An incident at Grapevine Lake, Texas, led to the arrest of a Tesla Cybertruck owner after the electric pickup was intentionally driven into the water and became submerged. This event marks the latest in a growing series of cases where Cybertruck owners, seemingly influenced by Elon Musk's previous statements regarding the vehicle's water-fording capabilities, have faced consequences for misusing the feature.

The Grapevine Police Department reported the incident on social media on 19/5. Authorities, including police and fire services, were dispatched to Katie’s Woods Park marina at Grapevine Lake on the evening of 18/5, responding to reports of a Tesla Cybertruck floating on the water. The driver informed officers that he deliberately operated the Cybertruck into the lake to utilize its wade mode. However, the vehicle sustained damage and became submerged, prompting the occupants to abandon the electric pickup. A river rescue team was subsequently called to retrieve the vehicle from the lake.

The driver was arrested and now faces multiple charges. These include operating a vehicle in a prohibited area of the park and lake, not possessing valid boat registration, and violating various water safety equipment regulations. The individual remains in custody following the incident.

The recurring problem stems from Cybertruck owners trusting Elon Musk's past assertions about the vehicle's ability to navigate water. In 2022, prior to the Cybertruck entering production, Musk famously claimed the vehicle would be robust enough to function as a boat for short periods, capable of crossing rivers, lakes, and even calm seas. "The Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve as a boat for short periods, allowing it to cross rivers, lakes, and even not-too-choppy seas", Musk posted on his social media account on 29/9/2022. He further stated that the vehicle's design goal was to traverse the 360-meter stretch of water between SpaceX's Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas.

However, these ambitious claims have not materialized. The Cybertruck's actual wade mode is designed to pressurize the battery pack and slightly raise the vehicle's height, supporting a maximum wading depth of approximately 812 mm from the bottom of the tires. This feature is intended for crossing shallow streams, not for navigating deep bodies of water like lakes.

This incident at Grapevine Lake is not isolated. In 2025, a Cybertruck in Truckee, California, became mired after its owner activated wade mode and drove it into water. California police assisted in the recovery, with an officer memorably commenting that "wade mode is not submarine mode". Earlier, another Tesla Cybertruck sank at Ventura Harbor, California, while attempting to launch a jet ski, requiring intervention from the fire department, harbor police, and coast guard. Furthermore, a Cybertruck imported into Europe became stranded in a lake in Slovakia after its owner tried to test the same mode, highlighting a global pattern of similar misadventures.

By My Anh, citing Electrek