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[proposed] Class action lawsuit against tesla - door handles unreliable

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Getting off topic is for? your personal enjoyment? I don't get it.

I would like to join action requiring that the door-handles be replaced with ones less prone to breakage.
It is unacceptable, on any vehicle that door-handles should fail so frequently and with such a high cost.
Door-handles are a safety device that must operation well.

Outside of Tesla, I've never had a door-handle fail. My car has gone though 7 and counting. My complaint is more than justified.
 
Wait, you have gone through over 10 door handle replacements?!
I went through about 15 on my first MS60 in the 2 1/2 years I owned that one(2013). My 90D has had roughly 8 replaced in the 2 years I've had this one (2016). These door handles do not handle climates that have real winters.

And this doesnt even count how many times handles have failed to present due to being frozen in. Usually in this case, at least ONE handle presents, and/or will open a door allowing us to reach in and open other doors, then proceed to "preheat" the living crap out of the car to thaw them out. A few occasions, I've had to send a midget (My Youngest) through the trunk and over the back seats to open doors.
 
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I went through about 15 on my first MS60 in the 2 1/2 years I owned that one(2013). My 90D has had roughly 8 replaced in the 2 years I've had this one (2016). These door handles do not handle climates that have real winters.

And this doesnt even count how many times handles have failed to present due to being frozen in. Usually in this case, at least ONE handle presents, and/or will open a door allowing us to reach in and open other doors, then proceed to "preheat" the living crap out of the car to thaw them out. A few occasions, I've had to send a midget (My Youngest) through the trunk and over the back seats to open doors.

Well, at least hopefully you could open the sunroof and get in your car that way.
 
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Hi everyone. Sorry that its been a while since I first posted that I was forming a Class Action Lawsuit against Tesla for the faulty/unreliable door handles. Some of you have requested information on how to join the Class. Here is what has transpired. Firstly, I am the 23rd reservation holder of the Model S worldwide (before the Model S was even in production). I also own a Model X and a Model 3 (very early on both these cars too). Since my first post, I did not hear back from too many people having the door handle problem. As I suspected, that has quickly changed so I apologize for going silent.

Long story short, I contacted an Attorney Firm in Florida specializing in Class Action Lawsuits. After their research, the attorney agreed that there is a widespread problem with the door handles which also can present a dangerous condition. We negotiated a few days regarding a retainer agreement to institute the Class Action and finalized the document. I was literally one day from signing the agreement.

Not only were my door handles failing, my expensive internal charging unit had also failed and Tesla was not treating me right as an early adapter of the car. They contended that my vehicle was out of warranty and that these items were not covered. What a great way to piss off some of Tesla's most loyal customers. Obviously, a door handle should open a car door way beyond a warranty period, at least that is what one would expect from an electric car, especially since Tesla has touted that the repair cost are low, and reliability is high with their electric cars. Misleading?

In any event, at that time, I was ready to cancel my Model X order (fearing reliability issues with the Falcon Wing doors) and I probably would not have purchased my Model 3 for my daughter. Someone at corporate Tesla woke up and ended up replacing my door handles, only after much debate and several threats on my part. They also replaced my internal charging unit and then some. They did a total 360 with me and Tesla has continued to go far-and-beyond with replacements of parts despite my expired warranty.

So with literally only 1 day to spare, Tesla avoided my Class Action Lawsuit, and I did not sign the negotiated and finalized attorney retainer. My new door handles V2 continue to fail, and so far Tesla has replaced them out of warranty. I understand that there is a V3. I do plan on continuing to demand replacements indefinitely until they have a solution that is as reliable as all ICE vehicle's door handles.

That is the outcome of the Tesla Class Action Lawsuit regarding the faulty/unreliable door handles for the Model S.

If you are still having problems getting Tesla to change out your door handles, I would recommend fighting hard and try to get them to work with you. If Tesla fails to work with you, I think they will have a big problem on their hands. Elon is good, but he makes some very silly mistakes in design. I have personally spoken to Franz about this. So what do they do, they come out with an exotic sports car with doors that open like a 4 door sedan, go figure. I will not buy that sports car until they have exotic looking doors that open upwards, but "manually" like BMW does it. When will they learn what their customers want? They are so close, though.

Owner
Model S (#23 worldwide)
Model X (#256 worldwide)
Model 3 (delivered before x-mass 2017)

Oh, and yes, I am the TroyGuy on Bodybuilding.com.
 
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Thanks for the update.
So literally Tesla bought You out. Good for You, unfortunate for the community.

