Tesla might be in some serious trouble with owners of its new Model S P85 D. Consumer Reports, the venerable product review organization, is reporting that it was effectively locked out of the $127,000 car after just 27 days of owning it and 2,300 miles of driving.
In case you haven’t seen it, the Model S P85 D has some snazzy Jetsons-style door handles that are flush to the door, creating a sleek, space age look. When someone with the car’s key approaches, they pop out to allow the person in.
Except for when they don’t. Consumer Reports found that after less than a month, the doors stopped popping out, leading to some creative problem solving to get into the vehicle:
And significantly, with the car sensing a problem, wouldn’t drive. We were able to move the car a short distance, thanks to the smartphone app that allows us to unlock the car and authorize two minutes of keyless driving, requiring a spry staffer to crawl behind the steering wheel from the passenger seat.
Consumer Reports did note that Tesla’s service was excellent, sending a representative out to fix the problem the morning after it was reported.