wes Morrill was addressing recent reports that the pick-up's stainless-steel bodywork starts showing flecks of rust after only a few days in the rain. Morrill said the orange specks, about the size of a pinhead, were probably surface contamination.

Morrill explained the blight as apparent rusting from metal particles that may have collected from the factory or when the vehicles were transported on railway wagons.

The engineer, who has worked at Tesla for more than 13 years, according to his LinkedIn, also referenced a YouTube video on the issue.

In a post on social media platform X, Morrill said it wasn't the Cybertruck's metal itself that was rusting but dust which had settled on the surface.

"Good myth busting. Stainless is reactive and free iron that sits on it will rust," the Cybertruck engineer said. "It's surface contamination only and can be cleaned off easily."

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk also appeared to confirm Morrill's comments, writing "Yeah" in response to the post.

A small number of new Cybertruck owners had taken to social media to complain about what they say are spots of rust on their brand-new electric vehicles, which cost up to US$99,900 (RM479,000).

One owner even said they'd been warned when the truck was delivered that it might rust in the rain. It seems the rust spots are similar to the ones stainless steel table knives sometimes get in a dishwasher.

Carmakers have generally avoided using stainless steel and the Cybertruck is the first production vehicle to employ it so widely since the 1983 DeLorean, which starred as a time machine in the "Back to the Future" movie trilogy.

The Cybertruck's user’s manual warns drivers that the stainless steel body panels on the Cybertruck can develop corrosion under some circumstances.