A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says His Truck Started Smoking After a Power Conversion System Replacement. He Adds, “There Was A Bang & Dense, Acrid Smoke Coming from Beneath the Front Passenger Seat”

Jeff, a Cybertruck owner from Virginia, is among many—possibly hundreds or thousands—of Cybertruck owners facing a power conversion system failure.

This issue significantly slows down the truck’s charging speed when connected to a home charger.

Thankfully for Jeff, Tesla finally replaced the power conversion system (PCS) in his truck a couple of days ago, restoring home charging.

This was all well and good; however, today, as he was driving down a rural road, he heard a loud bang and said a thick, acrid smoke began filling his cabin, emerging from underneath the front passenger seat.

This is definitely not ideal, and now Jeff is trying to determine if the smoke is related to the PCS replacement.

Jeff shared his harrowing experience on the Cybertruck Owners Forum.

He writes…

“Post PCS2 Replacement - Smoke Gets in My Eyes

Last week, my 2024 Foundation Series AWD Cybertruck (June 2024 build, 19K VIN) had its PCS 2 replaced. I received the new T2-G version and a round ferrite cable. No issues occurred; the truck drove normally when I picked it up, and it returned to its usual 32-amp Level 2 charging at home.

A few days and several hundred miles later, during one of my regular 60- mile rural loops, I suddenly heard a loud crack—roughly the volume of a. .22 rimfire—from the right side of the cabin.

Immediately afterward, dense, acrid smoke billowed from beneath the front passenger seat. The smoke had a distinct electrical smell and was thick enough that, for several seconds, I thought there might be a fire.

Thankfully, that was not the case. After opening the window, the smoke quickly cleared.

The truck continued to operate normally—no alerts or other abnormalities.

Since there isn't much electrical equipment under the front passenger seat aside from the rear- mounted DC power supply providing 12-volt DC for the cabin, I suspected I might have blown a capacitor in that supply. Alternatively, the nearby VHF/UHF ham radio could have been involved.

When I pulled over about five minutes later, I was surprised to find all the equipment looked fine. I sent a brief message to the local 2m repeater—the transceiver was transmitting and receiving as expected, similar to the refrigerator in the back, which is powered by the same 12V DC supply.

The 30-minute drive home went smoothly. After parking, I entered Service Mode. The event occurred on 7/5/26 at about 12:25 pm. There was a VCLEFT _ a 096 _ HVBATTCON _ MIA error, but its timestamp was roughly 35 minutes before the incident.

Its icon suggested an airbag issue, if any, although most Service Mode alerts are transient or false alarms. I suspected that the event was related to the front passenger restraint system, even though the _a 096 error appeared before the loud noise and smoke. It's possible this error was a precursor to the incident.

After plugging in, the truck resumed its usual Level 2 charging without issue.”

Jeff says he continued to investigate the cause of the loud bang and the smoke after stopping.

He mentions he looked under the front seat and was surprised to find many electrical components, but did not see any scorch marks.

He writes…

“This time, though, I peered under the front of the front passenger seat (looking for scorch marks or other evidence) and found that there are, indeed, a number of electrical components under that seat.”

Unable to identify the issue, Jeff says he booked a service appointment at Tesla Service; however, he was told there are no open slots for 3 weeks.

He continues to write…

“I submitted a service ticket. But it's three weeks away.”

Without a service appointment anytime soon, Jeff says he is planning to keep driving his Cybertruck.

He writes…

“I'm still inclined to think this is a passive restraint system issue. But we'll see. I'm going to take the truck out today for the first time since the event, and we'll see if anything blows up.

Fun times!”

Given that a dense smoke filled the cabin and the smell of burning electrical wire, that is definitely a strange decision. 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: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says He Was Grateful His Truck Was Bulletproof After a Neighborhood Party Turned Chaotic – He Adds, “The Truck Became a Refuge for a Toddler & an Infant”

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.