Door handle pinched my hand while retracting

[Zythryn]

We should both just quit this thread We're apparently either dumb, lying, or wimps. Maybe all three.

No, just poor at explaining.
It isn't an easy thing to explain, so I don't fault you for having a tough time explaining.
Pictures are good, videos such as the tissue paper example above are even better.

 

[Electricfan]

This also happened to me, on the second or third day that I had the car and was still unfamiliar with it. I remember that I approached the car in the garage and its handle did not extend, so I pressed on the handle. That didn't produce any immediate results, so I pressed the fob which I was holding in my other hand. Meanwhile the car's handle started to extend, and I put my hand into it, but then it instantly retracted again because I had pressed the fob. It pinched my fingertip as I tried to remove my hand, and it was painful (much more force applied than just "putting a textbook over your fingers".) I chalked it up to a learning experience and will never again press the fob with my hand (or anyone else's) inside the handle.

Your experience may be different, and I'm glad that it didn't hurt you. Just sharing my experience with this.

The tesla defenders are out in force on this one. I wish one of them would put his/her tongue in the handle and close it, on video! Now that would be awesome! Probably get a million hits on Youtube!

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It appears that none of you is ready for the post-digital era.

oh, that was low...

 

[deonb]

The tesla defenders are out in force on this one. I wish one of them would put his/her tongue in the handle and close it, on video! Now that would be awesome! Probably get a million hits on Youtube!

Just did it, though I'm not going to record a video with my face in it.

I'll give you mild discomfort on that one, but mostly it just tasted bad.

Note to anybody else who wants to try this: Wash your car first.

 

[AllenWong]

Ok, let's do an actual test. This is how my car works. I can open the handle with a Kleenex without it tearing. Can someone with a newer model see if this still works?

If it tears, fold the Kleenex and try again, and see how many times you have to fold it to open the handle. (Or if it even opens at all).

I have the P85D, late December 2014 delivery. Did the Kleenex thing. Had to fold it 3 times, because the handle was wet (it was raining). But I managed to do the same as you did in the video. I pulled the handle all the way back without the tissue breaking. I have video proof of it.

 

[gregincal]

We should both just quit this thread We're apparently either dumb, lying, or wimps. Maybe all three.

Definitely not dumb or lying. Yes, the door handle with retract against your hand. Yes it will not come out again of it's own accord. Most people do not find the pressure painful and can easily remove their hand without getting the car to extend the handle again. Maybe you and your wife have extra sensitive hands or the spring in your car is stiffer than it needs to be.

 

[Electricfan]

Just did it, though I'm not going to record a video with my face in it.

I'll give you mild discomfort on that one, but mostly it just tasted bad.

Note to anybody else who wants to try this: Wash your car first.

Now that's going the extra mile for a green bar! I'll definitely give you points for that! I was sort of kidding about the tongue thing.

 

[Doug_G]

On rare occasion I've had the door handle retract at the exact moment I grabbed it. Didn't hurt at all... but I think I can see how your reaction to it might possibly cause minor pain.

If you simply left your hand in there, and tugged back, the handle would come out and you could retrieve your hand safely. But if you are surprised and try to yank your hand out suddenly, you might possibly scrape it along the edge of the door skin itself, and that might hurt.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I'm not able to edit my original post for some reason so I'm adding a reply here. I'm the originator of this thread.

I made a short video of closing the handle on my finger, and it's taking it's sweet time uploading (and then processing I guess). But in doing this 10 second test, this was the mark left on my finger. I'm not being a wimp, this really doesn't feel great.

What's happening is the handle presses your finger against the groove in the door panel above the handle. People are showing videos of pulling out the handle with a tissue, but I can attest that after trying this again today it required more force than I expected to pull the handle out. Perhaps different cars have different spring tensions, but it really pressed my fingers into this groove pretty good, as shown by the mark it left. That photo was some minutes after I did the test, and now as I look at my finger 30 min later there's still a divot in it.

I will have this looked at when I bring my car in next. My rear handles retract when they shouldn't, and don't open when they should, often. Like almost all the time. So either the handles are defective or my fob is losing connection to the car constantly or something. I'm sure they'll resolve it. I just wanted to post to say that I'm not crazy, I'm not wrong, and I'm not a wimp. At least not about this. Heights? I can't deal with heights.

 

[ecarfan]

Thanks for the additional info. Your handles appear to behave differently than mine and others who have posted in this thread. I would have Tesla check them out immediately.

 

[thecloud]

The tesla defenders are out in force on this one. I wish one of them would put his/her tongue in the handle and close it, on video! Now that would be awesome! Probably get a million hits on Youtube!

The guy who took you up on this offer actually gave a perfect demonstration of how desperately some people want to be right, and prove others wrong.

