A malfunctioning Tesla Cybertruck is currently stranded on the Rubicon Trail.

      @cybertruckco via Instagram

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      While the Rubicon Trail in California is one of the country’s most popular off-roading routes, it poses significant challenges. This 22-mile stretch through the Sierra Nevada serves as a proving ground for manufacturers eager to demonstrate the toughness of their vehicles. Tesla has yet to attempt this trail with the Cybertruck, but one owner tried it last week, with results that many might have expected. The vehicle has been stuck on Cadillac Hill since Friday, and a tip I received indicated that it remains there as of today.

      This specific Tesla pickup, modified by Cybertruck Co., is one of the more serious off-road versions I’ve seen. The photos show it equipped with upgraded front and rear bumpers, a 12,000-pound winch, rock sliders, and all the overland camping gear you would anticipate. However, it still falls short of being a rock-crawling vehicle, and we’ve seen stock Cybertrucks struggle with even simple obstacles.

      Images of the damaged Cybertruck quickly circulated in local Facebook groups. Several drivers who witnessed it commented on various posts, so I reached out to a few for additional details. “It was at the staging area when our group started the trail,” one individual shared with me. This occurred at Loon Lake on Monday, August 4, around 9 or 10 a.m. local time. “Our group was experienced and diverse in terms of vehicles, including a custom-built all-electric buggy.”

      “When one of the Samurais in our group decided to end the day around Arnold’s Rock on the first day, the Cybertruck team, accompanied by a Jeep JL Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon acting as a recovery and generator vehicle, was struggling with mild obstacles, obstructing the trail,” they continued. “Luckily, it wasn’t a busy weekend. The Cybertruck team mentioned they brought six tie rods but only had two left by the time they reached us at Arnold’s Rock. It seems they had already replaced at least one steering rack as well.”

      Here’s the Tesla and Jeep support vehicle at Arnold’s Rock, not even halfway through the Rubicon Trail. Dave Ballman

      Lunch break is over and we’re back on the trail. If anyone has friends willing to ride out to Rubicon Springs to bring us more inner tie rods, please contact us!— CYBERTRUCKco (@CYBERTRUCKco) August 5, 2025

      By Wednesday, the vehicle was parked at Rubicon Springs with a dangerously low battery. I heard they used two generators at a nearby campground, but could only charge it to 7% this way. Somehow, they managed to charge it sufficiently to try the trail again.

      Jason Maloney, a Southern California off-roader on his first Rubicon trip, told me he saw the Cybertruck in disrepair on Friday at around 3 p.m. “We got out to inspect the bumper and the bottom,” he recounted. “It was winched off the trail to let others pass at the top of Cadillac Hill.”

      Maloney stated it “sustained significant front-end damage to the bumper” and noted that it “looked like the supporting structure was torn off on the driver’s side.”

      Every photo I've seen of the Tesla on the trail captures it in this location. Fortunately, it’s not in an extremely inconvenient spot for other drivers. However, I can only imagine how those trying to recover it feel, as it’s far from a comfortable workshop or even a Pep Boys parking lot.

      @Shtbox_Marauder on Instagram

      Finally, I spoke with another person who passed the Cybertruck around 2 p.m. on Saturday. They were in touch with another group that was a day behind them on the Rubicon, and when they finished the trail on Monday morning around 11 a.m., the Tesla was still there. A team was reportedly replacing the steering rack.

      It’s essential to highlight that the Tesla Cybertruck operates with a steer-by-wire system, meaning conventional trail repairs won’t suffice to get it moving again. I’m uncertain how they’ll manage a repair in such circumstances, which is a common concern among those who criticize the attempt in the first place.

      “It consumed so much fuel between the Jeep towing it and the generators it borrowed from the [Rubicon Springs campground] caretakers,” noted @the_unsinkable_craigory on Instagram, who claims to have observed the Tesla's struggles. “This was a wildly irresponsible trail run. That shouldn't be out there.”

      Maloney told me he has wheeled alongside this Cybertruck before on a Smuggler’s Run. He mentioned that it performed well during that trip, although he also noted the owner got it stuck on the Sidewinder trail in San Diego. There’s a YouTube video documenting that incident here:

      I have reached out to Cyber