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2022 MS cold draft on driver side door, very uncomfortable during Canadian winter

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Unfortunately it didn’t go well. Although the tech spent some time with me to understand the issue, they ultimately decided it was working as expected, no cold draft was detected by the tech.

In the process of the repair, they did manage to tear part of my seat cushion. They didn’t disclose it and I noticed it the following day. Not pleased at all. So now I have to visit again for them to replace the seat cushion (went twice but part was not in stock although I was advised it was).

As for the cold draft, I’ve also discovered the heat in the car cuts out when only front facing vents are on. And the floor vents are directly above the accelerator pedal roasting my right foot. For now I have a towel shoved underneath the driver door to prevent air flow which seems to help a bit but my left leg especially near the seat cushion area gets very cold.
This isn't the kind of post I was hoping for. Very sorry you had to and still have to deal with this.
 
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This may be connected - on the wheel well side against the extreme back of the fender there is molded insulation that is supposed to fit exactly against the rear wall of the fender. Link below is for pre refresh cars but I included it to clarify what you’re to look for.


If it’s loose (mine was), that may be causing the extremely cold metal that’s not protected by the insulation.

I spray glued mine back to the fender rear wall. Need to take off the wheel well liner to get to it
 
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This may be connected - on the wheel well side against the extreme back of the fender there is molded insulation that is supposed to fit exactly against the rear wall of the fender. Link below is for pre refresh cars but I included it to clarify what you’re to look for.


If it’s loose (mine was), that may be causing the extremely cold metal that’s not protected by the insulation.

I spray glued mine back to the fender rear wall. Need to take off the wheel well liner to get to it
Wow thanks a lot for the pointer! I'll research this
 
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This may be connected - on the wheel well side against the extreme back of the fender there is molded insulation that is supposed to fit exactly against the rear wall of the fender. Link below is for pre refresh cars but I included it to clarify what you’re to look for.


If it’s loose (mine was), that may be causing the extremely cold metal that’s not protected by the insulation.

I spray glued mine back to the fender rear wall. Need to take off the wheel well liner to get to it
Just to follow up on this single data point, we have checked a total of some half dozen 2022 MS's, from December, 2021 thru late-summer, 2022 production: EVERY ONE OF THEM has this acoustic/thermal liner either falling off or collapsed inside the front fender, including at DELVIVERY on cars with under 7 miles on them.

The most frustrating aspect is that despite repeated, written requests of two different service centers, and multiple verbal requests to forward this chronic issue to Fremont assembly, nothing appears to have ever been done to address this product defect.

It's mind-blowing stupid that word doesn't get back to Fremont as these will likely create even more warranty work for many years to come as they bang around the fenders and the repeater signal wiring and camera feeds.

I suspect we're shipping MS's now to the EU have this issue built-in from the factory as I type this, but who knows?

FWIW, it can be easily checked by opening the frunk and shining a light into the front fender, aft of the repeater lamps. You will likely see these acoustic/thermal pads resting on, or against, the repeater wiring, or simply folded and collapsed into the bottom of the front fenders. They can sometimes be heard flopping around inside the fender when the radio is "Off" as well.

Please DO NOT FIX these yourselves as my only hope is that if Tesla gets another few thousand warranty claims on this defect they MAY get around to doing something about fixing the problem . . . because our efforts thus far have simply fallen on deaf ears (or the line service personnel just don't give a damn).
 
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Just to follow up on this single data point, we have checked a total of some half dozen 2022 MS's, from December, 2021 thru late-summer, 2022 production: EVERY ONE OF THEM has this acoustic/thermal liner either falling off or collapsed inside the front fender, including at DELVIVERY on cars with under 7 miles on them.

The most frustrating aspect is that despite repeated, written requests of two different service centers, and multiple verbal requests to forward this chronic issue to Fremont assembly, nothing appears to have ever been done to address this product defect.

It's mind-blowing stupid that word doesn't get back to Fremont as these will likely create even more warranty work for many years to come as they bang around the fenders and the repeater signal wiring and camera feeds.

I suspect we're shipping MS's now to the EU have this issue built-in from the factory as I type this, but who knows?

FWIW, it can be easily checked by opening the frunk and shining a light into the front fender, aft of the repeater lamps. You will likely see these acoustic/thermal pads resting on, or against, the repeater wiring, or simply folded and collapsed into the bottom of the front fenders. They can sometimes be heard flopping around inside the fender when the radio is "Off" as well.

