Emergency door releases and window seals?

[timk225]

The owners manual says not to use the emergency door releases except in emergency. But I've given rides to non-Tesla people, and they almost always go grabbing for the emergency release instead of the more obvious button to open the door, which annoys me.

But I was looking at the emergency releases myself, and it seems that the window does drop down some when they are used. So is that the same amount of window drop as the regular door button, and does it really hurt anything?

 

[Tam]

...hurt anything?

My guess is that it's not designed for daily wear and tear so save some for emergency use if you can!

 

[Runt8]

I’ve read here that manual release can also cause problems when closing the door (someone posted a picture of a gouge taken out of the trim when closing the door with the window all the way up) but that seems odd to me - I would expect the window to move down slightly no matter which method you use, and the only problem would be that when using the manual lever it might not move far enough down in time.

 

[eyespii]

The owners manual says not to use the emergency door releases except in emergency. But I've given rides to non-Tesla people, and they almost always go grabbing for the emergency release instead of the more obvious button to open the door, which annoys me.

But I was looking at the emergency releases myself, and it seems that the window does drop down some when they are used. So is that the same amount of window drop as the regular door button, and does it really hurt anything?

I personally find the door-release button extremely unintuitive. Years of muscle memory have trained me to look for a knob/handle/latch to open a door, not to press a button. Tesla should have put the emergency latch in a less obvious spot to prevent accidental pulls...

 

[KFORE]

I personally find the door-release button extremely unintuitive. Years of muscle memory have trained me to look for a knob/handle/latch to open a door, not to press a button. Tesla should have put the emergency latch in a less obvious spot to prevent accidental pulls...

The problem with that is, during an emergency situation, you'd want to the most intuitive/quick operation to get you out of the car, especially one that doesn't have to be learned by other occupants.

I don't find the door button to be bad design at all. I actually really like it, since your full hand has the door handle for leverage getting out. On most cars, you generally have to pull the handle and then shove your elbow into the door to open it. With the Model 3, you can use the whole handle to move it in/out since you use your thumb only to actually open the door.

It took me all of 48 hours to get used to the button and I just have to show new riders where it is for their first ride. I quite like it.

 

[Tam]

...I don't find the door button to be bad design at all...

In an emergency, you might not have the luxury of a fully powered door button (such as the 12 Volt system got a short due to damage).

Thus, for an emergency, it's better to rely on a mechanical door opener instead.

 

[Trevor B]

The owners manual says not to use the emergency door releases except in emergency. But I've given rides to non-Tesla people, and they almost always go grabbing for the emergency release instead of the more obvious button to open the door, which annoys me.

But I was looking at the emergency releases myself, and it seems that the window does drop down some when they are used. So is that the same amount of window drop as the regular door button, and does it really hurt anything?

It's not ... if it were, folks would be using that

 

[iwannam3]

Why didn't they put a door icon or D on the button? A longer line than the line on the window button is not at all intuitive. Bet you didn't even notice the difference....Anyone going to make stick on decals?

 

[gambit48]

Since they already had to put that emergency handle in there, I really wonder how much money was saved vs simply making the emergency handle the only way to open the door and built to handle daily use? I mean, they'd save money by not having to put the button in. It'd still be a very clean look, but it'd be way more intuitive to everyone.

 

[JulienW]

Funny that I own an ELR (with electronic doors) and the emergency release is where NO ONE will EVER find it in an emergency. It is below the door. Just the opposite of the M3.

 

[iwannam3]

The obvious answer is to have the "emergency" handle be the every day release like everyone expects it and have a detent in it's travel that does the mechanical backup when you pull hard past the detent. Pulling hard would be your natural response to an emergency. And if you pulled hard with power, the door would pop before you hit the detent.

 

[gregd]

I think the fix is fairly simple. Position a small microswitch under the emergency lever that's wired in parallel with the door switch. Pulling up on the emergency lever would, essentially, push the door switch for you. Unless you pulled the emergency lever really fast, I bet the window would be lowered in time for a safe exit.

 

[Stellavator]

The obvious answer is to have the "emergency" handle be the every day release like everyone expects it and have a detent in it's travel that does the mechanical backup when you pull hard past the detent. Pulling hard would be your natural response to an emergency. And if you pulled hard with power, the door would pop before you hit the detent.

Excellent idea. Maybe Tesla will incorporate something like that in M3 v2.

 

[Stellavator]

I think the fix is fairly simple. Position a small microswitch under the emergency lever that's wired in parallel with the door switch. Pulling up on the emergency lever would, essentially, push the door switch for you. Unless you pulled the emergency lever really fast, I bet the window would be lowered in time for a safe exit.

Wonder if there is anyone willing to try this and let us know if it works.

 

[chronopc]

But I've given rides to non-Tesla people, and they almost always go grabbing for the emergency release instead of the more obvious button to open the door, which annoys me.

This is exactly why I have to yell "push the button" to everyone who sits shotgun in my car when they are getting out.

 

[Trips]

I personally find the door-release button extremely unintuitive. Years of muscle memory have trained me to look for a knob/handle/latch to open a door, not to press a button. Tesla should have put the emergency latch in a less obvious spot to prevent accidental pulls...

Like behind the speaker cover.

 

[TEG]

I wonder if it could be about really cold conditions. Like if the window was practically frozen to the seals. Maybe using the switch separates better before opening, but the emergeny release could tear the seals?

 

[jasher926]

I have stickers I bought from Amazon on my door buttons now that seem to help
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MHLLNKS

 

[chronopc]

I have stickers I bought from Amazon on my door buttons now that seem to help
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MHLLNKS

I like the ideal. Seems a little bit pricey though.

 

[worldbofree]

So I got my brand new model 3 yesterday and used the manual door open. THEN i look at the console and it warns to not do that due to potential damage. Then today I noticed this near the window.

Did this happen because of that? And if so, why didnt anyone warn me?!