Used Tesla Cybertruck Wheel-Stud Recall (26V255000): What to Verify by VIN Before Buying

Key facts

• Campaign: NHTSA 26V255000 (short form 26V255 on the Part 573 cover); Tesla internal recall SB-26-33-003.
• Vehicles: 173 Tesla Cybertrucks potentially involved; Tesla estimates 5% have the defect.
• Scope: Model years 2024-2026, built March 21, 2024-November 25, 2025, equipped with 18-inch steel wheels in production (from August 28, 2025) or in service.
• Trim: The 18-inch steel wheel was offered only on the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Cybertruck; factory RWD production with these wheels ran only August 28-November 25, 2025.
• Defect: Road perturbations and cornering can strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, forming cracks; if cracking propagates, the wheel stud could separate from the hub.
• Risk: Wheel stud separation may affect vehicle controllability, increasing collision risk. No Do Not Drive or Park Outside advisory was issued.
• Warning signs: Initial cracking can cause cabin vibration and audible noise; the lone field case (Oct 28, 2025) reported braking pulsations.
• Remedy: Tesla replaces the front and rear brake rotors, hubs, and lug nuts with redesigned parts at no charge.
• Owner notification: Letters scheduled to mail June 20, 2026 (phased recall); no interim notice.
• Record: No crashes, injuries, or deaths reported; 3 possibly-related warranty claims as of April 14, 2026.

What is recall 26V255000 on the Tesla Cybertruck?

Recall 26V255000 is a voluntary safety recall of 173 Tesla Cybertrucks equipped with the 18-inch steel wheel. Tesla's own number for it is SB-26-33-003. According to the NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report, "higher severity road perturbations and cornering may strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, causing cracks to form. If cracking propagates with continued use and strain, the wheel stud could eventually separate from the wheel hub." A separated stud "may affect vehicle controllability, increasing the risk of a collision."

The crack originates in the brake rotor, around the hole the wheel stud passes through; propagation is what can ultimately free a stud from the hub. Tesla decided to recall on April 14, 2026, "out of an abundance of caution," and submitted the Part 573 on April 27, 2026. As of the recall decision, there were no collisions, fatalities, or injuries, and 3 warranty claims that may be related. The short form "26V255" appears on the Part 573 cover; "26V255000" is the zero-padded ID used in NHTSA's online lookup.

Which Cybertrucks are affected (and which aren't)?

The recall is defined by the wheel, not a marketing trim name. It covers 2024-2026 Cybertrucks built between March 21, 2024 and November 25, 2025 that carry the factory 18-inch steel wheel, "either in production (beginning August 28, 2025) or in service." That 18-inch steel wheel was offered only on the short-lived rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Cybertruck. Trucks on 20-inch wheels - the AWD and Cyberbeast - are not in scope.

The build window starts March 21, 2024 even though factory installation of the 18-inch steel wheel did not begin until August 28, 2025. The reason: some older trucks qualify by having the 18-inch steel wheels or affected rotor-hub-lug hardware installed in service. No source quantifies how many older trucks that captures; it is an inference from the Part 573 wording. The Part 573 itself does not name a trim, so treat the affected configuration as the RWD entry model defined by its wheel rather than asserting one marketing label.

What are the warning signs the brake rotor is cracking?

There is advance warning. The Part 573 states that "initial cracking in the rotor may result in vehicle vibrations and noise that are detectable and audible from inside the cabin." The single field occurrence to date, logged October 28, 2025, was a customer reporting braking pulsations; inspection found cracks on the brake rotor faces.

Trade coverage adds that owners should use extra caution in sharp cornering at speed and on rough or severely imperfect road surfaces until the truck is repaired. If you are test-driving a used RWD Cybertruck on the 18-inch steel wheels, treat new vibration, cabin noise, or braking pulsation as a reason to stop and have Tesla inspect the rotors before purchase.

Is it safe to drive, and when does Tesla fix it?

