Another doorhandle thread

[Warm]

We all know about the doorhandle issues. However, in all the topics about doorhandles I was not able to find what to check/repair with these specific symptoms. A broken micro-switch or detached cable seems rather unlikely in this case.

In short: Nothing works (mostly) on any of the doors on the left (driver) side. This includes: window- and mirror- controlbuttons, doorhandles,... Only the inside doorhandles always work.

Other topics with same problem: Please help , Door handles don't present on touch only (partially)

What happened
- Got in the car. Everything worked then.
- Got out of the car (forgot something) and got back 1 minute later, to realize the door wouldn't open.
- Both the front left and rear left handles were presented but didn't open the doors.
- Got in from the other side. Controls in the drivers door were still working.
- 20 minutes later: Controls didn't work anymore. All doorhandles were still presented when expected.
- 30 minutes later: Left doorhandles are not presented anymore (stays in the door).
- Every 5 seconds a sound is heard from the drivers door (sounds like the electric doorhandle-motor) when inside the car.
- 1 day later:
-- sound is gone
-- left doorhandles sometimes present again (mostly not) but still doesn't open the door
-- buttons on the driver's door sometimes work again but very very shortly (I assume the same with the rear left door)
-- only when using remote: 50% chance the rear left doorhandle comes out but retracts again after a couple of seconds

The doors on the right side (both doorhandles and buttons) always work.

Conditions: It was lightly raining and left the door open for 1 minute (coincidence?). I also washed the car 2 days before.

Already tried: reboot. Didn't help.

I guess it might be moist / water that causes the controller module in the drivers door to stop working. Or its contacts.
If yes: where is it located? What is the correct name or part-number of this part?
If no: what would be the likely cause? I very doubt it's a micro-switch or cable as then only a doorhandle wouldn't work.

 

[Warm]

Seems I can't edit the title. Should be threaD but threaT also seems applicable here

 

[David.85D]

I’d guess it’s the controller that went bad. Have you tried doing Higher level reset procedures just in case it’s a software glitch?

 

[Warm]

I’d guess it’s the controller that went bad. Have you tried doing Higher level reset procedures just in case it’s a software glitch?

What is the procedure for a higher level reset? Is that the one where you push and hold the 2 scroll buttons on the steering wheel until the MCU reboots? Or reset to factory settings (Service --> Erase settings)? Or something else?

 

[Newscutter]

I didn't have complete failure of the door like you're describing, but I did have very sporadic and hard to pin down problems with my door handle. I replaced the wiring and gears and was still having issues, so I narrowed it down to the door controller. Replacing that ($150 off eBay for another same-generation handle) fixed the problem. Note that I'm referring to the controller in the handle itself. There's ANOTHER door controller that mounts to the panel you remove to get at the door handle. That controller handles all the electronics in the door and can be had for about $50 on eBay-- I don't know that it matters what generation you get for that controller, but (as I understand it) you might need a software push/install to get everything happy again and aren't lucky enough to just plug'n'play like I was.

 

[Warm]

Thanks for your helpful reply!

To be clear:
Doorhandle Control Module (door controller):

Partnumber: 1069651-00-[X] (for example 1069651-00-D)

Door Control Unit (the other controller that handles all the the electronics in the door):

Partnumber: 1003101-00-[X] (example: 1003101-00-C , 1003101-00-E , don't know the difference)

Is that correct?

 

[KalJoMoS]

This is the exploited view of door handle, it’s available on official parts catalog that you need to log in with your Tesla account.

https://epc.tesla.com/#/login

 

[Scott1620]

The only way to really find out what is wrong is to take the handle out and apart to see what is going on. Not presenting while you hear the motor spinning inside the handle is the cheap paddle gear being broken. Presenting and not opening is the wiring harness within the handle breaking due to stress from flexing. There are other scenarios but those are the common ones I keep hearing about. I fixed my drivers handle wiring harness with an aftermarket one after I was having issues to avoid the issue in the future...

 

[Warm]

After looking more closely at the video it seems neither of the 2 parts. It may not be sold separately (need to buy a whole doorhandle).
But the first part (Doorhandle Control Module, partnumber 1069651-00-[X]) is clearly visible on the schematics (part 22).

Anyway that is not the part I'm suspecting as I guess it's not used to control the windows and mirrors. I think the Door Control Unit (1003101-00-[X]) is what is failing (refered as "ANOTHER door controller" by Newscutter).

The only way to really find out what is wrong is to take the handle out and apart to see what is going on....

I'm afraid that I won't see anything. Maybe corrosion on the Door Controller Unit.
You're right that paddle gear and break in wiring are the most common causes, but don't think that's the case here. It would be cosmic coincidence that both doorhandles broke at exactly the same time. Along with the control buttons who fail within an hour.

 

[Djaemac]

We all know about the doorhandle issues. However, in all the topics about doorhandles I was not able to find what to check/repair with these specific symptoms. A broken micro-switch or detached cable seems rather unlikely in this case.

In short: Nothing works (mostly) on any of the doors on the left (driver) side. This includes: window- and mirror- controlbuttons, doorhandles,... Only the inside doorhandles always work.

Other topics with same problem: Please help , Door handles don't present on touch only (partially)

What happened
- Got in the car. Everything worked then.
- Got out of the car (forgot something) and got back 1 minute later, to realize the door wouldn't open.
- Both the front left and rear left handles were presented but didn't open the doors.
- Got in from the other side. Controls in the drivers door were still working.
- 20 minutes later: Controls didn't work anymore. All doorhandles were still presented when expected.
- 30 minutes later: Left doorhandles are not presented anymore (stays in the door).
- Every 5 seconds a sound is heard from the drivers door (sounds like the electric doorhandle-motor) when inside the car.
- 1 day later:
-- sound is gone
-- left doorhandles sometimes present again (mostly not) but still doesn't open the door
-- buttons on the driver's door sometimes work again but very very shortly (I assume the same with the rear left door)
-- only when using remote: 50% chance the rear left doorhandle comes out but retracts again after a couple of seconds

The doors on the right side (both doorhandles and buttons) always work.