I've seen rabid tesla defenders in action before on the forums, but not at such close range. It starts with the complete discounting of your experience ("no, you couldn't possibly have been hurt, you're misinterpreting what happened, you must have jerked your hand away at just the wrong angle, you're bad at explaining"), then is followed up with all manner of quasi-scientific proofs ("look, I closed my handle on some straws! I opened my handle using only kleenex!").

My experience happened just as I recounted it. I did not jerk my hand away or scrape my knuckles on the door frame. I had released my grip on the handle and was lifting my hand away normally as the handle was retracting, but my fingertip got pinched somehow between the closing handle and the top of the handle cutout area. Didn't think to take a picture at the time, as I felt like the only person to blame was myself. I recall it leaving a mark, although not a bruise or anything serious.

But apparently if I had posted a picture or video, I'd get the courtesy of assuming what I said actually happened, and a "well, go have Tesla look at that."

OK, then. Lesson learned.

 

[AllenWong]

I'm not able to edit my original post for some reason so I'm adding a reply here. I'm the originator of this thread.

I made a short video of closing the handle on my finger, and it's taking it's sweet time uploading (and then processing I guess). But in doing this 10 second test, this was the mark left on my finger. I'm not being a wimp, this really doesn't feel great.

View attachment 83081

What's happening is the handle presses your finger against the groove in the door panel above the handle. People are showing videos of pulling out the handle with a tissue, but I can attest that after trying this again today it required more force than I expected to pull the handle out. Perhaps different cars have different spring tensions, but it really pressed my fingers into this groove pretty good, as shown by the mark it left. That photo was some minutes after I did the test, and now as I look at my finger 30 min later there's still a divot in it.

I will have this looked at when I bring my car in next. My rear handles retract when they shouldn't, and don't open when they should, often. Like almost all the time. So either the handles are defective or my fob is losing connection to the car constantly or something. I'm sure they'll resolve it. I just wanted to post to say that I'm not crazy, I'm not wrong, and I'm not a wimp. At least not about this. Heights? I can't deal with heights.

Do not take me the wrong way, but can you do the kleenex thing where you fold the kleenex several times until it rips when you pull on it? Showing us a mark on your finger isn't a good control, because every hand is different. But if you had the kleenex video, we can compare and get a better estimate of how much force your handles are pulling. For me, I had to fold my 2-ply kleenex 3 times before it stopped ripping. I could probably get a mark on my finger if I left a textbook on it for a few seconds, so it's not a very good way for us to tell how strong your handles are. Again, do not take this post the wrong way. If we're going to conduct science experiments, let's minimize the variables.

 

[Krugerrand]

Do not take me the wrong way, but can you do the kleenex thing where you fold the kleenex several times until it rips when you pull on it? Showing us a mark on your finger isn't a good control, because every hand is different. But if you had the kleenex video, we can compare and get a better estimate of how much force your handles are pulling. For me, I had to fold my 2-ply kleenex 3 times before it stopped ripping. I could probably get a mark on my finger if I left a textbook on it for a few seconds, so it's not a very good way for us to tell how strong your handles are. Again, do not take this post the wrong way. If we're going to conduct science experiments, let's minimize the variables.

Did you just call his finger fat? (In case of confusion, that was suppose to be a funny)

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I'll try that, sure. And I think my fingers are quite svelt.

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BTW - I didn't see the video of you holding the handle open with the tissue, putting your finger in the open space, and quickly releasing the tissue to show that it feels like sunshine and talcum powder rainbows when it presses your finger into that crease in the metal bodywork

Some googling shows that a 2-ply kleenex has a WET strength of > 3.5 lbs. So 3 times that is over 10 lbs. Wet. It's dry strength is much greater of course. So perhaps 20 pounds. Consider that folding paper actually increases it's strength more than 2x the original paper too, as you gain from things like interstitial friction and other factors someone smarter than me can describe. Add to that the fact that you're spreading out the force over about 5 sq inches and it could be pulling with even more force before breaking the tissues. So the handle's springs may be pulling them into the car with a force more than realized because us humans have strong hands. I can't find my luggage scale to act as a force gauge for me right now, believe me I'm looking.

 

[AllenWong]

I'd say the force is equal to about 1-2 lbs. Three lbs at most (but it really felt close to one lb.). I hope this video is enough proof for you?

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I didn't GRAB the handle. My fingers were in the open slot because I didn't realize they were retracting on me.

 

[davewill]

I'd say the force is equal to about 1-2 lbs. Three lbs at most (but it really felt close to one lb.). I hope this video is enough proof for you?

Pretty insulting titling. Nobody ever claimed it "ripped fingers off".

 

[Canuck]

I've seen rabid tesla defenders in action before on the forums, but not at such close range.

