Complaint 2194995

Complaint Summary

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Owner Narrative

I went to open the trunk on my 2022 Tesla Model 3 using the normal electric trunk button above the license plate. When I clicked the button, the trunk opened a few inches, made an abnormal noise, and then came crashing shut. At this point, I opened trunk manually to see what occurred and immediately saw the electrically-operated trunk strut separated from the trunk and also a crack in my rear glass as a result of the strut breaking off and getting sandwiched between the glass and the trunk lid when it came crashing shut. This is not only a major design flaw, but a huge safety concern. Other Model 3 owners on Reddit have experienced this exact same event happen, clearly indicating the flaw in the part and design of it. In the newer generation Model 3 from 2024 until present, Tesla has changed the design of the trunk strut because they knew it was flawed on the last one. My 2022 Model 3 has the older, more dangerous design. Had my hand and fingers been under the trunk when this occurred, I could’ve sustained a serious injury from the weight of the trunk collapsing on me, but it thankfully didn’t. There is no failsafe in place like a backup gas strut in the event that something like this happens and Tesla put the entire weight of the trunk lid on one electrically-actuated strut on the left side that is prone to misalignment and failure. Tesla needs to be held accountable for this design flaw in the older Model 3s as this trunk part is beginning to wear out or become misaligned in many people’s vehicles by this point. My car has only 62,500 miles on it and this managed to occur. It’s only a matter of time before this part fails on many other Tesla owners, causing massive financial losses and potential injury.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.