United States: he plunges his Cybertruck into a lake to test the “Wade Mode”
A man was arrested in Texas after deliberately driving his Tesla Cybertruck into Lake Grapevine to test the vehicle’s wade mode. The electric pickup quickly broke down and took on water, forcing its driver and passenger to abandon it before rescue crews arrived.
Jimmy Jack McDaniel was arrested on Monday evening, May 18, by Grapevine police after he intentionally drove his Tesla Cybertruck into Lake Grapevine from the launch ramp at Katie’s Woods Park to test the function known as “Wade Mode.” The vehicle broke down and began to fill with water. The driver and his passenger were able to abandon it without injury before the Grapevine fire department’s aquatic rescue team retrieved it.
McDaniel faces several charges: operating a vehicle in a closed area of the lake, lack of valid boat registration, and violations of boating safety regulations, including the absence of life jackets and a fire extinguisher. He was still detained at the Grapevine jail on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports from NBC and CBS Texas.
The Grapevine police made the incident public via social media, accompanied by a photo showing the Cybertruck partially submerged near the shore. Department spokesperson Katharina Gamboa said in a statement: “Do not drive your vehicle in the water. I didn’t think I would need to specify this.”
What Wade Mode Really Allows
The Wade Mode is described by Tesla in the Cybertruck’s user manual as assistance that allows the vehicle to “enter bodies of water such as rivers or streams.” The maximum allowed depth is about 82 centimeters, measured from the bottom of the tires, and the speed should not exceed 5 kilometers per hour. The manual states that the doors and windows must be fully closed, and Wade Mode “pressurizes” the cabin to limit water ingress.
The document explicitly warns against soft or muddy bottoms, which can cause the vehicle to sink and accelerate water rising, as well as against strong currents. Tesla also states that water damage is not covered by the warranty. The photo published by the Grapevine police suggests that the lake’s depth far exceeded the indicated limits.
According to observations cited by CBS Texas, water may have entered through the electric charging port, causing an electrical failure that disabled steering and immobilized the vehicle.
A History of Recalls for the Model
The Cybertruck, launched in 2023, has been subject to several recalls since its introduction. The most recent, in March 2025, involved 46,000 vehicles due to risks of body parts detaching. The model is not sold in Europe, where it does not meet current homologation standards. Its sales in the United States have been lower than Tesla’s initial projections.
This is not the first time a Cybertruck owner has driven their vehicle into water based on claims made by Elon Musk, who touted the model’s aquatic capabilities at its launch. Electrek, a site specializing in electric vehicles, notes that the Grapevine incident is part of a series of similar mishaps in the United States.