Tesla Cybertruck Attempts The Ruthless Rubicon Trail, Heavy Damage Ensues

• The first Tesla Cybertruck crossing of the Rubicon Trail in California nearly ended in disaster.
• The electric pickup was stranded for three straight days due to a cracked steering rack.
• Before being dealt the final blow, the Cybertruck munched through several tie rods.

The Tesla Cybertruck is marketed as being capable of tackling “any terrain.” So, with this in mind, a team of adventurers decided to take the controversial angular electric pickup truck on the grueling Rubicon Trail in California.

Despite the EV being fitted with rock sliders, upgraded bumpers, full-length skid plating and a one-inch lift, the Cybertruck became internet-famous earlier this month because it was left for dead for three days straight on the trail.

You might have read something about it on The Drive or Reddit, but now there’s a 40-minute video that documents the whole ordeal. And it’s brutal. Before being tied to a tree just one minute away from the top of the trail, the bruised Cybertruck went through several broken tie rods, error codes and overheating events.

Thankfully, a Jeep Wrangler that was part of the convoy dragged the limping Tesla across some of the gnarliest of obstacles, and a friendly off-roader helped the crew recharge the EV’s battery with a generator in Rubicon Springs.

The trip from Loon Lake to Tahoma took about a week, but nearly four days were spent on Cadillac Hill, where the Cybertruck’s steering rack cracked and one of the rear CV axles bit the dust, transforming it into little more than a paperweight.

After sitting for three days, some off-road enthusiasts who also happen to work for Tesla spotted the stuck truck on social media and offered to help. They made their way to the bruised Cybertruck with a truckbed full of spare parts and repaired the EV on the spot. After that, the pickup finished the trail under its own power, but not with plenty of regrets from the people behind the effort.

“I do not recommend any person trying the Rubicon with a Cybertruck unless you come extremely prepared,” Roger Davis, the driver of the damaged EV, told The Drive. For what it’s worth, Davis added that he saw a bunch of other off-roaders broken down along the way, making it clear that the Rubicon is not for the faint of heart. 

That said, it’s not impossible. A Rivian R1S became the first production EV to conquer the Rubicon in 2023–on stock tires, no less.