- Cybertruck owner added a center seat to carry four kids up front.
- Tesla showed this layout in 2019 but never offered it to buyers.
- Custom seat has no visible airbags, which may affect crash safety.
Tesla owners aren’t strangers to modifying their vehicles. Sometimes, that action comes out of a desire for additional safety. Other times, it’s because Tesla itself didn’t deliver on a previous promise. And occasionally, those two aspects of design come into fierce opposition. That’s what happened here.
A father of four needed space for his entire family, and when it became clear that Tesla wouldn’t offer a six-seat Cybertruck, he took matters into his own hands. He commissioned a custom version and later shared the results in a Tesla group on Facebook.
More: Cybertruck’s $16K Range Booster Is Dead And Tesla Isn’t Saying Why
The custom setup removes the center console of the truck and replaces it with a narrow upright seat wedged between the original pair. It comes complete with a seatbelt, but that might be where safety ends. We’ll come back to that, though. Let’s focus first on the design itself.
It’s a far cry from the angular unit Tesla once teased, but at least the upholstery matches. Some folks might not even realize that it’s an aftermarket addition because of that.
What Killed Tesla’s Center Seat Plans?
At the same time, it’s tough to call this a big win for now. While Tesla originally showed renders of a similar setup, it never came to pass. Many believe that’s because of safety regulations regarding the center seat.
Some observers have noted that the truck includes a driver’s side inboard airbag, which could strike anyone seated in the center. There’s also no airbag directly in front of that position. And beyond the lack of protection, there’s always a chance the seat may not be anchored to mounting points strong enough to hold up in a crash.
To be clear, this isn’t a knock on the owner’s intentions. Wanting to carry your entire family with you is obviously normal and easy to understand. But it does highlight a recurring Tesla theme. The brand and CEO often make bold promises, offer flashy renderings, and then production vehicles quietly walk things back a bit.
Tesla once showed a front bench. That version never reached production, and now an owner has stepped in to fill the gap with a custom modification. In doing so, he’s taking on a level of risk that some might find concerning in a six-figure vehicle. Maybe the solution here is to just get the Model X since it actually has room for the whole family.