When you get a new car, you can be forgiven for driving with perhaps a little more abandon than normal. After all, you want to test out all the great features that were presented to you during the sales pitch. Here’s the thing to remember: No matter what any manufacturer claims, your car is not a boat. That's a lesson a Texas man learned the hard way. Jimmy McDaniel (inset) was recently arrested for reckless driving after plunging his Cybertruck into a lake. He claimed that he was merely testing the vehicle’s purported “Wade Mode" function. Needless to say, the feature didn’t work — at least not in the depths McDaniel plunged into. The truck eventually got stuck and McDaniel had to jump out, leaving the car in the water. Police called the Grapevine Fire Department to haul the disabled truck out of the lake. According to the Cybertruck manual, the Wade Mode allows the vehicle to “enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks.” Tesla explained that the Cybertruck’s Wade Mode raises its suspension to the highest possible setting, allowing the truck to wade through 32 inches of water, measuring from the bottom of the tire. That claim, however, comes with a few warnings, including not traveling faster than 3 mph when using Wade Mode and avoiding soft or muddy underwater surfaces. The manual also cautions that any damage caused to the car while using Wade Mode will not be covered by the warranty. That sounds like Tesla doesn’t have a lot of faith in the Wade Mode feature.
