Man Spots Tesla Cybertruck Towing A Boat. Then He Looks Closer And Sees Who's Really Doing The Heavy Lifting

Finally, a video of a Cybertruck performing truck-ish duties that doesn’t end in failure—at least for the first eight seconds or so. Social media user AK 49 (@user4043937299344) published a clip of the Cybertruck bait-and-switch in question.

The footage begins with a Tesla Cybertruck slowly moving up a concrete and gravel incline. Behind it, attached to its tow hitch, is a stainless steel boat that reads “Spike Island.” Two passengers stand in the vessel as the EV pickup drives them up the slope. So far, so good.

However, the video quickly transitions to a cut that immediately shows an ironic progression.

As the Cybertruck’s tires spin on the gravel in this new shot, a white rope is seen in front of it. Next, the person behind the camera zooms out to reveal that the Cybertruck is actually being towed by what looks like a Ford F-150.

With the assistance of the best-selling truck in America, the Cybertruck—and boat—make it up the gradient as the video comes to a close.

'So The Cybertruck Is Just A Really Expensive Tow Hitch?'

Throngs of folks who replied to the video expressed that they were initially surprised to see a Cybertruck towing something—until they watched the end of the recording.

“At first I was like ‘oh dang a [Cybertruck] doing truck things,’ then the camera pulled back and I thought ... ‘yeah that tracks,’” one relayed.

Another quipped, "For a second I thought I'd seen the rare cyber truck that could actually do something useful.”

Whereas someone else echoed, "So I’m not the only one like ‘this has to be AI’ .... then I saw the second truck and was like nevermind real video.”

Are Cybertrucks That Bad At Towing?

There’s been a lot of shade directed at Tesla’s Cybertruck by those demonstrating its inability to perform truck tasks without issue.

InsideEVs reported on a Cybertruck tow hitch stress test that ended in failure. Footage of the grisly assessment depicts a blue-wrapped Tesla Cybertruck sustaining some 10,000 pounds of force from a construction crane on its tow hitch.

While this may seem like overkill, it’s meant to simulate real-world towing scenarios. That’s because the facilitator of the evaluation, Zack Nelson from Jerry Rig Everything, argued that even correctly secured trailers could drop a ton of force down on the tow hitch. Meaning that any type of dip in the road, pothole, or sway could result in the hitch snapping right off the truck.

Consequently, Nelson said he wouldn’t exactly be confident driving behind a Cybertruck that was towing anything behind it.

“If I see a Cybertruck towing on the freeway, I would not want to be anywhere close to that thing,” he said.

Then, in July of 2025, a Cybertruck owner attempted to pull a large metal trailer filled with logs. This turned out to be a near-catastrophic incident after the car’s brake caused its steering to lock up. Following this, he slid downhill backwards and nearly crashed his EV into an on-site structure as his steering was disabled. What’s more is that the same driver said this wasn’t the only time the truck’s done him dirty, either: He’s had issues towing in the past, too. 

Tesla Cybertruck: Broken Steering, Recalls, And Explosions 

Poor towing capacities aren’t the only issues the Cybertruck has dealt with. I

In March 2025, Tesla issued a recall for nearly all 2024 and 2025 Cybertruck models, approximately 46,000 units, to fix stainless steel panels affixed to the vehicle with adhesive.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone who’s watched WhistlinDiesel’s Cybertruck destruction video. According to the NHTSA, these panels are at risk for becoming delaminated, leading to shards of metal potentially flying off the car and creating hazardous driving conditions for other commuters.

Other jarring fiascos have occurred while testing the Cybertruck. Motor1 previously wrote about one upgrade shop’s appraisal of the controversial EV. The test unit’s rear suspension suffered a steering bolt break, forcing the driver to commute off-road for 6 miles in reverse to make it back to the shop. 

And as this Jalopnik piece points out, Tesla’s user manual indicates that towing the Cybertruck improperly may cause its internals to overheat and catch fire. This prompted an author of the post to highlight how the vehicle’s initial marketing is much more disparate from reality.

A Truck For People Who Want Trucks—But Don’t Do Truck Things?

And there are even more problems to speak of regarding the Cybertruck that have nothing to do with labor-intensive actions.

For example, the fact that in July of 2026, owners have reported that Level 2 charging has become unavailable, forcing them to supercharge their rides away from home and robbing them of what is arguably one of the most convenient and cost-effective incentives to drive an EV.

According to data acquired by CarScoops during its discussion with research firm Strategic Vision, 90% of truck owners never use their vehicles for “business, towing, or worksites.” Further analytics yielded that the vast majority of truck owners simply use their cars as they would a crossover or regular sedan. Although, 63.8% of APT and standard truck users said that they’re hauling something in their bed at least once a month.

But the numbers do indicate that there is a massive consumer base that wants the truck aesthetic, but not necessarily the functionality that comes with it. And perhaps that’s who the Cybertruck is for. While that may excuse the myriad of towing fails, it doesn’t do much for its overall build quality and, now, charging issues.

Motor1 has reached out to Tesla via email and AK 49 via TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update this story if they respond.