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Renowned YouTuber JerryRigEverything documented the Tesla Gigacasting repair process for his Cybertruck after its tow hitch failed during a tongue weight durability test. In the test, an excavator applied downward force to the hitch, causing it to snap at 10 times the rated static tongue weight capacity.
I want to commend JerryRigEverything for his outstanding work in detailing the repair procedures, educating the public and providing valuable insights. Without further ado, let’s dive into the repair process.
The Gigacasting features molded guide lines that allow technicians to cut and replace specific sections without removing critical components like the drive motor or battery. This modular approach minimizes downtime and keeps repair bills in check.
For rear-end collisions, this means only the damaged portion needs to be addressed, saving significant time and labor costs.
For side impacts, a central guide line enables the casting to be split in half. Technicians can replace just one side of the casting.
The molded guide lines serve as reference points for cutting, but they’re not rigid requirements. 3 millimeters of tolerance, provide technicians with flexibility when aligning and attaching replacement parts. This small buffer makes the repair process more forgiving, ensuring a precise fit without excessive complexity.
Once the damaged section is cut away, the repair process is straightforward. Technicians use a portable belt sander with coarse sandpaper to smooth the cut edges, preparing the surface for the new part. A specially designed rail section, tailored for these repairs, is then installed. This replacement piece snaps into place with minimal effort.
To bond the replacement parts, technicians use a high strength structural adhesive, a crash durable epoxy that rivals traditional welding. Applied evenly across the Gigacasting and the new part, this adhesive boasts a tensile strength exceeding 3,000 pounds per square inch.
Unlike spot welds or rivets, which connect at discrete points, the adhesive covers a larger surface area, often resulting in a stronger bond.
Rivets play a supporting role, holding the parts in place while the two-part epoxy cures. The adhesive remains workable for about 90 minutes before it begins to set, reaching full strength within 24 hours.
The adhesive contains microscopic, non-compressible glass beads. These tiny beads prevent technicians from over-clamping and squeezing out too much glue, ensuring a consistent bond thickness and a near-foolproof process.
After bonding the replacement rail section, the adhesive is left to cure for 24 hours. Technicians then install components like the receiver hitch, which bolts directly to the Gigacasting and integrates with the bumper’s energy absorbers.
Not every collision requires cutting into the Gigacasting. For minor fender benders, the vehicle’s rear structure includes a bolted-on aluminum energy absorber. Designed with ripples to dissipate impact energy, this component is part of the rear crumple zone and can be replaced easily.
For small impacts, swapping out this piece is often enough to get the vehicle back on the road. In cases of more severe damage, technicians can section the Gigacasting as described, ensuring flexibility for a range of repair scenarios.
The repair was completed in under a week at the cost of $13,994, including Utah state tax. Note the price included the cost of repairing and replacing parts of the 48V system.
One of the most important aspects of this repair system is its transparency. Tesla provides detailed repair guides publicly on their website, making the process accessible to technicians and repair shops, any owner can buy replacement parts online.
Tesla Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill also made a comment about this video:
Zack's repair was a perfect demonstration of the work the team put in hand in hand with service to consider repairability in the design.
Crashes happen and lowering the cost of repair lowers the cost of insurance, and improves overall cost of ownership. Couple that with low maintenance costs and low $/mi and it's really hard to make an argument to buy anything else.
I'm also really happy to see the highlight on documentation and transparency of Tesla service.
There is so much information both on Tesla's website as well as on the vehicle's UI to empower customers to learn about their vehicle and even repair it themselves if they want.
Tesla has always had the ethos of open patents to accelerate EV technology instead of building a moat and the service team is equally trailblazing the right to repair movement building comprehensive documentation and free tools to make new tech more approachable.
He also addressed why there is such a big difference in amount of structural adhesive applied between the production version and the repair process:
Production also has multiple spot welds which are not present on the repair, plus in production the adhesive is dispensed by robots so it's consistent to the mL.
In a field repair we need to be conservative since there are no giant robot arms ensuring consistency.
Independent study:
Ford confirms Gigacasting repairability concerns are unfounded:
