--- title: "Man Says His Brand New Cybertruck’s Brakes Failed, Causing Catastrophic Crash" description: "The owner of a brand new Cybertruck says he crashed it into his neighbor's yard after the vehicle's brakes suddenly stopped working." date: "2024-06-30" modified: "2024-06-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/brand-new-cybertruck-brakes-failed-crash" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "cybertruck" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Man Says His Brand New Cybertruck’s Brakes Failed, Causing Catastrophic Crash ![The owner of a brand new Cybertruck says he crashed it into his neighbor's yard after the vehicle's brakes suddenly stopped working.]() *\Image: Bruce Freshwater via X\* ## Pileup Driver The owner of a brand new Cybertruck says he crashed it into his neighbor's yard after the vehicle's brakes suddenly stopped working. As [*Business Insider* reports](), Bruce Freshwater recalled that nothing happened when he tried to pump the brakes during the April 27 incident. "I held the brakes down, and the vehicle really wasn't slowing down," Freshwater told *BI*. Fortunately, the vehicle's airbags deployed and nobody was hurt. But the resulting damage was considerable. In a report Freshwater filed with the local North Fayette Township Police Department, he claimed that his new truck crashed into one of his neighbor's cars, which then ran into yet another vehicle. Now, a local body shop reportedly wants anywhere between $16,000 and $30,000 to fix the Cybertruck, a hefty price tag given Freshwater had already shelled out a whopping $109,000 for the vehicle. ## Brake Stuff Understandably, Freshwater is furious. "Waited five years and drove for four hours," he [tweeted]() earlier this month. "Need Tesla to take some responsibility." Unsurprisingly, Tesla has yet to comment on the matter. It's unclear if the incident is related to the glaring accelerator issue that [forced Tesla to recall]() all of the Cybertrucks it had sold at the time earlier this year. Shocked Cybertruck owners discovered that a design flaw could cause the massive pickup's accelerator pedal to get stuck down. Fershwater's experience with the controversial vehicle is reminiscent of plenty of other incidents we've heard about as well. The truck appears to be [breaking down at an incredible rate](), with furious owners complaining about vehicles that simply give up the ghost and reporting "[critical steering issues]()." Earlier this month, Tesla had to [issue its fourth Cybertruck-related recall]() in a matter of months, with [documents]() [posted]() by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warning of a trim piece that can fly off and windshield wiper motors that aren't powerful enough to operate the truck's awkward four-foot wiper. In other words, Freshwater's unfortunate experience sounds suspiciously familiar and shouldn't come as much of a surprise. And he's not convinced he wants to stick with the Cybertruck in the long term. "With the wife and the kids, I'm not sure they would ever get in it with me," he told *BI*. "So it comes down to that, too." **More on the Cybertruck:** *[Cybertrucks Need to Return to Garage Yet Again to Fix Parts That Keep Falling Off]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()