How bad are Falcon Wing doors?

[ExoByte]

I had the rain water in the middle seat issue for 1 day, i took it in and they fixed the channel. Been fine for 3 years since. I live in Seattle, so I'd know if it was acting up again

 

[blitzpa]

Zero reliability issues with my FWD's in our 2 years of ownership. Yes, they are more complex than a regular car door. However, they have a lot more capability than any other door. They open in tight spaces like a minivan, large opening makes easy entry for passengers and car seat placement. I love the hands-free auto-open on the front doors and I can open and all the doors including the FWD's using the touchscreen or fob. I would never give that up for regular doors that I have to manually open!

 

[DataMN]

Love the FWDs! They are defining. Major reason for my choice in 2016. Especially fun in a parade with them open, music playing, and second row seats occupied by waving dignitaries and a German Shephard. Now, if I could just get the "door-open warning bell" to shut off........ Luckily it's not loud enough for the parade watchers to hear. But they do love the FWDs! No mechanical issues in 6 years of MN weather.

 

[ZHMD]

My preowned 2018 MX FWD are rarely used but work fine, look great. Rain channels look worn but passed the water test when the car had routine service at Tesla. Open the doors occasionally in the garage with no problems. No injuries to myself or passengers. I appreciate the features of MX including the uniqueness of the FWD.

 

[mbp11]

Love the FWDs! They are defining. Major reason for my choice in 2016. Especially fun when driving with them open in a parade, with music playing, and with second row seats occupied by waving dignitaries and a German Shephard. Now, if I could just get the "door-open warning bell" to shut off........ Luckily it's not loud enough for the parade watchers to hear. But they do love the FWDs! No mechanical issues in 6 years of MN weather.

I have heard that you can shut off the alarms by pulling the autodrive stalk back 4 times when it is alarming... but I have not had a chance to try it. Perhaps tonight!

Mike P

 

[sfrembgen]

The reason for my Model X is the Falcon Wing Doors. They are very convenient and they have been reliable for me since 2017 or the past 4 years and some months.

I don't experience snow so I can't tell you that.

The doors hitting people are the result of complacency with technology rather than common sense. The manual says very clearly that the driver still needs to monitor the doors. There's enough sonar to avoid hitting the car parking in an adjacent space (the adjacent car is long so the sensor only needs to pick up 1 small portion of the length of that car) but there are not enough sensors to detect the whole width of the door for people (human is not as big nor as long as a car).

I don't see why if it's a Tesla door then people assume that it's safe for kids to let the doors close on their fingers. It just doesn't make sense! When I drive the kids, before closing the doors, I gave them the command that their arms should be folded in front for me to see then I close the doors. After a while, they got the message to avoid resting their fingers near the door frame and they can also help to close the doors by themselves. It's not hard to avoid injuries. It just takes some training for the kids.

I still remember vividly my fingers getting jammed in a car door when I was less than 10 years old (now Im 65). It can happen either way and caution is always advised. There are pros and cons to the FW doors. We got our MX in December and I like them for the most part. What is really great is increased accessibility to load larger items into the car. With snow it's the same as with regular doors...when you don't brush off at the "seams", you end up with snow inside, FW doors or not. But it's nice to be standing under the door when it's raining and you are arranging passengers (dogs, grandchildren... in the back seat

 

[greenporsche]

Falcon wing doors sounds like a great idea. But it’s one more thing to go wrong with the car. I love my model 3 because there are very few things to go wrong. Less moving par means alot less to go wrong. Just my 2 cents.

54k miles over 30 months, not one issue with my FWD.

 

[Harvey Danger]

Rainy Pacific Northwest. Four years owning an X. I think my kid complained about getting dripped on. Once. If you asked me to recall *anything* about my model x, good or bad, I assure you I would never come up with the dripping water topic on my own without being prompted about it. It is just simply a non-factor that never registered with me as even the tiniest part of the ownership experience. And that's coming from a person who actually observed it happen. Once. I think. I don't exactly remember. It obviously wasn't very traumatic because the details didn't really register with me...

If you're just wondering about FWD's generally, theyre fine. I never worry about them. It's like a lot of things with Teslas. You wonder about the new aspects until you've got one. Once you've had it awhile you realize, oh, yeah, it's a car. You drive it. Like a car. Basically FWDs are doors. You use them like doors. They're how you get in the back. You just don't think about them generally. Theyre probably a little unnecessary from an automotive design perspective , but hey you can't do the 'Model Xmas' Christmas Show without them ...

 

[DevGuy]

Model X 90D & 100D, over 50,000 miles and owned since 2016 & 2017 respectively - zero FWD issues (other than a little initial alignment adj on both cars - panel gaps).

Tesloop car service has 400,000 mile 90D's with zero FWD issues and 10,000 cycles+ ( I bought the cheapest Tesla Model X ever: $30,000 electric SUV - Electrek and service records with zero FWD costs ... Tesla Model X 90D "Deuxy" Maintenance and Energy Record )-- so if having issues something off from the get go (production issue) get it adjusted/fixed under warranty and never look back!

