# Rear doors do not fully unlatch from inside.



## DangerWillRobinson (11 mo ago)

When the front door release button on my 2021 Model 3 Performance is depressed the front doors fully unlatch.

When the rear door release button is depressed the rear door does not fully unlatch but goes only to the ajar position.

Unlike the front, to open the rear door the button must be held WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY pushing the door open.

I took it to the Tesla service center in Tampa and the technician said this is normal.
We tried several other Model 3’s and sure enough the rear door released only to the ajar position.

I thought to myself Tesla has a lot of door mechanisms to adjust under warranty but Tesla Service refused to address the problem.

The owners manual does not differentiate the door opening technique between front and rear doors.

The manual states, “To open the door while sitting inside press the button located at the top of the interior door handle AND push the door open.”

This problem came to my attention when I had first time passengers in the rear seat. They found it difficult to unlatch and get out.

Tesla needs to acknowledge and address this problem.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

It's not a problem, it's by design.

If you pull an outside front door handle, you will notice the door opens (lightly spring loaded) beyond he latch while the rear doors do not - you need to hold the rear handle open and pull past the latch.


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## DangerWillRobinson (11 mo ago)

So it seems I have to give a lesson in how to open the rear doors to every new rear seat passenger.
What the hell were they thinking?


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## lance.bailey (Apr 1, 2019)

it might be a safety feature due to most back seat riders being children.


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## DangerWillRobinson (11 mo ago)

lance.bailey said:


> it might be a safety feature due to most back seat riders being children.


I don't think so. Thats what the child locks are for.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

DangerWillRobinson said:


> So it seems I have to give a lesson in how to open the rear doors to every new rear seat passenger.
> What the hell were they thinking?


You have to lesson all passengers on how to open the door - press the button HERE. I have carried more than a few rear seat occupants and only told them where the button was. Last I checked, there was not anyone still trapped in the back of my car.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

DangerWillRobinson said:


> So it seems I have to give a lesson in how to open the rear doors to every new rear seat passenger.


Yep.
I'm surprised it's giving your passengers so much trouble. Everyone I've had in the car who initially had trouble managed to figure it out after the first attempt.


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## lance.bailey (Apr 1, 2019)

DangerWillRobinson said:


> I don't think so. Thats what the child locks are for.


just making a guess as to what it might be.

For example, there are child window locks - right? but when you turn them off, the rear windows don't go down all the way (stay up about 4 inches of glass still exposed). why is that? safety for the rear occupants even if the child locks are off. I suspect that the partial unlatch on rear doors comes from the same safety mindset of the regulatory bodies.

just speaking as a parent who had his son press the door latch with the car in motion soon after we turned off door locks because we thought he was old enough. he wasn't.


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## Mr. Spacely (Feb 28, 2019)

The biggest issue with the door open button is that it lowers the window a bit to allow the glass to clear the frame. When that happens new riders think they accidently hit the window button, not the door open. Confusion sets in...


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

lance.bailey said:


> For example, there are child window locks - right? but when you turn them off, the rear windows don't go down all the way (stay up about 4 inches of glass still exposed). why is that?


That's due to the shape of the door, not a safety feature.

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/how-come-rear-windows-dont-roll-all-way-down-272199
_As it turns out, the real reason these windows don't roll down all the way is because of automotive door design; the windows rolled down as far as they could before reaching the top of the wheel arch, and then they had to stop, because they simply had nowhere to go._


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## lance.bailey (Apr 1, 2019)

garsh said:


> That's due to the shape of the door, not a safety feature.
> 
> https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/how-come-rear-windows-dont-roll-all-way-down-272199
> _As it turns out, the real reason these windows don't roll down all the way is because of automotive door design; the windows rolled down as far as they could before reaching the top of the wheel arch, and then they had to stop, because they simply had nowhere to go._


interesting! you learn something everyday.


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