Not driving your car directly into a body of water may sound like common sense—but hey, if Elon Musk says it’s safe, who are we to disagree?
A Tesla Cybertruck driver learned the hard way that Musk’s words aren’t gospel when he intentionally drove his car into Grapevine Lake in North Texas on Monday evening, employing the vehicle’s “Wade Mode,” which is intended for use in water up to 32 inches deep. Videos shared on social media show the vehicle moving through the shallow section of the lake, only for his Cybertruck to shut down when he got to deeper waters, leaving the vehicle stranded.
In the aftermath, social media users are pointing to posts by Elon Musk that may have led the driver astray, including one statement by the Tesla CEO that the Cybertruck could cross “rivers, lakes, and even seas.”
A driver in deep water
The driver, identified by police as Jimmy McDaniel, 70, told reporters at THV11 that this was his third time driving his Cybertruck into Lake Grapevine and that the first two voyages went swimmingly. This time, however, he went too deep, which he suspects allowed water into the car’s charging port and short-circuited the vehicle.
After the Cybertruck shut down, McDaniel got out through the window of the vehicle—along with his two passengers, German visitors he was reportedly giving a ride.
When he made it to shore, McDaniel was arrested on multiple charges, including driving a vehicle in a closed section of the park and boating law violations, such as not having a valid boat registration and not having lifejackets on board. The Cybertruck was later retrieved from the water and towed by the local fire department.
Following the incident, the Grapevine Police Department offered a simple message for drivers: “Don’t drive into the water with your vehicle,” police spokesperson Katharina Gamboa said. “Didn’t think I’d have to say that one.”
McDaniel, for his part, stands by the Cybertruck’s aquatic capabilities and blames the error on his own “miscalculation.” He added that the Cybertruck is back in his possession and that he’s hopeful he’ll be able to drive it again.
Musk’s less-than-watertight advice
Though the Cybertruck owner’s manual makes it clear that Wade Mode is only meant for shallow water, Musk’s online presence tells a different story.
In April of 2025, Musk commented on a video of a Cybertruck moving through shallow water in Lake Grapevine—perhaps one of McDaniel’s previous Wade Mode escapades—writing, “With a little work, it should be able to cross some open water.”
And back in 2022, before the Cybertruck’s release, Musk hyped up the vehicle’s then-unseen Wade Mode features, saying that they’d essentially turn the car into a viable watercraft.
“Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy,” Musk wrote. Though his phrasing was definitive, his actual product clearly didn’t live up to those lofty standards.
It’s only the most recent failure for Tesla’s infamous flagship vehicle: Earlier this month, nearly 200 Cybertrucks were recalled due to a risk of their wheels popping off while in motion. And last fall, a deceased teenager’s family sued Tesla over the vehicle’s electronic door-opening mechanism, which they allege prevented her from escaping the Cybertruck after a fiery crash.
Tesla has not responded to Fast Company’s request for comment.