Tesla's Cybertruck has been a bit of a sensation since it started shipping to customers in late 2023 - although it hasn't all been smooth sailing, as a new viral video demonstrates.
It shows that the blocky electric truck's design might have drawbacks even its fiercest critics couldn't have predicted, in particular potentially lacking some safety features that most drivers and passengers would take for granted.
The trend is now being reproduced by early Cybertruck drivers around the US, and involves finding a carrot and putting it under the corner of the Cybertruck's hood as you close it.
Where you might hope that a car would have some sort of pressure sensor to stop its hood or trunk from closing forcefully on any obstruction, the Cybertruck doesn't seem to have that, and simply crunches through the carrot, leaving a sizeable bit missing.
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If you're left wondering why this is a big deal, all you have to do is imagine substituting that carrot for one or your fingers to get a pretty immediate sense of why it's a problem.
TikTok user @molesrcool posted a viral video discussing the trend for these 'carrot tests'.
“When this front trunk is open you get this basically perfectly cut stainless steel sharp corner and then the trunk does not have proper pinch detection,” he said in the video.
“So that thing will just close on whatever is in front of it. This brave soul on YouTube actually tested this. Putting his hand further down the trunk where he thought it would be safer and the trunk still closed on his hand and would not release.
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“He had to stop filming, open the Tesla app on his phone, release the front trunk through the app so imagine if he hadn’t had his phone or if this had happened to one of his kids.”
Luckily, his fingers were intact - but we can't imagine it was a pleasant experience, and it's definitely not something we would recommend trying at home.
It adds to concerns aired by some experts that the stainless steel exoskeleton might affect its crumple zone.
Even beyond safety, some owners are reporting dissatisfaction with the build quality on their trucks, too - panel gaps and broken-down turn signals are some complaints that have been aired.
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However, for every discontented new owner, there's another thrilled by the extras that the Cybertruck comes with, or renting it out for a huge daily charge to make back their money quickly, so it's clearly a car that still has its loyal fanbase.