New Jersey Cybertruck causes traffic jam because "it can't go into reverse"

A New Jersey man roasted a Cybertruck driver stuck on highway 287 "because he couldn't back up." TikTok user @GrumpyOrca, who owns a Cybertruck himself, uploaded a video of the vehicle stuck in a ditch on the side of the road, which he recorded from the opposite side of the highway.

Two NJ state troopers are seen standing on the highway beneath light rain. One is standing in front of a white patrol SUV with flashing lights, holding up a stream of cars idling on the pavement until they're allowed to pass through. The other is speaking to the driver of the Tesla, who remains in the stationary vehicle.

Closer inspection of the Cybertruck reveals that the EV's front bumper is pressed up against a guard rail. According to Grumpy Orca, the "bent bumper" of the electric pick up "shut down" the highway, as the driver was unable to reverse due to the incident.

A myriad of users chimed in with jokes regarding the electric car's predicament. "He never bought the reverse package," one quipped. Another wrote: "The fridge has crashed." Someone else remarked: "Did he forget to put it in car wash mode?"

Others said that they were baffled by the measures taken to secure the highway following the accident. "I'm trying to figure out why a 3 lane highway is shut down completely for one vehicle in the median," one wrote.

A different user in the comments section opted to share their unfiltered opinions on Tesla's Cybertruck. "First off, it's not a truck, it's a glorified ugly box. All the money in the world wouldn't make me want to drive one. I'll stick with my 99 TJ," they penned.

Others blamed Tesla's self-driving functionality for the mishap, but there were others who came to the Cybertruck's defense. "Oh wow, that's never happened to a vehicle before!" one sarcastically wrote. Another echoed this sentiment, writing: "People pretending that trucks never got stuck before the Cybertruck," they said.

GrumpyOrca revealed in a reply to the aforementioned viewer that he also owned the car, but definitely doesn't like driving it outside in the rain. "We have both F250 and CyberBeast in driveway. Let me tell you, F250 if my go to rig in inclement weather. Tesla steering wheel alone is cringe."

Tesla has installed electric, steer-by-wire technology in its Cybertrucks, meaning that there is no physical yoke or mechanical structure to manually move the axles with the steering wheels. Instead, electric motors receive signals from the steering wheel that maneuvers the car.

One of the benefits of such a system is that driving the truck is fairly easy and it allows for Tesla's driving systems to adjust steering feedback at variable speeds. However, as is often the case with technology — adding more complicated parts to a device can often result in more potential problems.

When calibrated properly, Tesla's steer-by-wire system in the Cybertruck is purportedly a dream to drive. MotorTrend called it one of the best pieces of automotive tech in 2025. However, some folks have demonstrated, in real-time, where problems can occur with this system.

While it can make steering wheels easier to turn, the lag does become noticeable with repeated left and right turns, as shown in this video where the Cybertruck was pitted against a Ford F-150 lightning. Arguably, no one is going to be turning their wheels in this fashion when on the road.

But that hasn't stopped critics of the vehicle to highlight how troubling the footage is. Reportedly, the Cybertruck's steering wheel input lag is in milliseconds. But for anyone used to driving traditional cars that have steering column mechanisms physically attacked to their car's axles, getting used to this kind of driving setup may necessitate a learning curve.

Since this steer-by-wire technology is governed by electrical signals, theoretically, any electrical issues with the car could disrupt steering wheel feedback. Edmunds tested one of the vehicles and received a "Red Screen of Death" whilst doing so.

During its assessment, the car's rear-axle steering functionality was lost and the vehicle was forced to travel at 4mph in limp mode. The culprit behind the critical error that forced the car to become a slow-moving brick was attributed to low-voltage glitches.

Which makes sense, seeing as the Cybertruck's steer-by-wire depends on a continuous stream of low-voltage power to be delivered to the system. In conventional, ICE cars, drivers can still typically steer their car even if power steering functionality is lost or a battery dies. The same cannot be said of the Cybertruck's steer-by-wire system.

Edmunds said that during its long-term review of the Cybertruck, they were met with a "series of issues," including the "critical steering" one. HardwareFYI does a great job of breaking down steer-by-wire implementation in the Cybertruck and its illustrations prove that its a remarkable feat of engineering.

However, if one skids in the rain, wouldn't you want to know that you have direct control over the vehicle's axle, and not risk experiencing lag when making a turn? It isn't like the Cybertruck doesn't have recalls to worry about, either. The automaker has issued a drive inverter replacement notice for all vehicles manufactured between November 6th, 2023 to July 30th, 2024.