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How to repair your Tesla Model S Door handle (DIY Kit)

Published

5 years ago

on

The sudden failure of Tesla Model S self-presenting door handles as a result of component failure is a common and often aggravating experience for many early owners.

The design of the earlier Model S door handle was comprised of cheaper, cast components that often led to breakage, which Tesla finally addressed in the 3rd Gen of Model S door handles.

Under warranty, the answer is simple; call the service center, and schedule an appointment for a replacement, but for many early Model S owners, their warranty has been long gone, and thus stuck with an expensive repair bill that ran upwards of $1000.00 per self-presenting door handle. It also requires a special calibration that only the service center can perform.

The owners of the Electrified Garage have addressed this common issue with a comprehensive DIY Model S Door Handle Rebuild Kit that any handy person can tackle.

The kit includes a stronger machined stainless steel gear, a new e-clip for retaining the pivot gear on the shaft, Original Equipment Panasonic replacement micro-switches, push nuts to hold the vapor barrier securely, and new door panel clips.

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Here’s a basic guideline on how to repair your Model S door handle.

To remove the door handle assembly

  1. With the door opened, pull the hatch into a position as if you were opening the door.
  2. Pop off the trim piece with a flat tool, like a flathead screwdriver. Do not apply excessive force.
  3. Use a Torx T30 bit to remove the two screws behind the door hatch.
  4. Use the 9mm socket wrench to remove the single bolt that lies under the door handle.
  5. Use your hands to pop the speaker grille off from the bottom portion of the door.
  6. Then grab the underside above the speaker and the door handle and pull the door covering off firmly.
  7. Remove any wiring that connects the door covering to the door itself. This includes lights, speaker system wires, and door sensor connectors.
  8. Use a Torx T20 bit to remove the door cover panel. There will be five screws to remove.
  9. Use a flathead to push the rubber gasket through the hole on the panel that was most recently removed.
  10. Use a flathead to push the switch on the side of the door. This will trick the window into thinking the door is closed, which will push the window glass upward. It will give you easier access to screws at the top of the door frame.
  11. Use a trim removal device or flat tool to remove the small white piece from the door panel. This secures the door handle harness into place.
  12. Unplug the door handle harness.
  13. Remove the two black plastic door covers from the door panel that are shown below. This is done by simply pressing from the back of the pieces with your hand.
  14. Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove the two bolts that are in each of these two holes and another that lies within the open space in the center of the door.
  15. Push the door handle on the exterior of the door back into the door assembly. Use your right hand to stabilize the door and your left hand to push the door handle in.
  16. Reconnect the blue window power wire into the appropriate connection point. This is located at the bottom of the door. Once this is completed, roll the window down and disconnect the connection once again.
  17. Grab the top chrome-colored trim piece located at the top of the outside of the door. Gently remove this piece by slightly pulling and working your way down the piece. Do this gradually and try not to remove it in one pull. It could damage the trim or the door itself.
  18. Remove the bolt located under the chrome trim piece. It is easiest to do this with a regular wrench and slowly loosen. You can wrap the wrench in electrical tape to prevent possible scratching of the window glass.
  19. Reconnect the blue window power connector once again and roll the window all the way up. Once the window is rolled up, disconnect the connector wire once again.
  20. The door assembly can then be pulled out. Pull in a firm, controlled fashion.

To repair the door assembly:

  1. Remove the vapor cover from the assembly. This is usually connected with zip ties. Be careful to not cut any wires while removing.
  2. Remove the five centrally located bolts with the correctly-sized Torx bits.
  3. Remove the motor, which is the small cylindrical black piece held in by these bolts.
  4. Remove the two screws that maintain the position of the door handle.
  5. Remove the pin that is housed on the rear side of the assembly. This can be lubricated with WD-40 and pushed out with a pair of needlenose pliers.
  6. Install the new gear into the door assembly by pressing down on the door handle.
  7. Slide the pin back through and make sure the center notch on the pin is aligned with the middle slot. Install a new metal clip from the kit in the center notch.
  8. Reinstall the screws that were removed in Step 4.
  9. Resecure the main power wire for the door handle to the bottom of the assembly with zip ties.
  10. Reinstall the motor from Step 3 and resecure it with the appropriate screws.
  11. Resecure all wires with zip ties and reapply the vapor cover.

Tesla Model S Door Handle DIY Repair Kit

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Lifestyle

Possible first glimpse of Tesla “Model 2” affordable car in Fremont Factory

The models that Tesla will release in the coming months will resemble the company’s current lineup.

Published

2 days ago

on

April 27, 2025

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Image Credit: @metgodinwilderness7130/YouTube

During the Q1 earnings call, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy set expectations on the design of the affordable models that the company is expected to launch this 2025. As per the Tesla executive, the models that Tesla will release in the coming months will resemble the company’s current lineup.

Drone footage from the Fremont Factory earlier this month might have provided the EV community its first potential glimpse at Tesla’s affordable cars–fondly dubbed by EV fans and analysts as the “Model 2” or even “Model Q”–or at least their components and overall shape.

The Sighting

Tesla watcher and drone operator Met God in Wilderness, who has been posting aerial videos of the Fremont Factory for years now, recently shared some footage from his drone flyovers this month. While the Fremont Factory was abuzz with activity as usual, a couple of rather strange vehicles were quickly spotted by EV watchers on social media.

During the drone operator’s flyover on the 17th, for example, an unfinished vehicle could be seen parked next to what appeared to be fully-built Model S and Model Y units. What was especially interesting was the vehicle’s roof, which seemed to be slightly narrower than the Model Ys around it. Based on the video, at least, the vehicle seemed to be shaped like a crossover as well.

Footage from the 24th of April also proved quite interesting, with the drone operator capturing footage of another cryptic vehicle. Unlike the mysterious, unfinished, crossover-esque car spotted on the 17th, this particular unit seemed to have a more sloping rear, at least based on the shape of its covering.

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What Lars Moravy Said

In Tesla’s Q1 2025 Update Letter, Tesla noted that “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025.” Tesla also noted that the new vehicles will utilize aspects of its next generation and its current platforms. They will also be produced on the same manufacturing lines as its present vehicle lineup, likely the Model Y and Model 3. 

During the earnings call itself, Moravy specifically stated that the new models that would come out in the next months would resemble the company’s current vehicles. They will, however, be affordable. “Models that come out in next months will be built on our lines and will resemble, in form and shape, the cars we currently make. And the key is that they’ll be affordable, and you’ll be able to buy one,” Moravy stated.

Watch the drone operator’s footage from April 17 below.

The drone operator’s footage from April 24 can be viewed below.

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Lifestyle

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

2 months ago

on

March 6, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday. 

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease. 

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“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

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Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

3 months ago

on

January 31, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

  • But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
  • This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
  • As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
  • For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States. 

FSD user’s tale:

  • As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
  • During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
  • In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous. 
  • “This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
  • “The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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