A Tesla Cybertruck driver in Texas turned an attempted water stunt into a police matter after allegedly driving into Grapevine Lake and leaving the electric pickup stranded. The incident reportedly began in shallow water but ended with the truck disabled, taking on water and being removed from the lake by recovery crews.
Video shared on Instagram appears to show the Cybertruck initially moving through shallow water near the shore of Grapevine Lake. However, the situation changed once the driver went into deeper water, where the truck became disabled.
According to Grapevine Police, the vehicle took on water after becoming stuck. The driver and passengers abandoned the Cybertruck, while the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisted with removing it from the lake.
Tesla’s Wade Mode is designed to help the Cybertruck travel through shallow water, but the incident shows the difference between limited water fording capability and attempting to drive into a lake. The source notes that Elon Musk previously suggested the Cybertruck could one day briefly function like a boat, but that capability is not currently available.
In this case, the truck did not make it across the water and instead required a recovery operation. The article states that the vehicle entered the lake while it was still daylight, but it was dark by the time a tow truck with a crane lifted it out.
The situation did not end with the recovery. Police arrested the driver on charges related to operating a vehicle in a closed section of a park or lake, along with various water safety equipment violations.
Grapevine Police warned that even if a vehicle is physically capable of entering shallow freshwater areas, doing so can still create legal and safety problems under Texas law.
The incident serves as a reminder that off-road and water-related drive modes do not override local laws or basic safety limits. Features such as Wade Mode, Water Mode or Crawl Mode may sound useful, but using them in the wrong place can quickly lead to vehicle damage, recovery costs and legal consequences.
For the Cybertruck owner involved, what appeared to begin as an off-road stunt reportedly ended with a disabled EV, a tow operation and an arrest.
