A Viral Cybertruck Hoax Got So Big, Tesla Had to Break Its Silence
The incident highlights the Cybertruck's strange and precarious position. It's a vehicle so polarizing and so relentlessly hyped by its creator that it has become a magnet for controversy and, now, viral hoaxes.
The drama started on Sunday when a user named 'bighuey313' posted a frantic video on Instagram from the driver's seat of his supposedly stranded Cybertruck.
'Wtf I'm in the middle of traffic, bro,' the user says, panning his camera over a dashboard screen displaying an alarming message: 'Tesla Cybertruck De-Activated. Critical Issue Detected | Contact Customer Service, Comply with Cease & Desist to Re-Activate.'
'Everything is locked. Cybertruck deactivated,' he continues. 'I can't move the car, bro, I'm stranded as f**k.'
In a follow-up post, the user shared a photo of a supposed 'cease and desist' letter from Tesla, claiming the company was taking legal action against him for writing a song titled 'Cybertruck.' The implication was terrifying: Tesla had remotely disabled his vehicle over a minor legal dispute.
He also claims Tesla sent him a cease and desist letter because he made a song titled Cybertruck or something like that.
That's why the error message in the video mentions a cease and desist. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1zdtGApEfj
— Jeremy Judkins (@jeremyjudkins_) August 11, 2025The video exploded across every major social platform. But as it spread, eagle-eyed users began pointing out inconsistencies, noting that the signature on the letter was from a Tesla lawyer who no longer used that title.
The rumor became so damaging that on Monday, Tesla's official account on X posted a rare, direct denial.
'This is fake – that's not our screen,' Tesla wrote. 'Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely.'
This is fake – that's not our screen.
Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely. https://t.co/QFOLG74AJI
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 11, 2025The fact that Tesla had to respond at all speaks to the Cybertruck's troubled reputation. As Gizmodo has previously reported, the sci-fi pickup has been a commercial bust. Its new vehicle sales plunged by over 50% in the second quarter, and its resale value has crashed by more than 30% in the used car market.
This reality is a stark contrast to the relentless hype from Musk, who has called the truck 'apocalypse-level safe' and 'built bullet tough.' This combination of high-profile hype and real-world failure has made the Cybertruck a perfect target. People are primed to believe the worst about it, and the idea of a powerful, faceless corporation remotely disabling a customer's vehicle taps into the deepest fears of EV skeptics.
For Tesla, the stakes were too high to ignore. While the recent, last-minute rush for expiring EV tax credits has given the Cybertruck a temporary sales pulse, its long-term viability is still in question. A viral rumor about the company having a remote 'kill switch' is the last thing a struggling brand needs. The entire saga shows that the Cybertruck is a cultural lightning rod, and Tesla will be forced to keep putting out the fires it inevitably creates.
For a truck that's already struggling to win over buyers — and is increasingly viewed as a commercial flop — even a fake viral story can further erode its image.
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