I wished You would´ve gone ahead. My guess is for 70% door handle failure rate over a lifespan of ~5 years.
Having personally fixed two of my own and three of friends cars handles, I can say it´s always the same fault.
Tesla should fix it for a fixed rate of max. 100$ per handle (30 min. repair time), and charging up to 1200$ is a perversion, or maybe welcomed revenue.
Always the same engineering flaw. A good attorney would easily succeed on this one. Same for the rusty, non eloxated lift gate screws we experienced in cold climate regions.
 
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I'm going in for my 7th door handle replacement in 2.5 years tomorrow (Wednesday).

2 weeks ago I fixed the driver's door handle which as you can imagine was SUPER annoying -- as this is the one that gets used the most. This week it will be the front passenger side. it presents and retracts but does not unlatch the door. This is new: usually my doorhandles are stuck in the presented position, and they don't unlatch the door when pulled.

my car is still under warranty, there is a service center only a few miles from where I work, and I have a valet service pick up and drop off my car to Tesla as needed so the repair process has been rather painless so far. but if each of the 3 points above were not so, I would probably be REALLY REALLY pissed.

I'm not litigious by nature, but I am starting to understand the calls for a class action law-suit regarding faulty doorhandles.
 
They did a total 360 with me and Tesla has continued to go far-and-beyond with replacements of parts despite my expired warranty.

Thank you for your update. After my first year and 21K miles, I have yet to experience a door handle failure. (knock on head).

The warm Florida climate probably helps. I always wipe down the handles and I occasionally use my leaf blower to dry the innards as much as possible following a wash or rain shower.

When it happens outside of warranty, I too plan on requesting a goodwill fix since the handles should not be breaking due to regular use. Honda was always very good about fixing repeated failures with the sun visors and the low-grade leather in my Accord without a fee outside of warranty.

Off topic - My high school basketball coach used to say the same thing about a 360-degree turn. If we did that, we'd still be losing in the 2nd half :)...

 
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I don't usually comment on these threads but I still haven't collected my jaw off the desk yet.

  • My door handles are broken, everyone elses keep breaking, lets sue!!!!
  • (everyone dogpiles in, cause its a legitimate problem... although not sure suing is the right answer)
  • OP disappears, thread derails, even with legitimate interest
  • OP reappears, Tesla made him whole, please disregard all the table flipping he did earlier, if YOU still have a problem, tough $hit!
  • Pitchforks stashed away for the next travesty
Ya'll need to chill out. I've had 5 handle failures, 2 MCU failures, 3 DU failures, and 4 TPMS failures. Work with your SVC, escalate if needed. They are CARS, things BREAK. Well documented that pre 2015 door handles are legit trash, just like how 2005 Ford F150 drive shafts are on their 15th revision (they've almost run out of colors, i think we're on Pink now).
 
I don't usually comment on these threads but I still haven't collected my jaw off the desk yet.

  • My door handles are broken, everyone elses keep breaking, lets sue!!!!
  • (everyone dogpiles in, cause its a legitimate problem... although not sure suing is the right answer)
  • OP disappears, thread derails, even with legitimate interest
  • OP reappears, Tesla made him whole, please disregard all the table flipping he did earlier, if YOU still have a problem, tough $hit!
  • Pitchforks stashed away for the next travesty
Ya'll need to chill out. I've had 5 handle failures, 2 MCU failures, 3 DU failures, and 4 TPMS failures. Work with your SVC, escalate if needed. They are CARS, things BREAK. Well documented that pre 2015 door handles are legit trash, just like how 2005 Ford F150 drive shafts are on their 15th revision (they've almost run out of colors, i think we're on Pink now).
Chill'n out will really be dependent on Tesla's willingness to work with their customers on the issue of the door handles. While I'm the OP and Tesla has made good with me (I don't feel whole until I know I have a reliable way to open my doors), I'm not suggesting we disregard the idea of a Class Action if Tesla goes back to restricting free replacements to only owners still under warranty. So far, my 3rd set seem to be holding up. I'm guessing that my driver's side will fail within a year.
 
Chill'n out will really be dependent on Tesla's willingness to work with their customers on the issue of the door handles. While I'm the OP and Tesla has made good with me (I don't feel whole until I know I have a reliable way to open my doors), I'm not suggesting we disregard the idea of a Class Action if Tesla goes back to restricting free replacements to only owners still under warranty. So far, my 3rd set seem to be holding up. I'm guessing that my driver's side will fail within a year.

I've had all mine replaced on goodwill, out of warranty. One was even proactive and a surprise. I think the SVC latitude is wide on this one, and they do it because they know its right... MCU failures and other items I've had to get combative on, they seem to shy away from.
 
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