“Make a left turn,” the Global Positioning System instructs. You check your blindspot and out of every vehicle that could be blocking your view, it is a metal origami-shaped car: a Cybertruck. The Tesla Cybertruck, produced by Elon Musk, creates a mix of fascination and skepticism as it assures delivery in both toughness and eco-friendliness. However, its early production models have revealed various issues, fueling doubtfulness in Tesla’s bold promises.

To begin, this ridiculous invention has become a huge distraction on the road. Who knew a Cybertruck at the traffic light would cause everyone’s head to turn? This distraction leads to people shifting their focus to the car rather than the road leading to possible accidents. This vehicle should at least be pleasant looking considering its high cost.

While this is an obvious disadvantage of the vehicle, there are issues that even Cybertruck owners themselves must deal with including struggles of getting stuck at max speed due to a loose accelerator pedal. Tesla has received numerous amounts of lawsuits because of the many accidents that have occurred. In response, Tesla recalled approximately over 4,000 Cybertrucks all due to the malfunction on the acceleration pedal, furthering doubt in the control of the company and the Cybertruck’s reliability.

“Aesthetically, the Cybertruck is a mess. I feel like it’s too ugly and huge. Considering how I am chronically online, I would scroll on X and see how Elon Musk claimed that Tesla would produce a cheaper electronic car by 2025. Now, I feel like that may have just been a setup to raise Tesla’s stock price which ended up working. But more importantly, the functionality issues I’ve read about make me think this is less than an electronic vehicle and more of a giant con,” sophomore Lea Perez said.

Along with these mounting concerns comes another serious issue. In April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that the Tesla Autopilot feature was at fault in 13 fatal car crashes, involving one death and many severe injuries. These safety concerns tend to raise many significant questions about whether you could be safe with a Cybertruck nearby.

“In my opinion, it practicality is no better than its metal and clunky design. Opinions can differ but my neighbor has one of these in their driveway, and I think it’s corny. I feel like when rich people display these types of cars it isn’t cute nor it makes you any better than somebody else. It looks ridiculous,” sophomore Thalia Miller said.

Considering the fact that the Cybertruck costs between $80,240-$100,240, it is only natural that owners expect it to be reliable and efficient, and yet many Cybertruck owners have reported that the truck has “rust on the supposedly stainless-steel” body of the vehicle. Tesla responded that it was not rust but rather removable iron debris. Owners should not have worry about manually removing the so-called iron debris, for the truck’s high price.

“Elon Musk is a man who just happens to have too much money. With all that money, he makes expensive toys for other rich people to buy. I feel like when people say ‘The rich get richer’, we can truly see this saying being put into action with an example of Elon Musk,”  sophomore Antonella Oliviera said.

Musk has even gone so far as to declare that the Cybertruck contains an exoskeleton that makes the car indestructible. Keeping the indestructibility in mind, Musk also claimed that the truck windows are bulletproof. To demonstrate, the design leader threw a sledgehammer and a steel ball into the windows. Contradicting both claims, the windows shattered.

Adding on to the fault of Musk’s promises, the Cybertruck is supposedly the best for driving off-road. However, there are multiple videos of Cybertrucks getting stuck in multiple terrains such as dirt, sand and snow. Now, people are starting to doubt whether these trucks are truly reliable. The great gap between the promises made and the reality is raising concerns for critics.

“I would have Cybertruck reviews on my [TikTok] for you page and all of them would say how aside from the interior, its exterior is ugly and non-reliable. Especially the rusting part, I’ve seen a couple of videos that [Cybertruck] owners posted and they would complain about the truck rusting so quickly and how they manually have to clean it. In my opinion, nobody should have to worry about their car looking orange in some places,” sophomore Emily Garcell said.

The Cybertruck’s unique and unpleasant-looking design has become a great source of distraction, causing multiple safety concerns on the road. Problems like loose accelerator pedals, faulty windows and unreliable off-road performances overshadow the initial promises that Musk has made which contributes to its growing skepticism. For the high cost, it should offer better reliability and fewer issues, questioning whether the Cybertruck is really worth your money.