Driver door takes extra effort to close?

[Mav777]

Well this is frustrating My back passenger door suffers from this same issue. When I brought the car into the service center in the Bay Area they told me because the car is new it was just the weather stripping and it would get better over time. You would think the service advisors so close to the factory would know how to fix this. Good thing I have an appointment at the popup body shop in Fremont coming up. Hopefully, they will be able to fix this when they fix my panel gap issue.

 

[buyehara]

After watching some videos on striker alignment it appears my driver side door striker is too low as I see some metal contact on the lower section of the door latch. If there is perfect alignment the striker should not touch the leading edges of the latch and only come into contact at the very end of the latch, any misalignment will cause resistance to the door closing. I'll be working on it this evening and will post some before and after photos. Thanks all for sharing your experiences. This sure saves some time to schedule a service appointment. I also recently modified my interior, puddle and trunk lights from 1 LED to 3 vs. purchasing expensive after market accessories. It's posted on a different section of the forum. So far from all the ideas from this forum I was able modify the interior lights and add a wireless charging system. The only accessory I did spend money on is Tony Phan's Bandit front license plate holder. Great forum!

here's the youtube link, it's for a Jeep Wrangler, but the concept is the same.

 

[Mav777]

Well this is frustrating My back passenger door suffers from this same issue. When I brought the car into the service center in the Bay Area they told me because the car is new it was just the weather stripping and it would get better over time. You would think the service advisors so close to the factory would know how to fix this. Good thing I have an appointment at the popup body shop in Fremont coming up. Hopefully, they will be able to fix this when they fix my panel gap issue.

Amazing experience at the popup body shop in Fremont. Turns out a gap of 5.5mm was out of spec so they fixed it and it looks significantly better! They also adjusted the door and it works much better so the trim stiffness had nothing to do with it. Then they found out I waited in line day 1 and they hooked me up with the toy car model once they found out I didn't get it.

 

[Glamisduner]

I have the same issue with the passenger door. It does not latch unless slammed, making it easy to walk away from the car unlocked.

Tesla service is all booked up and it's killing my plans to PPF the car (Originally planned to do it right after delivery). It will be full of rock chips before service fixes my issues so I can PPF. I need to have 3 things repainted , frunk, trunk, and door striker all re-aligned...

 

[buyehara]

I just adjusted my driver side door striker. Used a T45 torx socket. Found the best way to fix this issue is to let the door align itself. To do this loosen the two T45 mounting screws to the striker just enough that it can move but have enough friction to keep its location. Lightly close the door and the striker will self align vertically. You'll notice right away that the door no longer takes extra effort to close. After you've found the proper vertical position of the striker, check the door alignment against the passenger door as the striker also moves in and out. Initially my door was too far out compared the passenger door so I tapped the striker inwards slightly until I had the proper alignment. After that I tightened up the bolts and did a few cycles of opening and closing the door to ensure it is good and the alignment is also correct. In all took about 15 - 20 minutes to adjust. Just be careful not loosen the T45 screw head carefully so you don't strip the bit or the bolt.

 

[buyehara]

Here are some photos of my door striker adjustment. I recommend adjusting it with the windows all the way down to reduce additional resistance from the window. Notice in my video with the window up it requires extra force to close the door. Hope this helps!

Amazon Photos

 

[mrau]

Thanks for the info Buyehara. My drivers door was hard to close. Usually had to pull door shut twice. Made the adjustments and now it closes the first time and much easier. I could see the striker was dragging on the bottom part of the door catch when the door is almost closed. A flashlight helps to see it better. Aligned the striker so it goes in the middle of door catch and it is much smoother.

 

[buyehara]

that's awesome @mrau, I'm glad you also were able to adjust the striker yourself. As I mentioned earlier I think the setting for the Driver's door striker at the factor is a tad bit too low thus it strikes the bottom of the door latch causing added friction and thus causing the door to partially close. Remember to test the door with the windows down too.

 

[bigroo42]

I just adjusted my driver side door striker. Used a T45 torx socket. Found the best way to fix this issue is to let the door align itself. To do this loosen the two T45 mounting screws to the striker just enough that it can move but have enough friction to keep its location. Lightly close the door and the striker will self align vertically. You'll notice right away that the door no longer takes extra effort to close. After you've found the proper vertical position of the striker, check the door alignment against the passenger door as the striker also moves in and out. Initially my door was too far out compared the passenger door so I tapped the striker inwards slightly until I had the proper alignment. After that I tightened up the bolts and did a few cycles of opening and closing the door to ensure it is good and the alignment is also correct. In all took about 15 - 20 minutes to adjust. Just be careful not loosen the T45 screw head carefully so you don't strip the bit or the bolt.

Thanks buyehara! I had this same issue when I installed a door seal kit. And a quick adjustment of the striker plate and it fixed me right up! Great info!

 

[buyehara]

thanks bigroo42, glad I could help!! I did install the door seals too but didn't need to adjust the door striker, probably because I adjusted it earlier.

 

[Riversurfer]

Trying to figure out if it's just me, or does the driver door require extra oompf to fully close? Just had the car since 9/22, but noticed it didn't lock because the driver door hadn't been fully closed, so now I wind up having to really slam it shut. I'm worried I'll walk away one day and a car prowler will go to town with my beautiful interior (this town is ridden with them). Doesn't seem like an issue with any of the other doors of the car. Could this just be me or something that could be fixed? I used to routinely drive a 4Runner so I would think this shouldn't be an issue - and prior to getting the Tesla, I had to make a conscious effort not to slam the door on my husband's Alpina.

VIN 55xxx LR AWD PUP EAP

There are 3 hex headed bolts that secure the latch. I found 2 that were able to be turned by hand. I was also having trouble getting drivers side door to close. Used a kotter key to tighten and issue was resolved. Not a bad idea to check all of these. Passenger side had a loose bolt also.

 

[gambit48]

Hmm, maybe it's time to get an appointment in the Bay Area. My local dealer said they couldn't do anything more. Said if they did more, it might cause more harm than good.

 

[St☰v☰]

Said if they did more, it might cause more harm than good.

Yeah, it would encroach on their coffee break time