Tesla did not issue a Do Not Drive or Park Outside advisory for this recall - those boxes are unchecked in the Part 573. The defect is progressive, with cabin vibration and noise as detectable early signals, but a separated stud can affect controllability, so the prudent course is to get the free repair promptly and drive cautiously in the meantime.

The remedy, at no charge, replaces the front and rear brake rotors, the wheel hubs, and the lug nuts with new parts. The redesigned parts use "more durable geometry that increases hub, rotor, and wheel contact area for reduced stress under operational loads," and the new lug nuts have a higher-friction coating validated to improve torque retention. Owner notification letters are scheduled to mail June 20, 2026; this is a phased recall with no interim owner notice. Dealers and stores were notified on or shortly after April 24, 2026.

I'm buying before June 20 - am I still covered?

Yes. The recall and its free remedy attach to the VIN, not the original owner. If you buy one of these trucks before the June 20, 2026 letters go out, it remains eligible, and the rotor/hub/lug-nut replacement is performed free regardless of how many owners it has had. Confirm the recall's open status yourself at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Tesla's customer line, 1-877-798-3752 (reference internal SB-26-33-003), rather than relying on the seller's word.

How to check this Cybertruck by VIN before buying

Start with NHTSA's free recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls - enter the 17-character VIN and it returns whether campaign 26V255000 applies and whether it is open. Tesla's owner support page and customer line (1-877-798-3752) can confirm remedy completion for a specific truck. The Part 573 left the "date when VIN will be searchable" field blank in the extracted report, so if a VIN does not return results yet, re-check the NHTSA tool.

Because only 173 of these trucks exist, history matters as much as the recall flag. A Zilocar VIN check is a useful complement to the authoritative tools: alongside recall presence, it surfaces the truck's accident and damage records (location, type, severity, airbag deployment), an odometer-rollback check, theft (NICB) and junk/salvage-auction records, ownership history, and sales-listing history (past and current listings, prices, mileage, days-on-market). On a vehicle whose defect involves wheels, hubs, and brake rotors, prior wheel or suspension damage is directly relevant - and listing history is the strongest way to spot a fast flip on one of just 173 RWD trucks.

What a VIN check can and can't tell you here

A VIN check screens for the recall's presence and reveals the truck's history; it cannot prove the physical fix was performed. Confirm remedy completion with Tesla or NHTSA, and confirm the actual wheel and replaced hardware in person.

This is a voluntary recall, not an open investigation, so there is no PE/EA to track. The decisive step before money changes hands is to confirm with Tesla (1-877-798-3752, SB-26-33-003) or the NHTSA VIN tool whether the rotors, hubs, and lug nuts have been replaced, and to verify in person that the truck wears the 18-inch steel wheels the recall describes.

Before you buy a used Cybertruck

A Zilocar VIN check screens a used Cybertruck for recall presence and surfaces its accident and airbag-deployment records, salvage and junk-auction history, odometer-rollback check, theft records, ownership history, sales-listing history, specs, NHTSA and IIHS ratings, and a market valuation - the context that matters most on one of only 173 RWD trucks. It does not confirm a recall was remedied or show firmware status, so pair it with NHTSA's VIN tool and a call to Tesla to verify the rotor/hub/lug-nut repair before you buy.

Sources

• NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report - 26V255 (Tesla, Inc.), submitted Apr 27, 2026
• NHTSA recall lookup - campaign 26V255000
• Tesla owner support - recalls (customer line 1-877-798-3752; internal SB-26-33-003)
• Kelley Blue Book - Tesla recalls Cybertruck because wheels may fall off
• Fox Business - Tesla recalls Cybertrucks over fears wheels could fall off
• Carscoops - Tesla recalling all 173 RWD Cybertrucks for wheels that can fall off
• Destination Charged - 18-inch steel wheel Cybertrucks recalled (26V255000)

Last verified: 2026-06-13.