A heavy accessory bolted above the windshield is not where most drivers expect a safety defect to hide, yet that is exactly what drew federal attention to a slice of Tesla Cybertruck owners in late 2025. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published recall 25V735 after Tesla reported that certain service-installed off-road light bars could loosen, peel away from the glass, and fall into traffic. The failure mode is mechanical and surprisingly ordinary—wrong adhesive chemistry on the wrong surface—not a glitch in Autopilot or battery software.
What triggered federal action
In its Part 573 report to NHTSA, Tesla described an engineering study that traced detaching bars to incorrect surface primer during accessory installation. Service procedures called for one primer on the windshield and another on the light bar; in some cases technicians reversed them. Tesla’s filing states that by October 24, 2025 it had tied roughly 619 warranty claims and one field report to the condition, with no collisions, injuries, or fatalities reported to the agency at that time. NHTSA’s public summary lists about 6,197 affected units in the United States. The full manufacturer chronology and remedy language are in the NHTSA recall report for campaign 25V735, which remains the primary reference if you are comparing dealer paperwork to the official scope.
Which trucks are actually in the population
This is not a blanket Cybertruck stop-sale. The recall covers select model year 2024 Cybertruck vehicles built between November 13, 2023, and November 5, 2024, but only when Tesla Service installed the optional off-road light bar accessory. Trucks without that bar, or trucks that never received the accessory through service, sit outside the defect description even if they share the same model year. Tesla’s internal recall code is SB-25-90-001. Owner notification letters went out on a schedule set in the federal filing; if you bought used after the campaign opened, do not assume the prior owner already completed the inspection.
Why a falling light bar matters to everyone behind you
NHTSA’s consequence statement is blunt: a detached bar becomes a road hazard for following motorists and raises crash risk. At highway speed a rigid lighting assembly does not behave like litter; it can strike a windshield, trigger an evasive maneuver, or force a motorcyclist to change line suddenly. Tesla’s report notes the separation can occur while the vehicle is in drive, which is why the remedy focuses on mechanical retention rather than asking owners to “check it occasionally” in the driveway. If you see a Cybertruck ahead with a bar that looks lifted at the edges, increasing following distance is reasonable until the driver exits.
The fix Tesla outlined to regulators
The approved remedy is performed at Tesla Service at no charge. Technicians inspect the accessory, then either add an additional mechanical attachment or replace the bar using the correct adhesion process, including tape on the windshield plus supplemental mechanical retention where needed. That two-part approach—better bonding plus hard backup—mirrors how other automakers handle roof-mounted accessories when aerodynamic load and vibration matter. Keep your service appointment paperwork; a future buyer will ask whether SB-25-90-001 shows complete.
Do not confuse this campaign with the parking-lamp software recall
Cybertruck has seen separate NHTSA activity around front parking-lamp intensity that Tesla addressed with over-the-air software under a different campaign tied to FMVSS 108 photometry limits. Recall 25V735 is strictly about the optional off-road light bar installed at service centers. If your truck received an OTA update for lamp output, that does not close the mechanical light-bar campaign, and vice versa. Treat them as independent open items until each shows complete in the federal database.
Steps owners should take now
First, confirm whether your VIN is tied to 25V735 using the free lookup at NHTSA.gov/recalls or Tesla account messaging. Second, if the bar is installed, avoid high-speed runs and rough wash equipment that could tug on the assembly until Service inspects it. Third, schedule the recall repair even if the bar feels solid; Tesla opened the campaign because latent bad installs can fail later. Running your VIN through the CarDiary VIN check helps you see whether open campaigns still show as unrepaired before you list the truck or hand keys to a family driver. Fourth, after the visit, store the repair order with your registration and insurance renewals so you can prove the bar was reattached under recall rather than in a casual aftermarket shop visit.
If you are shopping for a used Cybertruck
Photographs of the accessory are not enough. Ask the seller for a screenshot or printout from the federal VIN search dated the week of purchase, and verify the off-road bar matches factory accessory part markings rather than a look-alike mounted later. A truck without the bar is unaffected by this specific recall, but any later service installation would need the corrected procedure. Pair the federal check with a road test on smooth pavement and listen for wind noise that changes when you change lanes—sometimes the first sign of bond failure is a new whistle at the roof line, not a visible gap.
