Cybertruck owner took advantage of and cashed in on a Tesla $1,000 mistake
Published on Oct 10, 2025 at 5:17 AM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Oct 10, 2025 at 5:17 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
This Cybertruck owner took advantage of and cashed in on a $1,000 mistake from Tesla – was it a smart move, or was it secretly sneaky?
You don’t expect Tesla to mess up on a tire sensor, especially not on its flagship Cybertruck.
But one owner just proved that even billion-dollar tech companies can fumble the basics, and instead of letting it go, this EV owner decided to cash in.
Replacing the TPMS sensor should be an easy fix, but whether it was a missing or wrong part, or laziness on behalf of Tesla, it ended up costing them a lot of unnecessary cash…
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Cybertruck owner took advantage of a $1,000 mistake by Tesla
A Cybertruck EV owner took his electric beast in for what should’ve been a simple fix, replacing the TPMS sensor.
It’s a small but crucial part, basically the system that keeps track of your tire pressure and warns you before something goes disastrously wrong.
Even in the service manual for the Cybertruck, when it comes to replacing the sensor, it reads:
“Remove the nut. Remove the sensor. Replace with the new one. Torque to 8 Nm (that’s 5.9 lb-ft).”
Somewhere in the process, Tesla’s service team made a costly either by mixing the wrong parts, failing to torque the sensor correctly, or using incompatible hardware, which ended up costing more than it bargained for.
Why did it cost so much?
The mistake ended up costing $1,000, but not for the part itself – Tesla sells Cybertruck TPMS sensors for around $60 each.
The cost was for the labor, time, and back-and-forth it took to fix what shouldn’t have gone wrong in the first place.
Tesla eventually admitted the issue, refunded the owner, and replaced the affected parts under warranty.
That’s where the story gets interesting, because, instead of losing out, the owner walked away better off than before, because he’d caught the company’s mistake, proved it, and made Tesla pay up.
Tesla has issued a TPMS sensor recall for some Cybertruck models because the tire pressure warning light wasn’t staying on long enough, which is a violation of federal safety standards.
Things aren’t looking good for the EV that was once America’s favorite.
Daisy is a technology journalist, covering artificial intelligence, consumer tech, Apple news, cryptocurrency, digital business, and emerging technologies. Since joining the team in 2025, she has reported on everything from AI-powered startups and major iOS updates to viral tech hacks and the latest developments in the digital economy. Drawing on her background in automotive journalism and a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, Daisy specializes in breaking down complex technology stories into clear, engaging reporting for a global audience. Her work focuses on the products, platforms, and innovations that are transforming the way people work, communicate, and interact with technology. Daisy has gained first-hand access to some of the world's most talked-about technologies and innovators, including meeting Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot during its first European appearance in London. She has also discussed the future of space exploration with an astronaut, bringing unique insights and real-world perspectives to her coverage of emerging technology.
