Tesla Trucks rusting

Are Brand-New Tesla Cybertrucks Rusting in the Rain?​

That’s the buzz. The reality might be a little more complicated.​

Alex KiersteinWriterGetty ImagesPhotographer
Feb 14, 2024

View Gallery​

24 Photos
You've seen the headlines. They make it seem like brand-new Tesla Cybertrucks, exposed to a bit of rain, are turning into rust sculptures. But the Cybertruck's body is supposed to be made out of stainless steel, resistant to corrosion! It's the sort of twist that makes for a compelling schadenfreude read. And yet, the culprit may not be suspect Tesla steel at all. Instead, maybe we can blame trains.



But first, an important reminder: Stainless steel is extremely resistant to corrosion, but it is not corrosion-proof. Stainless steel is an alloy (of which there are many specific variations with different properties) but all contain a proportion of chromium. Stainless steel forms a very, very thin layer of oxidation, but the chromium (and other constituents) prevent further corrosion. At least, under normal circumstances. Expose stainless steel to various conditions—strong chemicals, like bleach, or salt exposure—and even stainless steel can pit and rust.

View Gallery​

24 Photos

Is that what's going on with the Cybertrucks? Business Insider, pointing to a thread on the Cybertruck Owner's Club forums, claimed that corrosion is forming on the exterior of various Cybertruck owners' vehicles after exposure to rain. Pictures in the thread show Cybertruck panels with small spots of discoloration. But stainless steel should be resistant to normal rain. Presuming the owners photos and accounts are all accurate, it seems like there might be something else going on.
The other theory is raised quickly in the thread and doesn't seem to be gaining much traction in these reports: rail dust. These tiny iron particles can be kicked up by train wheels running on their tracks, or by other sources of metal abrasion. They settle on surfaces and can themselves rust in certain conditions. The fact that owners claim to have easily removed the rusty specs with clay bars and the like lends credence to the theory. Real corrosion in stainless steel, like pitting, would severely affect the panel.

View Gallery​

24 Photos

Without examining the trucks in person, it's difficult to form a bulletproof (no pun intended) conclusion about the Cybertruck rust rumors—is it damaged stainless panels, pitting, or rail dust?—but rail dust seems like the simpler and more likely explanation.

We do want to note that stainless steel, especially without a protective coating, can be a difficult material to keep looking nice. Bodywork is difficult and expensive, grease and scratches can be difficult to remove, and so forth. Tesla's own (as of yet unreleased publicly) manual advises owners to immediately remove potentially corrosive substances like road salt or industrial fallout—our emphasis added, because rail dust is certainly akin to industrial fallout—immediately.

View Gallery​

24 Photos
Case closed? Probably. Tesla Cybertrucks aren't rusting in the sort of catastrophic manner these reports may have you envisioning, like unrustproofed 1970s Italian coach built cars or the like, but it does go to show that maintaining the Cybertruck's unconventional bare stainless steel surface is going to require some additional care, like any special surface—including matte paint.

Trending Pages​

• Cordless Drill Gets Nitro-Fueled V-8 Engine Swap Complete With Do It Yourself Guide​

• Cordless Drill Gets Nitro-Fueled V-8 Engine Swap Complete With Do It Yourself Guide​

• Chrysler Halcyon Concept First Look: Six Doors and Sci-Fi Tech​

• Are Brand-New Tesla Cybertrucks Rusting in the Rain?​

• 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire First Test: The Quickest Quarter-Mile Car We’ve Ever Tested?​

https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sha...nic:sm_id:tend:gen:20:na:scl_shr_icn:edtr:mtd

Wait a minute. I can't get past the part that someone actually bought one of these.

Buy stock in Brillo.

Yes, do not use stainless steel for anything structural in salt water. The alloy will become a battery due to dissimilar metals in an electrolyte (salt water) and cause corrosion, it's called crevice corrosion. Many areas use salt and other brines (electrolyte) on icy roads...

tjfdesmo said:

Buy stock in Brillo.

Click to expand...

Haha yeah. Or in Weiman:

There are different grades of stainless steel, of course, but I've seen a few stainless steel handguns with rust pitting.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 106196 miles.

Dusty said:

There are different grades of stainless steel, of course, but I've seen a few stainless steel handguns with rust pitting.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 106196 miles.

Click to expand...

This!

The key is breaking down "stainless" to "stain" "less" which does not necessarily mean stain free.

That is just one ugly vehicle. I would never buy that and put it in my driveway.

There are many varieties of "Stainless Steel": 100 series, 200 series, 300 series and 400 series, and those are just the ones I know of. 304 SS is considered corrosion and chemical resistant, others not so much. Some varieties react to magnets, some do not.
Even corrosion-resistant SS can begin to corrode if in contact with carbon steel (like maybe nuts & bolts?) that are beginning to rust. That's why we had to use special SS wire brushes to clean SS welds that never were used on carbon steels.

Tesla = JUNK!!

While I never seen one of these things, I don't know why you would call it a truck. Can you haul anything , load a fridge, a welder, case of beer?

Id love to try one out regardless.