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Rear wheel interior access cover

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After my first yearly inspection, I noticed what appears to be a missing cover in the interior by the rear wheel wells, on both sides. Does this look normal? The SC says it is. I apologize for the unusual angle of the photo, it is only noticeable when getting something out of the trunk and looking up to the side.
 

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  • Right rear view of Model S trunk .JPG
    Right rear view of Model S trunk .JPG
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Yes, that is where the air exits the cabin. Do not cover them! When your HVAC is not on recirc, the air comes in the front and out the back. It goes in those cutouts then down behind the trim to some special exit vents that have flaps that close when there is no pressure.
 
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Reactions: MP3Mike
Ingineer, thank you for the response and explanation. I thought I had read somewhere that they were for airflow for airbag deployment, but wasn't certain.

I was thinking that they should be covered in some way, e.g. like a vent cover that would still allow air to flow, but keep out things that might somehow fall in there and rattle around. For a $100K+ car, it looked odd to me to see this unfinished trim piece opening to the bare metal and vibration dampener underneath..