Tesla Cybertruck Owner Arrested After Deliberately Driving Into Lake to Test The Truck's 'Wade Mode' Feature

A Tesla Cybertruck owner was stranded in a lake and arrested after deliberately driving into water to test the truck’s “Wade Mode” feature.

Wade Mode uses the onboard air compressor to pressurize the battery, allowing the truck to cross bodies of water. However, it has significant limitations and safety risks that owners should understand before attempting to cross.

Elon Musk announced Wade Mode back in 2022, saying…

“Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.”

This is a bold claim, and four years after Musk made it, a Cybertruck owner decided to test it across the Grapevine River in Texas.

According to Grapevine police, the owner drove his truck into the lake; sadly, the truck couldn’t handle the water and got stuck in the middle.

This left the truck stranded, forcing the owner to abandon the vehicle and prompting Grapevine police to step in and retrieve it.

After the incident, the Grapevine Police Department shared a statement on an official account, saying…

“Yesterday, the Grapevine police department and the Grapevine fire department were dispatched to Grapevine Lake, where a Tesla Cybertruck was stranded in the water.

The driver drove into the lake to use the “Wade Mode” feature when the vehicle became disabled.”

This already looks bad, but to make matters worse, the truck died in the middle of the lake. 

Following the incident, Grapevine PD announced that the driver had been arrested.

GPD added…

“The passengers abandoned the vehicle, and the driver was arrested.”

Local reports say the driver was detained and charged with operating a vehicle in a restricted park or lake area without a valid boat registration and violating several water safety laws.

Below the post, the official Grapevine police account shared a picture of the stranded Cybertruck in the middle of the lake, halfway submerged and several feet from the shore.

This is a clear example of Elon Musk’s promises clashing with real-world results.

Many Cybertruck owners on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum shared concerns about Wade Mode after this story.

One Cybertruck from Arizona said…

“After seeing how much water was in the door cavities of my Cybertruck after a car wash, I kind of lost interest in the Wade mode feature.”

He sarcastically added…

“Thanks, guy, for making Cybertruck drivers look smart.”

Another local owner who goes by the username Alpine in the Cybertruck Owners Club forum commented…

“The incident happened a few miles from my house. The Cybertruck owner tried Wade mode in the lake.

I know where he lives. He's an older guy, probably in his 70s, with a big house and his Cybertruck parked out front. He can afford the risk, I think, but I wonder why he’s still in jail a day later. Maybe his wife is mad at him?”

Alpine continues…

“The police told him, if you're going to pretend to be a boat, we're going to treat you like one and hit him with boating violations, including operating in a restricted part of the park/lake. Also, first responders likely had to fish his truck out, which might have added to his trouble.”

Another incident from 2025 was mentioned by a different owner, where a Cybertruck similarly got stuck in a lake.

He said…

“Not the first Cybertruck driver to have unrealistic expectations of 'Wade Mode'. In April 2025, a similar thing happened in northern California…”

The California Highway Patrol’s statement at the time said…

“Cybertruck activated 'Wade Mode'… and waded a bit too far.

We’re all for testing boundaries… but maybe not the waterline. Remember folks, “Wade Mode” isn’t “Submarine Mode.” If your plans include exploring the outdoors, know your limits and terrain.”

A Cybertruck owner from Pennsylvania added…

“There are subtle nuances involved in the legality of crossing water with a vehicle. I’ve spoken to some guys who owned Aqua Cars near Raystown Lake. We met them at McDonald's, then they boated over to the resort. That was probably 15-20 years ago. I also saw them down at Port Deposit, MD near Lee's Landing. Basically, if you go straight across the water, you're fine. But once you start zigzagging and driving all over, you're acting like a boat (and need boat gear). But honestly, seeing someone drive a truck into water like that is just stupid. It happens way too often — I blame those Jeep commercials. They show it can do anything… in a commercial for 30 seconds, but in real life, it’s much harder.”

Blaming Jeep commercials for the actions of Cybertruck owners is definitely an interesting perspective. 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.

Image: Screenshot from the Grapevine Police Department

For more information, check out: Multiple Cybertruck Buyers Report Tesla Has Postponed Their Truck's Delivery Date Due To Unspecified Issue

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.