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<\/div>\nStar college basketball recruit Alijah Arenas spoke publicly for the first time about the Tesla Cybertruck crash that left him in an induced coma, casting fresh attention on safety issues with the EV maker\u2019s newest model.<\/p>\n
The University of Southern California freshman and son of former all-star player Gilbert Arenas told reporters during a press conference Wednesday that the steering wheel of his electric pickup lost responsiveness before he drove into a fire hydrant in Los Angeles in April.<\/p>\n
He awoke to the Cybertruck engulfed in flames and struggled to breathe as the cabin filled with smoke.<\/p>\n
Related: Father of Tesla Cybertruck Crash Victim Files Lawsuit Over Death<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI try to open the door, and the door\u2019s not opening,\u201d Arenas said, describing himself as going into panic mode. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I had enough time.\u201d<\/p>\n Arenas said he jumped into the back seat of the car to \u201ccheck for any cracks, anything, anything I could use to get out. I start panicking, just rushing to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, Arenas managed to kick through one of the Cybertruck\u2019s windows and was pulled out by bystanders. He was put into a medically induced coma due to extreme smoke inhalation and was released from the hospital less than a week after the crash.<\/p>\n Related: Tesla Recalls Most Cybertrucks Due to Trim Detaching From Vehicle<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Tesla Inc. advises customers in the Cybertruck owner\u2019s manual that, in the event the vehicle has no low-voltage power, occupants are unable to use the buttons that open doors from the inside. Exiting the vehicle instead requires using manual door releases designed to be used only in situations when the truck has no power.<\/p>\n The Cybertruck was one of the most anticipated new vehicles of the last few years in the U.S. auto market. Within 15 months of sales, however, Tesla recalled the model eight times. In its latest safety campaign, initiated in March, the company called back all the Cybertrucks it had produced and sold to replace pieces of steel trim that risked coming loose and creating a hazard for other motorists.<\/p>\n Tesla has touted the Cybertruck\u2019s five-star crash safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and featured a crash-testing image in its latest earnings report.<\/p>\n \u201cOur vehicles consistently achieve top safety ratings from independent agencies around the world. Cybertruck received a 5-star rating from NHTSA as well,\u201d Tesla said in a March post on X.<\/p>\n Related: Tesla Slumps Below 50% Share of California\u2019s Electric Car Market<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The company didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment on Arena\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n Alijah Arenas describes for the first time publicly how the steering wheel of his Tesla Cybertruck locked up and led to his fiery April wreck in Reseda.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wheel wasn\u2019t responding like I was in the car,\u201d Arenas said pic.twitter.com\/OUb2bBacfT<\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) June 24, 2025<\/p>\n Door Precedent<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cybertruck door issue has come up before. The family of one of three college students who died in a Cybertruck that crashed near Oakland, California, in November filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this year in a bid to gain access to the pickup and better understand how their daughter died.<\/p>\n An autopsy showed Krysta Tsukahara, 19, wasn\u2019t physically injured by the crash itself. Instead, she died of asphyxiation when she couldn\u2019t open the doors.<\/p>\n Tsukahara\u2019s father, Carl, told Bloomberg News in April that one of the questions he hoped the suit would answer was: \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Krysta get out?\u201d<\/p>\n Arenas said he didn\u2019t want to place blame on anybody else for the single-vehicle crash he was involved in.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to take full responsibility on everything I do,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I would have hurt somebody, that would have really took a toll on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Top photo: Alijah Arenas Photographer: Natasha Campos\/Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n Topics<\/span> Tesla<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Was this article valuable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n