Model X Falcon Wing Door crashed into a beam in my garage

[F-Juice]

Hi Everyone,

I've seen a couple of posts about the same issue but I couldn't really get the answers I was looking reading them.
Yesterday, after parking my 1 week old Model X in my garage, the sensor on the Falcon Wing Door failed to notice a beam and slammed the door into it.
Sadly one of the glass panel was hit and I now have a small dent and cracks near the corner of the horizontal panel behind the passenger seat.
From the inside, there is nothing visible, but you can notice it from the outside.

Reading this forum, it looks like issues like that have happened quite frequently to Model X owners, with the sensors failing to detect obstacles and the door ending up damaged.
I'd like to ask other members/owners of Model Xs how they dealt with this issue ?
Did Tesla cover for the repair ? How long did it take for the Service Centre to fix the issue.
In case you were out of your pocket, how much was the cost of replacement ?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Fred

 

[Tam]

...Did Tesla cover for the repair...

Sorry to hear about the damage.

You may try to see whether Tesla would repair for free as a courtesy but Owner's Manual is very clear about who is responsible in this case: Driver.

More likely, your insurance covers it or yourself.

 

[lynnpt2001]

I covered all my potential hazards in the garage with foam, had the car since July and yes one time it opened into the garage door track, covered with a foam noodle like the ones used in a pool. Thank goodness I did that. As a new owner I was concerned that this would happen

 

[bayx]

Sorry to hear about the damage.

You may try to see whether Tesla would repair for free as a courtesy but Owner's Manual is very clear about who is responsible in this case: Driver.

More likely, your insurance covers it or yourself.

Yea, but I think an argument can be made that the sensor failed, which isn't the driver's fault. In this case, the car is only a week old, so I would definitely push to have them replace it under warranty.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Just like with any other door, it is the responsibility of who ever opens the door to check if there is enough clearance before opening.

I would ask them if they could fix it as a courtesy, but they have no obligation to do so.

In my garage the sensors have so far worked perfectly, but I always have eyes on to stop it if it gets too close to the hard points.

 

[jeffro01]

I covered all my potential hazards in the garage with foam, had the car since July and yes one time it opened into the garage door track, covered with a foam noodle like the ones used in a pool. Thank goodness I did that. As a new owner I was concerned that this would happen

Thats what my wife did, pool noodles to the rescue just in case the door ever gets amnesia...

Jeff

 

[Tam]

...sensor failed...

Tesla discloses that its sensors are not perfect and it would call that as "limitations" not failure.

 

[dragonxt]

Hi Everyone,

I've seen a couple of posts about the same issue but I couldn't really get the answers I was looking reading them.
Yesterday, after parking my 1 week old Model X in my garage, the sensor on the Falcon Wing Door failed to notice a beam and slammed the door into it.
Sadly one of the glass panel was hit and I now have a small dent and cracks near the corner of the horizontal panel behind the passenger seat.
From the inside, there is nothing visible, but you can notice it from the outside.

Reading this forum, it looks like issues like that have happened quite frequently to Model X owners, with the sensors failing to detect obstacles and the door ending up damaged.
I'd like to ask other members/owners of Model Xs how they dealt with this issue ?
Did Tesla cover for the repair ? How long did it take for the Service Centre to fix the issue.
In case you were out of your pocket, how much was the cost of replacement ?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Fred

Welcome to the Forums!

Pictures or it never happened

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Sorry to hear about the damage.

You may try to see whether Tesla would repair for free as a courtesy but Owner's Manual is very clear about who is responsible in this case: Driver.

I’m quite confident this wouldn’t hold up in court - there is no manual operation alternative

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Tesla discloses that its sensors are not perfect and it would call that as "limitations" not failure.

Disclosures have to be bleedingly obvious to avoid legal liability

 

[aesculus]

There is only one sensor on the Model X to detect overhead obstructions. You can see the dimple on the roof between the doors. If that sensor cannot "see" the obstruction it will not limit the opening. Beams are notoriously a problem because they are narrow and might not be in the path of the beam. For overhead garage doors it is possible the tracks cannot be seen at all because they are so narrow.

If you have a potential overhead obstruction you should be careful opening the doors in those areas. I generally make passengers wait until I can exit the car and manually open the door. You can also set the height yourself such as in your garage, to be limited opening.

 

[mswlogo]

I covered all my potential hazards in the garage with foam, had the car since July and yes one time it opened into the garage door track, covered with a foam noodle like the ones used in a pool. Thank goodness I did that. As a new owner I was concerned that this would happen

I used a pool noodle too

I also put a "Roller" on the garage door so if the garage door closed with gate open it would "roll" over it. I had this installed for my Jeep.

 

[Gwgan]

Narrow low areas are not well “seen”. TESLA UPDATES: Model X Falcon Wing Doors' obstacle detection improves in the latest software update

 

[ValleyGeek]

I’m quite confident this wouldn’t hold up in court - there is no manual operation alternative

If you hold down the button to open the door, rather than just tapping it, it will open slowly and stop when you release it granting you manual control of how far it swings open.

There is only one sensor on the Model X to detect overhead obstructions.

While this is a technically accurate statement, the doors also have hidden sensors in the side panel to observe the path in front of the door in an attempt to detect obsticals it might swing into. As the doors swing up they should also be checking the path above them.

My door once hit a mirror on a large truck; ever since then I've been very paranoid any time another vehicle's mirror has been in their path. I was lucky that no damage was done to either vehicle but the owner of the truck was sitting in it and I was quite embarrassed. I also suspect that Tesla won't cover the OPs situation under warranty.

 

[RoBoRaT]

Yea, but I think an argument can be made that the sensor failed, which isn't the driver's fault. In this case, the car is only a week old, so I would definitely push to have them replace it under warranty.

I agree. First, is the sensor "sensing" - if it is defective then Tesla may fix the sensor plus the cracked glass.

@F-Juice: is that FWD sensor working well other than not sensing the beam? I had a broken sensor (sensor mount came off) I first noted at home from delivery. It was not sensing at all, check your screen...mine was since fixed under warranty.