Door handle continuously running

[Ostrichsak]

that’s completely awful! My first Tesla was in 2013 when customer service was better than anything I’ve ever found. I had my p85 for 3 years and stepped away from the company for a few years. Came back last year. That same service center that was amazing. It still is! (Thankfully) that being said they opened a new center that’s 1 like closer to my house and it’s awful. I felt like I was arguing with myself to get something done. In the end I took the car to my old service center and I had zero issues.

I agree with you in that if the centers don’t step it up tesla will lose customers. The thing that gets me is that every center is Tesla. None of them are independently owned like most dealers so I don’t get why the huge swing in his things are handled. (My guess is that it’s like the founder movie if you’ve seen it)

The one thing that many people don't seem to understand is that without competition there is no motivation to improve. This holds true for independent service centers and dealerships selling the same brand. In many ways it's actually more motivation since customer Bob can just go down the street and by the exact same car from people who care and treat them better. This lack of competition is proving out that when you're only motivation is to not get fired your production is bare minimum. The only way that this is overcome is if the message comes all the way from the top with a solid game plan in place. Elon and others have proven time and again that customer service is the least of their concerns so what you're seeing echo down through The customer facing representatives is exactly the culture being produced from the top.

 

[EV-Fixme]

The one thing that many people don't seem to understand is that without competition there is no motivation to improve. This holds true for independent service centers and dealerships selling the same brand. In many ways it's actually more motivation since customer Bob can just go down the street and by the exact same car from people who care and treat them better. This lack of competition is proving out that when you're only motivation is to not get fired your production is bare minimum. The only way that this is overcome is if the message comes all the way from the top with a solid game plan in place. Elon and others have proven time and again that customer service is the least of their concerns so what you're seeing echo down through The customer facing representatives is exactly the culture being produced from the top.

Competition! We are trying to do what we can.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Competition! We are trying to do what we can.

Nothing but respect for what you and those of your ilk are doing to pressure Tesla into providing better customer service and options. I long for the day when we crack the software code and are able to fix the stuff that Tesla can't seem to figure out for themselves because once cars are off of warranty and we have that secret sauce the sky is the limit as far as what these cars are capable of in the hands of somebody who actually cares about how they perform years later.

 

[PV EV in VT]

I know one of the number one fails is the door handles. I’ve had one replaced already. This morning at 6am my husband goes to leave for work and gets in the car and can hear the mechanism running. (Alllll the way to work. 40 minutes away) he assumed the door didn’t fully latch. He arrives at work and the driver rear handle won’t present. And the mechanism is running. 13 hours later it’s still running. I made an appointment right away with mobile for Tuesday of next week. They messaged me and said it shouldn’t eat away the 12V but I’m a little concerned. (The car is plugged in)

has anyone else had a handle go down with the same thing happen? My last one it would run for about 20 seconds but not like this. With the pandemic we don’t drive as much as normal so if I need to do something proactively so that it’s not stuck here I will.

Your post describes to a T the new issue with our SP85's rear driver-side door handle! Thanks to everyone for the assuring comments:

1. It's a job that the Ranger can fix in 10-minutes
2. With no load on the mechanism's motor, a delay of a month or more for repair, will not burn out the motor.
3. Probably best to keep the car plugged because of the power drain
4. If it bothers you, you can pop off the door panel and disconnect the motor
5. It's a DYI fix....

Mine has been running for months. Bought a replacement gear but haven’t gotten around to fixing it. It’s a rear door, so little motivation. Handle still opens the door, just doesn’t extend. Ended up putting a zip tie around the handle so I can open the door if needed.

garrett5688 -- How did the replacement go? Any specific instructions to share, like how to know that the problem is a gear, where to purchase the part, and how to perform the repair?

 

[garrett5688]

garrett5688 -- How did the replacement go? Any specific instructions to share, like how to know that the problem is a gear, where to purchase the part, and how to perform the repair?

sorry- still haven’t replaced it. Status has not changed... motor runs, door handle still works, just doesn’t extend.

the part I purchased is the little gear, “PADDLE GEAR(1042845-00-B)”, and I bought it from my local service center.

part laziness on my part, but also anticipating trading it in on a Y later this year so trying to avoid sinking any more time/money into it. Thankfully out of the 4 doors, this one (rear driver) is seldom used.

 

[PV EV in VT]

sorry- still haven’t replaced it. Status has not changed... motor runs, door handle still works, just doesn’t extend.

part laziness on my part, but also anticipating trading it in on a Y later this year so trying to avoid sinking any more time/money into it. Thankfully out of the 4 doors, this one (rear driver) is seldom used.

Aw shucks. Thanks for the reply though. At least you gave me some hope that maybe we can figure it out ourselves.

 

[PV EV in VT]

I got intimidated watching videos of how to access the door handle, so scheduled Ranger to come fix it... then received estimate for the job (Just shy of $300 to replace handle with GEN3). Now the dilemma... Why replace the entire handle when all it needs is a $1.18 paddle gear?!?

We know that the handles on these cars often fail... so in one regard, it makes sense to replace the entire thing because other parts (micro-switches, wires, etc.) might be getting ready to fail soon too. BUT... I keep coming back to the waste of resources (a throw away society) and money. So... we did some more research, and might be feeling brave enough to try it ourselves. (This lack of confidence is from a husband and wife duo who had no issues rewiring our1948 Plymouth. But unlike the Tesla, the Plymouth was simple..no complicated expensive computers & circuitry.)

We watched some more videos of door handle repairs and found a good one.. At 5:35 into the video, they demo the problem (the continuously running motor) and show how to replace the paddle gear.

We also found a lot more info on this subject in another TMC post: Tesla door handle failure - pivot gear (anyone have one I can buy?)

With all this info and a $300 incentive, we just might give it a try later this week. That makes sense... doesn't it?

 

[garrett5688]

As with most things, it’s a time vs money decision and different for everyone.

to the point of replace vs repair - this is just common throughout society these days. Labor is typically more than the actual parts being replaced, so the quicker/easier option wins out.

some times all an alternator needs is new brushes... but it’s less labor to just replace the whole alternator. So that’s what you get.

 

[BillGardner]

I had a door handle replaced recently that was making noise 24/7 and wouldn't present. Noticed that the puddle lights in the handle were also on while it was making that noise inside the door. Guessing yours is the same failure.

Mine just started running but not presenting. I’m guessing the gear broke internally. I just disconnected @12v battery

 

[tkizzy]

Looking at fixing a front drivers handle from a 2015, info in this thread is giving me confidence…

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Electrified Garage has a good videos, for removing the handle and replacing the harness inside the housing that is the common problem. With links for parts.