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Larry Geracitano, a Cybertruck owner from New York, says Tesla expects him to pay $423 for wheel alignment on his 3-month-old truck.
Larry mentions that he first noticed his Cybertruck might have alignment issues when the tires started developing cupping.
Larry chose to be proactive and reported the problem to Tesla service before the cupping worsened and damaged his tires.
Tesla service in turn confirmed that Larry’s Cybertruck indeed needs alignment work.
However, instead of fixing the issue under warranty, Tesla demanded that Larry pay $423 for the repair.
$423 is a hefty price for wheel alignment; however, Larry insists he shouldn’t have to pay anything. He claims Tesla sold him the Cybertruck with an alignment issue straight from the factory and believes it’s the EV maker’s responsibility to fix it for free.
Accordingly, Larry urged Tesla to repair his truck under warranty; however, a Tesla technician told him that wheel alignment is not covered under warranty.
Tesla’s response is that: “a single pothole could mess up the alignment.”
Larry is unhappy with this explanation and pushes back against the idea that a single pothole could ruin his truck’s alignment.
The frustrated Cybertruck owner shared his story on the Cybertruck Owner Only group on Facebook.
He writes…
“Has anybody experienced cupping on tires with less than 4000 miles? If so, bring it in to check for a possible alignment issue.
For now, I was told it will cost $423.69(I see you, Elon) for an alignment on a 3-month-old vehicle. The vehicle came off the line misaligned, and it's not my responsibility to point it out and cover the cost before their mistake damages my tires.
Now they are blaming the bad alignment on potholes and trying to tell me a pothole is what caused it! Caster, Camber, Toe don't go out of alignment from potholes!”
Below his post, Larry shared several pictures.
The first picture shows Larry’s Tesla app with his Cybertruck scheduled for service, and the cost for the alignment work is sitting at $423.69.
The second and third pictures show screenshots of Larry’s conversation with a Tesla employee on the Tesla app.
The Tesla employee writes…
“Alignments are not covered by the vehicle's basic manufacturer warranty. A single pothole could misalign the vehicle. With over 4,000 miles on the vehicle, this would be a customer pay.”
This is definitely not ideal; however, Larry shares his suspicion that it’s one specific Tesla service employee giving him a headache.
Larry writes…
“I have a feeling it's one specific employee who has caused issues for me before, but I could be wrong. Even if it's just a way to see if I'm willing to pay for it, you'd think an alignment for the exact same vehicle and year wouldn't vary in price.
Someone else just posted that their alignment work was covered under warranty after 11,000 miles, and another paid only $250, while mine costs over $350.
I've always thought Tesla service centers are among the fairest compared to other manufacturers, and I still believe that. But more than $350 for an alignment on a 3-month-old vehicle seems excessive to me, but to each their own!”
Looking at the comments, fellow Cybertruck owners had varied opinions. Some blame Larry for accepting delivery of a Cybertruck with an alignment issue, while others argue that Tesla should have performed the wheel alignment under warranty.
A fellow Cybertruck owner, Mark Williams, writes…
“If you knew the alignment was off, you should have rejected the vehicle. On you now.”
Another Cybertruck owner, Bryan Martinez, writes…
“Sorry to hear, but this one is on you. You needed to check for alignment issues on the day of delivery or within 100 miles of taking delivery.
A friend recently took delivery of his Model 3 and had alignment issues. Since it was within his first 100 miles, it was covered. I know it sucks, but figuring out alignment issues at 3,000 miles is a bit late.
Tip: You can also check for alignment issues in the technician-accessible services menu. Hope it works out! Alternatively, take it to an alignment shop that will do it for less. Those should be less than $200 versus Tesla.
On the other hand, some Cybertruck owners shared the view that Tesla should perform the wheel alignment under warranty.
A fellow Cybertruck owner, Todd Alan, writes…
“I have had my Cybertruck since March. At 3,000 miles, I noticed tire noise from the core wheels. I feel cupping. Alignment is not covered at Tesla. I work for another auto manufacturer at a dealer, and we cover alignments for 12 months or 12,000 miles. We are in New Jersey and definitely see potholes knocking alignments out.”
Another Cybertruck owner, Michael Hightower, writes…
“No, don't pay it. Demand that the work be covered under full warranty.”
Overall, looking at the comments, fellow Cybertruck owners seem divided on whether Tesla should do the alignment under warranty. However, please let me know what you think in the comments.
Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, be sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
For more information, check out: Tesla Halts Cybertruck Light Bar Installations Amid A String Of Adhesive Failures – Tesla Says, “An Internal Assessment is Currently In Progress For Light Bar Installation Procedure”
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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