Conditions: It was lightly raining and left the door open for 1 minute (coincidence?). I also washed the car 2 days before.

Already tried: reboot. Didn't help.

I guess it might be moist / water that causes the controller module in the drivers door to stop working. Or its contacts.
If yes: where is it located? What is the correct name or part-number of this part?
If no: what would be the likely cause? I very doubt it's a micro-switch or cable as then only a doorhandle wouldn't work.

Any update? My MS is doing the same. Both passenger door handles and windows are not working. Software is also unable to update due to this. I replaced door control modules, but no luck.

 

[jaaacob]

We all know about the doorhandle issues. However, in all the topics about doorhandles I was not able to find what to check/repair with these specific symptoms. A broken micro-switch or detached cable seems rather unlikely in this case.

In short: Nothing works (mostly) on any of the doors on the left (driver) side. This includes: window- and mirror- controlbuttons, doorhandles,... Only the inside doorhandles always work.

Other topics with same problem: Please help , Door handles don't present on touch only (partially)

What happened
- Got in the car. Everything worked then.
- Got out of the car (forgot something) and got back 1 minute later, to realize the door wouldn't open.
- Both the front left and rear left handles were presented but didn't open the doors.
- Got in from the other side. Controls in the drivers door were still working.
- 20 minutes later: Controls didn't work anymore. All doorhandles were still presented when expected.
- 30 minutes later: Left doorhandles are not presented anymore (stays in the door).
- Every 5 seconds a sound is heard from the drivers door (sounds like the electric doorhandle-motor) when inside the car.
- 1 day later:
-- sound is gone
-- left doorhandles sometimes present again (mostly not) but still doesn't open the door
-- buttons on the driver's door sometimes work again but very very shortly (I assume the same with the rear left door)
-- only when using remote: 50% chance the rear left doorhandle comes out but retracts again after a couple of seconds

The doors on the right side (both doorhandles and buttons) always work.

Conditions: It was lightly raining and left the door open for 1 minute (coincidence?). I also washed the car 2 days before.

Already tried: reboot. Didn't help.

I guess it might be moist / water that causes the controller module in the drivers door to stop working. Or its contacts.
If yes: where is it located? What is the correct name or part-number of this part?
If no: what would be the likely cause? I very doubt it's a micro-switch or cable as then only a doorhandle wouldn't work.

Also asking for update... iv'e got the exact same problem, non responding handles or windows on passenger side. Only thing that actually works is the side mirror. And after pulling fuses the front passenger power window actually intermittent started working pulling down and up, but it forgot its auto-function when opening and closing window, just only going down...

So.. my car is at tesla SC and have been there a week. They called a couple days ago telling its a $800 job at the moment, changing the hole harness for the doors on the passenger door side. It sounds strange as they said the DCU also was failed, i asked how they tested that if the harness is bad and the LIN-bus within the doors was going bananas. They had no answer.... so this will be interesting.

Please feedback on your cars solution, so i wont be ripped for an actual easy fix or such. Feels like its the DCU needing replace only.

 

[Kandiru]

Latest generation door handle retrofit kit now available at service centers. Just had my next perennial failure last month and the tech reassured me the new handle should take a lot longer to fail.

 

[Lasttoy]

Where is the door controller located? I know mine is bad on left rear. I had broken gear in door mechanism, then window went crazy. The it stopped working. I changed door mechanism, (gear was broken), I changed the window regulator, cables rusted and broke. When I got both back together. Nothing worked. I tried 3 motors. So, the door controller is bad. Where is it? I looked in service manual, it's useless.

 

[jovenis]

Door Control Unit (the other controller that handles all the the electronics in the door):

Partnumber: 1003101-00-[X] (example: 1003101-00-C , 1003101-00-E , don't know the difference)

Tesla Service is asking $875 to replace this FRONT Door Control Unit and related harness for a REAR door issue I'm having (see this thread: Weird issue with door handles). But the controller can be found for $50 on eBay and access seems pretty easy. Is this something I could replace myself (assuming the wiring harness does not need to be replaced)? Or as the poster @Newscutter above noted I need some kind of software push to get the car to recognize the new controller? Thanks.

 

[David.85D]

I know they replaced mine once when the door handle was updated, so I suspect you need (at least) to get the right generation of part. I’d start by seeing what you have and check if you can get an identical unit.

Whether it’s VIN coded or otherwise car specific, I don’t know...

 

[jaaacob]

So, late update.. It was an $ 150 fix, the harness on the right front side was glitchy, so that was replaced and everything worked after that

Also asking for update... iv'e got the exact same problem, non responding handles or windows on passenger side. Only thing that actually works is the side mirror. And after pulling fuses the front passenger power window actually intermittent started working pulling down and up, but it forgot its auto-function when opening and closing window, just only going down...

So.. my car is at tesla SC and have been there a week. They called a couple days ago telling its a $800 job at the moment, changing the hole harness for the doors on the passenger door side. It sounds strange as they said the DCU also was failed, i asked how they tested that if the harness is bad and the LIN-bus within the doors was going bananas. They had no answer.... so this will be interesting.

Please feedback on your cars solution, so i wont be ripped for an actual easy fix or such. Feels like its the DCU needing replace only.