Please DO NOT FIX these yourselves as my only hope is that if Tesla gets another few thousand warranty claims on this defect they MAY get around to doing something about fixing the problem . . . because our efforts thus far have simply fallen on deaf ears (or the line service personnel just don't give a damn).
I guess we have different philosophies about continuing to live with a problem or doing something about it.

FWIW, my October 2021 build - I did have a service appointment early to fix this specific issue and they said they fixed it. They just pushed it back and it dislogdged itself again. So I decided to do something about it myself . Car is so much quieter now too.

I’m lucky that I have a couple of floor jackstands on which I put the car up one lazy Sunday afternoon, took off the front wheels, removed the fender liner and reached back in with my hand to get at it. Fix took 30 seconds with a can of spray glue after the wheel well liner was off
 
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I guess we have different philosophies about continuing to live with a problem or doing something about it.

FWIW, my October 2021 build - I did have a service appointment early to fix this specific issue and they said they fixed it. They just pushed it back and it dislogdged itself again. So I decided to do something about it myself . Car is so much quieter now too.

I’m lucky that I have a couple of floor jackstands on which I put the car up one lazy Sunday afternoon, took off the front wheels, removed the fender liner and reached back in with my hand to get at it. Fix took 30 seconds with a can of spray glue after the wheel well liner was off
Sure, that fixed it for you. Great.

But for those of us wish Tesla to do well with The Mission (since we have but one livable planet last time I checked), it would behoove us to help Tesla fix it's friggin' internal communication issues.

Since polite but repeated requests appear to have NOT worked, I would strongly suggest that getting their attention with a few thousand warranty service requests will help.

That's far better than having Tesla continuing to build and ship MS's with a know defect, now to so many more countries, where they'll all require warranty work . . . because Tesla can't get its internal communication process fixed.

For such a supposedly smart company they sure have a lot of internal stupidity.
 
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Sure, that fixed it for you. Great.

But for those of us wish Tesla to do well with The Mission (since we have but one livable planet last time I checked), it would behoove us to help Tesla fix it's friggin' internal communication issues.

Since polite but repeated requests appear to have NOT worked, I would strongly suggest that getting their attention with a few thousand warranty service requests will help.

That's far better than having Tesla continuing to build and ship MS's with a know defect, now to so many more countries, where they'll all require warranty work . . . because Tesla can't get its internal communication process fixed.

For such a supposedly smart company they sure have a lot of internal stupidity.
Sigh :) let’s not take away from the intent of the dude who asked for some help about his cold foot :)
 
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Sigh :) let’s not take away from the intent of the dude who asked for some help about his cold foot :)
Yes, of course, that's what matters the most--one person's issue with a problem, not the fact that Tesla is now likely exporting a design/construction defect around the globe . . . .

 
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Glad I am not the only one but also pissed this is a common issue. I've had a Model 3 22' since June of 22. Now that its colder in Reno NV (20-30F) I am feeling it get way cold in the car when going fast. If I sit in my car parked it heats up fine but clearly there is an air leak. I can feel it AND I can HEAR IT.
 
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Multiple SC visits and my issue is still not resolved. Driving the vehicle in the winter has simply become unpleasant. Three issues:

1. Driver side is getting much colder than passenger side. Quick test- after driving 10 min, the hard plastic where the seat controls are located becomes very cold to the touch on the driver side vs same spot on passenger side. Can anyone else verify this?

2. When climate set to front vents only, HEAT CUTS OUT. I mean literally the air from the vents starts getting cold! SC says this is for “driver comfort” (what!?) and to use climate on auto.

3 Position of driver floor vent is directly above right foot. Right foot roasts while left foot is cold (due to #1).

SC claims all is within spec. I’m so tired of it and seriously considering selling the vehicle this summer. In the meantime I will check another SC, my local one has been no use with these issues.
 
Multiple SC visits and my issue is still not resolved. Driving the vehicle in the winter has simply become unpleasant. Three issues:

1. Driver side is getting much colder than passenger side. Quick test- after driving 10 min, the hard plastic where the seat controls are located becomes very cold to the touch on the driver side vs same spot on passenger side. Can anyone else verify this?

