Driver's door latch broken - no parts available

[mecrtp]

I'm wondering if others have had the same issue that I'm having now. About 4 weeks ago, my drivers door ceased to open when pressing any of the buttons. The only way to get it open is to physically pull the inside release while pushing out hard from the inside. Obviously not good. The diagnosis was that the latch was broken and that both latches needed to be replaced. Service was schedule for a week out. Then delayed 2 weeks due to no parts. Then the team finally accepted the car a week ago, but they still not only have no parts... they have no ETA for getting the parts.

I have a few issues
1) I need parts to appear to get my car back
2) There seems to be nobody to contact in corporate to let them know about this issue
3) I am being asked to pay for something because the car is out of warranty but this is CLEARLY a design/quality issue that Tesla should comp (see problem #2)

I don't really expect anyone to be able to help... but I'd certainly accept any advice or commiseration offered. Kinda hoping that someone from Tesla will see this. I love both of my Teslas. I like my local service team... BUT at a corporate level, Tesla service is awful and it makes it hard to recommend the car to friends.

 

[shingles]

Why do you feel this is a design problem?

 

[mecrtp]

Two things. First I was told that they “retrofit” not one but both front door latches with the newer design. Both the fact that there is a new design and that they will proactively replace the latch in the other door strongly suggests that there was something wrong with the original design.

The second is more my personal opinion than a design issue. I guess I should have called it a bad design choice. Motorizing the front doors as they were done in the X is, in my opinion, gratuitous complexity. By that I mean that gives very little added value but add cost and things that are more likely to break. The model 3 doors make more sense.

 

[Tam]

...gratuitous complexity...

I love the current feature of automatic door swinging out open as I approach the car.

 

[mecrtp]

Glad that you enjoy it and I hope that yours doesn’t break… or if it does it does so under warranty. Mine has all the same hardware but my model didn’t have the package that opened the door automatically - I actually didn’t want it but got burned with the failure anyway.

 

[ngng]

2) There seems to be nobody to contact in corporate to let them know about this issue

Good luck, nobody at Tesla cares.

3) I am being asked to pay for something because the car is out of warranty but this is CLEARLY a design/quality issue that Tesla should comp (see problem #2)

Why would they comp it? Lots of parts are superseded over time but the mfg is under no obligation to replace the parts. If you plan on keeping the car, an extended warranty would be a good idea.

 

[Rice&Curry]

Two things. First I was told that they “retrofit” not one but both front door latches with the newer design. Both the fact that there is a new design and that they will proactively replace the latch in the other door strongly suggests that there was something wrong with the original design.

The second is more my personal opinion than a design issue. I guess I should have called it a bad design choice. Motorizing the front doors as they were done in the X is, in my opinion, gratuitous complexity. By that I mean that gives very little added value but add cost and things that are more likely to break. The model 3 doors make more sense.

Newer design may mean an improvement over the previous design- does not necessarily mean that the previous design was defective. By the way parts are difficult to come by- supply chain issues plaguing the whole industry not just Tesla, but since Tesla has fewer 3rd party suppliers compared to ICE cars hence the pain index is more.

 

[Tam]

Glad that you enjoy it and I hope that yours doesn’t break… or if it does it does so under warranty. Mine has all the same hardware but my model didn’t have the package that opened the door automatically - I actually didn’t want it but got burned with the failure anyway.

How costly are we looking at that could negate the very nice feature of the robot that opens the door when I approach my car?

 

[ngng]

How costly are we looking at that could negate the very nice feature of the robot that opens the door when I approach my car?

I want to say it's 400 or so when mine were replaced

 

[Tam]

I want to say it's 400 or so when mine were replaced

Thanks for the info.

That sounds reasonable expense instead of paying for a human butler to open the door.

 

[mecrtp]

About $400 for each door.

 

[ngng]

 

[brainhouston]

Since you can open from inside then i think your actual physical latch is fine and only the electric actuator broken.
So, how about a DIY?
Plenty of used ones on eBay for <$50 and Service manuals are now free.

 

[rush6410]

I'm wondering if others have had the same issue that I'm having now. About 4 weeks ago, my drivers door ceased to open when pressing any of the buttons. The only way to get it open is to physically pull the inside release while pushing out hard from the inside. Obviously not good. The diagnosis was that the latch was broken and that both latches needed to be replaced. Service was schedule for a week out. Then delayed 2 weeks due to no parts. Then the team finally accepted the car a week ago, but they still not only have no parts... they have no ETA for getting the parts.

I have a few issues
1) I need parts to appear to get my car back
2) There seems to be nobody to contact in corporate to let them know about this issue
3) I am being asked to pay for something because the car is out of warranty but this is CLEARLY a design/quality issue that Tesla should comp (see problem #2)

I don't really expect anyone to be able to help... but I'd certainly accept any advice or commiseration offered. Kinda hoping that someone from Tesla will see this. I love both of my Teslas. I like my local service team... BUT at a corporate level, Tesla service is awful and it makes it hard to recommend the car to friends.

Check this post out. Model X door handle issue
Tesla does not carry the old (2016) latching actuators any longer. The new latches require a kit that adds several new parts and door panel, hence the cost.
Another option is to order the broken actuator from ebay and replace it yourself.

 

[DPW666]

Had the same issue with my previous X in january. They replaced both latches with the new retrofit kit. Cost was under 600CAD for both doors. They do not charge the real actual amount wich is over 500 for one door as this is a retrofit kit for older models that had problematic door latches. They work much better and are quieter you will see. It was money well spent in my opinion!

 

[teslondon]

View attachment 818078

Is this estimate just for driver door or passenger side as well, how much you paid including labour

 

[teslondon]

Had the same issue with my previous X in january. They replaced both latches with the new retrofit kit. Cost was under 600CAD for both doors. They do not charge the real actual amount wich is over 500 for one door as this is a retrofit kit for older models that had problematic door latches. They work much better and are quieter you will see. It was money well spent in my opinion!

Did you pay 600 for both the doors including labor. Tesla service gave me 1600CAD estimate just for driver side.

 

[teslondon]

Had the same issue with my previous X in january. They replaced both latches with the new retrofit kit. Cost was under 600CAD for both doors. They do not charge the real actual amount wich is over 500 for one door as this is a retrofit kit for older models that had problematic door latches. They work much better and are quieter you will see. It was money well spent in my opinion!

@DPW666 I would really appreciate if you can confirm if you were charged 600CAD for both parts and labour. If possible please share the screenshot of the invoice, I have received a 1600$ estimate for driver door only.Thank you!

 

[teslondon]

Is this estimate just for driver door or passenger side as well, how much you paid including labour

View attachment 818078

@ngng could you please confirm if the retrofit was for both left and right front door or just one side. How much was the total including labour. Thanks

 

[DPW666]

It is 600cad total for both doors. Initial estimate may show more, but got adjusted for final invoice in my case