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.