Topics: Tesla, Technology, Elon Musk, Cars, Electric Cars, Weather
Although they might be considered the cars of the future, Tesla owners have noticed a rather unfortunate design flaw.
With temperatures dropping amid the cold winter months and blizzards hitting parts of the US and Canada, some users have been unable to get into their EVs as their doors have frozen shut.
Elon Musk's company may be dealing with a bit of a backlog of complaints this Christmas, with many people directing their concerns to Tesla on Twitter.
One person who tagged the firm said: "Hey guys fix the frozen door handles and windows then get back to me. Thanks."
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Another owner, who has faced more than just frozen doors, wrote: "My car has insufficient charge due to it being cold outside so I can’t defrost it to get the door or port to open because they’re frozen shut.
"Elon we need a solution these puppies don’t work in the cold. #Tesla @elonmusk."
"My door handle is definitely frozen @Tesla," added a third, while a fourth chimed in: "It it’s freezing outside. My Tesla door handle was frozen - took few minutes just to open the door."
Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist from Ontario, went one step further by sharing a video demonstrating the predicament.
Alongside the clip, she wrote: "@elonmusk bet ya didn’t think of ice in the Tesla design."
Her tweet has since gone viral and received a slew of comments from people criticising the Tesla owner for not keeping the car in a garage.
"You can afford a Tesla but not a garage on your home???" asked one, to which Modestino replied: "Yes, exactly."
But a majority of the comments came from people highlighting a recently added feature in the Tesla app that could easily overcome the issue.
As said by one: "There’s a feature in the app that opens the doors for you. Pops them open without having to use the handle.
"Bet you didn’t think of learning about your car or reading about it did ya Rachel?"
But the meteorologist responded saying that she did, but she wasn't aware of the 'new feature', adding: "Though the button to open the charging port didn't work, car cover added to the shopping list."
One commenter who agreed with Modestino explained: "Handles not the only problem right? Window not sliding down when frosted means I couldn’t close the door…
"I think you’re right Rachel, it’s a design error. They’re fixing it with work-around s, but it starts with the error. I too love the car, but agree with your remark."
The debate became so heated, Modestino eventually added a couple more tweets to clarify the intention of her original post.
"OKAY, this went off... Not meant to dig Elon (I love my car)," she wrote. "Only tweeted because I thought it was a silly flaw for the price.
"I learnt: unlatch capability, defrost longer, be less gentle with your 2nd baby and car covers. Ty for the help, be kind, Merry Christmas."
UNILAD has contacted Tesla for comment.
