One of the lawsuits Tesla is currently facing alleges the automaker increases the odometer reading of vehicles in for service to avoid paying for repairs covered under warranty. Does “Odometergate” have any legs? Well, one Cybertruck owner’s recent service center experience adds an intriguing piece to the entire puzzle.

One Cybertruck owner’s service saga

Tesla’s taken a ton of heat for abolishing the traditional, franchise-owned dealership model in favor of corporate-owned showrooms. One argument for the pivot away from small businesses is to offer better, more consistent service. But at least one showroom’s service center is falling far short. A Foundation Series Cybertruck owner got his EV back with more problems than he shipped it off with.

The owner of a 26,000-mile used Cybertruck Foundation Series with the three-motor “Cyberbeast” package sent it in for some service. Nothing crazy. Here’s the plan: “Install the fancy light-bar. Nudge a couple of panel gaps. Check an ABS alert (because the truck likes to cosplay as a Christmas tree).”

Not for nothing, fixing panel gaps and an ABS problem on a nearly new truck isn’t normal. But at least Tesla offered to address these issues. The team needed an extra 24 hours to finish the job, wrapping up at 5:30 PM on a Friday. But maybe they should have kept it for the weekend, because the $119,990 truck was a mess when the owner picked it up.

First and foremost: the work was poorly done. The owner described the accessory mount as the “Light-bar installation by Picasso.” He explained, “Passenger side: ½-inch gap. Driver side: snug as a bug.” He worries the service center will need to do “full windshield surgery” to level it.

Hardware, software, and odometer problems–oh my!

That’s far from the only problem. It looks like the clumsiest possible tech was wrenching on parts of the truck they shouldn’t have been touching. The owner said trim in the cab under the glovebox came back “dangling like a loose tooth.”

In addition, someone had removed a bolt from the tailgate. It appears to be the anchor for the cable, leaving the cable to flap around. The owner found the loose bolt later but added, “it carved a gouge while surfing around back there.” The tailgate trim was also rattling. The plastic piece was left “half-attached, like the tech ran out of clips and faith at the same time.”

The truck also had two fresh software issues to replace the blinking ABS light. When the owner tried to unlock the truck with his phone, he got rejected. He “had to re-pair it like an ex who blocked my number.” Finally, he rolled out of the lot and noticed something very strange. His 26,000-mile Cybertruck had zero miles on its digital odometer. He joked, “My 26 k-mile CyberBeast is now a CyberBaby.”

Cybertruck’s odometer rolls back to zero

This wasn’t an isolated dashboard issue. “App and service menu agree — factory-fresh, just ignore the 5 months of road-trip Dorito dust.”

You might think getting a lower mileage reading would help on the used market. But the Cybertruck owner identified a big issue. He put his question to the owners’ forum:

“Anyone else have their odometer Thanos-snapped after a controller swap? Can Tesla unsnap it or am I forever ‘True Mileage Unknown’?”

Despite the Cybertruck owner’s upbeat tone and puns, this is a critical piece of information. The incident proves Tesla service centers can change a vehicle’s odometer reading, and the app and service menu will all agree with the same number. And we now know this for sure, thanks to some clumsy service center technician rushing a Friday afternoon job.