Tesla Cybertruck Owner Arrested After Driving Into Lake Using Wade Mode

In May 2024, police in Grapevine, Texas, reported that a 70-year-old man, Jimmy Jack McDaniel, intentionally activated the "wade mode" feature on his Tesla Cybertruck and drove it into Grapevine Lake near Katie Woods Park. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. local time on a Monday evening. After entering deeper water, the vehicle lost power and began taking on water, forcing McDaniel and two passengers to escape through the windows. Upon arrival, officers found the vehicle stranded in shallow water near the lakeshore. With assistance from the fire department’s water rescue team, they towed the car back onto land. McDaniel was charged with operating a motor vehicle in a closed lake area, failing to possess a valid boat registration, and violating multiple boating safety equipment regulations—including not having life jackets or a fire extinguisher onboard. According to Tesla’s official owner’s manual, “wade mode” is intended only for shallow water crossings such as rivers or streams, with a maximum wading depth of approximately 812.8 millimeters (32 inches). The manual explicitly states that water-related damage is not covered under warranty and warns against driving in fast-moving currents or deep water. McDaniel claimed he had previously driven the vehicle through water multiple times without incident, but this time misjudged the depth while giving two German tourists a demonstration, causing lake water to likely enter through the charging port, resulting in an electrical short and loss of steering control. Notably, Elon Musk stated in 2022 that the Cybertruck is “sufficiently waterproof to briefly function as a boat,” though production models offer only limited wading capability. In 2025, a video of a similar incident circulated on social media, prompting Musk to respond that “with minor modifications, it should be able to cross open water.” Local authorities emphasized that although the vehicle may physically be capable of entering shallow water, doing so violates Texas state law and poses a public safety hazard.