Door really needs to be slammed to close

GIve it a few weeks. I think others have reported that the door seals break in a little after a while.

Mine aren't like that, and my car's just a few days old. You can take one finger and flick them closed.

Do you park on a slope that might make it more difficult, or are they always like that?
Do your door panel gaps look straight?
Anything odd looking about your gaskets?

I second what @garsh said. Both my Model 3 and wife's Model S take a little extra effort for the doors. Actually, I barely ride in her S anymore now that I have my 3 (lol) but if I recall, the doors are a bit easier now (6 months of ownership) ...pretty certain others have reported, and I've read about, a break in period for them.

My take is that it's simply how "solid" the car is. I liken it to a German car and you hear/feel the thud when you close the doors. As compared to my Hyundai where the doors were "light" and would slam if I had to exert the same force.

Now that said I'm exaggerating the level of force just to make the point that the cars/door is just more substantial/solid.

Our doors (particularly driver door) required excessive force to close when it was brand new. Had the SC take a look and they mentioned it was a common issue owners brought up. The seals just needed time to loosen up and, sure enough, they got better over time.

6+ months later I don't think about it anymore, but +1 to @Lovesword's post. Tesla doors in general require a bit more force to close. While riding in the 3 or an S, I've had to tell passengers not to be shy and give the doors a good push as a result.

Yes I have noticed the same thing. Mostly passengers not exerting enough force to close all the way.
Maybe it just has a break in period as was mentioned above.

I think Tesla deliberately chose to err on the side of too hard rather than too easy. A door that closes with only minimal force feels weak and "tinny". Hearing that thud, watching the door take a beating, makes you feel more confident in its strength (even though it's purely aesthetics).

Because of the frameless window design, there's a pretty robust gasket all around the window to keep rain out. Might have something to do with it. Maybe after 6 months if it's still not closing regularly with visitors, I'd say maybe ask them to check the hinge and latch positions to see if they can sweeten it up a bit.

I've not yet had the privilege of even touching a Model 3, but I will say that there is incredible variation in the amount of force required to close a car door. It's really one of the things that can differ between cars more than anything. I know my car's doors can literally be closed with one finger, while I've dealt with cars whose doors require what I would call a slam. So my point is that the Model 3 might just be on the right end of that curve.

it is really sad, my drivers door on model 3 still have to be slammed 6 weeks after. is there any solution for this? Did anyone find the way to fix it?

George40 said:

it is really sad, my drivers door on model 3 still have to be slammed 6 weeks after. is there any solution for this? Did anyone find the way to fix it?

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Make sure the rubber gasket around the door is completely seated?

Try reaching out to the Service Center. They may be able to dispatch a mobile technician to your house to fix it. I had a door gasket issue with the model S which the mobile tech handled very well. Later they came out for another issue on the Model 3.

On the S there are little rubber plugs on the underside of the door. On the advice of others online I removed one of mine on my S’s passenger door because it was hard to close and that took care of things. Haven’t had any issues after more than a year since I did it. Perhaps the 3 has similar plugs. Their purpose is as a drain plug for the door.

ng0 said:

So now that I've got a few days under my belt to try out the car, one of my biggest concerns is the doors. It seems like every time someone opens and closes the door, it doesn't close all the way. You really have to put some weight behind it and "slam" the door to close it. Is anyone else noticing this? Is it meant to be that way or can they fix it?

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I took delivery of my Model 3 just a few days ago and the only complaint I have is the doors. Same as you. The fact that some folks have doors which are problem free leads me to believe that there is some fit and finish issue with the door. I hope they do get better over time because none of my last cars have had this issue. Seems a shame that such a premium vehicle wouldn't be perfect from the factory.

Jeff Cross said:

I took delivery of my Model 3 just a few days ago and the only complaint I have is the doors. Same as you. The fact that some folks have doors which are problem free leads me to believe that there is some fit and finish issue with the door. I hope they do get better over time because none of my last cars have had this issue. Seems a shame that such a premium vehicle wouldn't be perfect from the factory.

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After driving my model 3 since the end of March, I'd say either I got used to the doors or they really did get better over time. A lot of people still tend to not close the door all the way when they get in, but it's not bad enough to take it in.

Jeff Cross said:

I took delivery of my Model 3 just a few days ago and the only complaint I have is the doors. Same as you. The fact that some folks have doors which are problem free leads me to believe that there is some fit and finish issue with the door. I hope they do get better over time because none of my last cars have had this issue. Seems a shame that such a premium vehicle wouldn't be perfect from the factory.

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Try making sure the rubber seal around the inside of the door is completely seated. It may just need to be pushed on a little further.

I've experienced the same thing, this car takes more force to close than any car I've ever been in. I don't think I've had a single passenger successfully close the door on their first try. Lol

I'm used to it, but I would have some concern when FSD comes out. Hypothetically, if the car drops off a passenger, what will it do if a passenger doesnt successfully close the door? Will it drive with an unlocked door? Or will it be stuck there until someone walks by and shuts the door? Unlike the S and X, the 3 doesnt have motorized door closing to shut it own doors.

My passenger door is hard to close due to the timing of the window. When I close the other doors the window is down about 1 inch and after it closes it rolls up to seal. However on the passenger door the window raises before it shuts which leave a large gap at the top of the window because is hitting the trim. Anyone else have this issue.

I just picked up my Model 3 a few days ago and it is something I have run into several times with the drivers side door. There have been a couple of times I have shut the door and started to walk away and notice that the car did not lock, going back to check, the door is slightly ajar and needs to be slammed. I'll check the seals tonight and see if I can push them on a little tighter and see if that makes any difference.