The outside passenger front door handle stopped working and no longer allows the door to be opened from the outside. The handle does present and retract but does not respond when you pull it. This handle has been replaced once before by Tesla. Now, when the vehicle goes from being locked to unlocked the passenger front door pops open without any user interaction whatsoever.
2015 Tesla Model S: doors won't lock, open or latch
34 of the 672 complaints about the 2015 Tesla Model S describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 34
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 60,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
I parked my 2015 Tesla Model S and found the rear door on the passenger side would not open from the outside even though the door handle was extended. This is a safety concern as we could not open the door to remove our pet dog from the car. It would also not be possible to open the door from the outside to remove a child in a car seat next to the door or an elderly or disabled person sitting next to the door who is unable to open the door from the inside. This could be life threatening in the case of a car crash. It is a major safety defect that should be repaired at no cost by Tesla for the entire lifespan of the car. The problem persists and is reproducible.
The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that three door handles had been replaced over the years. The contact stated that the door handles were not responding, and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that several attempts were needed before the door before being able to enter the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's side door handle and the passenger’s side door handle were malfunctioning. The contact stated that there were no messages on the phone App, or on the instrument cluster. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to the local dealer for the driver’s and passenger’s side front door handles. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 280,000.
The component that Tesla has stated is the part that is failing is the MCU (Media Control Unit) which was a recalled part at one point but then Tesla decided to replace only a single part of the MCU which was the eMMC (embedded MultiMedia Card). Luckily the vehicle was not driving when it completely shut down and would not start back up but I was stuck in a restaurants drive-thru for roughly 4 hours till I could get a tow truck to come tow it. The tow truck had to put the car on dollies as the vehicle would not enter tow mode nor would it enter its emergency neutral mode so the vehicle could be moved. The windows would not go up or down and luckily the trunk was able to open because if not then I would have been stuck outside my vehicle as the door handles did not come out after I got out of it and closed the door behind me. Please read the messages from the tech as you will see that they tried to act as if they did not know what was going on with my vehicle but then i asked something else and they stated exactly what the issue was but supposedly could not confirm it was that unless they charged me a diagnosis fee and "got hands on" which I'm sure that info of what was wrong with my vehicle was nothing they needed to get their hands on. There were no warning lamps or messages UNTIL the vehicle shut off on me in the drive-thru and then the warnings started to populate staying that the vehicle was off, vehicle could not detect brake being pressed, and that the vehicle was not detecting the key. The repair estimate is no longer available in my app for some reason, probably because I did not repair the vehicle as they were wanting me to upgrade to the new MCU that is in the current vehicles and it would have been roughly $2,400.00. Just today, the vehicle would not start, would not move my seat or anything to its memorized position when I got in the vehicle and the screen was frozen, just as it did when the original recall happened of the MCU/eMMC, photo/videoattached.
There have been 7 incidents with my car where the door handles for both front doors (left and right) handles stopped working. The door handles would not "present" or "extend" and thus making it impossible for entry into the car. The latest incident occured on 1/13/2024 where the front driver side door would just pop open anytime any other door was opened. This is while the car was still in operation and the drive would then have to manually close the door. The door handles have malfunctioned on the following dates - January 2019, April 2019, July 2019, April 2022, June 2023, January 13, 2024.
Front passenger door randomly opens on it's own. Usually vehicle is parked but has happened at low speeds (under 30 mph). Advised it's the door handle which has been "fixed" twice before while under warranty. Tesla will no longer fix without charging (warranty expired). If it's the door handle or the door this needs to be a recall issue for Tesla to fix. Please recall! Data below is for most recent occurrence. This has happened at least 3 times this calendar year (2023).
Door handle that allows for opening the door from the outside fails to present. Motor just turns and turns, and it is impossible to open the door from the outside. This is the SECOND time for this defect on this vehicle - in 2021 the driver-side door failed in the same manner. This is the passenger side door that has failed now. Tesla said in 2021 that this was a known defect with a cheap gear that fails. There is also a class action lawsuit pending in California federal court, Urban v. Tesla, related to this identical defect which involves 2014-2016 Model S vehicles. No warning signs before the failure. In the event that the vehicle is in an accident, this failure would make it difficult for emergency personnel to open the door from the outside (which they otherwise would be able to do, because the key fob in the vehicle would ordinarily allow extension of the handle upon merely pushing in the handle).
The retracting door handle mechanism is defective. The motor that activates the door handles breaks and I cannot open my passenger doors from the outside. I have to deactivate the child safety locks and open the door from the inside. This creates a hazard in emergency situations. I have two young children that are still in car seats. They need assistance in and out of the vehicle. Tesla has replaced both the rear passenger door handle mechanism at cost. The tech says this is a known problem for early models of this car.
The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model-S. The contact stated that he was unable to open or close the driver's side door due to the door handle not operating as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver's side door handle was replaced by a Tesla mobile Technician; however, the failure reoccurred on the rear passenger's side door handle. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger's side door would consistently open while shifting into park and would also pop open inadvertently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Door handle is supposed to pop out to open the door. This is the 2nd time my door handle is stuck and does not pop out, making it impossible to open the door from the outside. This appears to be a systematic defect in Tesla Model S cars as seen from numerous online complaints. It is a safety issue as not being able to open a door can prevent help from getting in in case of any accident. Tesla refuses to consider this in issue and treats it as an out-of-warranty expense to be covered by the owner. The right thing to do is to recall these broadly and fix this correctly.
Like everyone else who owns an early Model S, we have had numerous issues with our door handles. A couple were replaced under warranty, but now the car is out of warranty. The design is OBVIOUSLY defective. Our best friends have the same car and they have had to replace all four of them. Our car just started opening two of the doors randomly. Not just unlocking, its actually opening the doors all the way. This is seriously concerning to me. Tesla wants $700 to fix the doors. It would seem to me that Tesla needs to recall these handles or at least fix them for free as issues arise for people. Its NOT okay to have doors that randomly pop open with children in the back seat. So dumb! Please help!
Two issues to flag: 1) Door handles are defective. I have now had to replace all 4 door handles at $500+ each. There is clearly a design issue that should have been addressed and every part failing in the same way is unacceptable. 2) Phantom braking when 'Autopilot' engaged... rarely the car will brake hard at highway speeds for no apparent reason. I have noted this seems to occur on specific parts of road such as driving under an overpass with an uphill slope... this has been dangerous and required quick reactions to prevent the car from stopping on the highway.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
- Risk
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will inspect and reposition the latch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 18, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-11-003.
Recall number 21V00B000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2015 Tesla Model S door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
34 of 672 owner complaints about the 2015 Tesla Model S (5%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Tesla Model S?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Tesla Model S
Backup camera 110Ball joint 37Screen failure 36Headlights 25Grinding brakes 15Sudden acceleration 13Adaptive cruise 12Fire or smoke 10Power steering loss 7Pulling 6Wipers 6ABS 5Overheating 5Stalling 5Won't start 5
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