2. When climate set to front vents only, HEAT CUTS OUT. I mean literally the air from the vents starts getting cold! SC says this is for “driver comfort” (what!?) and to use climate on auto.

3 Position of driver floor vent is directly above right foot. Right foot roasts while left foot is cold (due to #1).

SC claims all is within spec. I’m so tired of it and seriously considering selling the vehicle this summer. In the meantime I will check another SC, my local one has been no use with these issues.
See if one of your friends has the FLIR iPhone camera or something similar - this might help pinpoint precisely where the ingress of cold air is. You can the go back to the SC with an image and a temperature
 
I happened to notice this in my 22MSLR when looking down the frunk corner near the side repeaters. I just used a long stick to push it back behind these little posts/pins. Seems to be stuck in place now. I didn't know if the insulation was for water protection or wind, but glad to know now.
 
I happened to notice this in my 22MSLR when looking down the frunk corner near the side repeaters. I just used a long stick to push it back behind these little posts/pins. Seems to be stuck in place now. I didn't know if the insulation was for water protection or wind, but glad to know now.
Where is this exactly? I popped open the hood and just see the plastic covering the space. Can barely see behind the headlamps. Or do I need to remove the plastic cover? I’ll try anything at this point….almost anything.
 
Where is this exactly? I popped open the hood and just see the plastic covering the space. Can barely see behind the headlamps. Or do I need to remove the plastic cover? I’ll try anything at this point….almost anything.
You're looking at the wrong end of the fender.

The acoustic absorbtion pad is at the AFT end of the fenders, not the front.

Just open your frunk, and look near the base of the windshield with a strong flashlight.

These long thin pads will either be in place, firmly vertical against the aft edge of each fender, or they'll be falling down on top of the repeater signal/camera wiring, or collapsed at the bottom of the fender.

I'd add some pictures, but I'm out of town at the moment; perhaps later.
 
You're looking at the wrong end of the fender.

The acoustic absorbtion pad is at the AFT end of the fenders, not the front.

Just open your frunk, and look near the base of the windshield with a strong flashlight.

These long thin pads will either be in place, firmly vertical against the aft edge of each fender, or they'll be falling down on top of the repeater signal/camera wiring, or collapsed at the bottom of the fender.

I'd add some pictures, but I'm out of town at the moment; perhaps later.
Just glue it back :) <runs away>
 
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Add me to the list. 22 MSLR with a Feb 22 build date. Opened a mobile service request as I also have an icy left leg when it's cold out :)

For those wondering, the black bit underneath the wires is supposed to all be tucked up into the top right corner of the photo instead of having a giant air gap to the outside air.

IMG_1448.jpeg
 
Follow up, those sound dampening pads have nothing to do with airflow. There are no holes between fender and firewall for air to enter car. Guess that can be debunked. While they should not be falling down, they are there for sound dampening, not to block cold air.
 
OP here. So it’s Dec 2023 and weather is getting cold. As expected, driver side door and seat area near door gets very cold making it uncomfortable to drive the car. I have also located a slight draft from the bottom of the driver door where it curves up along the pillar. I took it to a SC and they said they “added insulation” but on drive home I could still feel the air. I took the car right back and said issue wasn’t fixed. They’re now replacing the door seals, waiting for part. Good thing is the technician drive the car with me with the climate turned off and felt the cold draft from the bottom of the driver door area.

Anyone else have any updates on this issue? I’m not hopeful they will fix the issue and I’ll be back to stuffing my jacket on the inside of the door to keep the cold draft out. I do have some weather seal trim and considering some macguyver action to experiment with a fix.
 
Well we’ll same thing temp went to 17 i had to drive 200 miles Chicago to Greenbay

Very cold air drivers side and quarter panel window feel cold air blowing crank heat to 7 to compensate

Local driving I have no problem just long distance highway you notice

Want to open ticket but they will make it worse

$110k and you get to drive a cold car

Never had issues with any ICE cars Toyota BMW Mercedes

I love my Tesla but wish they paid attention to small details
 
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Follow up, those sound dampening pads have nothing to do with airflow. There are no holes between fender and firewall for air to enter car. Guess that can be debunked. While they should not be falling down, they are there for sound dampening, not to block cold air.
Perhaps, but as a side effect they also provide some insulation for the door jamb areas, and that would help prevent the massive heat loss in the area/cold draft prevention.
 
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