Model S door handel failure

[alehbaba]

wow....i think the model 3 door handles will be incorporated in future s models.More solid and reliable. Again model 3 trumps model s.

 

[Iluvpcs]

Want to add 2 cents on a different type of breakage on door handle. Was told gen 1 was up to middle-late 2013 and some 2013 and newer have Gen 2. I have dec 2014 with 55k Miles.

My rear broke earlier this week and local mobile ranger came out (I’ll just say as a plug this guy was awesome and Tesla is lucky to have this employee). Rear door handle - Took a few hours, and what failed on mine was a small metal bracket that is about 1.5”-2” Long. It snapped at both sides where it meets the screw that holds it in (wear and tear I guess). It is the arm that opens the Handle from the gear that rotates to open / close it. Said it isn’t a common one he seen break. Sorry no pictures, I was running a bit late and had to leave for appointment during the repair.

Sorry for typos - on iPhone

 

[Nick B]

Want to add 2 cents on a different type of breakage on door handle. Was told gen 1 was up to middle-late 2013 and some 2013 and newer have Gen 2. I have dec 2014 with 55k Miles.

My rear broke earlier this week and local mobile ranger came out (I’ll just say as a plug this guy was awesome and Tesla is lucky to have this employee). Rear door handle - Took a few hours, and what failed on mine was a small metal bracket that is about 1.5”-2” Long. It snapped at both sides where it meets the screw that holds it in (wear and tear I guess). It is the arm that opens the Handle from the gear that rotates to open / close it. Said it isn’t a common one he seen break. Sorry no pictures, I was running a bit late and had to leave for appointment during the repair.

Sorry for typos - on iPhone

I've heard the same as well, this type of breakage is apparently easy to fix and much less onerous then replacing the entire handle. I've also heard that in some cases there is no easy fix and they do have to change the entire handle. Would be nice to have more information when that is necessary.

 

[scottm]

Want to add 2 cents on a different type of breakage on door handle. Was told gen 1 was up to middle-late 2013 and some 2013 and newer have Gen 2. I have dec 2014 with 55k Miles.

My rear broke earlier this week and local mobile ranger came out (I’ll just say as a plug this guy was awesome and Tesla is lucky to have this employee). Rear door handle - Took a few hours, and what failed on mine was a small metal bracket that is about 1.5”-2” Long. It snapped at both sides where it meets the screw that holds it in (wear and tear I guess). It is the arm that opens the Handle from the gear that rotates to open / close it. Said it isn’t a common one he seen break. Sorry no pictures, I was running a bit late and had to leave for appointment during the repair.

Sorry for typos - on iPhone

I have a handle out and see what you mean.

If I'm reading this right...

The little bracket that broke for you is holding a limiter microswitch. If the motor wasn't cutting-out soon enough after being detected at this limit (this would be for the retract motion) the pusher arm would keep traveling in a little bit further and press on the microswitch itself and flex the bracket it is mounted on.. the thinnest points of the arm are on each side of the screw holding down. Metal fatigue / fracture there and the bracket falls off.

A preventative for this would be to bend the microswitch leaf spring a little bit so that its plunge started sooner... the motor would cut out sooner and hopefully the pusher arm would not hit the switch itself. You might do this in combination with bending the microswitch mounting arm back a bit too...

From a DIY perspective, at least this is a mechanical failure that would not be too hard to fabricate your own little metal arm to replace broken one.