 

[PROVIDENT]

The only reason why I dont buy X are FW doors. I saw a videos of rain/snow falling in. Doors are slow. Doors not closing. Doors not opening in winter. Doors hurting kid libs and fingers. Doors hitting people when opening etc. I want to know from owners. Do you like your FW doors?

The only reason why I dont buy X are FW doors. I saw a videos of rain/snow falling in. Doors are slow. Doors not closing. Doors not opening in winter. Doors hurting kid libs and fingers. Doors hitting people when opening etc. I want to know from owners. Do you like your FW doors?

I had a model s before my 2018 Model X, love the Tesla X, living in central calif. have no weather issues, issues with FW doors are minimal, my wife has been hit few times when closing because she didnt get out of the way, but received no injuries door automatically reversed,, GREAT car.. Tony S.

 

[PROVIDENT]

The only reason why I dont buy X are FW doors. I saw a videos of rain/snow falling in. Doors are slow. Doors not closing. Doors not opening in winter. Doors hurting kid libs and fingers. Doors hitting people when opening etc. I want to know from owners. Do you like your FW doors?

Had a Model S before buying my 2018 mod X,, love my Tesla,, Living in central calif have no weather problems, minor issue with falcon doors when my wife onloading packages didn,nt get away quick enough, but no injuries, door automatically reversed. Great car ! ,, Tony

 

[Kit]

My only experience is with a loaner Model X. (It looked like a Christmas tree as it came down my dirt driveway on a flatbed in the on a dark and rainy night.) What I learned: I wasn't able to open the doors the falcon-wing doors in my garage. 'Just didn't have enough clearance. I loved the idea, just would not have worked for me. Really awkward in my situation. I had no idea! Kit

 

[PungoteagDave]

No issues, wonderful contraptions. Elon says they are the biggest mistake of his career, probably so, but I think they are fully sorted, no issue whatsoever on my 2019 Raven MX, my third Tesla. Silly in many respects, but the kids love the Christmas show, and so do many bystanders. I can;t tell you how many smartphone videos there are of my car doing the dance.

 

[MXLRplus]

No real problems yet other than failure to open 100% at random locations about 5% of the time.

 

[Dominik_12]

The reason for my Model X is the Falcon Wing Doors. They are very convenient and they have been reliable for me since 2017 or the past 4 years and some months.

I don't experience snow so I can't tell you that.

The doors hitting people are the result of complacency with technology rather than common sense. The manual says very clearly that the driver still needs to monitor the doors. There's enough sonar to avoid hitting the car parking in an adjacent space (the adjacent car is long so the sensor only needs to pick up 1 small portion of the length of that car) but there are not enough sensors to detect the whole width of the door for people (human is not as big nor as long as a car).

I don't see why if it's a Tesla door then people assume that it's safe for kids to let the doors close on their fingers. It just doesn't make sense! When I drive the kids, before closing the doors, I gave them the command that their arms should be folded in front for me to see then I close the doors. After a while, they got the message to avoid resting their fingers near the door frame and they can also help to close the doors by themselves. It's not hard to avoid injuries. It just takes some training for the kids.

People complain about ingress of snow on the falcon wing doors opening? I've had THAT problem with EVERY car I've owned. If you DON'T clean the snow off the opening area prior to opening the door, guarantee you'll find snow dumping inside your auto!

 

[gangzoom]

FWDs, central aisle, and the front windscreen is what makes the X so unique and why I still love it so much as a family wagon 4 years into ownership.

We did a family trip yesterday post lockdown, and ended up having a 'picnic' in the car as it was pretty chilli out side.

Even with kid bike in the boot, child seat, the X simply has so much space/utility. The moon roof in the FWD also adds plenty of head room. Its simply an amazing family wagon, the only thing I would replace ours with is another X, the FWDs are essential to the ownership experience .

 

[Xcelerator]

I've had 2 issues with them since 2016, neither having to do with water. One, the key fob in my pocket when I'm putting things in or taking out of the trunk results in me accidentally pushing the button and opening one - hands free. Two, one time in a parking garage with a honeycomb type roof - beam of concrete that is 2-3 feet lower than the top of the garage floor, fooled the sensors and the door tried to open into the space it thought it had up to the ceiling and caught the part that sticks down an extra 2-3 feet. Scratched the paint. For that one, I've learned, if I have to park in something like that with a bizarre roof structure, don't even open up the FW doors. Otherwise, no issues and in fact more effective in tight spaces than regular doors.

 

[TesDen]

Owning an X 2,5 years now, it works fine, a couple of times some water or snow in the car like with any other car. I love the FWD's, i can push the keyfob from a distance, take my tools without touching the car, close it again, it's great.

 

[focher]

3 years, no issues with our FWDs. In fact, loved them. The only downside is that you can’t put a capsule on the top of the car.

Our 2nd X is eventually coming. The “April Delivery” in my account is now just a running joke.

 

[cobra]

I don't love the FWDs, and I avoid them when possible. I have a baby seat, and I park in my garage. They don't open all the way, even though they are set to do so. I have to really bend down and squeeze in to retrieve the baby. I use the trunk to carry things rather than having to deal with the FW doors.

Yeah, that could be a pain. You know you can hold the up button to manually raise them more?