It irritates me to no end that anyone who posts anything challenging or questioning someone inevitably gets met with these types of comments in reply, if what is said happens to support Tesla. Forget the fact that in other threads many of these same people who are called "tesla defenders in action" have also often criticized Tesla. Nope, if you support Tesla on anything here get ready to be met by these comments. I sure wish we could discuss things without these types of comments.

The fact that these handles have been in use a few years now, with no reports of problems other than in this thread, leads me to believe that the OP has something wrong with his handles and needs to get them checked by service.

 

[AllenWong]

I didn't GRAB the handle. My fingers were in the open slot because I didn't realize they were retracting on me.

I don't get it. I did exactly as you said to do:

1) Close door.
2) Press LOCK on fob.
3) As handle is retracting, insert hand as if you were about to open door.
4) Feel pain/discomfort as handle wedges your hand against the upper groove cutout in the door.
5) Feel door handle NOT open until you press fob UNLOCK.
Repeatable and painful.

Watch my video again. I didn't pull back on the handle. I let it retract on me. Then I joked that my fingers were stuck. But really, it felt like nothing. I only started to pull back when I said "just kidding." You said that the door handle did not open until you press fob UNLOCK. I was able to pull it out with my pinky finger. The leads me to believe that your door handle is defective.

Why not do the kleenex tissue thing and show us the video of it ripping a 2-ply kleenex tissue after 3 folds (and then showing us how many folds it requires to not rip the tissue)? What I suspect is that your door springs are too tight. My video wasn't to say that you didn't experience pain. I very much believe it. I'm just showing you what the Teslas' door handles are supposed to feel like - which is no pain.

Pretty insulting titling. Nobody ever claimed it "ripped fingers off".

Did I misunderstand the meaning of "dedigitate"?

 

[Ocelot]

The guy who took you up on this offer actually gave a perfect demonstration of how desperately some people want to be right, and prove others wrong.

I've seen rabid tesla defenders in action before on the forums, but not at such close range. It starts with the complete discounting of your experience ("no, you couldn't possibly have been hurt, you're misinterpreting what happened, you must have jerked your hand away at just the wrong angle, you're bad at explaining"), then is followed up with all manner of quasi-scientific proofs ("look, I closed my handle on some straws! I opened my handle using only kleenex!").

My experience happened just as I recounted it. I did not jerk my hand away or scrape my knuckles on the door frame. I had released my grip on the handle and was lifting my hand away normally as the handle was retracting, but my fingertip got pinched somehow between the closing handle and the top of the handle cutout area. Didn't think to take a picture at the time, as I felt like the only person to blame was myself. I recall it leaving a mark, although not a bruise or anything serious.

But apparently if I had posted a picture or video, I'd get the courtesy of assuming what I said actually happened, and a "well, go have Tesla look at that."

OK, then. Lesson learned.

agree 100%. i just do not understand it. a whole lot of blame the victim. have people here never seen something that seems benign or innocuous, cause injury? is really that incredulous that accidents happen? lets say its a 1 in a 10 000 0000 chance...well how many model S's out there, how many people opening the door daily?

the poor peeps basically get called liars, and have no pain tolerance. :redface: even if what one experiences as a 1/10 in pain the next experiences as a 10/10...there is NO RIGHT on the subjectivity scale.

 

[deonb]

The guy who took you up on this offer actually gave a perfect demonstration of how desperately some people want to be right, and prove others wrong.

Prior to that event, I have no less than 6 times on this very thread hypothesized that my specific vehicle doesn't behave in the way that people are describing, and I think that something was different with newer cars:

But these are all 2013 cars. I wonder if the new door handles are more "aggressive"?

That would definitely be a change if that's the case.

I wonder if the door handle safety somehow got changed. I still have those very original handles that doesn't give any way when you open the door etc..

The alternate theory is that after 2 years, my springs are more worn out than with a new car.

This is 100% definitely a design change then.

This is how my car works... Can someone with a newer model see if this still works?

This is not me trying to prove others wrong and saying that their Model S can't hurt them. I kept saying - this looks like a vehicle change, let's try to find out if this the case. When none of the people who had issues took me up on my challenge, I put my money where my mouth is (literally), and took them up on theirs.

I still maintain this - your door handle might have enough power to hurt you, mine doesn't.

Whether this means a design change for the worse, or a defect in a specific vehicle which need to be looked at, or me just getting very lucky initially, the fact remains that without going through a scientific process, we won't know where we are at. Do some people need service? Does there need to be a recall on newer handles? Does it just go away over time?

We won't know until we compare, and since nobody proposed a scientific method, I'll stoop to an absurd one.

I hope however someone can actually propose something better. I have a fish scale / luggage scale, but it is not nearly sensitive enough for this.

I've seen rabid tesla defenders in action before on the forums, but not at such close range.

I invite you to take a look at my posting history on other threads and see if you still want to call me a rabid tesla defender.