Elon Musk was quite specific. In 2022, he told potential Cybertruck buyers that his monstrous angular vehicle “will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
That promise would, like so many Musk promises, go unfulfilled. In its place is “Wade Mode”, which raises the suspension and pressurizes the battery to prevent water ingress.
Tesla’s official documentation underlines that the “maximum depth” of water a Cybertruck can handle is just 32 in (roughly the top of the bumper) and that you need to drive extremely slowly and carefully.
They also point out that damage caused by driving in water is not covered by the warranty, Wade Mode or no Wade Mode. That last bit of information is right now making some unfortunate Texas Cybertruck owner’s already bad day even worse.
The Grapevine Police Department shared yesterday’s unfortunate incident on social media in which Wade Mode appears to have catastrophically failed, leaving the vehicle stranded and waterlogged:
Yesterday, GPD and GFD were dispatched to Grapevine Lake, where a Tesla Cybertruck was stranded in the water. The driver drove into the lake to use the “Wade Mode” feature when the vehicle became disabled. The passengers abandoned the vehicle and the driver was arrested. pic.twitter.com/iPJMaLzOEX
— Grapevine Police (@GrapevinePolice) May 19, 2026
The driver and his passengers appear to have escaped through the windows and swam to shore. The Grapevine Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team then fished the soggy Cybertruck from the lake and cops charged the driver with operating a vehicle in a closed section of park/lake, having no valid boat registration, and numerous water safety equipment violations. He remains in jail.
Davy Jones claims another Cybertruck
Judging by the image, the cops released, the water is indeed over the bumper, so any protection “Wade Mode” provides will be nullified, likely meaning the car’s electrics are waterlogged and ruined.
This isn’t the first instance of Cybertruck owners believing their car is also a boat. An owner in California drove his into the water, and it had to be retrieved by the Highway Patrol, who commented “Wade Mode isn’t Submarine Mode.” Another sank in Ventura harbor, and another sank in Slovakia.
Cybertruck owners aren’t the smartest cookies in the jar – as proven by them owning a Cybertruck – so expect to see this happen semi-regularly. But, maybe, there should be some reminder that, despite Elon’s promises, this is not a boat!
