Crack in gigacast panel from factory

[CyberMaxi]

Love the cybertruck so far but wanted to share an issue that is concerning. I was examining the suspension and noticed a small crack in the gigacast piece located behind the front/driverside wheel. It almost looks like a chip in a windshield. I confirmed the crack goes clear to the other side. It definitely came this way from the factory since it was coated with paint. I was worried that the crack could spread with repeated stresses from normal driving, similar to the way a crack might spread in a glass windshield. I took the cybertruck to Tesla New Orleans and it's been there since 6/26. The repair has taken a long time to compete. Apparently their plan is to bond a piece of metal on the inside and outside with some sort of panel bonder. I hope this fixes the issue. I have been without the vehicle for over 3 weeks and the estimated completion is 7/31. I am worried about how this issue might affect resale value. Being without the vehicle has been difficult, especially with it being financed. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appeciated. It might be a good idea to check your gigacast components for any defects. Other than that the truck is amazing.

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[RonM]

Looks like a case of bad flow during casting!

 

[Obie_fl]

That is a bit concerning did they at least give you a loaner?

 

[Woodrick]

Looks like a case of bad flow during casting!

I agree, just a casting problem. It doesn't appear to be a crack per se, just missing the poured metal.

 

[Stinky10r]

These gap tolerances are too much for me to handle.

 

[bigmoose70]

Honestly IMO they need to give you a new casting without defects. This is a safety concern and their solution doesn’t actually fix anything.

This should have never made it into customer hands.

 

[Mini2nut]

Demand an exchange. A hole in a structural Giga casting is unacceptable.

 

[Woodrick]

Why do yall think that a hole is going to significantly impact the casting's safety and/or performance?
Look at the many other steel pieces on the truck, and most all of them have holes in them to reduce the weight and amount of material needed.

 

[TickTock]

 

[TickTock]

Why do yall think that a hole is going to significantly impact the casting's safety and/or performance?
Look at the many other steel pieces on the truck, and most all of them have holes in them to reduce the weight and amount of material needed.

There is a big difference between defects and engineered openings. Also, that is a crack right next to a stress riser so it is very likely to propagate.

 

[Stinky10r]

Why do yall think that a hole is going to significantly impact the casting's safety and/or performance?
Look at the many other steel pieces on the truck, and most all of them have holes in them to reduce the weight and amount of material needed.

Uhhh..

 

[Stinky10r]

I don't mind speed holes in the rear bumper. But structurally, naaaaaah.

 

[CyberGus]

Still better than most Boeing parts

 

[RickJ19Zeta8]

The repair has taken a long time to compete. Apparently their plan is to bond a piece of metal on the inside and outside with some sort of panel bonder. I hope this fixes the issue.

Yes, this is an appropriate repair for this type of cold flow defect in a non-stressed area of the diecasting. They will be using an aluminum doubler applied with structural adhesive, which is stronger and a better option than welding which will wreck the material temper. While the cold flow is not ideal, the geometry of the part is designed so that if it does happen..... it occurs in spots like that which have extremely low stress. The big structural ribs around that surface carry the majority of the load.

Tesla's diecasting alloy for these parts is extremely close to AA368 which is a high silicon, low copper diecasting specific alloy that has very good fatigue, low notch sensitivity, high toughness, and very good corrosion resistance /low corrosion stress cracking. While thats not a crack..... yet..... it likely would eventually become one. But it would likely not propagate very fast, nor far even without the fix. The doubler they are applying will prevent that from occurring.

I would not be concerned with / without the fix. These castings can be fixed even after they've been cracked in a crash. To a limit of course.

I use this alloy in a lot of highly stressed parts, with similar energy absorption and fatigue requirements. Tesla knows what they're doing here and based on your delay, that fix was checked by engineering / analysis review. Because that's what I would do.

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