Will Tesla's next-gen vehicles use stainless steel like the Cybertruck?
Tesla
Tesla's third-generation platform, expected to include a smaller car and a van, may have only one color option: stainless steel. Twitter user @MatthewDR shared a thread about his meeting with Tesla executive Tom Zhu at Investor Day. Although Zhu did not confirm the rumor, he hinted at a possible reason for the decision.
According to Matthew Donegan-Ryan, a self-proclaimed Cybertruck Insider and 13-time Tesla owner, Zhu evaded the question about whether the Gen 3 cars would be painted or stainless steel. Zhu "smirked and said, 'paint is expensive,'" as reported by @MatthewDR on Twitter.
Production Efficiency
Tesla is known for continuously seeking ways to improve production efficiency, and eliminating paint from the process would be a significant step in that direction. Furthermore, the company has invested considerable time and resources into developing the stainless-steel finish for the Cybertruck, which may be leveraged for other production areas.
Tesla has Done the Work Already
Tesla's Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen has discussed different color options for the Cybertruck, stating that "the stainless is incredibly hard," and that "anytime you put something softer like a clear coat or a painted finish on the material, it just then... basically takes away from the idea of putting the hardest thing on the outer surface." He also mentioned that Tesla has a process to remove scratches and maintain the basic finish.
Tesla's website describes the exterior of the Cybertruck as a "shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection," featuring an almost impenetrable exoskeleton and components designed for superior strength and endurance. The monochrome exoskeleton provides maximum protection to passengers and helps eliminate dents, damage, and long-term corrosion.
The possibility of using only stainless steel as the color option for Tesla's third-generation vehicles makes sense, given the company's focus on efficiency, durability, and passenger protection. While it has not been officially confirmed, Tesla's reputation for innovation and sustainability suggests that this decision could be in the works.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for all Cybertrucks built to date, for an issue with the Cant Rail - the upper trim piece on the sides of the vehicle that sits above the window glass. This is a pretty big deal that it reveals some key information - in fact, it is the Cybertruck’s first full-blown recall that will impact all vehicles.
The Issue
The Cant Rail, being a thin piece of metal attached to a narrow portion of the vehicle, is currently held down by a single bolt and automotive-grade adhesives. Tesla has noted that the adhesives are becoming brittle due to heat and cold cycles over time, resulting in some vehicles having the trim pieces either break or fall off.
This has been an ongoing issue with the Cybertruck - but was previously considered resolved as the issue mostly went away as Tesla improved their adhesive application.
As of March 20th, Tesla issued a voluntary recall to address the problem after conducting an engineering survey to determine a fix.
Tesla Reveals Number of Cybertrucks Sold
Tesla doesn’t break out Cybertruck sales on their earnings report, instead lumping it into an “Other Models” category that includes Model S, Model X, and Semi sales in addition to the Cybertruck. Since Tesla needs to reveal how many Cybertrucks are affected by this issue, this is our first official glimpse into how many Cybertrucks Tesla has sold.
The recall shows that Tesla has sold 46,096 Cybertrucks to date, which is the number of vehicles recalled. An estimated 1% of vehicles (approximately 460) have the defect, and Tesla has had 151 warranty claims to date in relation to the Cant Rail issue, which have already been remedied. As usual, no fatalities, collisions, or other injuries are related to this issue have been noted.
You can review the recall notice here if you’re interested.
The Fix
The fix to this issue is to fully replace the Cant Rail. That means that Tesla will be removing the existing Cant Rail from the vehicle - which is attached with adhesives - and then replacing it with a new part that uses a new structural adhesive that will not face environmental embrittlement, alongside being reinforced with a nut that will clamp the panel to the vehicle’s structure. Tesla will also weld the panel with an interior stud, solidifying the whole assembly.
Overall, it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a quick and easy fix, but it will be a very solid fix that should make sure that no more of these trim pieces fly off.
Wraps and Coatings
Those who have wrapped, coated, or otherwise treated the surface of their Cybertrucks will be in for a bit of a problem with this particular recall. The existing Cant Rail will be entirely removed from the vehicle, and replaced with a new piece, as mentioned above.
Because of this, the old Cant Rail exterior will no longer be on your vehicle - which includes your wrap or coating. When you go in for this recall, you will need to get the Cant Rails on your vehicle re-wrapped or re-coated, at your own expense.
Tesla is not providing reimbursement at this time for wraps or coatings done by third parties. If Tesla has installed your wrap due to a wrap promotion or through the in-house Tesla Wrap Program, you’ll want to confirm with your local service department if they can source and replace the wrap.
At this time, there’s been no official guidance from Tesla on in-house wraps, but we expect that because this is a recall and the wrap is a service from Tesla. Hopefully, we’ll hear something officially soon.
Following the recent spate of misguided violence against Tesla - which has targetted both private owners, as well as Tesla’s showrooms, service centers, and Supercharger sites, owners have been requesting Tesla to improve Sentry Mode and enable the B-pillar cameras. Tesla is now also looking to Sentry Mode to help protect their showrooms and service centers.
Service Mode Sentry Mode
In response to violence being directed at customer vehicles awaiting repairs at collision centers or awaiting delivery at showrooms, Tesla will now enable Sentry Mode on any vehicles that are parked at a Tesla service or Tesla collision location. They will also enable Sentry Mode on vehicles that are being prepared for delivery or are in delivery holding lots.
This change was announced by Elon Musk, following requests from many owners and followers on X for improvements to Sentry Mode following increased Tesla-focused vandalism.
This could put some additional stress on Tesla employees since Sentry Mode uses additional energy when active, meaning that employees will be required to plug in each vehicle about once per week, based on the amount of energy Sentry Mode uses. Tesla is still planning on improving the power efficiency of Sentry Mode in a future update.
While enabling Sentry Mode won’t directly prevent vandalism, such as vehicles honking or playing music when a threat is detected by Sentry Mode, this could help reduce the continued violence by making it easier for Tesla and Tesla owners to get video footage of the vandals.
By doing so, Tesla can ensure that they’re able to press charges against vandals, which will help to dissuade this misguided behavior. Hopefully, just the news that these cars are always recording - even when parked and awaiting repair or delivery - will give these would-be vandals a second thought before committing a crime.
While Elon didn’t mention whether this change would be limited to the United States, we expect that, at the very minimum, it will also include Canada, where 80 cars were recently damaged by vandals overnight at a service center while awaiting repairs. Ideally, this change will be rolled out globally and will help improve security at Tesla’s locations throughout the world.
![Tesla Updates Energy App in Update 2025.8.3: Adds Reset and Distance Filter [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/2025/updated_energy_app.jpg/979943fb17df5ae4e9fa668b8cd61fca/updated_energy_app.jpg)
